I am willing to bet that not a whole lot of people have heard of 1% For The Planet. I know I certainly hadn't, but when I dug into it to find out what it was all about, I came back smiling!
1% For The Planet is a green and growing consortium of people and businesses around the world that pledge to give back one percent of their profits to environmental organizations. These environmental organizations aren’t some no-name garage office Joes and Josephines. Many of them are the world leaders and incredibly well-known. For instance, the Sea Shepards, the Audubon Society, Defenders of the Wild Life and the International Cetacean society all benefit from the program. There are about 1500 other environmental causes listed that can become recipients of donations, and the list continues to grow.
Of course, the other end of the spectrum are the people that are donating to the cause. One would almost certainly expect that a lot of eco-conscious businesses would be involved, and you would be right. These businesses include companies like Earth Friendly Apparel, which manufactures clothing made from sustainable fabrics and practices, or, a place like Mountain Outfitters that sell merchandise and cater to mountain and hill climbers.
That's all fine and well, but when the big companies get on board, then you’ve really got something. Take for instance, Greystone Brands. Never heard of them? They are the company that markets the George Foreman grill, and they have just become partners with Oneida LTD, a 128 year-old kitchen and gadgets electronic company, to market those products as well!
How about musician Jack Johnson? The hit singer of songs "Better Together" and "Banana Pancakes" is involved with the environment as well. He sings for kids on the Sundance channel, wins awards from Treehugger for being Greenest of the Green and works with Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of Jacques Cousteau, to promote awareness of whale, through deeds and song.
Then there are the little guys like Adventure Film Works, who makes film and documentaries about skiing. Based in California, they take their cameras up into the mountains and show the beauty of the landscape and the sport of skiing, with a wish to preserve the mountains that are so precious.
All these people and companies, as well as thousands of others, are giving back to the planet. Big or small, eco- and not so eco-conscious, they all have one thing in common: they are commited to saving the environment, Because Action speaks louder than words!
