When I pick up the phone at 1% I’m always prepared for a surprise. Eight months after my first phone call I’ve finally figured out that solicitations from Publishers Clearing House usually don’t pan out, but I still get excited. While I’ll be the first to admit that I consider myself among the “One Percent,” our fringe benefits come in the form of lunch time yogs, not yachts. An extra million here or there wouldn’t hurt. When I answer and it’s Jeff Denholm, founder of Atira Systems and Patagonia ambassador on the line, it’s almost as good as winning big.
Jeff’s company provides fire protection services that mitigate the highly detrimental environmental and health effects of fighting wildfires. He and his team (advised by luminaries including Nell Newman and Rick Ridgeway) have reworked every facet of the industry to eliminate harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are hazardous to firefighters on the front line and equally bad for the ecosystems they work to protect. To top it off, Atira Systems is now a 1% for the Planet member.
New member Château de Chéronne can take you back to the 1500′s when the castle-turned-weekend-escape was constructed on 400 hectares of woodlands in the Perche Sarthois. The moat and drawbridges were removed in the 17th century to make it easier for guest to join them for overnights and special events.
Dancing Snow is a Japan-based company that specializes in providing their clients to the deepest powder turns of their lives. Let them introduce you to the kind of fluffy white stuff that makes you drool at Teton Gravity Research premiers every fall. In the summers they offer kayaking tours to boot!
Eden Groupe joins us from France and specializes in real estate development with a conscience, giving back 1% of everything they do!
Expedition Broker is based in Haines, Alaska, a recreation paradise (having lived there for two summers I can vouch!). Let owner Greg Schlachter set you up with the finest guides the area has to offer for your next fishing, skiing, climbing or surfing–yes, Alaskan surfing–adventure.
Well, we may be a day late, but we wanted to be sure to give a nod to National Coffee Day. Kelsey, owner and founder of Grounds For Change, passed this video along to us–it’s the perfect accompaniment to your morning cup! Part of 1% since 2003, Grounds For Change is one of the longest standing members in our network.
The 2011 Ecotrust Sundown Concert Series wrapped up Thursday night with an all-star showing of the 1% network! Throughout the concert series, 1% members and non-profit partners have been coming out every Thursday evening to exhibit their commitment to creating a healthier planet. But last week we got to see the whole 1% model in action with 1% member, Trew Gear and their 1% non-profit partner, Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute exhibited their longstanding partnership protect and promote the Columbia Gorge. This was the first week where it was a full partnership at the booth and it was great to see them laughing together and explaining their work together!
Photo Courtesy of Trew Gear
Trew Gear is a ski and snowboard clothing company based out of Hood River, Oregon. They sell jackets, hats, t-shirts, hoodies, and pretty much anything else you would need for a great day of riding in the mountains. Dedicated to sharing the “trewth” Trew gear joined 1% for the Planet in 2009 and has donated to the Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute consistently each year. They haven’t just handed out money either. Tripp, John, and Chris are active volunteers with CGEI, showing that their commitment to the environment runs deep throughout their business.
Aaron and John enjoying their evening at the booth! Photo courtesy of Trew Gear
Aaron Morehouse, Executive Director of Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute, came out on Thursday evening to represent the NGO and their partnership. Aaron works closely with the Trew crew on the projects that they fund and in facilitating their partnership. CGEI works to promote knowledge and stewardship of the Columbia River Gorge canyon in Washington and Oregon. They work with schools and other groups of people, taking them to the canyon and helping them find their place in the environment.
1% would like to thank Trew Gear and CGEI for coming out to last Thursday and for work together to create a healthy planet. It is partnerships like these that speak to the power of the 1% model in action!
If you want to really understand something, you should go to the source. And if you are interested in seeing sustainable transportation in action, you have to go to Portland, Oregon; the epicenter of bike culture and sustainable community design.
Last week on a beautiful summer evening, more than 70 people — 1% member companies, 1% NGO partners, along with Patagonia customers and other interested folks dropped into Patagonia Portland for an update on sustainable transportation initiatives.
New Belgium Brewing- Follow your Folly Bicycle
We heard from Dan Powell, co-founder of Portland Design Works, a 1% member company that makes great bike accessories, about why he and his partner decided to locate their company in Portland. While they loved Wisconsin, Portland is “the place” for people who love bikes and biking in the United States. He loves being a part of a community where nearly 6% of the residents make their daily commute to work or school on a bike. This is a much higher percentage than is found in communities around the United States.
Gerik Kransky, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (left) and Dan Powell, Portland Design Works (Right)
Dan and his partner wanted to build investment in environmental NGOs into their business model right from the start, and made the decision to become a 1% member. They support the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and work in partnership to help make Portland and other communities in Oregon more bike friendly.
Gerik Kransky, Advocacy Director for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, gave an update on biking issues at the local, state and federal levels. BTA is working to get funding for a bike sharing program in Portland, as well as advocating for bike friendly policies at the state and federal level. The BTA is a 1% NGO Recipient supported by six 1% member companies, five of whom are based in Oregon.
After the presentation, we got a chance to eat some great local, organic food and look at a display showing products from many Portland area companies involved in biking including Sweet Pea Bicycles, Truce and Patagonia.
1% Member Products on Display
Looking forward to seeing you all again on July 28th, at the final Eco-Trust Sunset Concert. Bring your friends and co-workers!
Last night was the third week of the Ecotrust Sundown Concert Series and the theme was energy, particularly alternative energy. 1% for the Planet had its usual tent and table, which was hosted by the fantastic Focus the Nation and sweet new member Skate Lift. The NGO and business handed out t-shirts and stickers to the crowds of people who attended while sharing their 1% stories and getting to meet each other and discuss the 1% network. They also got the chance to meet 1%’s VP of Organizational Development, Rebecca Calahan Klein who was in town for the day and made it to the show.
Photo Courtesy of Focus the Nation
We’d like to extend a big thank you to Anne and Sasha from Focus the Nation and Bobby and Anthony from Skate Lift for holding down the fort last night! If you’ll be in Portland make sure to stop by next Thursday at 5:30 for a great concert and exhibits with the theme of forests.
The 1% for the Planet crew is going to take a break from listening to Rebecca Black croon about the impending weekend and extend a warm welcome to the 17 new 1% member companies that have joined since the beginning of July!
We’re psyched to gain several water-oriented companies this month. First out of the waves was Kalon Surf, a boutique surf camp in Costa Rica. They were followed closely by Maximum Surfcamps, who will get you hanging ten on the coast of Portugal in no time. And you can get everything you need for your surfing adventures and lifestyle at Envirosurfer, an awesome online green surf shop. And don’t forget, Oceadiet supplies natural products sustainably sourced from the seas.
If surfing is only part of the picture for you, or you’re like my ex-girlfriends and you associate surfing lessons with the swift and traumatic conclusion of relationships, check out Feather & Fin Vacations. A new member based in Montana, they can take you to beautiful places as far from water (or as close) as you like. If you’re trapped in a concrete jungle for the time being, Island Natural Fragrances will bring the scents of nature to your home or office.
In the spirit of getting out there, The Highly Acclaimed magazine has joined our ranks and is a great resource for keeping apprised of the latest outdoor news, places and people. Double Check Ranch Grassfed Beef Crisps, made on the ranch in Winkelman, Arizona, will keep you fueled during your adventures and Teresa at BioSpirit Day Spa will work out the kinks afterward!
July also brings new members with a focus on the home, including In the Barn Woodworks, who makes beautiful custom cabinetry in Tennessee, PaGreenWindows.com, where Eric will help you build it right the first time with Energy Star windows, and Elementem Art & Design, makers of stunning large-scale prints–see below. And if you order a print from Elementem, be sure to call on Quantum Courier to get it to you on time!
stepOut, a Swiss marketing firm brings international good looks and sensibility to 1% and is joined in the European arena by Dr. Andreas Weis’s businesses Dentalogue and Vitalogue, two excellent resources for people looking to find dental professionals or health supplements.
We’re honored to have Skate Lift join the tribe–and stoked they could attend the EcoTrust Sundown Concert Series to announce their participation with 1% yesterday. With two more shows to go, we hope we’ll see you at one of these Thursday night free concerts if you’re in the Portland area!
And to top it all off, 1% is psyched to add AMR Meetings & Incentives, who helps companies build corporate social responsibility in to the bedrock of their business plans. What a great way to finish off the first half of July.
1% is beautiful in its simplicity. It’s a simple model, with a high bar for giving and consequently, a profound impact. Beautiful and bold is 1%!
But really – numbers are just numbers, and at the end of the day the fun part that really sheds light on the power of the movement are the stories behind it all. Each company gives 1% to nonprofit partners of their choice, but who are those organizations, and what are they working on?
Here’s a story from a longstanding member company, CaliBamboo:
CaliBamboo is a leading 1% member company that exists to provide sustainable building supplies for both residential and commercial homes. They do so by using bamboo, which is one of the world’s most durable, sustainable and renewable materials. In addition to building their business around a better alternative for building materials, CaliBamboo donates one percent of net revenue annually to The Surfrider Foundation.
This month CaliBamboo is undertaking in a fun project with The Surfrider Foundation–together they’re promoting The National Greenscape Challenge. By challenging contestants to design the most sustainable garden they can, this project educates contestants and followers about the common mistakes in landscaping, and the consequent perils of urban runoff. The National Greenscape Challenge raises awareness among a larger audience and culminates with a large influx of inspiring project solutions (not to mention that the winner gets to enjoy a weekend of surfing in sunny Southern California!).
This is but one story of thousands out there. What’s yours? Spread the word, share the good stories and keep us inspired. Email me at brittany@onepercentfortheplanet.org and tell (or show!) us how you’re a living model of corporate philanthropy in action!
Last night kicked off the first week of Ecotrust’s Sundown Concert Series in downtown Portland. Every Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:30 a local band plays while various businesses and non-profits exhibit work that is related to the theme of the week. Last night’s theme was water and 1% NGO Western Rivers Conservancy was there to show and tell people what they do to make Oregon’s water purer and safer for ecosystems. The crowd of about 600 people was able to wander through all of the tents and tables while listening to the awesome sounds of the Everyday Prophets.
Western Rivers Conservancy tabling (Photo Credit: Eric Brody)
The themes for the following weeks include:
July 7 — Food
July 14— Energy
July 21— Forests
July 28 — Reliable Prosperity
We’d like to thank Western Rivers Conservancy for exhibiting and a BIG thanks to Eric Brody from Shift Advantage for helping us coordinate the events.
Eric Brody of Shift Advantage working at the 1% table (Photo Credit: Eric Brody)
Come down to the Ecotrust parking lot on a Thursday night to meet some other 1% members and NGO’s exhibiting and listen to great music!
We took a calculated risk last week in planning a 1% event in Vancouver in the midst of the Canucks run at the Stanley Cup. The hockey gods managed to smile down on us, though, and scheduled games 3 and 4 of the series on either side of our June 7 event.
We welcomed around 40 people from 1% member companies, NGOs, and interested local businesses to the newly opened W2 Media Café in Vancouver on Tuesday to participate in a presentation and discussion with 1% and Mountain Equipment Co-op. Esther Speck and Laurie Edward, who together lead MEC’s sustainability and community engagement initiatives, joined 1%’s own Melody Badgett to discuss the 1% model and its role in MEC’s overall sustainability program.
As the largest 1% member in Canada, MEC has given over $17 million to environmental causes its 40 year history, and a large portion of total since joining 1% in 2006. MEC’s membership in 1% has driven major growth in giving and membership in Canada—when MEC joined in late 2006, we had 9 members in Canada. Today that number has grown to 164, and Canada is one of the fastest growing regions in the 1% network thanks in large part to dozens of companies, from Victoria to Halifax.
After the presentation everyone was invited to stay for the member reception. Kris Holm of Kris Holm Unicycle, our first Canadian member, spoke along with one of our newest Canadian members, Chris Winter from Big Mountain Bike Adventures, about their experience as 1% members.
We’d like to extend our great appreciation to everyone who came to hear the presentation, all of our members who attended, W2 Media Café, and Mike Rowlands from Octopus Strategies who helped us plan the event! We look forward to growing the 1% community in Vancouver, and go Canucks!
