BREAKING: Our members in France are now celebrating their 100th 103rd member! But before we missed the 100th member party entirely, our very own Marketing VP, Melody, caught up with 1% member / photographer Emmanuel Donfut from his company Balao for a Skype interview and inspiring slideshow. Watch a couple minutes in for a view of 1% in France through a camera’s lens.
With this aptly chosen reenactment of the famous French Revolution painting, Liberty Leading the People, member companies on the French Riviera celebrate a present-day tour de force: 100 members of 1% for the Planet… and counting!
Getting members together for a networking event is a great way to share sustainability stories, recruit prospective companies to join, collaborate around a new giving project, or show off the great people, companies, and non-profits behind 1%. Big thanks — and CONGRATULATIONS — to the 1% members in France for expanding the pool of funding going to environmental projects each year.
Like you, we are horrified by the daily reports and images coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Even under the best-case scenarios for stemming the flow of crude, the BP disaster will impact an entire region’s environment and economy for years to come. In the short skype interview below, 1%’s Terry Kellogg catches up with Aaron Viles, Campaign Director of Gulf Restoration Network, on The Gulf Coast Fund’s efforts to support on-the-ground response to the current oil situation in the Gulf.
At the core of The Gulf Coast Fund model is an impressive Advisory Group comprising policy advocates, community activists, and grassroots organizers who are helping direct funds where they are needed most. Since April’s explosion, the Fund has given over $150,000 in grants for efforts like independent monitoring, buying safety equipment for clean-up workers, and mapping where oil is coming ashore. The full transcript of the interview is posted below.
If you have specific questions about the Fund, please contact Annie at Gulf Coast Fund (annie@gulfcoastfund.org).
– — interview transcript — – Terry: I’m Terry Kellogg with 1% for the Planet and we’re here with Aaron Viles, Campaign Director for the Gulf Restoration Network and we’re going to talk about the Gulf Coast Fund which was set up by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, post Katrina.
Thanks for joining us Aaron, can you tell us how the fund works and what it’s doing right now in the wake of the BP disaster?
Aaron: The fund is really an interesting endeavor; it’s a unique way of doing philanthropy. As much as the Rockefeller name may evoke certain things what it really is, is folks on the ground in the gulf coast, the folks who have been working in these communities before the storms and working with the racial, social and environmental injustices that were really exposed by the storms of 2005. They’re the folks who are in control, who are directing resources, who are responding to community requests and who are making sure philanthropic dollars are being utilized effectively. It worked very well post storm and it’s working incredibly well right now, as we’re, unfortunately, facing another disaster that’s threatening the future of the north central gulf coast. They made emergency grants immediately, working with the first responder environmental community making sure there were independent eyes and ears working to assess what was happening here and responding to what was happening here, even as BP was denying that there was a problem or downplaying the severity of it. We had folks like the Waterkeepers, like Gulf Restoration Network, LEAN (Louisiana Environmental Action Network), who had the resources to respond and I think that was critical. Now as they move on and as the coastal communities really are impacted as our traditional maritime and fishing communities are really questioning their future and concerned about what is happening here. They’re able to work in those communities and support the groups that are doing the effective movement building to help these communities have the resources to fight for their future.
Terry: Outstanding. Aaron, what can you tell us about what’s happening on the ground but isn’t making it through to the mainstream media channels?
Aaron: Well, I just think that there is an incredible amount of apprehension in the coastal communities, these are folks who hadn’t truly recovered from the storms of 2005 then 2008 which didn’t get much attention but Gustav and Ike really put a wall up on a lot of our Gulf Coast communities that are, right now, really threatened with some very real problems, fishing grounds have been closed so their traditional way of life has been jeopardized. As BP’s oil comes into these marshes we’re not sure what the long term effects will be. How many shrimp seasons are going to be impacted here? How many oyster reefs are going to ultimately be shut down for a season or for a longer term? What this is doing is creating a lot of tension in these communities, so that’s important. The other piece that I think isn’t getting out is how much BP is trying to keep the story from getting out. I think to some degree they’re being affective, which is really unfortunate because the world really needs to see what’s really happening down here. They don’t need to see a sanitized version, they need to see what’s going on, and that’s been a struggle for us as an independent organization, to get the word out.
Terry: Do you think this disaster is going to help to inspire people to change their consumption of fossil fuels?
Aaron: You know, as I sit here and as I see what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico and see the tension in the Gulf Coast communities and their fear for their future, I think that’s the only thing that gives any hope that we could learn something after this. I think that sometimes it takes a horrific shock to get people to change. We now see at large, what the cost of our oil addiction really looks like and what its impacts are on very important communities. I would hope that at a minimum we as a nation make a commitment to do everything in our power to keep this from happening again. That’s some very simple things, like making sure the regulatory agencies are in fact regulatory agencies and not just subsidiaries of the oil industry. But I also think it means we make a shift as a nation and, the easy things first, move our transportation sector off of oil. I don’t think people care what’s under the hood that gets them from point A to point B. As electric cars become more and more available we just need to make the move and force the move [which] means we need leadership. So I think that’s a really important piece that should happen sooner rather than later because this ecosystem cannot take another disaster like this.
Terry: Let’s hope that Obama makes that very clear call tonight in his remarks [from] the Oval Office, which would be outstanding. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Aaron: Well, I think what I would like to say is that the Gulf Restoration Network and the Gulf Coast Fund are happy to have the support of 1% for the Planet because we are seeing right now the worst examples of corporate bad actors and folks who are willing to cut corners and deny problems they have created, it’s important that corporations respond with a responsible approach to our environment, not just green-washing but a real commitment to do things right and to minimize their impacts as much as humanly possible. So, as Tony Hayward is out there making a bad name for corporations, especially those who tried to brand themselves green, I think it’s really important — the work that you do — to help corporations be truly responsible. That needs to be really lifted up and I hope a lot of corporations take advantage of the opportunities you provide. It’s important right now.
Terry: Well, thank you for saying so. We certainly hope that this issue also brings attention to the best practices for corporate behavior and that 1% grows as a result as well. Thank you very much for the great work that you’re doing on the ground, keep it up, I know it must be exhausting but were all rooting for you and hopefully we can get some support for the fund through this initiative.
Thank you again for your time and your perspective Aaron, all the best.
To download the entire MP3 audio file (36 min; 24.8 MB) right click (PC) or command click (Mac) on this link, then “Save Link As…”.
Join us Wednesday, May 12th, at 1:00 pm EDT (New York time) for a brown bag lunch call with Woody Tasch, founder and president of Slow Money, a nonprofit that connects investors to their local economies.
Today, a growing movement stands behind the idea that our lives would be richer if money would just slow down a bit. By directing our money into more local enterprise (remember the “buy local” and “eat local” movements?) the Slow Money team says we can take a vital first step toward building what they call a ‘nurture capital industry.’ But the truth is, investing locally just isn’t easy at this point. Take, for example, our retirement savings: when we put money away, those funds are teleported into a global capital market that shuffles around 3 trillion dollars each day. Imagine putting this money to work locally.
Next Wednesday, Woody Tasch will explain to us how moving towards more local economic principles can benefit our planet and everyone involved.
Enter your contact information below to sign up for the call. Then keep an eye out for an email will all the call-in instructions. The call, including a question and answer session with Woody, will last about an hour.
Registration is no longer available — this call has already taken place.
We’ve posted the recorded call above!
About Woody Tasch and Slow Money: Slow Money is a new nonprofit organizing an international movement to bring money back down to earth.
Founded by Woody Tasch, a pioneer in merging investing and philanthropy, Slow Money’s mission is to build local and national networks, and develop new financial products and services, dedicated to:
• investing in small food enterprises and local food systems;
• connecting investors to their local economies; and,
• building the nurture capital industry.
Can’t make the call? No problem — you can still submit a question. Just send an email with your name, location, and question to brownbag@onepercentfortheplanet.org. We’ll post the full audio recording of the call right on this blog following the call, so you can always peruse past BBL calls on your own schedule.
Susan Comfort is 1% for the Planet’s VP of Organizational Development. A UNC-Chapel Hill grad, former Americorps Director and VP at Environmental Working Group, she brings with her two decades of environmental… “rabble rousing”, as she calls it. A newbie to the blog, I thought to introduce Susan with a quick interview.
Tough questions first. What’s your greatest eco-virtue? This year marks #20 as a vegetarian. Caveat: I am from Baltimore so very occasionally I might have a few crabs. It’s my culture, hon.
And your worst eco-vice? Just one? I take long showers in winter. I fly in airplanes. I don’t re-use ziploc bags.
Do you have a favorite fundraising tactic?
My favorite fundraising tactic…drum roll please…asking for money face-to-face. Fundraising obviously depends on asking for money, but too often The Ask is in the form of a “Donate” button or a direct mail letter or a telephone call. Face-to-face opportunities (like individual meetings, giving a pitch at a house party, or door-to-door canvassing) allow for relationships to be established, questions to be asked, body language to be read and that special glow to be seen when someone says, “Yes! I’d like to support that.”
Is there something about the 1% movement that’s most apt to catch a donor’s attention?
Donors like it when their beneficiary isn’t totally dependent on them. And since 1% is supported mostly by its membership dues, our foundation and individual supporters can make special projects and outreach efforts happen that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to consider.
Can you give me a snapshot of the ‘then, and now’ of Susan Comfort, the environmentalist?
Just out of college, I was placed by organizing bootcamp Green Corps in Sacramento, California. I devised a “Haircuts Not Clearcuts” fundraiser during our ancient forest campaign. We organized “All Species Day” and skits of “The Lorax” on Halloween. Partnered with pioneering utility SMUD on an energy conservation campaign.
The future looked bright. But that was 17 years ago. All the problems that were dire emergencies to us then have only intensified since. Which makes for a dour perspective if you are trying to stay optimistic and raise kids and otherwise be happy as a full-time-card-carrying-environmentalist.
So I practice yoga. It serves as my preferred form of exercise, and it also helps me focus on the here and now of my experience on this planet, rather than worrying about the alarming future I see us rushing toward.
And your work day? Mostly with bad posture behind a laptop, I concentrate my energies on growing the network of 1% for the Planet. Growing the funding partnerships, the member businesses, the nonprofit recipients, the citizen supporters. It’s time well-spent. Last year this network contributed $15 million toward environmental groups and we are on track to give $20 million in 2010.
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Stay tuned for upcoming musings by Susan on topics of fundraising and movement building.
Joining 1% for the Planet could be the strongest green play a company can make to inspire global good; and for the second year running, the 1% network has been recognized as such by Treehugger’s new ‘Best of Green 2010′ list! This year’s nominees were drawn from hundreds of online reader submissions from around the world. A nice tribute to — as they say — the power of (1%) networks.
Big congratulations to all green nominees and winners of the 8 categories:
To support the recent launch of the 1% all-digital album, we just released this web badge (above) to make it easy to share the album online. The badge is a new way for the extended 1% community — from 1% album lovers, to member companies, to 1% environmental non-profit partners, to 1% friends and supporters — to build some buzz about this great album and 1% for the Planet. Will you join the effort?
Here’s how to join:
1. Visit the share page of our new music site. 2. Choose a badge size that will look good on your site, then post it. 3. Then,show us where you put it by submitting your site address using the form on the share page.
When you enter the location of your badge on our share page form, we’ll check out your site and add you to the list. Help us reach 100 badges and we’ll list your site on our blog. Our team will be using our Twitter account,@1percentFTP, to highlight some of the great badge sightings you share with us along the way.
And if you don’t have a blog or website, the image can go practically anywhere. (We put the image on our facebook page and YouTube page, and are exploring ways to fix it to Fenway’s water dish.)
Still wondering what a badge is?
Think of it as the online counterpart to a bumpersticker for your car, or a charity ribbon to pin on your jacket. A web badge is a small image you put on your web site that calls attention to something special — a club you’re a part of, a standard you’ve met, or a cool offering.
What is the 1% album?
1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1 is a compilation of more than 40 rare and exclusive songs donated by leading artists to supporting non-profit organizations working to create a healthy planet. The album aims to accelerate the 1% movement by engaging more people and inspiring more companies to join. Go to our music site to sample tracks, see what the artists are saying about the album, and download the music.
Last week’s album artwork made its rounds with some great posts on blogs and Facebook walls. Here’s the latest artwork.
A quick 1% music album update:
All is going swimmingly – THANK YOU to all of our fans and supporters. You’ve helped us climb to the top of Amazon’s MP3 Albums list, bounce around iTunes top-50 album list, and just recently take a walk up Billboard’s top folk albums lane, reaching #3.
See more on the 1% Flickr site. Artwork by TDA Advertising and Design (Boulder, CO)
As always, please feel free to use these images on your blogs and websites, and link your viewers to the 1% music site: music.onepercentfortheplanet.org.
About the Album:
1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1 is a compilation of more than 40 rare and exclusive songs donated by leading artists to supporting non-profit organizations working to create a healthy planet. The album aims to accelerate the 1% movement by engaging more people and inspiring more companies to join. Download and share the album →
Enjoy a glance at some of our latest artwork aimed to help spread the word about our new-release album. More to come!
About the Album:
1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1 is a compilation of more than 40 rare and exclusive songs donated by leading artists to supporting non-profit organizations working to create a healthy planet. The album aims to accelerate the 1% movement by engaging more people and inspiring more companies to join. Download and share the album →
See more on the 1% Flickr site. Artwork by TDA Advertising and Design (Boulder, CO)
Our album rollout depends on online sharing, which we encourage. Please feel free to use these images on your blogs and websites, and link your viewers to the 1% music site: music.onepercentfortheplanet.org.
Two years in the making, 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1 — the new 1% music album featuring a star-studded list of over 40 artists — surprised us (nearly flooding my laptop with coffee) as it reached the top of Amazon’s Bestselling MP3 Albums list upon close of its release day. The album is now available through most every online music outlet you can think of, from iTunes to eMusic to Rhapsody… and now on our very own music site.
We’ll follow-up here with some stories from the ripped-up and rerouted road of the music industry — a story of great collaboration in an era where good music can be king even without a big record label. For now, we’ll be live-sharing all album promotions and updates on 1%’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
Here are some of the latest music project developments:
1% Music Site is now live →music.onepercentfortheplanet.org
Sample the music, buy individual tracks or the full album, see what the artists are saying about the project, or redeem that download card you picked up at your local Patagonia store.
New Facebook landing page → visit page
Social networks can be powerful platforms for building support around causes. As part of our ongoing work to keep 1% hip to the social beat, we’ve kicked off a new page to welcome new Facebook fans with our music.
‘Artist Allies’ list kicks off → visit list
In addition to keeping track of what some of our members and non-profit partners are talking about online, we have added a third list — follow our ‘Music Allies’ on Twitter to connect with the artists on our album. If you’re a 1% member, partner, or artist on Twitter and are not yet on one of these lists, let us know.
These days, the average consumer good has a two month lifespan. That means the product is either obsolete, broken, or forgotten within 60 days of purchase. More than ever, looking for a timeless and thoughtful gift for the holidays comes with a new (environmental) challenge — to reduce the junk effect while supporting more environmentally-friendly brands.
So if you’re buying a gift this holiday season, consider getting one from a company that has a 1% member logo on the label or their company website. If the pants you’re eyeing for your sibling came from a 1% member company, you can let him or her know their new trendy trousers also came with an environmental commitment woven into their basic fabric. And if you want to go one step further in showing your 1% support, there are a handful of items adorned with the 1% logo available in the 1% store.
Luckily, member businesses now cover most all product categories we dutifully peruse during the holiday seasons. Case in point – I took 15 minutes to see if I could come up with a variety of 1% Member companies that make pants. I used the 1% member search engine, the 1% online store suppliers list, and some basic web searching.
Pretty good list for 15 minutes of searching, right? And I’m sure there are plenty of others, too. If you’re a 1% member with pants for sale, please let me know! I will add you to this post. jake -at- onepercentfortheplanet -dot- org
