As iconic frozen summer treats go, there are a few. Vermont has Creemee’s, Pennsylvania has Rita’s Italian Ice and now Indiana has Nicey Treat.
Nicey Treat, a new 1% member company, sells cool and flavorful handmade treats for those with a hankering for something sweet yet completely natural. According to Nicey Treat founder, Jeff Patrick, “…each Nicey is made with all natural ingredients some of which include, grass-fed milk, agave syrup, and organic evaporated cane sugar.” Jeff goes on to say, “…having the ability to make something that reminds me of my childhood with ingredients that I can pronounce is really special.”
Jeff believes that “being nice to our planet is equally as important as being nice to our bodies,” so “becoming a 1% for the Planet member was a no-brainer.” As an avid outdoorsman, Patrick saw that “…giving back to organizations that focus on environmental sustainability makes sense to [him] and [his] brand.” Perhaps you’ll see Nicey Treat spreading good karma to the karma on their “Nicecycle”, which allows the company to be mobile without causing harm to the environment.
Check them out in Indianapolis at Indy’s Kitchen or at events such as Zoobilation, Picnic for the Planet, and Orchard in Bloom. If you’re like me, and watering at the mouth already, just listen to these flavors: Strawberry Mint, Mango Ginger, Not-So-Hot Chocolate, and Avocado. And that’s just a few of the “melt-in-your-mouth” flavors Nicey Treat has to offer patrons this summer.
According to conventional wisdom and Jose Canseco, recycling is really awesome. Ever heard of it? In essence it turns otherwise waste materials into valuable resources. If you’re reading this blog you’ve probably heard of recycling, but what about upcycling? According to new member company Hipcycle, upcycling is “…the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.”
No one knows upcycling better than Hipcycle. Hipcycle’s mission is to provide a marketplace for upcycled products, where it’s easier for consumers to shop smarter and where manufacturers are empowered to find a new purpose for materials. They offer all kinds of upcycled products to consumers via its e-commerce site found here. In addtion to being “eco-friendly”, these goods are attractive, stylish, durable, and price-competitive with traditional alternatives, opening the upcycled marketplace up to the broadest potential market.
Hipcycle sees business as the most powerful driver of social and environmental change. Therefore, their involvement with 1% for the Planet was a natural organic extension of their mission, says Chief Hipcycler, Andrew Sell.
So, if you’re looking for something attractive, durable and envy making, look no further. Hipcycle has what you’re looking for!
Moving can be stressful. You’ve got to pack up all your stuff, cram it into a vehicle that always seems clown-car like compared to your belongings, and drive it to your new destination. In this respect, it can be stressful on you personally, but how about the stress on the environment? Shipping inherently has environmental costs, be that direct CO2 emissions, externalized costs from the fossil fuels used, the creation of the truck itself, or the boxes used to pack things.
Enter new 1% member, FROGBOX. Industry innovators Doug Burgoyne and Trevor McCaw founded the company after they saw a niche in the residential and commercial moving. For both types of moves, FROGBOX delivers reusable moving boxes and eco-friendly moving supplies to the customer’s home or office. When the move and unpacking are complete, FROGBOX retrieves their boxes. No more wasted hours, building and taping boxes… phew!
From its inception, FROGBOX has supported frog habitat restoration projects with their 1% donations. As an indicator species and incredibly threatened vertebrate, the choice of the FROGBOX frog mascot was a conscious one. Nearly one-third of the world’s 6,468 amphibian species are in danger and FROGBOX hopes to change that. They believe that we should all encourage change to help protect and restore the livelihood of frogs in our own backyard.
So, if you’re feeling froggy and need to get out of town, look no further, FROGBOX has got your and the environment’s backs. Hop on down to their website, they’ll set you right.
A friend recommended Yvon Choinard’s book Let My People Go Surfing sometime last year, prior to my employment at 1% for the Planet. He said the book aligned perfectly with my interest in environmentally/socially run companies, and that Yvon was a pretty enlightened guy. I’ll be honest, I still haven’t gotten to it… Maybe I have been too busy reading The Hunger Games, or maybe the surfing reference in the title turned me off (I’m a dry land cyclist!); excuses, excuses…
Luckily, two new member companies could see past the surfing reference and the pull of The Hunger Games… Allow me to cordially welcome the MNML Agency and Damang Media Group!
MNML Agency is a communications agency that specializes in the health, outdoor sports and nutrition sectors. The idea for the company was inspired by reading Let My People Go Surfing, what… awesome! According to co-founders, Roland-Phillippe Kretzschmar and Dennis Svard, the book inspired them on many levels. This ranged from how to manage their company to how to incorporate soft values such as branding and environmental values early in the company building process.
Though not directly inspired by Chouinard’s book, Damang Media understands and exemplifies its messages. The company helps other companies adopt technology solutions to improve sales processes and online marketing. They truly believe that technology plays an integral role in business growth, and help companies connect with people by approaching them through social media in fun and exciting ways. They say, “…by blurring the lines of work and play, [they] can work less and play more!” Partnering with 1% allowed them to make a true impact in the spaces they play and experience life to the fullest.
Obviously we here at 1% have taken the lessons conveyed in Let My People Go Surfing and lived life to the fullest. So we’re happy to have these two like-minded, generous companies working with us! …and now I’m going to finish the book!
March is a pretty sweet month. For one, it brings my birthday, which I happen to share with a certain Canadian heartthrob. It also marks the start of The Iditarod dog-sled race, the anniversary of Barbie’s birthday, Daylight Savings time, Spring, Pi day, St. Patrick’s Day and of course, March Madness.
March Madness is an unparalleled time of year when euphoric highs, dashed hopes and young college men praying to the basketball gods are not uncommon. Now, I’ll sheepishly admit I did not partake in this year’s Madness, but have enjoyed watching friends brackets crash and burn, or succeed with gusto. The Madness is definitely a unique aspect of American culture where others take solace in knowing their guess was WAY better than their compatriots; utter madness…
Luckily, philanthropic giving, the backbone of the 1% model, is not unique to just the United States, confined to the month of March, or considered madness. An exciting new development was recently brought to my attention. 1% nonprofit partner European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has announced that 1% member, KORS is supporting EOCA’s work with their 1% donation!
EOCA is an initiative from the European outdoor industry aimed to protect wild areas, akin to the Conservation Alliance here in the states. Designed to harnesses the incredible power of the outdoor industry, EOCA directs its funding towards environmental projects throughout the world. Fittingly, KORS is the UK’s only specialist summer trade show for the outdoor industry. Well, we’re incredibly happy these two entities could come together so effortlessly!
If you’re like me, after seeing the movies Titanic and Avatar you explored the depths of your heart. I asked myself questions like; would I have let go or would love have kept me hanging on that floating door? Would I have been able to see through the fact that the blue person I loved was really a human whose species was bent on destroying my natural habitat? To be honest, none of those questions have been answered yet, but phew, those are deep questions… And famous director, James Cameron, brought them all to life.
If you’ve been following the news recently, you might have seen that Mr. Cameron has funded the creation of an amazing new submersible. Like me when I watch one of his films, Mr. Cameron is hoping to delve into uncharted territory. Using his unique craft, Mr. Cameron plans to descend into the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench. There he hopes to document everything he sees, possibly finding new species, new environmental conditions and bragging rights for hanging out almost 7 miles below the surface.
Well, here at 1% for the planet we’ve got companies that do almost the same thing as Mr. Cameron every year. They give up their own resources to explore the depths of how far environmental giving can go. Take two new member companies, Controlling Group and KRG Co.,Ltd., for example.
KRG is a distributor of Joyearth, Co. (a maker of biodegradable products), optical lenses and lighting for LCD and semiconductor markets. The companies mission is to protect the earth from pollution, act for the happiness of all mankind, and to cooperate in recovery efforts from natural disasters.
German consulting company Controlling Group has found that environmental stewardship is necessary for the long-term success of their business. Based on the wonderful island of Reichenau in the Lake of Constance in southern Germany, Controlling Group is nestled in a beautiful part of the world – a perfect place for great consulting solutions to come to life!
All Controlling Group employees take clear advantage of their ideal location and are very outdoors oriented. They spend a good chunk of their time on or in the lake, sailing, surfing and paddling or playing in the nearby Alps. This made the decision to donate 1% of revenues easy! Thank you to KRG and Controlling Group for diving into the depths of environmental stewardship!
Ever dreamt of sipping a Ginger Zinger while practicing your Tenkara fly-fishing technique at your favorite fishing hole? I can safely say I haven’t, until now. Enter Ayu Drinks and Tenkara, new 1% for the Planet member companies.
Ayu Drinks is the first organic functional beverage based on Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India. Developed by integrative medicine physician Akil Palanisamy M.D., Ayu incorporates Ayurvedic herbs and spices to help heal the body and mind.
While fueling my mind and body this morning, I was listening to NPR, part of my morning routine. Today’s Morning Edition featured a recent Penn State study that has evidence suggesting the benefits heavily spiced meals can have on the heart. Well, perhaps they should be studying how awesome Ayu Drinks are. Each of their drinks has at least 800mg of herbs per bottle, ensuring real therapeutic benefit.
Debatably more therapeutic than Ayu Drinks is successfully catching a trout from your local mountain stream using the traditional Japanese method of Tenkara fly-fishing. 1% member Tenkara aims to do just that, get people out on the water to experience the simplicity and effectiveness of Tenkara. Tenkara is the traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing, which uses only a rod, line and fly. Check out this video to see what it’s all about!
If you’re like me, you’ve now got the urge to pack your bag, leave the office, and have a therapeutic Tuesday afternoon. I assure you, if you indulge in Ayu Drinks and/or the art of Tenkara fly-fishing, you’ll have a great, relaxing time. Whelp, I’m off to enjoy this beautiful spring weather… Cya!
In Seven Samurai, a classic Japanese film set in sixteenth century Japan, a marauding group of bandits regularly loot a poor village, taking from them their rice harvest – pretend this village is the environment and these bandits are environmentally unconscious businesses. Though poor in monetary resources, the village is rich in spirit. In a last ditch effort to save the town and their livelihoods, some townsfolk venture out in search of some protectors, trained fighters. They end up recruiting seven samurai (all of whom have fallen on hard times) to defend their village – think of these warriors as 1% member companies.
After some lessons in basic village defending, the group of banditos comes back to raise hell. Little do they know, the village (environment) is being protected by these samurai (1% members). The battle eventually subsides and it turns out these 1% member companies (the samurai) have converted all other companies (the bandits)! Environmental stewardship becomes a mainstay in business philosophies worldwide, world peace, etc… Now, obviously that’s not the way it went down (you’ll have to watch the movie to find out), but I think you get the idea.
In the real world the environment isn’t physically recruiting people to fight in its honor, it’s proverbially beckoning great individuals and companies to become its stewards. All of whom are committed to creating a healthy planet. Just to clear up another misnomer borne from my analogy, the 1% member companies haven’t fallen on hard times, no. In fact, they’re at the cutting edge of a samurai’s blade, and that edge is only getting sharper.
In early February 1% sent its own samurai warriors (CEO, Terry Kellogg and SVP of Marketing, Acquisitions and Partnerships, Melody Badgett) over to Japan for “Make A Difference With 1%” held on February 7th. In total, 173 people attended this event. These participants were represented as 34 1% member companies, 87 prospective companies, two sole proprietors, 17 1% non-profit partners, 12 non-profits, four members of the Japanese Environmental Ministry, 16 members of the media, and one other. Also in attendance were 15 members of Patagonia’s staff, as well as six dedicated Daishinsha (the name of the venue) staff members.
The evening was split into two parts. The earlier half consisted of greetings, a keynote speaker, and panel discussions between current member companies. Keynote speaker, Mr. Hatekeyama, spoke without any visual aides for 45 minutes on a story from his childhood, his travels, his realization that the forests, rivers, ocean and the oysters are all connected, and the devastating effect of the earthquake and tsunami. Much like the samurai who taught the villagers in Seven Samurai, Mr. Hatekeyama had the audience captivated by his talk up to the very end.
Following Mr. Hatekeyama’s talk, three member companies held a panel discussion where they discussed topics ranging from each member’s reason for joining, their hardships, and their strong connection to their chosen recipient. This discussion was made more impactful by the fact that one of the panelists is donating to Mr. Hatekeyama’s non-profit (Forests are Lovers of the Sea) through 1% for the Planet.
The second part of the evening was a positive energy mingle and entertainment session catered by an organic restaurant with close ties to Daishinsha, Yahoo Brewery, and 73, a bar/caterer.
Paired with the wonderful food arrangements, live jazz musician Karen Aoki and a famous pianist played for the reception. Apparently, the pianist brought the audience to their feet, calling for an encore! Obviously the energy was palpable, with members, non-profits, prospective companies, media, and staff all mingling and having great, in-depth discussions centered on 1% for the Planet.
All us samurai at 1% want to thank everyone who attended this awesome event! Always remember to follow the seven virtues of Bushido: Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty.
If a business decided they wanted to invest in a better future, they might consider giving 1% of their revenue to an environmental non-profit, right? All companies have an environmental footprint, be it through physical resource extraction, energy consumption, or anything in between. As all resources and the energy harnessed from them come from the Earth, it should only make sense to reinvest – that’s sustainability.
Everyone uses the environment in some way or another, and I’m pretty certain we might need it to be in good health for the future… Based on the inspirational stories we’ve heard this year, it’s clear there are a lot of businesses making a difference by giving back. In order to make a clear statement about things they care about, businesses do cool things like make products you can buy, consult you on how to run your company better, or address water sustainability issues, and then “vote” with their 1% donation.
For some reason, whenever a company gives back to society or the environment, it reminds me of the ancient Greek value of Reciprocity. Maybe it’s because that was one of Homer’s teachings I actually remember, or maybe it was just really impactful stuff – giving and receiving; a mutual exchange. Regardless, we’re so excited to welcome two new member companies who have embraced this ancient Homeric/Greek value.
Water Futures is a progressive, woman-owned consulting venture. They have decades of experience finding innovative solutions to one of the planet’s most pressing problems – the quest for sustainable water. They believe that water is a common resource and should be allocated in a way that provides for thriving aquatic ecosystems, clean and adequate drinking water, and healthy agricultural communities. Started and currently run by environmental scientist, educator and water-obsessed adventurer Wendy J. Pabich, Water Futures has bright things to look forward to. Check out her new book!
Sustainability Consult, also a consulting company, has pledged to donate 1% of its revenue to an approved 1% for the Planet partner! Sustainability Consult is a dynamic PR and environmental communications consultancy based in Brussels, Belgium and operates globally. They provide support and strategic counseling in the environmental, cleantech, energy and renewable chemical sectors. CEO Kathryn Sheridan believes in the power of businesses to build a better future.
Here at 1% for the Planet we appreciate a quality septic system. Prior to the Irene flood we never really had to think about where our waste went – a flush of the toilet and it was out of sight, out of mind. Well, thanks to the flood, we had the opportunity to get much more familiar with our effluent. It was in the office and better yet, in our water supply! So, we’ve learned firsthand how damaging and smelly sewage can be.
Although septic systems can be smelly, they’re necessary if you don’t have access to sewer pipes. Septic tanks work something like this, and if not properly taken care of, sewage can make its way into the water table. Sewage is full of nitrates and phosphates that can cause eutrophication – or an overload of nutrients. Over time this eutrophication leads to hypoxia, or the creation of anoxic dead zones in marine ecosystems.
Since 1998, Heal the Ocean, a 1% for the Planet partner, has focused on ridding 7 miles of beach and 171 homes on the Santa Barbara coast of their septic systems. The beach starts at Rincon Point, a world-class surfing destination, and continues up the coast to Sand Point and Sandyland, much of which is sandwiched between the ocean and a saltwater marsh.
Happily, construction of the sewer lines is expected to start sometime this year following a long, hard fought battle where 1% is happy to have played a role. Congratulations to Heal the Ocean!
P.S. – After our third water test, we’re clean! The test came back negative for coliform and ecoli! Thanks Hurricane Irene.
