Wedding gifts: often redundant, sometimes essential, occasionally pulled out of the closet just before the person who gifted it to you comes by for dinner, and always, of course, a useful tool to impress the ladies — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDda4zG3zvE. But other times wedding gifts have an entirely different effect: Arjan and Rimjhim tell the story of how Nature’s Path’s latest granola series, Love Crunch, came out of an idea to have their wedding guests gift community service projects in place of material items. Love Crunch is now a product that gives back Bite4Bite so that for every bag you buy, Nature’s Path will donate the equivalent amount in cash or organic food to the food bank (up to $1 Million per year!).
This story was my introduction to one of our newest members, Nature’s Path, who has joined 1% for the Planet with their EnviroKidz Brand. I was completely taken aback (with delight and admiration, of course!) by the core values that began Nature’s Path and that remain as the solid foundation upon which the company thrives today. Nature’s Path is a remarkable example of a company looking at its triple bottom line and really living and breathing its everyday values. Founded by a family that grew up on an organic farm, they’re highly committed to organics and proper land stewardship. As founder, Arron Stephens, says, “Always leave the Earth better than you found it,” Nature’s Path truly goes the distance to provide a product that does good from the moment its ingredients are planted in the soil, to the point where kids eating it for breakfast are prompted by artwork on the cereal box to learn about the food cycle.
It was truly a pleasure to kick off this year’s Natural Product ExpoWest show with a luncheon hosted by Nature’s Path. Myself and colleague, Rebecca, had the pleasure of welcoming the Nature’s Path family into the 1% for the Planet network, hearing their history, plans for growth and engaging with the 1% network, and watching as a scholarship from the Rodale Institute to support young organic farmers was named in honor of Arron Stephens. Congratulations, Arron!
It’s the stories like that of Nature’s Path, and the diverse nature of our membership base that make this alliance so intriguing. It’s enormously encouraging to see the movement spreading virally, and during our happy hour co-hosted with Klean Kanteen it was a hoot to bring together such an eccentric crew — from ice cream makers (Three Twins & McConnell’s!), to lawyers (Lara Pearson and Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean) or green retirement plan providers (SocialK), we had a solid 1% presence. In addition to current members, prospective members swung by to check in and other show attendees frequented our booth to learn about the business model and/or to find out how they could get one of the beautiful steel 1% pints! I want to graciously thank all of our members that attended the show! There’s nothing more invigorating than getting out and meeting the faces that stand behind the good work, and to speak with the people who are causing revolutionary change in the way we do business.
Thanks to the hard work from two of our non-profit recipients, Campbell’s Soup Company has decided to phase out the use of the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) from its cans! 1% recipients, Healthy Child Healthy World and the Breast Cancer Fundhave put pressure on the company to make this change, and we are happy to announce that their hard work has been a success!
Campbell’s is an iconic soup manufacturer, as well as our number one target for consumer action; nearly 20,000 Healthy Child supporters have signed a petition to Campbell’s CEO demanding that their products made for children be made in BPA-free cans. Another 70,000 people sent letters to Campbell’s CEO by supporters of the Breast Cancer Fund’s Cans Not Cancer campaign.
Healthy Child Healthy World is concerned about the use of BPA because exposure to the chemical, used to make the epoxy-resin linings of metal food cans, has been linked in lab studies to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Childhood exposure is of concern because this endocrine-disrupting chemical can affect children’s hormonal systems during development and set the stage for later‐life diseases.
We know that parents want to be sure when they serve Campbell’s Soup to their kids that it is free of toxic chemicals that contribute to disease. And there is still work to be done. Campbell’s has yet to release any details on which products currently contain BPA alternatives, which BPA alternatives are being and will be used, and what timeline they will use for completion of the phase-out.
We are proud of the work that Healthy Child Healthy World and the Breast Cancer Fund have done to convince Campbell’s to make this change! These two organizations commend Campbell’s for taking this first step—as well as the concerned parents and consumers who made their voices heard in the boardroom and at the checkout counter. Join the Cans Not Cancer campaign to help support this mmm-mmm good cause! Thanks to everyone involved!
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!
I was once told to invest in land & property, because there wasn’t any more being made. A “sound” investment, is how it had been explained to me. However, even a casual glance into the real estate world can easily show that it is definitely rough waters these days. As an owner of real estate, I would have loved to have some help in navigating these waters in a way that would lead to a solid return on my investment. Dealing with tenants and property issues.. it can seem like a never ending barrage of problems and broken fixtures. The questions I have had in the past remain unanswered as to how to move forward.
Based out of Vernon, British Columbia, Executive Management works with real estate investors to ensure their investment is protected and operating optimally. They know that the lack of control of a real estate investment is the single biggest frustration and one of the biggest expenses for investors. They provide their investors with the tools and resources to manage their property the way they want to (with Executive Management’s expert advice and direction of course.)
Their services offered range from property management to tenant placement. They are forward thinking with their management options as well, offering a internet-based remote property management software, which enables investors to manage their properties online, 24 hours a day, from anywhere in the world. Their services are also transparent between tenants and owners, improving the efficiency and quality of property management.
They have shown their commitment to the environment by recently joining the 1% member network. As explained by Ian from Executive Management, “I was fortunate to have parents that took me out into the wilderness and showed me nature up close and personal. I want to be able to do the same for my children and their children, but need to make sure there would still be something for them to experience. 1% for the planet provides me that opportunity..”
What I love about the 1% for the Planet global movement, our 1% Ambassadors, our 1% member companies and partner organizations, is that they each start with an idea, or an ideal, or a passion they hold dear. Then, ignoring oodles of nay-sayers along the way, they aim to do the impossible, and win or lose, succeed or fail, they inspire others to follow their lead.
Do you think that “sustainability” is hard? Or that the environmental challenges we face are too difficult to overcome?
How about competing in professional mountain bike races, but on a unicycle? Huh? Yep, no joke, that’s what Kris Holm, our longest-standing Canadian 1% for the Planet member (he’s also a 1% Ambassador), has been doing for years.
The timing of writing this blog today is completely apropos. For the first time in my life, I have stopped shaving and grown a beard. It’s not that I’m lazy, or think that I pull the ‘facial hair’ look off particularly well. I didn’t even grow it to keep warm in the winter months here in Vermont (what winter?).
Shaving and I just aren’t good friends. I have run the gamut of razors and creams, only to draw the line at the cheap and amazingly wasteful toss-away razors. No matter the attempt, my steady musicians hand always winds up nicking my face or neck and I wind up with amazingly irritated skin.
Founder Robert Benzinger began searching for a solution after getting fed up with the continual shaving-related mishaps I suffer from. After years of trial & error, and with the help of his wife Zoe, a licensed skin-care expert, Robert finally found the perfect combination and Eco-Armour foam and body wash was born.
Eco-Armour is made of witch hazel extract, citric acid, essential oils such as eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, rosemary and tea tree, and carrier oils including coconut, sunflower and palm kernel. Each ingredient was selected for its healing, nourishing and cleansing properties. The essential oils in the foam also provide an aroma therapy with their calming and invigorating scents.
As a long time environmentalist, Robert decided that he would only use all natural and organic renewable resource ingredients. Eco-Armour doesn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate, butane, parabens, or other chemicals that often stress the skin and strip away natural oils. It’s 100% botanical.
In addition to saving your skin, the foam also helps prolong the life of the razor with the metal-preserving properties of the witch hazel and citric acid. Robert recommends that customers apply additional foam to the razor after they’ve rinsed it with water at the end of their shave. This step helps extend the blade life and improve the razor’s performance.
Eco-Armour was originally aimed at men, but is now very popular with the ladies, who make up about 65% of customers. Women use it both as a foam and as a face and body wash.
We welcome Robert and Eco-Armour to our 1% family!
I, for one, am looking forward to checking out Eco-Armour and experiencing a botanically charged shaving experience for myself. But maybe not just yet – I am just starting to dig my look with a beard..
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.
A good friend recently turned me on to a book by David Owen. While I’ve yet to read The Conundrum it’s next on my list, as soon as my boss Brittany lets me put down the Hunger Games.
Watching the promo video for Owen’s book got me thinking about tough, personal questions. I like to think I’m a fairly environmentally conscious person—I buy local, organic food when I can, ride my bike to the office more often than not and turn out the CFL’s whenever I leave a room.
Still, as Owen bluntly points out, there are glaring contradictions in the way I live. My passion for backcountry skiing and mountain biking has me driving Libby, my aging Volvo manwagon, around the northeast most weekends. I’ve forgotten my reusable shopping bags at home more times than I’d like to admit. In a week’s time I’m flying to Alaska in search of the snow that has eluded Vermont this winter.
Breaking news: it takes a lot of bike rides to the office to offset a flight to Alaska.
As much as I hate to admit it, Owen is right. Many of the innovations we think of as greening our lifestyles actually lead to increased resource use in the long run, as efficiency allows greater consumption. Damn, it’s depressing.
So how do we shake the funk?
The only answer, as I see it, is advocating for the kind of change that co-opts everyone as part of the solution, from the darkest green consumer to the most mainstream American. What better way to do just that than for businesses–who provide for almost all of our needs–to be the solution?
Companies that join 1% for the Planet are the leading edge of a paradigm shift. So pick up a copy of The Conundrum, and join me in welcoming the following businesses who have decided to be the solution:
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.
