Last Wednesday, kicked off 1%’s summer in Portland, OR with an event for members, non-profits and local sustainability leaders at Ecotrust’s Natural Capital Building.
Photo Courtesy of Klean Kanteen
The event topped the charts as the second largest gathering in 1% history with more than 70 people in attendance. As the rain held off, people mingled and listened to wonderful music performed by 1% member Garett Brennan and the Great Salt Licks. The energy of the crowd was fantastic; business members discussed their 1% commitment along side their non-profit partners and 1%’s very own, Rebecca provided an organizational update.
Thank you to Susan from Portland’s female athletic clothing company, Team Estrogen and Jeannie from Portland’s custom, artesian label-making company MyOwnLabels.com for speaking so passionately about their companies decision to join 1% for the Planet and the environmental organizations they support.
1% would like to thank everyone involved with the event and everyone who attended! You all made it a great night of networking and celebrating the 1% partnerships!
Photo Courtesy of Klean Kanteen
PS: See you soon! Come out to the Ecotrust’s Sundown Concert series every Thursday in July to continue to meet and build relationships within the 1% network.
Rangers have been a pretty big part of my life these past several years. They seem to pop up everywhere in life – in books, in parks, in environmental law class, in SUVs on California highways, and now… on iPhones.
Since coming to 1% for the Planet, I’ve been quite prideful of my Junior Ranger status, and it’s been most rewarding to watch as my affinity for park rangers and my work here at 1% for the Planet overlap again and again. Just after a few months in house, I connected with a with a staff person at Rocky Mountain Nature Association by way of sharing our Junior Ranger experiences. We took to signing our correspondences to one another, “from one Junior Ranger to another.” Less than a month later, I found out one of our members, American Park Network, was responsible for the publication of the renowned Oh, Ranger! book that I’d read while gallivanting the grandeur of Yosemite valley. Who knew!? Mark, of American Park Network, made my day when he found his way to our 1% booth at Outdoor Retailer this January, and there we exchanged Ranger stories.
And now, now, American Park Network offers a wonderful new smart phone application, Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder™. This notification came to my inbox and without a breath I downloaded the app. Being familiar with the geography in Vermont, I hadn’t put it to use until a couple weeks later when I found myself in Oregon, driving in no particular direction, in search of a campsite before sunset. With darkness looming and growing tired of the relentless logging roads, I recalled the Oh, Ranger! app and put it to use. This app changed everything.
The horizon before us was no longer filled with tractor trailer trucks and endless highway, but it now glimmered with abundant waterfalls, hot springs, ski areas, campsites and even, not too far off, Crater Lake (the app informed us that we’d clearly taken a route due south further than we’d realized)! I couldn’t think of a more useful application for someone such as myself who all too often goes off the map, has a horrendous sense of direction, and enjoys spontaneous adventure – all in the company of a best friend with many of the same attributes. While one part of camping and adventuring is going off the charts and turning off the phone and computer, I will fend for the smartphone in this instance and say that if you’re out and about on a drive and want to find a fun stop, a nearby park to explore, or just spice things up with some adventure, definitely bust out the Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder™ app. It’ll make your day – possibly even your trip – as it puts to use modern technology to get back to the natural environment that we’re all working hard to conserve. While the app inherently supports all parks by raising awareness about them, the 1% donation given on behalf of this app from American Park Network supports nonprofit partners Tread Lightly! and The Student Conservation Association (SCA).
Once you scout out a park with your new Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder™ app, be sure to go and get certified as a Junior Ranger – no matter how old you are
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.
When The Good Planet Company, a Victoria, BC all-purpose eco store, joined 1% this spring, they knew they had a great opportunity to inspire other local businesses to step up their support of environmental causes. Last week, in celebration of Earth Day and their new membership, they hosted 1% members, non-profit partners, and friends at their store for an evening of food, drinks, and conversation. When asked about their recent membership Co-Owner Ian Cromack says, “We are thrilled to be Victoria’s newest 1% For The Planet Member! To be working to along side other local businesses such as Hemp and Company and Not Just Pretty as well as environmental champions like Patagonia, Clif, and Jack Johnson is inspirational.”
Members, non-profits, friends, and other local businesses were invited to the event, which featured all organic food and drinks—including homemade, Earth-themed cake pops–that had been donated by various sources. Derek Juno of The Good Planet Company says, “We used the event as an opportunity to challenge other businesses in Victoria to step up and start doing their part for this environment in which they live in and utilize everyday.” The Good Planet Company also announced that they have chosen the Victoria Foundation to receive their donations.
This is a terrific example of how members can get involved and build relationships with one another and even connect and tell the story of 1% with potential members. We’ve been lucky to experience what happens when members connect—no matter what size or industry, they’re inspired and energized to be part of a group of business leaders with similar vision, values, and commitment to the environment. At 1%, we get very excited to hear and share stories like The Good Planet Company’s, and welcome accounts of events you’ve hosted or connections you’ve made with fellow members and NGOs! In Ian Cromack’s words, “If a small brick and mortar retailer [like The Good Planet Company] can contribute to making the world a better place, so can you! So why aren’t you?”
With the 41st Earth Day mere days away, innovative member and NGO partnerships have been streaming in. Here’s a few more to get you in the spirit…
-For 1% non-profit partner San Diego River Park Foundation, Earth Day is just business as usual. With park and river clean-up brigades canvassing local areas weekly, their volunteers have removed 1.3 million pounds of trash from the San Diego River in the past few years. In executive Director Rob Hutsel’s words “We are at it again on April 23rd as we tackle a new stretch of the river. We anticipate more than 100 volunteers joining us.” To join the April 23 San Diego River clean-up project on April 23, please visit their website for additional details (and get inspired by enthusiastic river clean-up volunteers below!)
-One of our newest members, Ohmlop, is debuting their 1% membership with a $1 donation for every connector cable sold in April to the Basel Action Network (BAN). An industry trailblazer, Ohmlop’s USB, iPhone, and iPad are completely free of PVC and are covered instead by braided cotton. Their partnership with BAN, whose mission is to end environmental degradation and social injustices caused by the electronic waste trade, is particularly well-aligned!
-Get a discount on organic, fair-trade, shade-grown coffee from 1% member Grounds for Change. Use coupon code PLANT-A-TREE-15 to save 15% and they will plant a tree for each order received using that code.
-Patagonia Footwear Advocate Weeks are taking place nationwide this week and throughout the rest of the spring. Inspired by the 1% for the Planet Advocate Moc, the Patagonia Footwear team has partnered with Patagonia stores and independent retailers to help raise awareness and funds for local conservation efforts. During Advocate weeks, Patagonia Footwear will donate $10 to local conservation organizations selected by the retailer. Check out the full listing of events to find an event near you!
Though 1% members are more likely to fall into the ‘Make Everyday Earth Day’ category, April is when much of the rest of the world tunes in to environmental issues. We’re fortunate around this time of year to hear from many members about their Earth Day initiatives, and wanted to share some of their great ideas. We’ll start with a few here member initiatives, and will have posts throughout the month about goings on in the 1% network and how you can support member businesses and their NGO partners:
Ecomom, online retailer of products for a healthy family and home, has just kicked off their Healthy Home Makeover contest. They’ve partnered with dozens of companies, including fellow member Q Collection Junior, to create a $75,000 package of ‘ecomom approved’ products for a healthier and environmentally safe home. Would you like a chance to win? To enter, click here, upload a photo of your family and say why you deserve the Healthy Home Makeover. The winner will be chosen by an expert panel of judges at the end of April
VeeV, purveyor of delicious Acai spirits, is partnering with New York Tree Restoration Project to accelerate their goal of planting one million trees in NYC by 2017. Join VeeV fans in planting a tree with the click of a button when you post your “Toast to the Planet” on VeeV Açaí Spirit’s Facebook Page. When 50,000 toasts have been posted VeeV will plant 500 trees in New York City. Plus posting automatically puts you in the running for daily prizes and a grand prize that includes a trip to the Big Apple to attend NYRP’s 500,000 Tree Planted Ceremony.
Are you a member with a fun Earth Day partnership to share? Send it our way!
Hot diggity – October has come ‘n gone in no time at all! A most beautiful and brilliant month for 1% FTP filled with birthdays, champagne, Mad River swims, sunny warm days, Glee Gum, and multiple colorful humidifiers!
But what’s more is that we averaged nearly 2 new members a day in October! Please welcome to the 1% crew:
4R Planet Products, Vernon, BC
A Serious Production Seattle, WA, Marketing, Research, Web Development, Analysis
Here in Vermont, we’re taking in the vibrant fall colors, drinking warm apple cider and enjoying the familiar feeling of cozy sweaters, while our UK counterparts were busy scrambling, climbing and traversing their way around the rocky coastline of Wales, all in the name of 1%.
1% member and professional play advocates, TYF Adventure, organized a gathering for our UK members to get to know each other, share ideas and have a good time. “We popped everybody into a wetsuit, helmet and buoyancy aid and made our way down to the bottom of the sea cliffs with our experienced guide and then ‘Coasteered’ our way around the stunning coastline,” said TYF staffer and event organizer, Ross Beese.
UK Members Cliff Jumping in Wales
With hearts racing from the morning’s coasteering adventure, our 1% members moved on to the beach to try their hand at surfing, (Yvon would be proud!). “The waves were fantastic and the kids made it look easy, popping up and cruising down the line with smiles on their faces,” said Beese.
The weekend of fun in the sun brought about new friends, new hobbies, and a stronger 1% network throughout the UK. “It was fantastic to find out more about the other businesses and where their passion lies,” said Beese.
Alice, Ross, and Nayfe of TYF Adventure.
We’re sad to have missed this great gathering and can’t wait to try coasteering at next year’s event. Thank you to TYF Adventure who hosted the event and a special thanks to all our members in the UK who are helping create a healthier planet.
P.S. Watch out France, the UK 1% network is gaining on you! The UK is currently 68 members strong and growing quickly. We recently celebrated the 100 member mark for France and are gearing up to welcome our UK 1% network into the club.
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!
