As you might have heard, this year we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary.  One of our big anniversary events will take place right here in our home town. We have joined forces with the Mad Marathon in Waitsfield, VT to create the first ever 1% for the Planet Mad Marathon designed to support the nonprofits and partnerships that protect the places we play.

WE WANT YOUR COMPANY HERE. Come celebrate the planet with us!

Save the date: Sunday, July 7, 2013 - Race Day
July 6th, 2013 – Kids run and 1% for the Planet (1% FTP) network meet-up

The marathon is a way to:

• -Grow our movement
• -Celebrate your company’s commitment, and
• -Raise funds for environmental organizations

There are three ways you can get involved:

1. Sponsor the race
There are various levels of sponsorship available.  Your sponsorship is considered a donation and part of your 1% FTP commitment for 2013.

• -be included in a virtual bag and a physical bag for participating runners
• -be highlighted in the 10th Anniversary marketplace grand opening

2. Donate product
If sponsorship is not in your company’s budget for this year, product donations for prizes and raffles are a great option. Remember, 25% of your company’s 1% annual commitment can be in-kind donations and/or employee volunteer time.

3. Run for a cause
Your company can support a nonprofit team by either running for or donating to them. Last year one nonprofit earned over $27,000! 1% FTP will also have a team fundraising on behalf of high impact partnerships in the region.

Next steps:

• -Email or call us at 802-496-5408. Please let us know if you have any questions and/or how you’d like to be involved
• -Join our event page on Facebook
• -Stay tuned for other ways to participate over that weekend

We’re looking forward to celebrating all that you do to support our network. Start your training!

Back to the grind we go, but not before partaking in one last holiday tradition we have all come to know: the choosing of a New Year’s Resolution. We say we’ll hit the gym more, aim to clean out our closets, and try to be healthier and more balanced in the coming year. Whatever the resolution, we all see the New Year as an opportunity for a new beginning and goals – a new calendar providing the perfect opportunity to switch things up individually or as a business.

It is the perfect time for companies to consider joining 1% for the Planet.

We’d like to encourage a challenge that will start small in New England and one we hope will carry through the rest of the network. In the first half of the year, we’d like to see how many new businesses in New England will pledge to donate 1% of their sales to our nonprofit partners. We think this is a conservative (read: attainable!) goal for the New Year. We have exiting things planned for our 10th anniversary year and it would be great to have new members participate in a meaningful way. Look around our website and see who of your neighbors is already involved – we bet you already know someone who is an active member. We want our network to keep expanding and as companies are setting their goals for the next calendar year, it’s the perfect time to start seriously thinking about giving back to our planet.

Have you thought about getting involved? Talk to us! We’re happy to answer your questions and put your mind at ease – your involvement is important to us and your commitment to the program makes a huge impact worldwide.

Here’s to a bright 2013 and an even more impactful network!