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SPRING 2020AMERICAN ISSUE 117 Consume Less, Live More

Making the most of what you have isn’t just good for the environment. Bucking wasteful consumer culture can build community and save money as individuals team up to save the planet.

WHAT IS THE WHY WE SHOULD COME AS YOU GO GREEN CIRCULAR QUIT AMAZON p. 17 ARE: ZERO WASTE FOR FREE p. 24 ECONOMY? p. 14 FOR ALL p. 20 VisionCapital ColorLogo Ad 3/29/06 9:29 PM Page 1

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2 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG 6 Simple Words to Move Us Forward, Faster 1612 K St. NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006 • GreenAmerica.org HROW AWAY? There is no away! These six Green American #117 l Copyright 2020 T simple words capture the essence of our COMMUNICATIONS & SR. FELLOW, STRATEGY & TRAINING feature story on using less to save more: PUBLICATIONS Krista Kurth, Ph.D EDITOR IN CHIEF Eleanor Greene SENIOR FELLOW, time, money, and resources. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sytonia Reid STRATEGIC DESIGN & FACILITATION These words are also at the heart of EDITORIAL FELLOW Mary Meade Russ Gaskin EDITORIAL INTERN Asher Weinstein Clean Electronics Production Network the movements for social justice and the PROOFREADER Rob Hanson DIRECTOR Pamela Brody-Heine environment. We cannot afford to “throw PROGRAM MANAGER Emma Kriss TEMPLATE DESIGN Tania Kac away” anyone’s voice, ideas, or creativity PUBLICATION DESIGN Sustainable Food & Ag Programs Dennis Greenia, Eleanor Greene SENIOR DIRECTOR, Climate and if we want a truly just, sustainable, and ALISA DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS Agriculture Networks DIRECTOR Shireen Karimi Sarah Andrysiak compassionate society. GRAVITZ DIGITAL DESIGN & PROGRAMS MANAGER Charis Smith In truth, there is no “away.” Any physical COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST DIRECTOR, Carbon Farming Alec Badalov Innovation Network item we toss in the garbage goes somewhere on the planet, EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mary Johnson wasting all the natural and human resources that it took to Devra Davis, Ph.D: Environmental MANAGER, Regenerative Health Trust • Clair Farley: Office of Supply Working Group & Regional produce it while creating pollution. Trans Initiatives, City & County of San Regen Working Group Francisco Nana Firman: Global Muslim Jessica Hulse Dillon This idea of “no away” references and builds on ideas of past Climate Network • Catherine Coleman generations where thrift was required for life. That notion was Flowers: The Center for Earth Ethics/ DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & increasingly displaced by the “growth at all cost” imperative CDC • Jacqueline Patterson: NAACP ORGANIZATIONAL ADVANCEMENT Environmental and Climate Justice Kathy Harget of today’s capitalism. In 2020, it is exciting to see the national Program • Catherine Plume: (r)evolve DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Tracy Fernandez Rysavy: formerly of conversation start questioning growth and capitalism in its Joseph Macias Green America• Vincent Schilling: current form. Indian Country Media Network MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER Christy Schwengel You can see that conversation publicly in current political EXECUTIVE TEAM CEO/PRESIDENT Alisa Gravitz MEMBERSHIP MARKETING debates. You can see it in economic news when investment giant EXECUTIVE CO-DIRECTOR DIVISION DIRECTOR OF Blackrock announced it would consider climate and other social Business, Investing, & Policy MEMBERSHIP MARKETING Fran Teplitz Dana Christianson impacts in its investment decisions. Google and Amazon workers EXECUTIVE CO-DIRECTOR MEMBERSHIP MARKETING Consumer & Corporate Engagement MANAGER Rob Hanson have walked out in protest of corporate behavior. And there are Todd Larsen MEMBERSHIP SERVICES ASSISTANT increasing calls for redefining capitalism—shifting its goal from EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Mark Rakhmilevich Davina Etwaroo DONOR SERVICES, OPERATIONS, “maximizing shareholder profits” to optimizing stakeholder & DATABASE MANAGER CORPORATE Stephanie Demarest benefits for consumers, workers, communities, and Earth itself. RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAMS It is also invigorating to see a new wave of diverse, young DIVISION DIRECTOR Todd Larsen ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS CLIMATE CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR & TECHNOLOGY economists questioning the fundamental assumptions of the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Bob Bulik Beth Porter economy—starting with the growth imperative. Standing on the CLIMATE FELLOW Ayate Temsamani ACCOUNTANT Michael Young FOOD CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR shoulders of radical economists across the generations, their Jillian Semaan Dennis Greenia work is gaining traction, as more and more people tune in to the FOOD CAMPAIGNS MANAGER DATA ENTRY SPECIALIST & DEPOSIT Jes Walton CLERK Deanna Tilden crises of our times—from racism to climate. IT & FACILITIES MANAGER Pat Keyes FOOD CAMPAIGNS FELLOW IT FELLOW George Millican Kevin Fitzpatrick As a Green American, you can take great pride in having LABOR JUSTICE CAMPAIGNS FOUNDER/PRESIDENT EMERITUS planted the seeds for this new wave. You can see our economic MANAGER Charlotte Tate Paul Freundlich activism impact everywhere. Using our collective consumer GREEN BUSINESS NETWORK® BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIVISION DIRECTOR Fran Teplitz Bama Athreya,Danielle Burns, power to take on corporate giants, we see big wins! We’ve MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING Joanne Dowdell, Monica Flores, advanced social investing and stakeholder activism to every MANAGER Scott Kitson Paul Freundlich, Alisa Gravitz, MEMBER SERVICES ASSISTANT Eleanor Greene, Shireen Karimi, corner of the investment world. We give families, businesses, Julie Lineberger, Deborah Mark Rakhmilevich and supply chains around the country the information, ideas, CERTIFICATION MANAGER Momsen-Hudson, Sara Newmark, Stefanie Kruglik Deepak Panjwani, Carolyn Parrs, Brady Quirk-Garvan and resources to reduce their environmental impacts. NETWORK FELLOW Mary Meade Cover image: We have much more to do; yet as people join in to address GREEN AMERICA CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS Miranda Anderson by these problems at every level—from economic theory to DIRECTOR Erin Gorman Megan Carson Photography, community action, to the choices we make every day—we can go see p. 26 further, faster. CONTACT US AT: 800/58-GREEN • fax 202/331-8166 • GreenAmerica.org • [email protected] Your Green Life: Powered by Green America and Green American magazine (ISSN: 0885-9930) For the future, are free with Green America Individual Membership (starting at $20/year) or Green Business Network® Membership (starting at $130/year). For address changes or individual membership information use the above contact information. For Green Business Network information, email [email protected], call 202/872-5357, or visit greenbusinessnetwork.org. For article reprints, call 202/872-5307 or email [email protected].

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THE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME

It Would Only Cost $300 Billion to Stop the Climate Crisis

cantly less than the $5.2 trillion in subsidies given to fossil fuels worldwide in 2017. With enough political will, a total $300 billion is a reasonable amount to offer the planet a fighting chance against the climate crisis. Learn more about agricultural climate solutions at greenamerica.org/food-climate.

Workers’ Health Threatened by Kitchen Trend Workers who cut, grind, and polish artificial stone for kitchen and bathroom countertops are developing silicosis, a progressive and incurable lung disease. The artificial stone, also known as “engineered stone,” is a material made of bits of quartz embedded in a resin binder. This composition makes it nearly all silica. It has grown in popularity in recent years due to Regenerative farming can heal the soil and solve the climate crisis, with the right investment. Above, its durability and low price. However, the the winning submission from our Climate Victory Garden photo contest, submitted by Carolyn Day of process of cutting, grinding, and polishing Growing Hope Gardens, a nonprofit that brings regenerative gardens to homeless shelters. engineered stone produces high levels of Photo by Jean Pierre Provo. silica dust. New studies show that workers may be inhaling dangerous amounts of it. To buy 20 years of time needed to fix the Southwest—which serve crucial functions A 2019 report from the Center for climate crisis and stop the rise in green- as ecosystems. Comparatively, desertification Disease Control and Prevention describes house gases, we only need $300 billion, say is caused by human activity, primarily from 18 cases of illness, including two deaths, United Nations scientists. That sum would poor agricultural management of fertile land. among artificial stone workers in California, not fund a technological miracle, but rather This leads to a decline in the quality of soil, Colorado, Texas, and Washington. Workers invest in restoring soils around the world. loss of vegetation and wildlife, and increased who develop silicosis have a hard time Poor land management has caused nearly erosion. Economic productivity also comes breathing and experience chest pain, five billion acres worldwide to degrade. to a halt when the land can no longer be weakness, and dizziness. The only treatment Deforestation, desertification, overgrazing, farmed; however, putting carbon back into for silicosis is a lung transplant. misuse, and other exploitive human activity the soil restores nutrients and increases The workers at risk in the report were has stripped the soil of its biological function resiliency. With healthy soil comes healthy nearly all Latino. Generally, workers can as the foundation of thriving ecosystems and vegetation and increased biodiversity. report issues and get health inspectors carbon storage. Returning the land to pasture, To make this is a reality, the $300 to investigate the workplace environment food crops, or forest would absorb enough billion should be invested in programs like for safety; however, there may be language greenhouse gas emissions for the next 15-20 reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and barriers and potential concerns over years, buying time for countries to adopt and Indigenous knowledge of farming restor- immigration status that prevent Latino develop carbon-neutral advancements. atively to reverse the loss of farmland and workers from voicing issues. Therefore, the Essentially, the idea is to tackle defor- use it more effectively in the future. number of people affected may be higher if estation, or the process by which fertile René Castro-Salazar of the UN Food and Latino workers are reluctant to report. land becomes nearly uninhabitable desert. Agriculture Organization states that $300 People who want to ensure they’re This is different than naturally occurring billion is doable. That’s the gross domestic buying counters from responsible vendors deserts that currently exist—such as the product of Chile, less than half of US should look for accreditation by the Sahara Desert or those in the American spending on defense in 2018, and signifi- Natural Stone Institute, which requires

4 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG The Gregory River Fire in Queensland, Australia on December 19, 2019. It was one of thousands of bush fires in Australia’s summer of 2019-2020. Photo from Philips via iStock. companies to open their doors for inspec- droughts and dried out vegetation. fires were linked to deforestation and slash- tions. Additionally, the Natural Stone Institute California is an example of this: the state and-burn practices for palm oil plantations. trains companies on how to safely cut experiences a wildfire season every year, The resulting smoke overflowed throughout and polish stone. While the artificial stone but the last few years have seen longer fire Southeast Asia and forced schools to close poses no risk once installed in a kitchen or seasons due to drier vegetation and hot, as air pollution put millions of people at risk. bathroom, it is vital to worker safety that dry winds fanning the flames. While 2019’s Lebanon also saw massive fires in 2019, customers check for accreditation. season was less destructive than the last burning 3,700 acres and forcing thousands of Customers can also look for natural two years, damage and economic losses have people to evacuate the southern towns in a counter options like bamboo butcher totaled $80 billion. record heatwave in October. block, stainless steel, natural stone like Siberia’s wildfire season ran rampant Perhaps the most sobering fires of marble, recycled glass, or hardwood. due to weak government policies. The fires 2019 (and 2020) were in Australia. From Search our GreenPages.org to find other burned close to cities in the Krasnoyarsk September through February, 27 million counter options from certified Green region. The toxic smoke from the fires acres burned, destroying 2,000 homes, and Business Network® members like Green contained “black carbon”— a sooty killing an estimated one billion animals in Building Supply m. particulate matter typically emitted from the country’s worst fire season ever. As the older gas and diesel engines, as well as planet continues to warm, scientists say that coal-fired plants—which absorbs sunlight Australia’s fires are a sign of what normal and accelerates warming. conditions will be like in a world that doesn’t 2019 Marked in History The Amazon rainforest has seen an take radical action on climate change. increase of 75 percent in forest fires since You can take action on these worldwide with Fire 2018. The Amazon acts as a massive carbon fires by donating to on-the-ground relief The year 2019 marked the end of the hot- sink—as healthy trees burn, carbon they had organizations and talking about climate test decade in recorded history, but we don’t sequestered is released into the atmosphere. disasters in your community. In your need to look at charts and maps to know The vitality of this carbon sink is crucial personal life, act by voting at the ballot that the planet is on fire. Between California, to combating climate change worldwide. boxes and voting with your dollar for Australia, and the Amazon rainforest, enough The Amazon fires have been blamed on businesses that support sustainability. locations worldwide are burning to cause companies and people clearing land for beef Learn more at greenamerica.org/ serious concern. While climate change may and soy farming using the slash-and-burn vote-with-your-dollar-toolkit. not be the direct cause for all these fires, it method—a practice in which forest is cut exacerbates the conditions in which they down and burned to create farmland. occur—warmer temperatures mean longer Similarly, Indonesia’s destructive forest m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 5 ACROSS GREEN AMERICA

NEWS FROM OUR PROGRAMS AND MEMBERS

Green America’s New Scorecard Pressures Retailers Profiting from Child Labor in Cocoa

Chocolate pairs with celebrations, so Aldi, Food Lion (Ahold), and Kroger rated purchase their chocolates matters, since Americans spend billions on truffles and best. Trader Joe’s and CVS rated worst. some companies are using their leverage bars year-round. That’s why Green America Our retailer scorecard joins our fifth to change their supply chains and those of issued two scorecards rating chocolate edition of our popular chocolate company the brands they carry, and others are not.” companies and retailers on child labor and scorecard, which rates major players, The scorecards are just one part of deforestation practices. including Hershey and Mars, as well as the Green America’s work to move the Our scorecards have proven to be a great smaller companies (including many Green industry forward. We also work with allies to tool for change. Companies see where they Business Network® members) working encourage legislation in the US that would stand relative to their competitors which to support farmers and communities require companies in the cocoa supply pressures them to improve their scores— overseas. This year we’ve added ratings chain to do due diligence investigation on and to reach out to Green America’s experts based on companies’ commitments to child labor and address it when found. The to learn how. With the scorecards, we forests and prevention of deforestation, in legislation would be based on efforts in the harness the power of competition to help addition to their efforts to address child European Union that will likely be adopted laggards become leaders. The scorecards labor and farmer income. In the Ivory this year, which has the support of many also help to guide consumer purchases and Coast, rainforest cover has declined 80 major chocolate companies. We are also reward companies that are making strides percent since 1960, and in both the Ivory working with allies worldwide to coordinate on social and environmental impacts. Coast and Ghana, cocoa often comes pressure on chocolate companies that sell For the first time ever, Green America from protected forest areas. Of the larger products worldwide. rated national retailers on their commit- companies, Nestlé and Lindt both have We are excited to see and be part of ments to making and selling fair trade zero-deforestation commitments. growing pressure on the industry to finally chocolate, as well as their comprehensive “There is a huge range in retailers end child labor in cocoa and to support efforts to address deforestation, child regarding the attention they give to crucial women, communities, and ecosystems in labor, and overall social justice in the issues like forests and child labor,” says cocoa-growing countries. sector. Most people purchase chocolate at Green America labor campaigns manager Take action at greenamerica.org/ brick-and-mortar retailers. Of the retailers, Charlotte Tate. “Where consumers cocoascorecard.

6 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Our Cool It! Campaign urges Walmart to change refrigerants for the climate Keeping veggies frozen and oat milk cool in supermarkets comes at a huge cost to the climate as refrigerators can leak gases that warm the atmosphere at a shocking rate. Green America’s new Cool It! campaign addresses hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—super-pollutant gases that used as refrigerants in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. These man-made gases leak out of appli- ances and escalate the climate crisis up to

9,000 times faster than CO2. Supermarkets are a big source of HFC leaks because they have huge refrigeration systems, the of this issue for years and has not taken impacts from the climate crisis and this majority of which currently run on HFCs. concrete steps to cut these emissions. devastation will only escalate unless we act If you measure supermarkets’ refrigerant But there are solutions: companies now,” says Beth Porter, Green America’s leaks like cars, they leak about the same like Walmart can use existing refrigerant climate campaigns director. “Our Cool amount of emissions as nine million cars alternatives that don’t harm the climate. It! campaign is raising awareness to these on the road for a year create. That’s why They can also commit to monitor leaks dangerous, potent emissions and mobiliz- we’re calling on the supermarket sector to and responsibly dispose of refrigerants to ing people across the country to call on cut these emissions—and we’re starting prevent gases from venting out into the major emitters like Walmart to cut HFCs.” with Walmart. atmosphere. Our campaign urges Walmart Sign our petition to tell Walmart to Walmart emits nearly three million to take action on refrigerants and develop Cool It! at greenamerica.org/coolit. metric tons of HFCs annually. Nearly half a comprehensive and transparent plan for of the company’s direct emissions are phasing out HFCs. HFCs. Walmart has known the urgency “Communities are already facing harsh Meet Your Board-Member Elect Thanks to all the Green America members valued my affiliations with Green America, going who voted in our Fall 2019 board election for back about 20 years.” a seat representing our individual consumer We are also pleased to report that our membership. As always, we had a robust Green Business Network® members elected slate of candidates and we are delighted to Carolyn Parrs, with Mind Over Markets m and announce that the winner is: Bama Athreya. Women of Green; and Green America worker Washington, DC-based Athreya has worked members elected three board representatives: with Green America over the years, especially Julie Lineberger of Linesync Architecture m, on our Ending Child Labor in Cocoa Cam- Brady Quirk-Garvan of Money with a Mission m, paign. She led the International Labor Rights and Green America’s editor in chief, Eleanor Forum, a close ally of Green America’s, and Greene. Congratulations all! worked for USAID on trainings on gender and Our gratitude also goes to board members social inclusion. She now serves as a Fellow at whose terms have recently concluded: Scott Open Society Foundations. Kitson, Jeff Marcous, and Adam Ortiz. “I look forward to supporting Green Amer- Information on our 2020 election will be ica’s efforts to organize and build a grassroots included in the Green American magazine in the movement for change,” says Athreya. “I’ve long months ahead. m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 7

REAL GREEN Investing

Mississippi Valley State University students gather around in a study room, February 2018. Photo credit: Mississippi Valley State University Banking On Hope and Investing in Communities When colleges and communities collaborate, everyone wins.

OPE Community Credit Union m, is a Community Development Financial Institution have and that’s the people. Through H(CDFI) serving the Mississippi Delta region of the United States, which encompasses our HOPE Community Partnerships, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. With a mission to strengthen we review the economic data of certain economically under-served communities, HOPE provides financial services and engages in communities, ask residents and leaders policy analysis. what would most improve conditions In 2019, HOPE authored the “HBCU-CDFI Economic Mobility Strategy Guide,” a there and from that, we develop pioneering framework for the ways that CDFIs and Historically Black Colleges and strategic plans. Universities (HBCUs) can work together to advance economic mobility, inclusion, and even Green American/Sytonia Reid: justice. Since this report speaks to the heart of Green America’s work to harness economic How did the idea for the “HBCU-CDFI action for social justice and the environment, we seized the opportunity to interview Economic Mobility Guide” come about? William J. Bynum. Bill is the CEO of HOPE, board member of several social justice organi- Bill Bynum: In 2019, we expanded zations including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the William Winter Center for Racial our HOPE Community Partnerships Reconciliation, and a longtime friend of Green America. Bill spoke with associate editor programs to engage HBCUs, which Sytonia Reid about the report. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. are the primary financial anchor in Green American/Sytonia Reid: HOPE in extreme poverty and federal funds many low-income communities across serves lower-income communities have not been invested in economic the Deep South. We have more HBCUs in the Mississippi Delta. Can you give development of these towns. We’re not per capita than most other parts of some background about the economic a reinvestment priority area for any the country and the poverty rate in challenges in the region? of the national banks and don’t have neighborhoods surrounding HBCUs is 10 percent higher than that of PWIs Bill Bynum: The Delta encompasses megabanks that support community Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mis- development in larger markets like (Predominantly White Institutions). sissippi, and Tennessee. One-third of New York, Boston, and Chicago. So, [Editor’s note: HBCUs and PWIs aren’t all county populations in the region these are resource-constrained areas the only types of colleges. There are 304 have 20 percent of the people living and we’ve decided to build on what we Hispanic Serving Institutions, which are

8 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG colleges that have 25 percent or more and Black entrepreneurs is 3:1 and the full-time Hispanic undergraduate students, more we can support Black-owned Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), businesses, which you will likely find and Asian American and Native American near HBCU campuses, the more we can Pacific Islander Serving Institutions create wealth. (AANAPISI). The US has 107 HBCUs with 37 Access to grocery stores is another located in the Mississippi Delta.] issue, and we’ve heard stories of Since HOPE started over 25 years students who are on campus during ago, we’ve known that we can’t seasonal breaks and can’t find healthy fulfill our mission alone, and there food because there are no nearby are certain institutions that share our grocery stores that sell fresh produce. interests, HBCUs especially. Over the These are all areas that align with last three years, HOPE Community HOPE’s capabilities and that we have Partnerships has worked with seven Bill Bynum, photo courtesy of HOPE Credit Union. experience in. neighborhoods in the city of Itta Bena, Green American/Sytonia Reid: Does Mississippi, where Mississippi Valley building relationships. How did HOPE the HBCU-CDFI Economic Mobility State University (MVSU) is located. learn these lessons? Strategy Guide include a framework MVSU has produced brilliant minds for how HBCU communities can access Bill Bynum: We did several focus in the heart of the Mississippi Delta CDFI services? groups and it became very clear that but it is one of the least-funded public the residents know more about their Bill Bynum: We’re in a partnership institutions in the state. Since MVSU community than anyone. We were with ASU to hire students and imple- is an anchor institution—one of the privileged to have the opportunity to ment a financial education program primary financial assets in Itta Bena that will address student debt, which is work with community leaders, elected with historical ties to the city—it was a a significant issue on HBCU campuses, leaders, and HBCU administrators natural partner. With our headquarters particularly for upperclassmen whose to find common ground. Like other being in Jackson, Mississippi, working debt could prevent them from graduat- campus neighborhoods, there can be with Jackson State University was also a ing. We want to restructure debt so that tension between “town and gown,” natural next step. it’s not as much of a burden. 80 percent so intentionally creating a process for Green American/Sytonia Reid: What is of the staff at ASU are members of honest conversations was important. I it about HBCUs that empower them to put HOPE and we’re looking to deepen that think it was also helpful that we already students on a path to economic mobility? relationship by tailoring our services to had a presence in these communities Bill Bynum: While we know that meet campus needs. with staff who’ve lived in these HBCUs are under-resourced, they Green American/Sytonia Reid: As we neighborhoods and attended these outperform in their return to their talk about community development and universities—that gave us credibility to communities and in the nation. HBCUs, I wonder if there are strategies play the role of facilitator. Research shows that students who HOPE uses to ensure that development Green American/Sytonia Reid: What move from the bottom two percentile benefits longtime residents? Washing- are some of the top shared priorities to the top two quintiles [60th to 100th ton, DC, for example, is the most rapidly percentiles] were twice as high at between residents in Itta Bena, West gentrifying US city and one of the areas HBCUs compared to at PWIs. HBCUs Jackson, and the HBCU campuses? where gentrification is most visible is only represent three percent of all US Bill Bynum: The priorities are con- near Howard University’s (an HBCU) colleges but they enroll 10 percent of all sistent across the Mississippi Delta. campus. African American students and produce We recently met with the leadership Bill Bynum: I think we can do it by 17 percent of all African American of Alabama State University (ASU) in amplifying the voices of residents and graduates, so they play a critical role in Montgomery and quality, affordable equipping them to control their fate. helping some of the most vulnerable housing is a major need. In some of Fostering agency is the root of why members in society become prosperous the neighborhoods surrounding HBCU HOPE exists in the first place, and the and contribute to the economy. campuses, there are blighted properties more that people feel they have stake Green American/Sytonia Reid: The that bring undesirable elements like in their communities and can hold report mentions that two of the major crime, and that is a priority that we’re elected officials accountable, the more lessons gained from the partnership working on. we’ll see outcomes that benefit their is the importance of 1) knowing the Another is the need for jobs and one interests. history of community development of the things we do is support small efforts near HBCU campuses and 2) businesses. The gap between white m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 9

REAL GREEN Living

ver the last decade, podcasts have Oskyrocketed in popularity—over 100 million people listened to a podcast every week in 2019. Compared to conventional radio stations that have limited airtime and contracts, podcasts offer in-depth storytelling on topics ranging from the daily news to comedy, and true crime to sci-fi stories. Here are a few picks from the Green America staff that cover a wide array of environmental topics.

The Voices of a Green America When you’re commuting, on a run, or folding laundry, these podcasts will give you the download on sustainability topics.

Beth Porter recommends Sustainabil- topics: energy, cities, natural envi- ity Defined, a podcast that explores all ronment, transportation, business, facets of sustainability, one topic—and society, and policy. Co-hosts Jay Siegel one bad joke—at a time. and Scott Breen started the podcast “I like this podcast because it out of their shared passions for the explores climate solutions that also environment, good conversations, support communities, interviews bad jokes, and communicating the big experts, and encourages ways to take picture ideas of sustainability. Each ep- action,” says Porter. “I liked the August isode is added to an organizational tree episode on advocacy [episode 42]—with (online at sustainabilitydefined.com/ Grist and the Sunrise Movement—and tree) to categorize topics for listeners the October episode on biomimicry in seeking specific themes, making it nature [episode 44] and how to apply popular in school curricula. Sustainability Sustainability Defined those learnings to organizations. It’s Defined is available wherever you listen Recommended by Beth Porter, really interesting!” to podcasts. Climate Campaigns Director Sustainability Defined brings together different experts for each episode Similar podcasts: Sustainababble, to define sustainability under seven Living on Earth.

10 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Think 100% Bite Recommended by Sytonia Reid, Drilled Recommended by Jes Walton, Associate Editor Recommended by Mary Meade, Green Food Campaigns Manager Nicknamed “The Coolest Show Business Network & Editorial Fellow Bite is a podcast for people who think on Climate Change,” the Hip-Hop Drilled is one of the most alarming hard about their food. Caucus’s Think 100% podcast explores environmental podcasts of 2019: as “Bite addresses food issues in a topics like environmental justice, the first investigative true crime-style really current context and it shows the job creation, voter mobilization, and podcast on climate change, Drilled connectivity between issues,” says diversity in the climate movement. examines and uncovers the “propa- Walton. “It talks about food from lots Instead of arguing the facts on ganda campaign of the century—the of different perspectives and it includes climate change, the podcast focuses on creation of climate denial.” Season one controversial topics.” solutions. The co-hosts, Rev. Lennox traces the manufacturing and spread Bite is co-hosted by Mother Jones editors Yearwood Jr. and Antonique Smith, of climate denial, funded by corpo- Kiera Butler and Maddie Oatman, as well interview community leaders, elected rations. Host Amy Westervelt is an as acclaimed food journalist Tom Philpott. officials, and entertainers who are award-winning climate journalist who The informative show invites writers, using their platform to advocate for pieces together primary source docu- farmers, scientists, and chefs to help the climate solutions and share action ments, uncovers the history of fossil hosts dig into the politics and science of items with listeners who are eager fuel-funded influence campaigns, and what we eat and why, revealing the stories to get involved. Rev. Yearwood is the interviews former Exxon scientists to behind the food on our plates. The show’s president and CEO of the Hip-Hop get to the bottom of climate denial as 100th episode featured a Green America Caucus and a community activist. we know it. Soil Superhero, Leah Penniman from Soul Smith is a Grammy-nominated singer, “I listen to podcasts mostly when I’m Fire Farm, who spoke about young Black actress, and activist—together, their traveling,” says Meade, “so I like to get farmers in America fighting the legacy of style brings a realness and relatability into mysteries to help pass the time. racism in agriculture. to the climate conversation. Drilled took that and added climate Walton’s other favorite was episode The theme for season two is “Young change to unravel the truth behind 98, which addressed catering waste from People Will Win,” focusing on youth climate denial history.” tech company events and local entrepre- climate heroes pushing climate change Drilled’s second season—called “Hot neurs bringing this to those in need. to the forefront of the political agenda. Water”—looks at West Coast crab “Even as someone working in food, Think 100% is available wherever you fisherman who are experiencing the I hadn’t thought about this issue or listen to podcasts. devastating impacts of the climate solution,” says Walton. Similar podcasts: No Place Like Home, crisis first-hand. This industry has Bite’s recent series, “Eating in Climate Mothers of Invention. become the first to sue big oil. Listen Chaos,” explores the role of food in to Drilled on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, a changing climate; from the newest Spotify, and TuneIn. technologies in lab-grown meat to the way each presidential candidate would Similar podcasts: Warm Regards, Hot influence our dinners. Listen to Bite with Take. additional context on motherjones.com, —Mary Meade or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Similar podcast: Eating Matters. m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 11 12 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG T h e G r e e n A m e r i c a n F e at u r e

Consume Less, LIVE MORE

Making the most of what you have and buying less aren’t just good for the environment. Turns out, bucking wasteful consumer culture can build community and save money as individuals team up to save the planet.

S THE CALENDAR shifted from 2019 to 2020, it felt like together around the world to hold companies accountable, Aother shifts occurred too—with the US elections on the because companies are responsible for most of the pollu- horizon and Australia on fire for the last few months, many are tion—through high demand for dirty energy and pushing waking up to the reality of climate change and the growing need impulse purchases that lead to waste (the ubiquitous to act on it. Trying times are times for trying, right? Amazon does both, unfortunately; see p. 17). Our commu- This is a moment when we can all look at our habits and nities join together to hold local and national governments challenge ourselves to make change. How can we make do accountable too, as they have the power to rein in corporate with what we have? When it comes to things we must buy, excess and allocate funds to clean up pollution or act in other like food, how can we get the greenest, cleanest food with ways to help those who have less means and privilege. the least plastic trash coming along with it? Learn how to One of the ways you can stand up to corporations is, as take some simple steps for cutting down on your personal always, visiting GreenAmerica.org and participating in our waste in “Go Green for Free” (p. 24). And your food can get many corporate actions—like Cool It!, our new campaign to you with the least chemical inputs if you’re able to grow telling Walmart to end the use of climate-polluting gases it yourself—read how your garden can feed you and nourish in its refrigeration, which make up half of the company’s itself with regenerative gardening techniques in “Planting emissions and rapidly escalate climate change (p. 7). Seeds of Climate Hope” (p. 28). Here at Green America, we also join hands in coalitions with These are choices we can make for ourselves every day, allies to leverage change faster. For example, building on our but this is also a moment for inclusivity. As we stand up for campaigns to pressure Amazon on both environment and the Earth, we have to also consider how we can welcome our justice issues, we have joined the Athena coalition as a leading friends and neighbors into our environmental and social member. The coalition brings together nearly 50 nonprofits, justice communities, as Polly Barks and Nancy Hu do in unions, and community organizations to force Amazon to take “What You Get When You Buy Nothing” on (p. 22). accountability for its bad actions to the Earth, its workers, the While everyone can produce less waste, we can’t all do communities it’s located in, and even to the country. Read it the same way. In order for this lifestyle switch to make more about Amazon and Athena at (p. 17). a real impact on our planet, it is important to understand What will you do as an individual and as part of the global the ways that rigid zero-waste “rules” can exclude certain community to reduce your waste this year, and to make the groups and find low-waste solutions that create space for Earth happier for yourself and others—to consume less and everybody to get involved. Read more about how privilege live more? —Eleanor Greene, editor in chief plays into this movement in “Come As You Are: Zero Waste for Everyone” (p. 20). This work, like so much of our economic work, starts with individual action. Then we join hands with neighbors to form and improve communities. Our communities can work illustration by Donna Grethen for Green America m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 13 Asha Loring (left) started Health in the Hood to combat food-insecure areas in South Florida. Loring is part of Green America’s Soil SuperHeroes program to educate folks about soil regeneration, a form of the circular economy. Photo courtesy of Health in the Hood and Foodprint. What is the Circular Economy? Too many businesses run on wasteful models. It doesn’t have to be that way—the circular economy is gaining momentum.

URNING BIKE TIRES into bags, sugar Business Network® to demonstrate throw them away. This take-make-toss Tcane waste into to-go boxes, and unity for a circular economy. model operates as if resources are reclaimed wood to new flooring is what While there are several schools of infinite—whereas the circular econ- the circular economy looks like. thought that inform a circular econo- omy makes the most of the planet’s Each of these trash-to-treasure my—from cradle to cradle, to natural resources while giving back. The concepts are real practices by real capitalism, to industrial ecology—at following case studies from Wrangler, businesses: Green Guru m , which makes its most basic level, a circular economy TerraCycle, and Green America’s Center outdoor gear out of busted bike tubes is about rethinking supply chains to for Sustainability Solutions demon- and old climbing rope; Greenline Paper minimize waste. The Ellen MacArthur strate examples of each piece in the Company m , which offers compostable Foundation describes it in three parts: Ellen MacArthur Foundation definition to-go clamshells from bagasse “designing out waste and pollution, of designing out waste, keeping things (sugar cane waste fiber); and Pioneer keeping products and materials in use, in use, and regeneration. Millworks m which takes wood from and regenerating natural systems.” dilapidated buildings for new home This economic model takes the prin- Design Out Waste building projects. These are just a few ciples of reduce, reuse, and recycle, Most pollution and waste occur examples of business leaders redefining and scales them throughout society. early in the supply chain, not from capitalism as a mechanism to care for the Read more about the various schools consumer purchasing. For example, planet instead of taking advantage of it. of thought at the Ellen MacArthur the Natural Resources Defense Council While this concept is getting more Foundation’s website. (NRDC) states that about one-fifth of press in recent years, it is not a new Conversely, our country runs on a the world’s industrial water pollution phenomenon—compassionate busi- linear economy: we take resources, occurs in textile mills, long before nesses have been coming together for make products, and when we tire of the finished clothing items make it to decades under Green America’s Green them or they outlive their usefulness, the hands of buyers. Green America’s

14 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG winter 2019 issue, “Unraveling the Wrangler won’t monopolize the example, pollution and waste must be Fashion Industry,” took a deep dive foam-dyed denim market. Wrangler managed by businesses and therefore, into the world of harmful fashion be has already shared the technology with are out of the average person’s control; an authoritative resource on issues competitors because of its potential to however, we do have control over how and victories throughout the industry. completely change the denim industry. often we buy items, how long we use Jeans alone will go through several For a notoriously water-intensive them, and how we repurpose them. chemical-intensive washes to get that item of clothing, the foam-dyeing Food waste and some paper materials “lived in” look (unless you’re buying process offers a clear solution to can be composted, which gives them a raw denim, yours have gone through designing out waste near the beginning new life as fertilizer. Certain plastics, this too), generating a significant of the supply chain—the first piece metals, and glass can be recycled in amount of wastewater; however, by curbside bins, too. designing out waste at the beginning But what about household items of the supply chain, businesses have that can’t be composted, repaired, or the opportunity to generate indus- recycled? Empty toothpaste tubes, try-wide positive impacts. dead car batteries, and dried out Wrangler’s newest denim collec- markers are a few examples of “un- tion is one such example. In 2019, recyclables”—in other words, items the brand released Indigood™, a that are not accepted by municipal collection that uses a foam-dyeing recycling and thus, landfilled. This is process to eliminate 100 percent of where TerraCycle comes in. wastewater from the indigo dyeing “TerraCycle’s mission has always process. Wrangler collaborated been ‘to eliminate the idea of with Texas Tech University, Indigo waste,’” says Sue Kauffman, the Mill Designs and the Spanish fabric North American public relations company Tejidos Royo to bring the manager of the recycling company, foam-dyed denim to market. which has been in operation for Compared to conventional denim over a decade. manufacturing, which uses around TerraCycle is a leader in 1,500 to 2,000 liters of water by dip- recycling the unrecyclable—the ping denim yarn in 12 to 14 different company partners with major dyeboxes—imagine bathtubs filled consumer goods manufacturers to with dye—the foam dyeing process- offer recycling programs. In 2019 es uses almost no water. alone, TerraCycle collected and “Instead of using water to carry the diverted over 30 million pounds of Models in Wrangler’s Indigood collection. indigo dye, this process uses foam, Courtesy of Wrangler. post-consumer and post-industrial which is comprised mostly of air. waste from landfills. The company The foam is introduced via applicator in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s won Green America’s People and Planet brushes and the yarn runs over it,” says definition of a circular economy. Award in 2015 for recycling innovation Roian Atwood, Wrangler’s director of and has since won additional accolades sustainability, who states the technology Keep in Use and expanded to 21 countries. is a totally different system than conven- A linear economy turns a profit off The recycling company offers tional methods. waste: Americans threw away 4.51 multiple programs for collecting The Indigood Collection was originally pounds of trash per person per day in unrecyclables, from the Zero Waste Box released in 2019 and is currently available 2017, according to the EPA. Most of that program for picking up nearly every in stores. Atwood says Wrangler intends discarded material comes from goods type of waste, to the Regulated Waste to increase the amount of foam-dyed that are used briefly, such as food waste program for items like fluorescent denim throughout their entire collection. and packaging materials. As these items lamps and batteries that would be “We want to incorporate foam-dyed are replaced, they perpetuate the take- hazardous in a landfill. denim into our products as fast as make-waste model of a linear economy. To make these programs possible, possible, because without water, you Combating this model begins with TerraCycle works with a variety of eliminate wastewater,” says Atwood. re-imagining how these materials third-party processing subcontractors “And a denim mill that isn’t producing are wasted and is also the second part that sort and reprocess the waste into wastewater as a result of its operations is of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s usable raw materials for new product almost unheard of.” circular economy definition: keeping manufacturing. Whenever possible, these Additionally, Atwood states that items in use longer. In the Wrangler processing locations are located near m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 15 chemicals and sterilized soils.” Regenerative agriculture also has the capacity to capture carbon and store it in the ground, reducing the effects of the climate crisis and sequestering global carbon emissions. Read more in “Plant- ing Seeds of Climate Hope” (p. 28). With this in mind, regenerative agriculture has the potential to not only protect natural ecosystems but improve deteriorated conditions caused by conventional agriculture. Project Drawdown ranks regenerative agricul- ture as its 11th highest-impact solution to climate change. The practices of farming regener- atively are applicable to both small, worker-owned or family farms as well as large corporations are looking to incorporate regenerative methods in Mural on the side of the TerraCycle office in Trenton, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of TerraCycle. their supply chains. In 2018, Green America announced its collaboration with DanoneWave—a maker of dairy where the collections take place. close the loop of a circular economy, it and plant-based products such as TerraCycle’s newest project, Loop, has the potential to protect and improve coffee creamer and yogurt—to imple- follows the “milkman model”—like the environment by returning nutrients ment regenerative agriculture practices when the milkman came to the doorstep to ecosystems. in its supply chain, as well as to develop with a fresh delivery and picked up Vermicomposting (composting using a certification for regenerative farms. used containers. Loop expands on this live worms) is an example: in a house- If regenerative agriculture becomes concept with familiar consumer brands hold vermicompost system, earthworms widely adopted, it has the potential by delivering reusable and recyclable are fed kitchen waste, from eggshells to drastically alter our economic packaging of everyday products instead of to orange peels. Their eliminated relationship with food, the land, and single-use packaging. waste can be used as a nutrient-dense the climate. “With the launch of Loop, a fully fertilizer. Now imagine that process circular economy was our desired on a much larger scale, considering Closing the Loop outcome,” says Kauffman. “Through increased biodiversity, soil health, and Collectively, each of these case studies offer a glimpse at what is all of the waste reduction programs surrounding ecosystems. This is the idea possible in a circular economy. The offered by TerraCycle, we have of regenerative agriculture. shift would require all facets of society redefined the concept of what truly is Mary Johnson, the Carbon Farming to participate—from government and waste and encouraged consumers and Innovation Network director at Green business, to cities and individuals—but the packaged goods industry alike to America, explains that regenerative the momentum is already growing. reconsider what can be given a second agriculture is an approach to farming Climate change has never mattered life through recycling.” that mimics nature to create a healthy and symbiotic ecosystem. more to American voters. Businesses Regenerate Natural Systems “Over the last hundred years, across the nation are increasingly In nature, waste does not exist. conventional and tillage-based farming taking the initiative to be greener. A When a leaf falls, it becomes food for systems have not reflected how circular economy is the only economic microorganisms, then becomes part of important living organisms are,” says model that can support humanity on the soil to feed the tree. While there are Johnson. “Regenerative agriculture planet Earth—and it is more important multiple schools of thought educating uses knowledge of how nature works on than ever. circular economy theory, the concept of a deep, complex systems level to farm —Mary Meade ‘waste as food’ is an underlying theme. in harmony with those systems, rather Thus, the third foundational pillar of a than dumbing them down to the most circular economy is regenerating natural reductionist, controlled approach that systems; not only does this principle relies heavily on applications of toxic

16 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Why We Should Quit Amazon Amazon is one of the most trusted corporations in America, but it stands against everything the green economy should be. Photo by Scott Lewis

HEN YOU’RE ON AMAZON, you and circular economies. meeting quotas when they get injured, Wcan accomplish in a few clicks There’s a lot Amazon doesn’t want or at best, leave with some workers’ what it might take hours or weeks to its customers to consider: like how compensation benefits. But others aren’t find elsewhere. But its convenience sometimes, processing returns is too so lucky—13 Amazon warehouse workers comes at a high cost. Amazon workers costly—so retailers may opt to trash have died on the job in the last six years. continue to struggle, as does the planet, those returns instead. Return logistics A report by the Center for Investiga- while the company continues to enrich company Optoro reported that five tive Reporting showed that the injury CEO Jeff Bezos, already the richest man billion pounds of returned items end up rate in 23 of Amazon’s 110 warehouses in the world. in landfills every year. Amazon makes is more than double the national Green America launched our “Build a practice of incinerating its unsold average for the industry. Nearly 10 out a Cleaner Cloud” campaign in 2014 to merchandise as well, according to an of every hundred workers at Amazon’s pressure Amazon to use clean energy undercover reporter in the UK. warehouses sustained injuries in 2018, to power its servers for Amazon Web Here’s why we should quit Amazon: compared with a warehousing industry Services (AWS), a major branch of its average of four per hundred. business. In 2018, we amended our Worker issues Warehouse conditions aside, campaign to call it “Build a Cleaner and Most companies push their employees workers suffer in all parts of Amazon’s Fairer Cloud” as we push Amazon to to be as productive as possible. At the supply chains. Leaked documents from treat its workers with dignity and pay minimum, Amazon workers are being Foxconn, Amazon’s Chinese supplier of them fairly. pushed too far, but at worst, the compa- smart speakers and other tech items, Amazon has a lot of customers—the ny violates its workers’ human rights. show that more than 1,000 school- Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) In its warehouses, Amazon’s children have been recruited to their reports that about $1 out of every “pickers” reach high and squat low to factories as “interns.” The documents $2 spent on the internet is spent on grab orders from bins. Their speeds show these children have been required Amazon. 105 million households have are tracked by wearable technology. to work nights and overtime, going Amazon Prime memberships. Pickers often report repetitive stress against Chinese labor laws. Amazon’s platform is maximized injuries from squatting and lifting, but A Wall Street Journal investigation to encourage the easiest and quickest dizziness, vomiting, and heart attacks from October 2019 showed that shopping experience: one-click shop- have also been reported by Amazon Amazon is still working with dangerous ping, impulse buys, and easy returns warehouse employees. factories in Bangladesh that other are the direct enemies of the “buy less” Some employees get fired for not apparel companies have agreed to not m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 17 work with as part of 2013’s Bangladesh those operations. income in 2018 and even collected $129 Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Since then, Amazon has contracted million back from the government, “Amazon seemingly undermines construction of 66 renewable energy according to filings from the Securities workers’ safety and well-being at every projects. By the end of 2020, those sites and Exchange Commission. opportunity. It isn’t a coincidence will have the capacity to deliver 3.9 Amazon chose the suburbs of Wash- that Amazon sources products from million MWh of energy annually. ington, DC, for HQ2, perhaps due to its countries with weak labor laws—they In September 2019, Amazon proximity to Capitol Hill. The company are able to get the lowest price and announced it would reach 100 percent spent $14.2 million on lobbying in make the highest profit, at the expense renewables by 2030. Its peers Apple 2018, employing 28 in-house lobbyists of health and safety,” says Charlotte and Google have already reached 100 and using 13 external lobbying firms, Tate, labor justice campaigns manager percent renewable energy as of 2014 according to Bloomberg. at Green America. “We can’t sit by and 2017, respectively. Stacy Mitchell, co-director of ILSR and while this corporation exploits people In February 2020, Bezos committed Amazon expert, testified in July 2019 to increase profits.” $10 billion to fight climate change before the House Judiciary Committee through a new fund. While we do need on the monopoly power of dominant Clean Energy big investments in climate solutions, tech platforms. Amazon’s AWS makes up a large that money will eventually run out. “Amazon is a dangerous kind of mo- portion of the energy Amazon uses— When it does, if Amazon has not ad- nopoly. It doesn’t just dominate markets, and it uses a lot throughout its supply dressed its harmful impacts, people and it dominates the basic infrastructure for chain: 44.4 MtCo2E (a measurement of the planet will continue to pay the price. the economy,” says Mitchell. greenhouse gas emissions), compared Amazon is a monopoly because of to 16 MtCO2E used by Microsoft and 1.5 Monopolizing the Economy the way it eliminates competitors and MtCO2E by Google, the other top cloud Headlines are most likely to cover dictates prices. Amazon collects and computing companies, according to a Amazon’s growth promises or its labor analyzes data on its sellers. When it 2020 report by Greenpeace. abuses. But there’s a lot going on sees a seller has a popular product, Since 2014, Green America has pushed behind the scenes that has scholars and it creates a similar product, and sells Amazon to use 100 percent renewable legislators concerned. the product at a lower price even it’s energy by 2020 and end the construc- In 2017 and 2018 Amazon sought at a loss to Amazon. Then, when the tion of new data centers that rely on bids for HQ2, its much-anticipated seller gives up and goes out of business, fossil fuel or nuclear power. Amazon’s $5 billion high-tech hub. It promised Amazon is free to reset its price. fossil fuel energy demands are compa- 50,000 jobs to the chosen city and What does lobbying have to do with rable in size to a large power company, suggested cities should compete to give beating the competition? In the 1970s, according to Bruno Sarda, president of the best counteroffer to the company. business regulations that had ad- the Carbon Disclosure Project. Before Most cities offered free land and tax dressed monopolies were “redefined to our campaign, Amazon was using zero breaks despite the fact that Amazon focus on consumer welfare, which is to percent renewable energy to power paid $0 in taxes on its $10 billion say, price,” according to New York Times

If you can’t quit Amazon yet, here’s how to reduce your impact from using the site. o Share a Prime account to reduce annual fees paid wise be trashed, at a discount. to Amazon. You can ship to different addresses o Reduce shipping impacts. When you make a and securely use multiple credit cards. Better yet, purchase, click the box to tell Amazon to use “no HOW cancel Prime and don’t feel the pressure to get the rush shipping,” to send in the fewest boxes. Often most out of an annual fee. Amazon will give you $1 in credit for choosing this TO EASE o Use smile.amazon.com. With this link, Amazon option. Choose “frustration-free packaging” if it’s looks the same, but 0.5 percent of eligible purchas- offered, which means you won’t get a box inside OFF AN es (they will be labeled as eligible or not) is donat- another box. You can also email customer service ed to a charity of your choice. There are thousands ([email protected]) to ask them to put a note AMAZON of organizations to choose to send your donations on your account requesting that your orders be to, including Green America. packaged without air pillows, bubble wrap, and HABIT o Shop small businesses. Instead of buying Amazon’s excessive paper padding when possible. brands or other big brands, seek out small busi- o Call your Senators and Member of Congress. See nesses you know by name. Use Amazon as a search script in “How to Quit Amazon” (p. 19). engine and make purchases directly from business- o Check to see when your Prime account will renew es, where Amazon won’t take a cut. and set a reminder on your phone to cancel o Buy secondhand. Search Amazon Warehouse to instead of renew! shop like-new returned items that would other-

18 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG The movement pushing back against Amazon is gaining momentum. From labor organizers to racial justice organizations and environmental nonprofits like Green America, we’re pushing back and working together as part of the Athena Coalition. Athena’s goal is to stop “Amazon’s growing, powerful grip over our society and economy.” The alliance aims to address community and environmental health, worker safety, surveillance, and threats to democracy that Amazon poses. Kipchoge Spencer is the founder of Threshold, another nonprofit in Photo courtesy of Athena by Make the Road New York Athena. Threshold’s CancelPrime. com educates people on the problems reports. Since then, US regulators have work of shopping with delivery and with Amazon and offers alternatives. ignored the growing power of Amazon easy-to-find low prices. But as it The campaign aims to get one million as the European Union has moved to undercuts competitors, it eventually people to pledge to stop using Amazon investigate and fine it for violating will raise its own prices and leave once the threshold is met, in order to antitrust laws. customers no other choices. have the power of the collective voice “What we’re moving to is a situation In addition to treating its workers to negotiate demands with Amazon. where we don’t really have a market unfairly, Amazon also slacks on “Amazon needs us more than we anymore or any semblance of an open climate progress—it could afford to need it and that gives us great power. market where buyers and sellers can make changes on all those fronts as it We think 10-20 million people would exchange goods on a fair playing field currently enriches its CEO, Jeff Bezos, be willing to quit Amazon today if they with rules that are set by democratic to the tune of $215 million every day, thought it would make a difference,” government,” says Mitchell. “More and estimated Business Insider in 2018. says Spencer. “Until now, there hasn’t more of our transactions are happening The median Amazon employee makes been a way to turn that kind of potential in an arena where there’s a kind of $28,000 per year. It’s easy for shoppers consumer energy into real leverage.” private government that controls things. to ignore the problems with Amazon, Take action to rein in Amazon’s greed And that private government is Amazon.” but as Amazon enters homes through at GreenAmerica.org, CancelPrime.com, mailboxes, smart speakers, security and AthenaForAll.org. We can make The Bottom Line cameras, and televisions, customer progress pushing corporations, but Amazon takes away much of the concern is rising. only when we act together. —Eleanor Greene Are you ready to quit Amazon? Here’s how o Tell Amazon why you’re quitting. Use the email stores instead. Do not use Amazon Web Services [email protected]. (AWS) for your own hosting and encourage your o Cancel your Prime membership. Search online employer to find a different host or to not begin HOW for step-by-step videos of exactly the buttons to using AWS. press and you can do it in just a few minutes. o Call Congress. It’s nearly, if not completely, im- TO QUIT o Join the movement at CancelPrime.com, where possible to go cold turkey on all Amazon products, our allies at Threshold are trying to get one mil- since its web servers host Netflix, Spotify, Pinterest, AMAZON lion people to say “I’ll quit if you will.” and an estimated 148,000 other sites. o When you feel the urge to return to Amazon, try GreenPages.org or read“12 Greener Options “Call your member of Congress and say ‘I know than Amazon” at that there’s an investigation in the judiciary greenamerica.org/greenerthanamazon. committee into Amazon’s market power. I’m really concerned how Amazon is affecting my local o Stop using Amazon products. Ring security cam- economy and I hope that you will support strong eras, Alexa, and Echo speakers all pose privacy legislation coming out of that,’” says Mitchell of risks (read more at greenamerica.org/ the ILSR. amazonhumanrights). Stop shopping at Whole Foods—shop at local co-ops or unionized grocery m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 19 Rob Greenfield sharing homegrown food with neighbors in Orlando, Florida. Photo courtesy of Rob Greenfield. Come As You Are: Zero Waste for Everyone Inclusivity goes beyond inviting someone to a party—it’s about asking them to dance. These activists work to make the zero-waste movement more inclusive.

ALLED-UP PAPER TOWELS, plastic food containers and She’s the founder of Fort Negrita, an online community Bcrumpled stationery: when Anamarie Shreeves did her where she shares waste reduction tips and hosts a store that first trash analysis back in 2013, these were some of the most sells reusable cloth menstrual pads and upcycled products. common culprits she found in the pile, and it probably isn’t far Shreeves says the metaphorical “Fort Negrita” is where off from what many of us would find if we perused our own. resilience, green spaces, and “Black girl magic” meet. The average American produces roughly 1,700 lbs of trash per Trash analyses draw the connection between the waste year, which is almost three times the global average, according we produce at home and what we see when we drive by a to a 2019 report by the research group Verisk Maplecroft. dump. It’s a literal deep dive people do by sorting through Though waste-prevention practices have always been around, their trash bins and identifying items that could have been “going zero waste” has gained momentum in recent years as recycled, composted, or maybe didn’t need to be bought in advocates take to social media to model their lifestyle. the first place. Often these are single-use items like napkins, While everyone can produce less waste, we can’t all do it plastic bags, and food scraps. the same way. For this lifestyle switch to make a real impact on our planet, it is important to understand the ways that Invite Only: Exclusivity in Zero Waste rigid zero-waste “rules” can exclude certain groups and find While consciousness of our consumer habits is an import- low-waste solutions that allow everybody to get involved. ant aspect to reducing waste, where a person lives and their But First, What is Zero Waste? socioeconomic circumstance are not as adjustable. Zero waste encompasses a strict set of principles that lead Shreeves, who lives in Atlanta, says she used to shop to zero percent of personal waste going in the trash can. regularly at a natural foods market but had to cut back after Some zero- and low-waste advocates have expanded the she started grad school and stopped working full-time. Three Rs rule to include repair and refuse, so everyday habits “If a zero-waste lifestyle is out of your means, you simply include: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle. can’t do it. But that doesn’t mean that you’re less of an “[A trash analysis] turns on a visual lens that most of us environmentalist,” says Shreeves. While she has incorpo- have never exercised before, and once you become aware of rated these habits into her own life, Shreeves doesn’t call your trash there’s no turning that off,” says Shreeves. herself a “zero waster,” because of the barriers to inclusivity

20 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG that everyday people face when it comes to pursuing a completely zero waste lifestyle. For example, getting food from bulk and fresh produce sections of grocery stores is key to reducing plastic waste, but at least 23.5 million Americans live in communities where access to fresh produce is extremely limited. Eighteen million Americans also live in neighborhoods where water systems are in violation of EPA lead standards. While the plastic water bottle has become a symbol for unsustainability to some, it remains a reminder of a national environmental injustice At left, activist and educator Anamarie Shreeves poses for others. with her reusable water bottle. At right, Freweyni Asress Freweyni Asress has been living a low-waste of Zero Waste Habesha. lifestyle for four years and is the founder of the Zero Waste Habesha community (named so in homage to her “Men need to overcome Ethiopian roots). Her work focuses on the experiences of Black the idea of masculine versus people and land sovereignty. feminine and that’s no easy “I started doing low waste for similar reasons as many task in a society that has ingrained these ideas about gen- others who are in that mainstream culture—to reduce der,”says Greenfield. “Carrying a pouch of reusable items, for my impact,” Asress says. “But my intentions evolved as I example, is considered feminine but men have to overcome learned more about environmental racism, environmental these stigmas.” justice, indigenity, and eco-movements in Ethiopia.” All of this is to say that where we live, what we buy, and Food insecurity disproportionately harms African how we use products are all indicative of the types of privi- American and Latin American communities, according to lege each of us may have. the nonprofit Move for Hunger, and is one example of how Will You Have This Dance? constructs like race and class can intersect with a person’s It’s often said that inclusivity goes beyond inviting environmentalism. What society considers “normal” ability someone to a party; it’s asking them to dance. Here are a is another: In 2018, when Starbucks announced that it would few actions you can take to foster inclusivity along your own eliminate plastic straws, the news sparked debate about low-waste journey: ableism within the environmental movement, since plastic o straws are considered a necessity for many disabled individu- Celebrate Everyday Actions: Mundane habits like als. Disability rights advocates recommended offering straws eating leftovers and sharing hand-me-downs may not by request only, instead of creating outright bans. seem like much, but they prevent a lot of waste. So does Another way we can understand the role of privilege in zero taking reusable items like tote bags, food containers, and waste spaces is by taking a closer look at who is most bur- silverware with you on-the-go. dened by waste and who works hardest to reduce it. Married o Don’t Eco-Shame: When we know the power of our American mothers spend twice as much time on housework everyday actions, it’s tempting to judge others who we than fathers, according to a 2012 Oxford study. Since domestic don’t feel are exercising that power. Keep in mind that activities like cooking and cleaning can generate preventable sustainability looks different across cultures and commu- waste, many women find themselves taking on sustainability nities and the best way to inspire isn’t to be preachy, but leadership roles in their households—and there are numerous lead by example. zero-waste blogs, YouTube channels, and Instagram accounts o Learn From Others: Sustainability looks different across run by working moms to prove it. cultures and communities. Seek out low-wasters from A 2017 Scientific American study also found that some men different backgrounds and ask yourself what can you learn, perceive eco-friendly behaviors as feminine and may avoid support, and adapt for your own low-waste life. You can them because of it. follow @FortNegrita, @ZeroWasteHabesha, and “When it comes to gender, there may be a lack of interest @RobGreenfield on social media for ideas. among men and it’s up to them to get involved,” says activist o Embrace Low Waste: Everyone who starts their journey Rob Greenfield. may not get to 100 percent zero waste, but appreciating Greenfield famously wore a suit made of trash around New the steps people are taking to radically reduce waste York City for 30 days to bring attention to the waste crisis creates a sense of empowerment and community. and in 2019, he completed one year of growing 100 percent of —Sytonia Reid his own food while living in Orlando, Florida. m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 21 Across the country, people are finding togetherness in organizing around owning less.

Nancy Hu in her backyard with her TerraCycle bins, in which she collects oral care products, cosmetics containers, smoothie pouches, Brita products, contact lenses, bread tags, and cigarette butts for recycling. What You Gain When You Buy Nothing

HEN CORY Chow’s sister got married, Cory bought a products that are designed to be thrown out. Wbridesmaid’s dress. After the wedding, she put it in All along, there have been people going against the grain to her closet, where it hung there for more than three years. be thrifty and make do. It finally seems that those people are Then, someone on her local Washington, DC, “Buy Nothing” becoming part of the mainstream again. Many forward-think- Facebook group posted in search of a formal dress in her size. ing cities are starting to implement Zero Waste plans to “Being able to pass it along to a neighbor who would encourage reducing consumption, composting, and recycling. otherwise be buying a new dress gives me the little push I Encouraging these ideas can save municipalities money for needed to let it go,” Chow says. incineration and landfill space. Across the country, groups are popping up where people can In 2013, Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller started “Buy participate in burgeoning low-consumption and low-waste Nothing Bainbridge” on Bainbridge Island, Washington, communities. These groups are both informal and formal and where they lived. Their project was founded on the principle can be hyperlocal or part of municipal efforts. What makes of “give where you live” and encourages members to give them special is that they challenge American culture’s “buy freely and ask for what they need. Since 2013, Buy Nothing more” messaging as they help people save money and engage participants have grown to number over a million in at least with neighbors. 25 countries. While people may join groups as they declutter or to save money, the Project says “a gift economy’s real Zero Waste & Buy Nothing wealth is the people involved and the web of connections The Zero Waste movement is not new. The idea goes across that forms to support them.” cultures over the centuries, back to the ideas of “waste not, Of course, social movements are only as strong as the want not,” and “use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.” people in them. Luckily, they’re everywhere. But between the Great Depression and the beginning of the 1950s, that thinking changed in America. In 1955, Living with Less Life Magazine published an article celebrating “throwaway Polly Barks cared about the planet but didn’t engage far society” which framed convenience food, paper towels, beyond recycling in her home. She was (and still is) living in and disposable diapers as giving back time to housewives. a low-income and food-insecure neighborhood in Lafayette, Plastic did save people time, but now we see the societal Indiana, and wasn’t making much money herself. Waiting and environmental costs of having an economy based on for the bus one day, she couldn’t help but notice plastic trash

22 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG “When cashiers automatically reach for plastic bags, we try to casually discuss how we’re reducing our usage because we saw a program that said there would be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. It’s helpful to educate without making hard-working check-out workers feel sitting at her ankles. ing group and hosts like they are doing something wrong, so we try to make the problem be She realized if she six TerraCycle bins about us.” wasn’t part of the in her backyard so solution of excess —Green American Priscilla in Maryland, on building zero-waste neighbors can drop waste and litter, then awareness and community in places she shops off hard-to-recycle she was part of the waste, like cigarette problem. butts and kids’ apple sauce pouches. When the bins fill up, “I realized I always had the privilege of being away from she sends them to the company for recycling (read more about trash. But I was in this neighborhood where I really had to TerraCycle on p. 14). She also joined a 2018 training for climate confront it,” says Barks. “I didn’t have money and I didn’t activists put on by Al Gore’s nonprofit The Climate Reality really have connections in this new city. But the one thing I Project, after which she got involved with her local chapter could control was my waste.” working on public comments and rallies in the Bay Area. Barks didn’t stop at curbing her own waste. She wanted to find a community to share tips, hold each other accountable, Putting the You in Community and take collective action, but realized she’d have to work Reducing demand for new items and reducing trash both at it. Her first meetup attracted only three people, but they have obvious benefits for the Earth and your wallet, but join- enjoyed sharing tips and getting to know each other. Over ing communities like these can boost your self-esteem, too. time, she joined a Buy Nothing group, put a “Little Free A 2012 study from Stanford psychologists showed that even Pantry” in her yard to give pantry staples and the bounty of small cues of social connection can boost personal motiva- her garden to her neighbors. Now, Barks is the co-organizer tion for shared goals (like getting a community to reduce its of a local climate action group. Its first goal is to get the city waste). A study from the University of North Carolina showed to instate a climate action plan. that positive social connections could improve your physical “Zero waste as it’s often presented is insular. […] Sustain- health as well as your mood. ability needs to be community-oriented, but too often it isn’t,” Cory Chow, who finally donated her bridesmaid dress says Barks. “What I always tell people is, ‘what is the point of from her Buy Nothing Group, got something in return, too: you creating a mason jar of trash every year if all your neighbors a heavy-duty thermos to help reduce her use of disposable are throwing out ten giant trash cans every week?’ Or, ‘what’s cups. She says she uses it every day. the point of a trash jar if your neighbors are hungry?’” Whether you’re giving or requesting, have something Two thousand miles away, in Lafayette, California, lives to teach about waste or a lot to learn, communities are out buy nothing zero Nancy Hu, a self-identified “Zero Waste Mom.” She works there. Find your local group by searching , waste as a dentist for the Department of Veterans Affairs and has , or another term and your town name on Google, Face- accepted that hers is an inherently wasteful industry. Her book, or Meetup. Don’t forget to ask around on NextDoor, spare time, though, is dedicated to creating less trash and your local listserv, or at in-person community events, too. If helping others do the same. you come up short, start your own group by registering with It isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding to work with Buy Nothing or spread the word about a zero waste group on members of her community and figure out how to create less social media, local bulletin boards, and listservs. —Eleanor Greene waste together. Hu got an idea from the City of Palo Alto’s Zero Waste team to put together a “zero waste party pack:” a set of reusable dishes, cups, and flatware to loan out to residents for parties. She took on the project herself and is eager to share the pack with community mem- bers, even when it means arriving early and staying late at her kids’ piano recital to collect the party pack. “Reducing plastic waste is like a gateway drug to political action. If you can make positive steps in your own personal life, say, reducing plastic waste within your own circle of influence, you can feel pretty good,” Hu says. “You start realizing and seeing a bigger picture behind why it is you’re doing what you’re doing. Then you realize there are limitations of personal action, and that leads you to doing more in your community and getting involved. At least, that’s has happened with me, and how I’ve seen it happen to those around me.” Sustainability educator Polly Barks leading a community brainstorming session with Hu became the administrator of her local Buy Noth- her local climate action group in November 2019. Photo by Gennady Sobolev. m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 23 Go Green for Free Save the planet and your wallet with these tips that help you get the most out of what you have at home.

NE PERSON’S TRASH is another person’s treasure, but with a little creativity, Osome of your waste may never have to make a trip to the landfill. Many items lying around the house can be repurposed into something new without needing to buy anything. Here is a short list of free zero-waste swaps that are kind to your wallet and to the planet.

Silverware. Old t-shirts. Wooden utensils are They’re not just the bottom-dwellers in our drawers. They can be a favorite among zero cleaning rags and kitchen towels, too! Cut them up to the size you waste bloggers—but need, and you won’t have to purchase anything—just add them to they’re not a necessity, your laundry routine and run them with hot water when dirty. If you’re especially when cutlery crafty, you can turn old t-shirts into yarn for crocheting reusable facial already exists in our rounds, potholders, and other neat things. kitchen drawers. Also, many thrift stores such Brown paper bags. as Salvation Army and Even the most resolute Green Goodwill sell cheap Americans will forget a reusable kitchenware. If you’re grocery bag from time to time. on the crafty side, try While recycling and composting taking an old t-shirt are both options, brown paper and sewing a wrap for bags can also double as wrapping your cutlery to make it paper, book covers, or taped into easy to-go. Or wrap them with a cloth napkin and a mailer for a small package. slip them in your bag or glove box. Old sheets. Do your bed sheets have tears, stains, or are generally not usable anymore? Like old t-shirts, bed sheets are a gold mine for cloth. YouTube and Pinterest have a plethora of how-to’s for cutting your bed sheet into yarn to crochet for rugs, baskets, and more. Check out this simple how-to from YouTube here: greenam.org/bedsheetyarn.

24 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Grow your own food. The industrial agricultural system creates mass amounts of food waste before it even makes it to our plates. Try asking your Buy Nothing group or Facebook Marketplace for seeds to start your own garden or try a locally owned garden shop. You’ll skip the entire agricultural supply chain when you do this and know exactly what’s in your food, too. Permaculture Gardens m offers workshops to help urban gardeners make the most of their space. If you’ve got an organic garden going, register it as a Climate Victory Garden with us at greenamerica.org/cvg.

Using up your food. On the same thread as growing your own food, we can also reduce food waste and save money by doing the mundane: eating leftovers and the long-time residents Climate Victory Gardener Michael Curtice in his garden. of our pantries before they spoil. Additionally, “sell by” and “best by” dates are not for the consumer—they’re Broken mugs and old candle containers. so the retailer knows how long they’ve been on the Candle containers that come with a lid can be repurposed as shelves. “Use by” dates just mark when the food is at containers for DIY beauty products, like exfoliant made from used peak quality, not that it has spoiled. The only food that coffee grounds and honey. has an actual expiration date—in other words, when When a mug handle breaks or a the food should not be consumed—is infant formula crack develops, its not good at its because it loses nutrients. Therefore, most food past intended purpose of holding hot its date belongs on the table, not the trash. Read more drinks anymore; however, it does about using up food at greenamerica.org/foodwaste. make a charming container for succulents or other small plants.

Urban foraging. While a little unorthodox, urban foraging —searching for wild food, like plants and berries—is entirely free. Join an urban foraging class near you or pick up Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons, a reliable guidebook, at the library. As long as you’re searching responsibly, not trespassing, and thoroughly washing what you pick, urban foraging is a low-impact way to add food to your plate without spending a penny. Gently used clothing. Organizing a clothing swap is simple: gather a group of friends or co-workers, ask them to bring gently used clothes they don’t wear anymore, and swap amongst yourselves. Clothing swaps are a great way to refresh your wardrobe without buying anything new and keeps perfectly good clothing in use. According to WRAP UK, keeping clothing in use for just nine extra months can reduce the related carbon, water, and waste footprint by 20-30 percent. Read more about the benefits of clothing swaps over donating in “Unraveling the Fashion Industry,” at greenamerica.org/magazine.

This short list is just the beginning—you will likely invent new ways to repurpose things as you go about reducing individual waste. Joining communities online and in-person can help spark creativity and the cross-pollination of zero waste ideas. Browsing the r/zerowaste subreddit, Facebook zero waste groups, and meeting with sustainability-minded people near you are all ways to learn more. Read “What You Gain When You Buy Nothing” (p. 22) to learn more about communi- ty-based green living. —Mary Meade

m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 25 The Upsides of Downsizing When you reduce the footprint of your home, your carbon footprint shrinks, too.

The Anderson family at their downsized 1000-square-foot home in Richmond, Virginia. Behind, the floor plans for their former home and current home. Photo by Megan Carson Photography.

OOK AROUND your home and think Downsizing for the Earth feet. While there is not a cap on space Labout all the ways you use this place People who have downsized prove to be considered a tiny house, residents where you spend much of your time. you don’t need to sacrifice comfort for who identify their homes as such You’ve heard about the circular economy the Earth. By reducing the size of your generally live within this size. and zero waste, but have you considered home, you can save money, make more Dr. Saxton’s study found that the how your space itself could be contribut- time for the things you truly love, and average American has an ecological ing to your environmental footprint? reduce your environmental footprint in footprint of 8.4 global hectares, while Despite the fact that census surveys the process. those that have lived in tiny homes for show that American families are Miranda Anderson, small-space over a year have a considerably lower shrinking, the same data show that our blogger and host of the Live Free Creative footprint at 3.87 global hectares—about homes continue to get larger and larger. podcast, recounted her experience a 45 percent difference. The hectare measurement is a universal scale of car- Living large seems quintessentially moving from a 2500-square-foot home to a 1000-square-foot home with her bon emissions and shows the amount of American; in fact, over the last forty family of five. land that would be required to counter years, the average size of a home in the “It feels just right—it’s the just right an individual’s ecological footprint, US has increased by 1000 square feet. amount of space and just right amount making a small change significant. But when houses grow, the effects of furniture,” Anderson says. “We go far beyond simply adding an extra knew from a financial perspective how Enrich Your Life room. Larger houses require signifi- it would reduce our water, electrical, People interested in downsizing don’t cant energy usage, with the average and gas, because when you’re in a big have to go straight into a tiny house to American home using approximately house, you don’t even realize how reduce their footprint. For Anderson, 914 kWh per month. Additionally, the you’re putting energy in a corner of the simply transitioning to a smaller house space required for large houses can house you never go in.” sparked lifestyle changes. reduce biodiversity by breaking up Dr. Maria Saxton, a researcher “Downsizing almost created a domino habitats. Living in a smaller place can focusing on the tiny house movement, effect for the people in my study,” says have the added benefit of reducing your found just this phenomenon when she Dr. Saxton. “Things like their diet, their footprint in other ways, including some conducted a study on the environmental transportation, especially the purchasing that we may not initially notice. footprints of tiny house residents. These habits and recycling habits, there’s a people take downsizing to the next level myriad of things that downsizing influ- by living in a space of 100 to 400 square ences in other parts of your lifestyle.”

26 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Dr. Saxton found that respondents items, all without contributing to Of course, tiny houses aren’t the reduced the amount of meat in their further waste. only good options for downsizing; diet, ate less food packaged in plastic, “This enables them to volunteer both apartments feature benefits these and even flew less. The full effects in their communities, or spend more freestanding residences can lack. impacts of these trends aren’t entirely time with their family,” Dr. Saxton Tiny houses can have external energy known, but these far-reaching effects says. “They’re going out into their footprints from activities that may be are encouraging. community and doing what they want impossible to fit inside, like showering Tiny houses are part of a relatively to be doing.” at a gym or eating out for meals that new movement and represent the Anderson agrees with Dr. Saxton’s can’t be made in micro-kitchens, while extremes of downsizing, but the findings, saying that downsizing forced apartments are likely to contain the positive impacts of transitioning into her to narrow her shopping to neces- basics. Architectural researchers have smaller homes shows that in addition sities. It was easier than she expected, found that apartment buildings also to improving your environmental because her smaller living space would have very low embodied carbon levels, impact, downsizing influences all have made it impossible to store more and the condensed living arrangements aspects of your life. items than just what she needed. further reduce individual footprints. The tiny house residents Dr. Saxton Even after the year of not shopping Home-sharing and co-ops also allow interviewed said that their living ended, Anderson didn’t fall out of the for more traditional living styles while situations left them better able to save habit of buying less. still having a positive impact on the en- and spend on what they care about “I realized really quickly that I was vironment. Green America partners with most, like travel, children’s education, not shopping,” she says. “I opened up green housing organizations (find them or other goals. so much space, resources, and extra by searching for housing at GreenPages. “They would say things like, ‘now money in our budget every month org) that help residents choose homes I have more money to travel,’” Dr. because I hadn’t gone to Target to buy that reduce energy and space. Saxton says. “‘Now I have more money random things.” Additionally, living in a small to set aside for my children’s college apartment close to work would allow education or to save.’” The Path Forward for even shorter commutes and access Anderson started downsizing at the Although small apartments are to mass transit, making it a practical same time as she decided to challenge permitted under zoning laws, many option for young professionals. herself and her family to not buy any municipalities restrict the construction For Thom Stanton and his family, non-consumable goods for a year. of residences under 400-500 square downsizing seemed like the best way “We started to spend our time and feet, making tiny houses effectively they could make a difference in their money in new ways,” Anderson says. impossible to build. As a result, many personal lives. “And that for us was experiences, adven- residents take advantage of their “I’m not going to be the person who tures, and traveling, like going on picnics mobility and use large vehicles to tow invented the scrubber for the upper and taking my kids to the park more their homes to rural areas, friends’ stratosphere,” says Stanton. “But with often. Our motto ended up being ‘less properties, or RV parks. this home, the smaller the house, the stuff; more adventure.’” less that goes into it from the start and the ongoing The Downsizers efficiency is incredible—we Community predominantly run off of a Both Anderson and Dr. 400-watt space heater.” Saxton found that when Our growing houses you downsize, you may have taken a toll on our become engaged with the environment. These stories “buy less” community show that downsizing can (see p. 22). The sharing reduce your footprint and economy is very import- waste. It can even free up ant to the downsizing money and time for the movement, as downsizers people and activities you can find clothing, furni- care about most. ture, and other household —Asher Weinstein

Thom Stanton’s 150 square-foot tiny house.

m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 27 Planting Seeds of Climate Hope To see the circular economy in action, look no further than your regenerative garden box.

NE CALORIE of food “Think of a forest: Ogrown on a conventional Nutrient-rich leaves fall to farm takes 10 calories of fossil the ground where insects, fuel energy to produce. That’s fungi, bacteria, and other because industrial agriculture critters incorporate the relies on energy-intensive fallen material into the chemical inputs and results soil,” says Tucker. “This in difficult-to-manage waste. cycle builds topsoil packed This linear system is wreaking with nutrients that support havoc on our planet and it just more plant growth. It’s a doesn’t make sense. process that replenishes Conventional agriculture ecosystems the world over, depends on the production, from forests to grasslands.” transportation and use of When you start looking synthetic pesticides and for ways to reduce waste fertilizers that release and close the loop in your enormous amounts of garden, you’ll find that greenhouse gases into the minor changes can have atmosphere. Even though major impacts. Instead these chemicals are ex- of raking, bagging, and pensive, they’re often used discarding leaves, you can in excess in conventional compost them on site, systems, with waste pollut- creating fodder for healthy ing nearby ecosystems and waterways because yields take soil microbes. It’s easier on the wallet and beneficial for priority over environmental health. In industrial agriculture, your garden. Plus, it eliminates the pollution associated with imperfect produce is often wasted and animals are raised on single-use plastics, waste pickup services, and fertilizer concentrated lots where manure causes additional pollution production. concerns. The systems that once defined agricultural and Dr. Sasha Kramer is the co-founder and executive nutrient cycles are broken. director of SOIL, an organization that treats and trans- Emissions from our global food system account for nearly forms human waste into agricultural-grade compost in one third of all climate change-causing greenhouse gases. But Haiti. She advocates for ditching commercial fertilizers and research by the Rodale Institute has shown that widespread instead regenerating soil fertility with organic matter. adoption of regenerative growing methods could sequester a “By recycling waste into the soil, we are reestablishing the significant amount of the world’s current emissions. broken nutrient cycles that tie us to the land,” Kramer says. “Compost helps the soil sequester carbon and increase plant There’s hope, and it can start at home. growth—a win for both climate and agriculture.” With the right practices, your Climate Victory Garden has Curious about “humanure” and safely composting human the potential to be an efficient, climate-friendly closed loop. waste? Read more about Dr. Kramer’s work to transform a Instead of relying on fossil fuels, you can harness the energy public health issue into an environmental solution on her of the sun and soil for your food. Soil SuperHero profile: greenamerica.org/story/soil-haiti. Tina Jacobs, owner of Devine Gardens m, supplies gardeners [Editor’s note: We don’t recommend composting human waste with compost created on her 70-acre regenerative farm. For unless you’re an expert or working closely with one.] her, soil health, and nutrient cycling are key to closing the loop. Looking for more ways to close the loop in your garden? “When plants grow, they take up nutrients from the soil. Seed saving, sharing excess harvest, and using graywater are They pass these nutrients to you when you eat them and it’s all great ways to decrease your garden’s footprint and become your job as a Climate Victory Gardener to return nutrients to even more self-sufficient. For Climate Victory Gardening tips, the soil for future growing seasons,” says Jacobs. “Nourish visit greenamerica.org/climate-victory-garden-faq your soil and your soil will nourish you.” —Jes Walton, Acadia Tucker, author of Growing Good Food from Stone Pier food campaigns manager, Green America Press m , looks to healthy ecosystems for guidance. Graphic by Jes Walton

28 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG GREEN ECONOMY NEWS

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Green Businesses Start the Decade with 2020 Vision

Nicky and Dave Schauder of Permaculture Gardens m and from Community Forklift m , Barbara Dunlavey (director of sustainable development) and Nehemiah Davis (building materials pricing coordinator) joined the Sustainability Learning Lab with Green America and other green business leaders.

Green Business Network® members data. With an emissions level close to that Health and Nicky Schauder of Permacul- bring the green economy to life every day of the whole country of Switzerland, the ture Gardens m discussed growing food through the products and services they need for change is clear. in small places. These business leaders offer that support human and environ- Green Business Network® members provided practical tips for how individuals mental health. In addition to the demands are also joining Green America’s national can apply green values to how we live, of running sustainable and responsible pressure campaign on Chase Bank, the travel, and eat. businesses, our business members also biggest funder of fossil fuel in the world. “We are so grateful to Green America join together as a network to urge larger, Our green business leaders are urging the for sharing the Health and Fitness Expo conventional companies to do better—and bank to stop financing existing fossil fuel information with us,” says Schauder. “Op- they educate consumers on green living. infrastructure as well as the expansion of portunities like these help us meet families Here are some recent powerful examples: fossil fuels—and instead to support re- who want to grow organic. These are just On page 17 we ask what Amazon stands newable energy and human rights. Bringing one of many reasons we are proud to be a for in “Why We Should Quit Amazon,” and the business voice to the demand to halt part of the Green Business Network.” address the many ways Amazon practices the financing of fossil fuels and to invest in When businesses join our Network, abuse people and the planet. Our business clean energy is an important contribution Green America helps them find opportu- members are now joining a coalition to mobilizations underway nationally nities to join important national coalition sign-on letter to Amazon to demand a and internationally to stop investment in campaigns and connect with each other and faster switch to renewable energy and exacerbating the climate crisis. potential customers whenever possible. more transparency about the company’s In addition, our business members The more we can reduce unnecessary energy sourcing. Green America’s goal is for also take the time to speak to their local consumption, recycle, and shift our Amazon to reach100 percent renewable communities about green living and the purchasing to sustainable options, the energy this year, not 2030 as Jeff Bezos impacts of the green economy. Several of better for the planet. recently announced. our business members participated in the To find Certified Green Businesses go Other technology firms, such as Apple NBC4/Telemundo 44 Health & Wellness to greenpages.org. Visit our People & Plan- and Google, have proven that using 100 Expo in Washington, DC, January 18-19, et Award winners gallery for inspirational percent clean energy is possible today— sharing their green economy expertise. stories about the winning businesses: those firms have already reached that goal. Donna Zeigfinger of Green Earth Travel m greenamerica.org/people-and-planet-award. Amazon emitted 44 million metric tons of offered a workshop called “How to Travel carbon dioxide on 2018, the latest available Without Compromising Your Ethics” and m Designates a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network® 29

LETTERS & ADVICE

Let’s Embrace Imperfection Wasteful Workplace Woes

his winter, Green America tabled at My office doesn’t have a kitchen and we use plastic and paper disposable cutlery. What are sustainable options for cutlery in an a health event in Washington, DC, T office? If my office-mates won’t buy into those options, what can I do where people heard our two-sentence as an individual to help reduce our office impact? intro to Green America and were eager —Mary Nelson, Washington, DC. to chime in with their contributions—“I always try to buy from local stores,” or ELEANOR: This is a tricky one, but the place to start is with you. “I have a garden!” It was awesome to Set an example by wrapping a utensil set in a cloth napkin and hear about how people engage with the carry it in your bag (see p. 24). I suspect there’s a lot of take-out eaten in your office—bring your to-go containers from home type of work we do, even if they haven’t ELEANOR and encourage others to do the same—I like glass containers heard of Green America before. GREENE But it seems like the deeper we get with a sturdy, sealing top, or takeout soup in containers, which into the movement, the less we accept people probably already have on hand. Maybe you can find a locking cabinet to stock with utensils, bowls, plates, and takeout imperfection from ourselves. I think containers to share. I’m hoping you have a sink where you can the term “zero waste” contributes to that, and I know it’s a wash things out, air dry on a towel, and put into the cabinet at phrase you’ve read more than once in this issue. We tried to the end of the day. In the Green America office, we have compost switch things up by also encouraging buying less, reducing containers (old coffee cans with screw tops), which we use for waste, and discussing low-waste practices. Zero waste is food scraps during the week, then one kind colleague brings home as catchy as it is hyperbolic. It feels unattainably difficult to to his bin on the weekends. This is just a start, I’m sure there’s waste absolutely nothing, to the point where I fear that people more great ideas out there I hope people will send in. will be scared away by the term. “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly,” Can Plants Be Palatable? says Anne-Marie Bonneau, founder of Zero-Waste Chef. I I’m interested in a plant-based diet, but everything is either too find this quote both comforting and inspiring through lots of salty or does not satisfy my palate. How do I replace meat and still aspects of the environmental movement. enjoy food!? What does doing zero waste imperfectly look like? Bringing —Ben Pitler, via Facebook your bags to the store most of the time and choosing paper ELEANOR: It’s not always easy at the start, but eating mostly plants bags when you forget. Buying products in recyclable packag- is an awesome goal. As a pescatarian myself, I also see restaurants ing (glass jars or aluminum cans, for example) when you’re lean on soy sauce or other salty things where they would unable to get them in reusable or no packaging. Buying normally use animal products for broth or flavoring. I recommend paraben- and phthalate-free bottled shampoos if shampoo cooking for yourself for more reliable flavors you like. I look for bars aren’t available in the places you shop yet (and seeing a wide variety of protein sources that offer different flavors and if a bulk store in your area has shampoo refills). Storing your textures, and use a fair amount of spices (salt might be good for bags of sugar and flour in glass or plastic containers you can a steak but tofu needs more flavor). Some of my favorite sites wash out instead of plastic bags you’ll throw out. for vegetarian recipes are BudgetBytes and CookieandKate. Living green can be challenging, and made even harder Epicurious just created a 30-day meal plan for satisfying foods when we strive for impossible heights. It’s not realistic to go based on vegetables and whole grains (it uses seafood sparingly). It is better for the planet to eat less meat overall, even if you still from meat-eating to vegan in one day and it’s not realistic eat it occasionally. Good luck and enjoy the tasty journey! to go from not thinking about waste to zero-waste in a day. I hope you’ll start where your interest lies and where you JOIN THE CONVERSATION find joy—in composting, in mending, making your own, or finding greener goods when you need to buy new. Don’t give Please send your letters to: Editors, Green America, 1612 K St. up on yourself! If you mess up, remember you are one of the NW, Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20006, or by email to editors@ millions we need to do zero waste imperfectly. greenamerica.org. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To order print copies of this or other issues, please email info@ And since I try to be low-waste, but I’m far from zero-waste, greenamerica.org. what are your tips for me? Please send ideas through the contact info at the box to the right and your tips could be But, you don’t have to wait for us to ask questions or see an- featured in the next issue. swers here! Ask on social media and let our active communi- —Eleanor Greene, editor in chief ty chime in, along with the editorial and programs staff.

Instagram.com/GreenAmerica_ Correction: In the winter 2019 issue, on p. 18 the infographic “The Facebook.com/GreenAmerica Problem with Conventional Cotton” said that a t-shirt took 20,000 liters of water to make. It should have said 2,000-2,700 liters. The Twitter.com/GreenAmerica error has been fixed in all online versions.

30 SPRING 2020 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG Donate your vehicle For the Comfort You Deserve

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