News to me, but definitely not to the pop-culture conscious middle and high school students who teamed up with member company TREW Gear in Washington and non-profit partner Envirolution in Nevada for recent events.
Chris, John and Tripp from TREW spent the morning last Thursday with a class of 7th graders from The Dalles Middle School exploring a piece of protected land outside of Dallesport, WA. Their “bioblitz” was run by the folks at the Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute, the recipient of TREW’s 1% donation.
30 students joined several volunteers from Columbia Gorge and TREW to catalogue the incredibly diverse ecosystem they found just outside town. They discovered water beetles, a scorpion, sparrows and turkey vultures, various kinds of indigenous vegetation, and checked out a pond formed more than 13,000 years ago. As TREW front man Tripp pointed out, “realizing that in just this small area there is so much variety of life can help these young kids to appreciate the even more monstrous diversity of our planet.”
After the Blitz the TREW Crew headed north to ski a recent dump of spring powder and we turned our attention to Nevada.
The coalition, known as GREENevada (Growing Resources for Environmental Education in Nevada) launched a High School Sustainability Plan competition in November and held final presentations on Earth Day. Nevada Governor Bryan Sandoval was on hand, along with experts from the renewable energy industry and academia.
Students from nine high schools competed for $28,000 that they could use to implement sustainability plans they entered in the contest. The money, awarded as part of a $50,000 Pepsi REFRESH grant, will allow students to address environmental challenges they identified at their schools through energy audits and consumption analysis.
Events like this are empowering the next generation to be proactive about addressing climate change. At 1% we’re thrilled to see member companies and non-profit partners teaming up with youth to create positive change. Us old folks might even learn what a Bieber is in the process.
You don’t spend your first day at most jobs wearing a blue and purple tie-dyed unitard. And sweat stains and labored breathing usually aren’t the norm when you meet the boss.
But most jobs aren’t like working at 1% for the Planet.
This weekend’s Sugarbush Triathlon marked the official beginning of summer recreation here in the Mad River Valley, and coincidentally, my first day as an employee of 1%.
Participants from around the valley and the state were out in force to run, paddle, bike and ski their way to eternal glory. The 1% team, decked in hand-dyed one-piece spandex suits generously donated by We Love Colors and yowies crafted by 1% member company Outdoor Technology was ready to take on the four-leg “triathlon” under blue skies.
3:00:35 after Melody sprinted across the starting line our team had covered more than 24 miles to post a respectable 7th place finish.
Perhaps distracted by sunshine, free chili and beer, our dual canoeing divas Grace and Leah were surprised to hear the announcer call their names during the award ceremony. Check out the photos of their sweet trophy paddles, received for finishing with the fastest tandem female canoe time! We’re proud of you, ladies.
After two weeks meandering my way from Jackson, Wyoming (where I’ve spent the past two winters) back to my home state of Vermont, I can’t imagine a better first day as a member of the 1% Tribe.
I’m delighted to be joining a team that shares my excitement about creating mutually beneficial relationships between responsible businesses and the planet, and a team that has a heck of a good time doing it. I’m looking forward to getting to know the remarkable people behind the businesses and non-profits that make our work possible.
I’m also pretty happy not to be wearing my unitard on day two.
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.
1% ventured south from Vermont to Louisville (“Looavul” as we learned), KY to catch some tunes (and rays) at the Forecastle Festival. Since it got started in 2002 as a gathering at a local park, Forecastle has grown into an exuberant three day bonanza of music, art, and activism on the banks of the Ohio River. In addition to snagging acts like The Flaming Lips, Widespread Panic, The Smashing Pumpkins, and 1% artist Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, this year Forecastle became the first music festival to join 1% for the Planet. Brittany and Grace represented 1% at Forecastle this year, partnering with Patagonia Footwear to sell the new Advocate Moc and talk to concert-goers about 1% (while also finding plenty of time to hula hoop!).
For more photos of the event, check out our ‘1% sightings’ album. Have a 1% sighting to share? Email us your photo— witty caption required—and we’ll post it!
Last year, a few of us from the 1% staff spent a productive and inspiring few days at Sustainable Brands, a premier forum for CSR leaders to connect, share, and strategize. The conference is being held again this year, June 7-10, in Monterey, CA, and we’re looking forward to a much more robust 1% for the Planet role in the dialogue.
We hope you’ll consider joining us there, and are excited to offer an exclusive discount to the 1% community.Register today for SB’10 and receive 20% off an All-Event or Conference Only pass when you enter code oneplntsb10. SB’10 opens in just four weeks, and ticket prices go up on May 17, so please join us in registering soon!
Make sure to let us know if you’re planning to attend! You’ll be joining leading 1% members like Klean Kanteen, Clif Bar, and People Towels. Here’s a short sampling of some of 100+ speakers at SB’10:
“Re-Defining the Metrics of Success: The Emerging Measures of Qualitative Growth” -Hazel Henderson, Futurist & Economics Iconoclast, Ethical Markets Media
“Responsibility AND Profit: From Corporate Responsibility to Responsible Profit” -Jason Saul, CEO, Mission Measurement
“Design for Behavior Change: Helping Consumers Co-Create a Better World” -Bruce MacGregor, Managing Partner, IDEO
“The Road to Sustainability” -John Viera, Director, Ford Motor Company
“Future Vision: 3 Snapshots of the Possible” -Scott Friedmann, Exec VP – Innovation and Service Design, Idea Couture
“Connecting Sustainable Brands with Quality, Modernity, and Innovation” -Dorothy Mackenzie, Chairman & Co-founder, Dragon Rouge
“Smarter Planet – Gaining Momentum by Branding a Strategic Platform” -Lee Green, VP, Brand Experience and Strategic Design, IBM
“Brand AND Consumer Activation — Passing Your Brand to the People” -Michael Dupee, VP Corporate Social Responsibility, Green Mountain Coffee
1% FTP settled itself quite literally at the intersection of business and the environment with our booth between member company Brushfire Records, and non-profit partner, Re-Use Hawaii! Not too far down the green, greetings were shared with other 1% organizations such as member companies, Muumuu Heaven, Patagonia and LLLLIFE, and non-profit recipients Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation. Kokua was a spectacularly festive event, bringing together music junkies, outdoor enthusiasts, foodies, treehuggers, children, smiles and more – all great contributors to the 1% community!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello!! It was terrific to meet the faces behind the 1% network, be they members, non-profit partners, 1% fans and followers, or simply folks stopping by to get more information! Mahalo!!
P.S. As we await the release of Jack’s new album this June, check out his latest widgets!
This week marks the kick-off of the Chris Velan 1% for the Planet Tour. Sponsored by Mountain Equipment Co-op, the tour spans Canada from Vancouver to Montreal throughout April. 1% member and musician Chris will be headlining the tour with performances in MEC stores and venues in seven cities, all focused on raising awareness of local environmental issues. Representatives from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, a 1% non-profit recipient, will be on hand at each stop to share stories of progress made as a result of donations from 1% members like MEC.
Vancouver: April 1 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Railway Club 8 PM
Edmonton: April 7 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Haven Social Club 6 PM
Calgary: April 11 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Marquee Room 8 PM
Winnipeg: April 14 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Park Theater 8 PM
Ottawa: April 24 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Zaphod Beeblebrox 8 PM
Toronto: April 28 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, C’est What 10 PM
Montreal: April 30 MEC Vancouver Store 12-2 PM, Petit Café Campus
Live nearby one of these cities? We hope you’ll stop by to hear some great tunes and learn about the impact of 1% giving in your area. As an added bonus, the new 1% album will be available in MEC stores during April, so be sure to pick up a few copies!
(1% staff, artists, and friends after Madi Diaz’s Sundance performance. Front: K.S. Rhoads, Melody Grote, Madi Diaz, Kyle Ryan, Erin McCarley, Sue Devine Back: Terry Kellogg, Susan Comfort, Grace Kronenberg, Lisa Pike Sheehy, Jake Whitcomb)
After a running start to the year with a strong 1% presence at the Outdoor Retailer winter show and Sundance, we’re rolling into 2010 with an ambitious schedule of events from Montreal to Hawaii.
Where you can find us in 2010:
Natural Products Expo West Anaheim, CA March 12-14
Mountain Equipment Co-op/1% for the Planet Canadian Tour Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal April (See here for tour dates) Featuring 1% for the Planet member and musician Chris Velan performing in seven cities and MEC stores across Canada
Kokua Festival Honolulu, HI April 23-25 Jack Johnson (1% member #50) headlining, benefiting 1% recipient, The Kokua Foundation
Social Venture Network Spring Conference Stevenson, WA April 29-May 2
Ceres Conference Boston, MA May 5-6
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Spring Conference Burlington, VT May 17
Sustainable Brands Monterey, CA June 7-10
Slow Money National Gathering Shelburne, VT June 9-11
LOHAS Forum Boulder, CO June 23-25 1% is a proud sponsor of the 2010 LOHAS Forum
Forecastle Festival Louisville, KY July 9-12 Music, Art, and Activism on the banks of the Mississippi River
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Salt Lake City, UT August 3-6
Opportunity Green Los Angeles, CA October 6-8
Austin City Limits Austin, TX October 8-10
Natural Products Expo East Boston, MA October 14-16
We’ll keep you posted on any changes or additions to this list, as well as any international events staffed by our stellar volunteers. Several of these events are likely to feature presentations by CEO Terry Kellogg, and 1% Board members, so be sure to stay tuned for updates. Are you planning to attend any of these events? Have an event to suggest that’s missing from our list? Let us know—grace@onepercentfortheplanet.org or @1percentFTP
During our recent jaunt to Utah, we had the pleasure of catching up with a slew of members and non-profit recipients. At the Outdoor Retailer show, we were happy to share the Backcountry Village with the recipient non-profits Winter Wildlands Alliance and Protect Our Winters, and 1% member company, Green Laces, and to learn more about what they’ve been up to.
Pro soccer player Natalie Spigler founded Green Laces on a simple premise: give athletes an easy way to green up their act. Athletes, ranging from Olympians to NFL players, and everyday folk make a promise to incorporate an environmentally friendly behavior into their daily routine, and to wear green shoelaces signifying their commitment to the environment. Much like the ubiquitous yellow Live Strong bracelets raise awareness and much-needed funds for cancer research, Green Laces aims to make their all recycled, sustainably packaged laces a mascot for the environment.
Forty percent of each Green Laces purchase funds 1% recipient non-profits, like Protect Our Winters, 350.org, and the Surfrider Foundation. What’s more, when you purchase your own pair of Green Laces, you can select which of the featured non-profits you’d like to support with your purchase.
This Saturday we encourage you to drop all plans, grab your circle of friends and family, and join the big circle, our global community, in action for 1% for the Planet Non-Profit Partner 350.org‘s International Day of Climate Action. Voice, act, dance, paddle, ring, play, sing, whatever you can offer, in show of your support for the number 350, representing 350 parts per million, the scientifically backed “safe upper limit” for CO2 in our atmosphere. With creative events and gatherings across the globe, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with this powerful message that affects us all. Click here to find out what’s happening nearest you.
How are we celebrating? You can find us at Vermont’s 350 Dance Party at Higher Ground in Burlington. Headlined by 1% for the Planet member Barefoot Truth (member since Jan. ’08) the show will be simulcast online and on cable throughout the state so all can join.
1% for the Planet will also have a presence in New York City, circumnavigating Manhattan Island with a group in kayaks stenciled by area students.
Calling all 1% for the Planet members, if you’re participating in a 350 action this Saturday, please write me at kate@onepercentfortheplanet.org. We’d be happy to share your support with updates to our blog post here!
(1% staff, artists, and friends after Madi Diaz’s Sundance performance. Front: K.S. Rhoads, Melody Grote, Madi Diaz, Kyle Ryan, Erin McCarley, Sue Devine Back: Terry Kellogg, Susan Comfort, Grace Kronenberg, Lisa Pike Sheehy, Jake Whitcomb)
