Posts Tagged ‘1%FTP’

Leading the charge!

Posted on March 27th, 2012 by

Disadvantaged children in Sacred Valley, Peru participating in "Operation Genius" with the World Shamanic Yoga Institute.

The reasons businesses join 1% for the Planet are almost as diverse as the companies themselves, but Russ at World Shamanic Yoga Institute summed up his motivations particularly well:

The World Shamanic Yoga Institute is proud to be a member of 1% for the Planet. We have been working to foster health and well being at the individual, social and environmental levels for years and when we saw how well thought out the 1% program was, it was an “ah-ha!” moment.

We cannot possibly expect that government will take care of all the environmental issues our planet faces. Economic activity is a fact, and that economic activity MUST be tied to environmental programming if we are to hope for a tomorrow with healthy ecosystems for humanity and the other species on our planet.

1% helps make this a reality by channeling a percentage of gross economic activity back to well-conceived and vetted environmental programming. We look forward to doing our part by supporting organizations like Amazon Conservation Association. 

We hope that in the future, 1% or more for the environment will be a standard and not an exception. We all share this beautiful planet. Let’s be intelligent citizens!

I haven’t heard it said better than that—and it’s in the spirit of that “ah-ha” moment that we welcome bemed Cosmetiques, BeOSport, Caudalie, Damang Media Group, Fabled Frog Soap, Koru Swimwear, Lucas J Cellars, Nature’s Flowers Ever and Ever brand, Nature’s Path Foods EnviroKidz brand, Organic Return, Organic Tree Juice Bar, Sans & Sans Serif, Sleep Soundly, TRUFIT, UniLuv Marketing and World Shamanic Yoga Institute to 1% for the Planet!

Thank you for using your businesses to create a better world for all of us.

Diversity and Dedication

Posted on February 21st, 2012 by

One of the most amazing facets of working for 1% is learning about diversity among our member companies. No two companies are quite the same, except when it comes to their dedication to protecting our planet and promoting sustainability. This point is exemplified with two of our newest members, Four Crows Photography and Polar Pillow.

 

 

Four Crows Photography is dedicated capturing the beauty of the natural world that surrounds us, and those moments of serenity that too often go unnoticed in the frantic pace of daily life. Photographer Dave Mangels launched Four Crows with the mission to practice mindful photography, as well as contributing back to the planet in which inspires him.  Shedding his life in a cubicle and armed with a camera and an amazing eye, these photographs capture the majesty and beauty of the world that we strive to protect.

“As someone launching a new business, I thought it was vital to build an ethical and moral foundation to Four Crows Photography. My participation in 1% For The Planet is an essential way to demonstrate my commitment to the environmental causes that are so important to my artistic inspiration. Four Crows Photography plans to support a variety of causes as it grows, but foremost among them will be the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance for its work defending the Redrock wilderness, and the Trustees of the Reservation for its preservation of open spaces in my home state of Massachusetts.”

 

 

1% also welcomes PolarPillow to our family. As a person who is all-too-familiar with erratic sleep patterns and insomnia, I was fascinated to learn more about this company and what it offers for people who cope with the same issues.

PolarPillow is an award-winning cooling pillow that uses specialized gel technology to generate coolness. By bringing science-based innovation to the pillow market, the company aims to help its customers sleep better and live healthier. The pillow itself is kept cool, which in turn promotes a better and more restful night of sleep.

The PolarPillow team has joined the 1% movement to demonstrate their belief that the health of the planet is critical for entrepreneurship to thrive. PolarPillow has identified Philippe Cousteau’s EarthEcho International as its first beneficiary. EarthEcho creates programs that empower youth to restore and protect our oceans.

From breathtaking natural photography to pillows that help people rest better and promote health, our members continue to be as diverse as the planet that we share. Aligned by their dedication to protecting the world around us, we welcome these amazing companies to our 1% family and are so happy to have you!

Power in Numbers

Posted on February 16th, 2012 by

It’d be easy to let the state of the world get you down. We’ve got a polarized political system that makes rational dialogue seem impossible, a stagnant economy, freaky weather that brings floods followed by droughts and a skyrocketing global population thirsty for the material comforts that got us in this mess. And that’s not half of it.

Still, it’s hard to feel hopeless when you see people coming together to create the change we need so desperately. Yesterday, when news that the Keystone XL pipeline was once again a threat, 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner 350.org mobilized more than 800,000 people in just 24 hours to send Congress an emphatic NO. The message couldn’t have been clearer.

Last night Bill McKibben had the spotlight on The Colbert Report—check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.

The motivation that gets 800,000 to coalesce around something they care so deeply about is the same energy that motivates businesses to be part of the solution—they’re working hard to create a world that we all want to live in.

In the past two weeks we’ve seen another 16 companies sign on to 1% for the Planet. Our most recent new members are AdventSure, Alisma, Barbara Grant Consulting Group, BeeFlow, BIG Green Island Transportation, Eco-Armour, Executive Property Management, IPR Coaching, Kiyomo, Miquel MAXIME, Neat-os, Peaked Sports, Toast, Trendfinder Trading Systems, Wavergarden UK and Starbars—a warm welcome and many thanks from the crew at 1%!

Welcome to our newest members!

Posted on December 10th, 2011 by

  
Hiking early season turns at Mad River Glen with the 1% crew

Waitsfield, Vermont, like most ski towns, is filled with people who are generally pretty darn happy. The social life of a Valley resident (or a 1% for the Planet employee) revolves around enthusiastic discussion of the outdoor pursuit du jour, or actually getting out and partaking wholeheartedly in that activity. Grins are standard. But this December has been a different story.

When weather doesn’t cooperate, people take a turn to the dark side… especially in the early winter when memories of the previous season’s bounty tantalize us. This past week I’ve seen people stare up at the sky with looks on their faces usually only employed by seven year olds hoping to reprimand their parents for withholding desert. The feeling of tension in town is palpable, and our office is not immune.

Thankfully, release came today with 2-6 inches of new snow over fast grass at Mad River Glen. The 1% team, sporting grins once more, was there early to welcome winter to the valley by hiking a few early morning runs. All this welcoming has me thinking about another long-overdue welcome–the one we owe our most recent 1% members!

Bamboodha is the first out of the gate this week. They’re based in Australia but will ship their bamboo towels anywhere. And best of all, they’re giving away copies of the 1% for the Planet CD! If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out.

The Aromatropolis The Aromatropolis retails printed materials online which concisely convey the complex properties of essential oils.  This is an emerging, woman-owned business developing media in different formats to enhance the experience of the essential oil enthusiast.  Currently they offer a limited-edition, 18″x24″ print and carrying card relating the properties of the twenty most common essential oils.  Future plans include the development of brick-and-mortar locations to retail their products and create healing environments for patrons. The Aromatropolis and parent company Bright Blue Green LLC seek to raise the bar for environmental and social responsibility in business.

David C Dixon LLC offers LEED and sustainability consulting to Food and Beverage corporations. David, proprietor and avid outdoorsman (who would have fit in well at Mad River this morning), has been involved in some of the largest LEED food manufacturing facilities built in the past 6 years, and has helped name brand companies reduce their environmental impact and pursue “closed-loop” technologies. David says that “1% for the Planet is a great initiative which can offer corporate decision makers a “brand” similar to LEED that they can trust, that earns them recognition, and provides funding for vetted organizations.” Glad to have you David!

Keep your eye on Exout for deals on outdoor gear for every sort of pursuit, summer or winter. You’ll find steals for members as low as 70% off retail–stock up and feel good that 1% is going back to the environment!

Gone Surfing Hawaii specializes in surf lessons and customized surf tours in the Hawaiian Islands. Need a break from winter? Check ‘em out!

The Green Line‘s proprietor Janine on coming to 1%: “Discovering 1% For The Planet was the missing to piece to my puzzle.  I always knew I wanted to give back but I didn’t have the proper platform.  Since becoming a 1% member, now I have the resources to do what I always wanted to do:  Give back to something meaningful to me.” Janine is giving to Oceana, so when you purchase her jewelry you’ll know her 1% is going to a good cause!

Hug on a Rug is based in our very own state of Vermont and offers hand-made rugs. They’re still working on their web presence but check back soon to see what they’re up to.

Integral Dialogue Project is a consulting company committed to the greater purpose of “co-creating a better world by empowering people to lead.” They believe we all possess interpersonal greatness. By facilitating and engaging individuals and organizations in generative dialogue there exist the potential to create this ‘better world’ through a sharing process of innovative perspectives – and transformational change.

Integral Ecology Group is a specialist company focusing on applied ecological and cultural research by providing consulting services that interface between human land uses and their supporting and surrounding environments. They have done everything from reclamation projects following source extraction to analysis of traditional land use.

KAVAJ has you covered when it comes to protecting your iPad, Xoom or other tablets with great looking cases.

Ever hear that Uncle Cracker song with the line about being “as cool as the flip side of my pillow?” Well… Polar Pillow is an award-winning cooling pillow that uses specialized gel technology to generate coolness. PolarPillow has identified Philippe Cousteau’s EarthEcho International as its first beneficiary, and will be helping to inspire the next generation to care for the earth.

Tulan supplies everything you need for yoga, from mats to clothing and you can feel good about buying from them!

Welcome all!

New faces at 1%

Posted on November 19th, 2011 by

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.

Check out Jeff’s remarkable story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuS3QuInGoo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL528898BF7EBA380D

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.

HDRcreme

 

1% Member wins Green America’s People’s Choice Award!

Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by

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In a follow up to our October 1st post, the results are in for Green America’s People’s Choice Award for Green Business of the Year. Drum roll please . . . . . the winner is 1% for the Planet member Reusablebags.com! In recognition of their continued success (Reusablebags.com also won this award in 2007), the company was also awarded a Longtime Leadership Award. Our greatest thanks to all who voted and recognized Reusablebags.com as a truly committed company to Keeping Earth in Business!

Vote for 1% members as Green America’s “Green Business of the Year”!

Posted on October 1st, 2009 by

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Our greatest congratulations go out to longtime 1% for the Planet members Reusablebags.com (member since 2006) and Grounds for Change (member since 2003) for making the final round in Green America’s People’s Choice Award as the “Green Business of the Year”. “A celebration of the leaders of the green economy, and a challenge to corporate America to follow their path”, we encourage you to show your support to these committed businesses by voting through this link. Voting closes Thursday October 8th!

Building Awareness for our Global Movement

Posted on August 6th, 2009 by

Print

Translation: I was cut down to make this poster, the least you could do was read it. Companies use natural resources. It is inevitable. The association 1% for the Planet encourages companies to give 1% of their sales to the protection of the environment.

Oui oui mon cherie, c’est vrai! We are pleased to share that with MediaTransports in France 1% for the Planet has 400 placements of the above creative in the Paris Métro posted now and up for as long as possible.

With such a reach into Europe’s second busiest metro system and a city that hosts an estimated 45 million tourists a year, we are honored to have this opportunity to encourage our global momentum and to highlight our 69 members in France on their home turf.  

With our offices in Vermont, USA, we are sorry we won’t be seeing these posters but encourage those who do to take a snapshot and share with us all by posting on our Facebook Page.

To MediaTransports for their support, to our volunteer Caroline in France for her dedicated work, to our French members for their passion, and to all for spreading the word about 1% for the Planet across this very special globe, merci beaucoup!