I recently had the delightful pleasure of attending Patagonia’s Tools for Grassroots Activist Conference. Five days spent with engaging individuals across all lines of work – government, film & entertainment, economics, business, technology, grassroots activism, education – every sector was present and every person had a story of success to share.
After five days of inspiring stories, engaging lectures, collaborative workshops and gusty paddle boarding adventures, the conference facilitators asked us to sum up the week into one key takeaway. One group’s response:
Work with business. Get more businesses to join 1% for the Planet.
Bingo! I returned to 1% for the Planet reenergized and further inspired.
Just for grins, and because the environmental movement tends to lean (too often) toward dreary facts and sad figures, here’s a sampling of inspirational stories to share with our network:
Annie Leonard– if we’re to shift behavior and really redesign, everyone needs to watch her videos. Here’s a woman who has nailed her messaging and exemplifies effective communication in all aspects of her work.
The Elwha Damis coming out right now in Olympic National Park! This dam removal is a huge milestone in the efforts to restore our rivers and salmon populations, and it is one of many to come. Follow American Rivers to keep up to date on removal progress!
The International League of Conservation Photographers joins EP Films to create the film SPOIL, which exemplifies how powerfully film and photography can document and portray the pristine beauty and significance of threatened ecosystems, such as that of the Great Bear Rainforest. If the Enbridge pipeline plans go through, this area will soon be threatened by potential oil spills from tankers that will begin transporting oil through the narrow and windy coast of the Great Bear Rainforest. This film is an incredibly effective means of spreading awareness and prompting a response as it invokes a strong emotion from its audience. Try and watch it without getting a little teary….
Lastly, as we’re all working to protect the planet we love, it’s important that we remember to take the time to enjoy it.
(1% CEO, Terry Kellogg, slacklines with 1% Development Program Manager, Leah Cameron, at our annual staff retreat in Warren, VT)
We released our debut album, co-produced a short film, and touched 100 million people with our message through web, media and product presence. We also added a record-breaking 486 new member companies. And despite the challenging economic backdrop, 1% member companies donated more than $20 million to approved environmental non-profits, a 30% increase since 2009.
In 2011, we will focus on deepening connections between companies, environmental organizations and individuals in the 1% network. We will build tools to help 1% members and NGOs connect and share resources. We will also pilot new programs including regional network expansions and additional issue-based funds.
To continue our momentum, we need your help.
Your financial support will help us reach our ambitious 2011 goals while continuing build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet.
On Tuesday, July 28 at 1:00 pm (EST), we will hold the first of our 1% Brown Bag Lunch conference call for our 1% community of 1% Member businesses and approved environmental organizations.
Our good friends and 1% Recipient organization, Clean Air–Cool Planet, will lead the first call of the series. For about an hour, we will learn about the latest in climate and energy legislation in Washington, D.C., the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which currently resides in the Senate. The historic bill aims to put a price on the emissions of greenhouse gases created in the United States. The plan may transform the way we support our economy’s growing energy demands, use our transportation systems, and invest in businesses and technology.
If you are a 1% Member business or 1% approved non-profit partner, keep an eye out for call-in details in your inbox. Also, we’ll be sharing the the full-audio recordings right here, on the 1% for the Planet Blog, during the week following the call. And if you find yourself tirelessly trolling social networks for the latest news like we are, you can find and contribute to live updates of the call on the 1% Twitter page.
About the experts:
Clean Air-Cool Planet is a leading non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming. CEO Adam Markham will lead with a brief overview of the organization’s work in practical corporate engagement in climate change solutions. President Rafe Pomerance will follow and answer your questions about the American Clean Energy and Security Act – also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill – and efforts in Washington to help develop new climate policies. Formerly Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Development and U.S. representative to Kyoto negotiations, Pomerance is also the founder of National Clean Air Coalition coordinator and Climate Policy Center.
The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) shares a first-look at results from its annual philanthropy survey of nearly 140 leading companies, revealing that 53% of companies increased their total philanthropic donations in 2008, and 27% increased their giving by more than 10% year-over-year. Amid a challenging economy, business leaders continue to support their companies’ commitments to rebuilding their communities and advancing social and environmental programs around the world. Read full article.
1% for the Planet is establishing philanthropy as a tenet of the socially-responsible business model. As global financial markets collapsed last October, more companies joined than in any other month of 2008, and we are growing by more than one new member company every day! Currently over 1,100 member companies in 39 countries!
Despite the recent economic downturn, several 1% for the Planet member companies had their best year ever in 2008. One reason for their relative success is the value of sustainability.Many members have strong values-oriented brands in a marketplace that increasingly rewards responsible businesses.Participation in 1% for the Planet is a great way to signal that commitment.
Since overall performance of 1% for the Planet member companies remains strong, so too does charitable giving from the 1% for the Planet network.With donor dollars for non-profit causes falling fast in today’s economic crisis, giving that is tied to the sales of our member companies remains strong.To date, we have channeled an estimated $42 million in critically needed funds to more than 1,700 non-profits around the world, with $10 million given in 2008 alone.
With the current momentum that is carrying 1% for the Planet, our powerful network of socially responsible companies is redefining how business does business – and generating considerable new resources to strengthen the capacity of nonprofits that protect and restore the environment.
While in New York for 1% for the Planet’s 1,000 member celebration in March, 1% co-founder Yvon Chouinard and friend Tom Brokaw sat down with Fast Company to talk shop. In this video, Yvon touches on the signficance of a very unlikely ally in the sustainable business movement. Click the image to watch.
The end of April marks for the majority of our membership the deadline for sending in materials proving they have made their 1% commitment. That said, the 1% for the Planet office is currently inundated with stories of giving! It is a very beautiful thing, and really highlights our favorite time of year. All of these businesses, across industry, across the planet, giving in concert to Keep Earth in Business; well . . . . we get a little tickled in excitement, awe and thanks as we charge through the certification process.
This said, and following Becky’s story from last week of member giving, today we are pleased to share some inspiring words from Tactics (member since Feb ’07).
(Left to right: Tactics Snow Team Rider Forrest Sharer, Cascadia Wildlands Project Executive Director Kate Ritley, Cascadia Wildlands Project Conservation Director Josh Laughlin, and Tactics Co-owner Matt Patton)
“At Tactics, our goal is to be a model environmentally sustainable and socially responsible company. The environment is such a large part of what we do and who we are. Not only do we sell gear for use in the outdoors, many of our employees spend a lot of time outdoors. Our partnership with 1% for the Planet is about much more than supporting non-profit organizations. For Tactics, it’s about fulfilling our responsibility to give back and protect the environment that sustains our business.
For 2007 Tactics provided financial support to a wide variety of non-profits who represent the critical front lines of environmental conservation, preservation and restoration. We just wrapped up our paperwork for 2008, and we’re happy to say that this year we’ll be giving even more.”
Many thanks to Tactics for their commitment and their 2008 grants, and a huge congratulations for your continued growth and success!
1% for the Planet received a phone call this past winter with an opportunity to tell our story to a devoted readership interested in triple bottom line practices. Little did GreenMoney Journal Publisher and Managing Editor Cliff Feigenbaum realize, but his offer could not have been more timely. Despite the economic downturn, we were fresh off one of our best months ever (51 new members in October). To read 1% CEO Terry Kellogg’s words in GMJ’s Spring 2009 Issue, please click here.
All signs for the 1% for the Planet team are pointing towards New Year’s resolutions this year focusing on treating our planet a bit better, and we are more than stoked about it! Chrissy our Membership Coordinator came into the office last Monday after a five day hiatus with 56 inquiries for membership in her inbox. Of those 56 inquiries, 48 have immediately followed through with next steps and thus now have catered License Agreements in their hands.
We know New Year’s resolutions can sometimes be tough to stick to, but that’s why we set them, to challenge ourselves. We applaud those interested businesses who have reached out to make the 1% for the Planet commitment in 2009. As Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies, one of our co-founders says, “probably the hardest check you’ll write is the first check”. After that, you’ll never feel better and you’ll realize you probably signed yourself up for the easiest New Year’s resolution yet.
On behalf of the planet we thank those businesses stepping up in 2009 and look forward to having you on board. Happy New Year everyone!
