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Green American Greenamerica.Org in Cooperation SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 ISSUE 85 LIVE BETTER. SAVE MORE. INVEST WISELY. GREEN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AMERICAN INSIDE + 21 8 Ways to Afford “EFFICIENCY Solar Energy Now. FIRST!” TO Expanded content MAXIMIZE for e-readers! SOLAR REAL GREEN LIVING 6 EARTH- FRIENDLY CHILDREN’S CLOTHING REAL GREEN INVESTING 8 INVESTING Growing TO EMPOWER WOMEN Community WORLDWIDE Solar 24 WORLD HEALTH ORG. RETHINKS CELL PHONE SAFETY 4 ECO ACTIONS Communities find a little togetherness puts 10 ACROSS GREEN AMERICA solar energy within reach. Page 14 13 GREEN BUSINESS NEWS 24 LETTERS & ADVICE courtesy of Ag Energy Co-operative A Savvy Rest Organic Mattress means healthful sleep with no off-gassing chemicals. What's in our mattress? • all-natural latex • certified organic cotton • certified organic wool Customized firmness for each sleeper, even on each side. Savvy Rest Organic sheets, toppers, pillows & mattress pads also available. PURITY. COMFORT. INTEGRITY. VALUE. savvyrest.com 866.856.4044 “We believe a healthy environment is necessary for economic prosperity. That’s why we partner with Green America and create nancial products that encourage a more just and sustainable society.” -- Harry Haigood, CEO One PacicCoast Bank One PacicCoast Bank is a certied Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to building prosperity in our communities through benecial banking services delivered in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. Learn more or open an account at www.opcb.com. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender CDFI Certied Bank 2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 GREEN AMERICAN GREENAMERICA.ORG IN COOPERATION Green America's mission is to harness economic power for a just and sus- Local Solar: tainable society. We work for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the abundance of Growing Like Sunflowers the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come. Our programs grow the green economy, stop corporate abuse, tackle climate change, build fair trading systems, support local communities, and help families and businesses go green. We define “green” to mean social and economic Dear Green Americans: justice, community and environmental health—people and the planet. hen I travel the country talking with Watch this video to learn about our work members and others about their hopes A publication of Green America (formerly Co-op America) and fears for the future, the issue I PUBLICATIONS FAIR TRADE CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR W consistently hear the most despair about—even DIVISION DIRECTOR Dennis Greenia Elizabeth O’Connell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tracy Fernandez Rysavy FAIR TRADE INTERN in the midst of this punishing economy—is SENIOR WRITER Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist Julia Mayeshiba climate change. EDITORIAL INTERNS Andrew Schein, DIRECTOR, SOCIAL INVESTING & Kara Turtinen STRATEGIC OUTREACH Fran Teplitz There’s real reason for this anguish. Despite the DESIGN DIRECTION Tracy Loeffelholz Dunn POLICY INTERN Ben Cruikshank waves of bad climate news, our national political ALISA ILLUSTRATOR Jem Sullivan GREEN CONSUMER MOBILIZATION leadership again failed to pass climate legislation, GRAVITZ PUBLISHER Denise Hamler & TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL PROJECTS & ADVERTISING MANAGER DIRECTOR Mouhamad Alem and international leaders failed to negotiate a cli- Rob Hanson IT/SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR Pat Keyes GREEN PAGES ADVERTISING INTERN mate deal in Copenhagen. Both national and international politics seem SENIOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYST Laura Emberson Bernadette Morales Gaskin to be in total dysfunction without any hope of resolution on the horizon. GREEN BUSINESS SALES & DEVELOPMENT SENIOR WEB DEVELOPER Shireen Karimi Yet, thanks to Green America’s Climate Action program, I get to Sandy Burke TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT Hans Bauman ADDITIONAL ADVERTISING Dennis Greenia work on some of the most hopeful climate breakthroughs in the world. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ONLINE & SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Andrew Korfhage I get to see the news, too-often unreported, that behind the scenes and Richard Kim-Solloway EXECUTIVE TEAM MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER Christy Schwengel away from the political debacles, our world is making real progress on EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alisa Gravitz SPECIAL EVENTS & MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER climate. Let me share some of that good news with you: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Elizabeth O’Connell Amy Genevieve Kozak • Thanks to an amazing, effective, and collaborative coalition—to which GREEN BUSINESS NETWORK™ MEMBERSHIP MARKETING MANAGER DIRECTOR Denise Hamler Dana Christianson Green America is proud to bring our powerful consumer and investor DEPUTY DIRECTOR Desireé Reese-Wolford MEMBERSHIP MARKETING COORDINATOR Molly Rubin voice—144 of 150 proposed coal plants have been stopped in the last five DIRECTOR, SEAL OF APPROVAL & STANDARDS Maren Maier DEVELOPMENT INTERN Elizabeth Hall years. Now we aim to shutter over one-third of the existing plants in the GREEN BUSINESS DIVISION ASSISTANT MEMBERSHIP MARKETING INTERN next five years, with real progress already in sight. With this, the US will be Misha Deborah Clive Hannah Glassman SENIOR RESEARCHER Tish Kashani ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS close to meeting its 2020 carbon reduction targets, without one new piece GREEN PAGES LISTINGS INTERN Miya Ward CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER Russ Gaskin of legislation—and with more jobs for more communities. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ASSISTANT GREEN FESTIVAL SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION Nora Marsh • Clean, renewable sources now generate more energy in the US than REGIONAL DIRECTOR (CHICAGO & SENIOR ACCOUNTANT & BENEFITS MANAGER NEW YORK) Alix Davidson Linda Carpenter nuclear power. Green America’s Clean Energy Victory Bond legislation, GREEN FESTIVAL REGIONAL DIRECTORS: ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST & to be introduced this fall, will help keep green energy growing fast. SAN FRANCISCO: June Brashares DATA ENTRY Deanna Tilden • On the transportation front, strategies for electric vehicles that SEATTLE: Jenny Heins ACCOUNTING INTERN Jie Yuan CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY & we’ve been urging—solar-charged during the day and plugged-in at DONOR SERVICES Becky Keyes PROGRAMS night to take advantage of excess power—are coming to be. (If charged DIVISION & CLIMATE SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR COMMUNITY & DONOR SERVICES Todd Larsen COORDINATOR Aubrey McCormick late at night, 70 percent of our cars could be electric without needing RESPONSIBLE SHOPPER INTERNS DONOR & VOLUNTEER ADMINISTRATIVE one more power plant.) The major car companies are working closely Kimberly Cullen, Amrita Mukherjee ASSISTANT Valerie Pejoro BETTER PAPER PROJECT DIRECTOR GREEN BUSINESS STANDARDS INTERN with electrical utilities for overnight charging on electric vehicles. Now Frank Locantore Ben Eskin Green America is working with them on daytime solar-charging. BETTER PAPER PROJECT GREEN VENTURES INTERN Nicolas Biber CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER Sophie Glass ATTORNEY Lara Pearson • This year, China exceeded the US in solar installations. Unlike BETTER PAPER PROJECT INTERNS FOUNDER/PRESIDENT EMERITUS the US, China doesn’t have an energy politics dominated by coal and Philip Angelides, Emma Stevens Paul Freundlich oil interests. As China brings more solar online, they’ll happily curtail BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bernard Brennan, Dana Christianson, Nikki Daruwala, their coal production. Paul Freundlich, Alisa Gravitz, Denise Hamler, Eric Henry, Diane Keefe, Andrew Most exciting of all, there’s so much more we can do without Korfhage, Krista Kurth, Deborah Momsen-Hudson,Vince Siciliano, Rebecca Shaloff Washington. All over the country, local strategies for solar, like Green American magazine (ISSN: 0885-9930) is free with Green America Individual Membership (starting at $20/year) or Green Business Network local food, are growing like sunflowers! Community solar makes solar Membership (starting at $85/year). accessible and affordable. It’s something we can all do for the climate, For address changes or individual membership information, call good jobs, clean air, energy security, and a better future. Turn to our 800/58-GREEN or e-mail [email protected]. For Green Business Network information, call 202/872-5316 or e-mail [email protected]. “Community Solar” feature (p. 14) and learn more about this exciting For article reprints, call 202/872-5343 or e-mail [email protected]. new way to grow solar. Green America • 1612 K St. NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006 Shine on, 800/58-GREEN • fax 202/331-8166 • GREENAMERICA.ORG Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/GreenAmerica. Copyright 2011. Printed on 100% de-inked recycled fiber, elemental chlorine-free. Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director m Designates an approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network™ 3 ECO ACTIONS THE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME BetterPaper.org + ClimateAction.org FairTradeAction.org + GreenPages.org ResponsibleShopper.org + Sweatshops.org Congress Moves to Limit Toxins While TSCA covers individual chemi- cals, the Food and Drug Administration in US Products (FDA) regulates “cosmetics”—a legal term that includes a broad range of personal care products for men, women, and chil- dren. However, the FDA does not review their ingredients; as a result, the majority of the products we use on our bodies may have never been safety-tested. The Safe Cosmetics Act would phase chemicals linked to cancer and devel- opmental harm out of personal care products. It would require full ingredient disclosure (current law allows companies to hide ingredients in their fragrance for- istock.com mulas, as these are
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