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..”
Since starting at 1% for the Planet, I have been introduced to hundreds of awesome non-profits and businesses. Each time I find one, I announce to the office how great they are, and we look through their websites, generally tempted to either donate or purchase something. Many non-profits seem to know that if you put a picture of a cute and fluffy animal on their “donation” page, it’ll work! Or if you have an attractively unique product, I’m likely to buy it. Anyway, when I was introduced to 1% member, Smock Paper, I knew I needed to get some cards!
Smock is a sustainable stationary company based in Syracuse, NY. They have come out with a new line of stationary, called the “Save the World” card series. These unique letterpress cards are made out of bamboo paper with 100% wind energy. The bamboo is grown without pesticides or fertilizers and is non-GMO, so it is a sustainable material to use in the paper making process. The first card is the series is the honey bee-inspired sunflower card, which is absolutely beautiful! I have already bought a set of six and used four of them! Anyway, back to business…
As a 1% Member, Smock donates 1% of sales annually to environmental initiatives but (lucky for us) they’ve added some beautiful cards to get their customers involved as well. Smock donates 100% of the proceeds from the “Save the World” series go straight to environmental initiatives. The money raised from the sunflower card goes straight to the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA). PANNA is a 1% recipient who works to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. They know how detrimental these chemicals are to many insect species and want to eliminate the use of them.
Honey bees are one of many species that are adversely affected by the use of pesticides. As a key indicator species, their health provides early warning signs for biologists regarding greater ecosystem health. These busy-bees play a crucial role in our global food system with 30% of our food supply depending on them. These important pollinators are in trouble, because many commonly used pesticides are toxic to them. One way we can help save the bees is to support PANNA in their movement to eliminate the use of these toxic pesticides! Another way is to grow certain plants (like sunflowers) that attract bees, so that their populations can grow in your region. Smock has done a great job to create a card that encompasses these ideas and best of all the funds raised go directly to PANNA. Check out their website to order a set of the sunflower cards that will support the reduction of pesticide use that is eliminating honey bees worldwide!
Ever dreamt of sipping a Ginger Zinger while practicing your Tenkara fly-fishing technique at your favorite fishing hole? I can safely say I haven’t, until now. Enter Ayu Drinks and Tenkara, new 1% for the Planet member companies.
Ayu Drinks is the first organic functional beverage based on Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India. Developed by integrative medicine physician Akil Palanisamy M.D., Ayu incorporates Ayurvedic herbs and spices to help heal the body and mind.
While fueling my mind and body this morning, I was listening to NPR, part of my morning routine. Today’s Morning Edition featured a recent Penn State study that has evidence suggesting the benefits heavily spiced meals can have on the heart. Well, perhaps they should be studying how awesome Ayu Drinks are. Each of their drinks has at least 800mg of herbs per bottle, ensuring real therapeutic benefit.
Debatably more therapeutic than Ayu Drinks is successfully catching a trout from your local mountain stream using the traditional Japanese method of Tenkara fly-fishing. 1% member Tenkara aims to do just that, get people out on the water to experience the simplicity and effectiveness of Tenkara. Tenkara is the traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing, which uses only a rod, line and fly. Check out this video to see what it’s all about!
If you’re like me, you’ve now got the urge to pack your bag, leave the office, and have a therapeutic Tuesday afternoon. I assure you, if you indulge in Ayu Drinks and/or the art of Tenkara fly-fishing, you’ll have a great, relaxing time. Whelp, I’m off to enjoy this beautiful spring weather… Cya!
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..
These are the guys who started Stewart Charley Ventures LLC a few years ago, after deciding to leave their jobs and do something they were truly passionate about. They wanted to invent unique kitchenware; they came up with the Salsabol, which I will explain momentarily! Tom is a designer who loves to surf and Michael is an economist and skier. The snow they slide on and the waves they surf all come from the same source – the ocean. They’ve joined 1% for the Planet so they can give to Oceana, a charity dedicated to helping preserve the world’s oceans. Since 2001, Oceana has protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. Tom and Michael are excited to support such a wonderful non-profit that is making a huge difference in protecting our natural water resources.
Their first major project is the Salsabol. This is a (genius) bowl that eliminates the opportunity for your salsa to fall onto the table as you scoop it up with a chip. We love it! This bowl will save you from washing tons of tablecloths, and also wasting your delicious salsa! We salute you, the inventors or Salsabol, for making sure that we never embarrass ourselves at the snack table again! Check out Uncommon Goods, where you can buy your very own Salsabowl today! According to Brodie: “I’m always that idiot licking salsa off my hands and shirt (and sometimes the tablecloth) at parties. This is what I need to get my social life back on track!” So thank you guys for making the social scene at 1% more comfortable for everyone!
Now, meet Katya and Natalie:
They are the founders of, Greyslater, a Chicago-based eco-boutique dedicated to supporting local artisans, small businesses, and manufacturers of made in the USA products. Founded in 2011, Greyslater features hand-picked, sustainably-made reusables that are as beautiful as they are functional. Katya and Natalie decided to let their 500th Facebook fan decide who would receive their first year’s donation. They chose the North Carolina Rail-Trails, which is a state-wide land trust that focuses on preserving rail corridors and creating rail-trails.
They sell a number of American-made water bottles, utensils, bags and soaps that we love and know that you guys will too! My personal favorite is the mason jar cozy, which allows for you to drink tea out of your favorite rustic cups without burning your hands. This is perfect for all of you (including my roommates) who believe that pint jars can be used for so much more than just canning fruits and vegetables! Check out the rest of their products which are all for sale online!
Welcome, and we are excited that both of these partnerships have become 1% members! I would personally like to thank you both for giving me birthday present ideas for my co-workers and roommates! Keep up the good work!
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.
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL, pronounced “circle”), was formed in 1983 to oppose the construction of two dams on the river. Along with successfully halting the construction of the dam, 39 miles of the South Yuba has since been permanently protected. Although SYRCL started as just a small group of concerned citizens, it has evolved into a vibrant community organization. SYRCL’s mission is “to protect and restore the Yuba River and the Greater Yuba Watershed.” They do this to support the native fish that have lived in the river for many generations and also to make sure it remains a clean, recreational area for many years to come. SYRCL sponsors many events and programs annually, including one that we’re excited to highligh today: the Wild & Scenic Film Festival!
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the world’s largest environmental film festival. This year is the Festival’s tenth year in existence and will include over one hundred films! The festival kicks off every January in Nevada City, California where they show environmental films for three straight days. Last year, 1% for the Planet released [one percent] of the story at this festival, and it was a hit. Our video was well received, received the 2011 Award from EthicMark Certificate, showed at numerous Wild & Scenic Film Festivals around the country and was the reason for a large amount of new membership inquiries. Thank you Wild ‘n Scenic! If you’re wondering if your nonprofit is a fit for this festival, take note that these films encompass a wide range of environmental topics – adventure, conservation, wildlife, climate change, environmental justice, community activism and agriculture, just to name a few.
After the festival’s first year, SYRCL was so pleased with the turnout that they decided to take the show on the road and offer it in communities across the country. Throughout 2012, the festival will take place at over one hundred venues, including Antarctica! Eighty percent of the venues are hosted by community organizations that have applied for grants through Wild & Scenic, with help from Patagonia. The basic guidelines require that grant recipients use the festival as an outreach tool to increase membership. This allows for smaller communities to increase involvement and learn about a number of environmental issues without doing all of the organizing themselves. Wild & Scenic will supply the films, PR materials and planning guides, while the organizations just need to secure the venue and organize the local marketing.
(The previous video features The Edible Schoolyard Project, which is a 1% recipient!!) Check out the Wild & Scenic Film Festival’s calendar to see if any venues are nearby, or apply for a grant to host one! We’re thankful for all of the hard work that SYRCL and Wild & Scenic have done over the last decade and are proud to be part of the movement!
