Certified B Corporation

B-Corporations: Best for the World

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Day 358 – I have written about B-Corporations throughout the year. These are businesses that put people and planet before profits. They have made a commitment to better their communities, ensure their employees work under the best conditions and that their product does not harm the planet and may even benefit it.

Every year the B Lab recognizes the top-performing B Corps creating the greatest impact through their businesses. The Best of the World highlights community, customers, environment, governance and workers.

Click on each category for a complete list of winners.

Best for the World: Community

Best for the World: Customers

Best for the World: Environment

Best for the World: Governance

Best for the World: Workers

Help support these amazing companies around the world that are making a difference in the world.

Tomorrow, choosing reducing over recycling.

Sustainable Holiday Gift Guide

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Day 335 – You may be already done with your holiday shopping. Or you haven’t even started. Whatever the case may be, it’s always a great idea to purchase gifts that will help people and the environment. Not only will you feel good giving special gifts to family and friends, but you can feel good that your gift will have a positive impact on the planet.

Here are 15 ideas from posts that I have written this year.

  1. Day 21 – Blueland – eco-friendly cleaning products
  2. Day 152 – Eco-friendly Toys
  3. Day 164 – Sustainable Phone Cases
  4. Day 178 – Eco-friendly Sunglasses
  5. Day 193 – Clothing made from recycled plastic
  6. Day 199 – Zero Waste Makeup Brands
  7. Day 205 – Igloo EcoCoolers
  8. Day 237 – Eco-friendly Yoga Mats
  9. Day 240 – Looptworks – Upcycled gifts
  10. Day 257 – Lost Golf Balls – used and recycled golf balls
  11. Day 272 – Sustainable Pet Products
  12. Day 293 – Green Goo – Skin care derived from plants
  13. Day 300 – EcoSports – Eco-friendly sporting equipment
  14. Day 324 – Rumpl – Eco-friendly blankets
  15. Day 327 – MC Squares – reusable sticky notes

Other great options include:

  1. Earth Hero – variety of Earth-friendly gifts
  2. UNICEF Market
  3. Certified B Corporation gift guide
  4. Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange – gifts for the artists in your life
  5. 4Ocean – gifts that help clean the oceans
  6. Gift card to commercial composting service
  7. Climate Pledge Products on Amazon

One more list to help you out:

20 Awesome Holiday Gifts that Help the Planet

Tomorrow, giving a gift donation.

Reducing Methane Emissions

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Day 303 – I have written about greenhouse gases in past posts and discussed their connection to global warming. More times than not we tend to focus on the carbon emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases. However, methane gases is 25 more times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere.

“Typically, methane remains in the atmosphere for about nine years. This is far less time than carbon emissions, which remain in the atmosphere for 300 to 1,000 years. Yet, methane is far more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.” – Earth911

Earth911 gives tips on how we can all reduce our methane emissions.

  1. Agriculture – Reduction strategies include preventing the burning of fields after harvests, adjusting feed for livestock so that they release less methane, and regularly draining rice paddies.
  2. Energy – Improving the detection and repair of methane leaks at oil and gas facilities and flooding abandoned coal mines that leak the gas. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and switching over to renewable energy can help reduce methane emissions. 
  3. Waste – Mitigation strategies include reducing waste that ends up in landfills, such as by recycling and composting; capturing methane gas; and burning methane gas, which is known as flaring. Composting as much of our organic waste from the yard and kitchen as possible helps reduce our methane emissions.

Something we can all do, is support Certified B Corporations. These companies meet rigorous environmental and social criteria and are leaders in the sustainable business field.

Tomorrow, where you can get your Halloween pumpkin composted and keep it out of the landfill.

The 10 Most Environmentally Friendly & Sustainable Companies

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Day 280 – The mission of Grow Ensemble is to make sustainability and better-for-the-world business practices the norm for both individuals and businesses. They spread awareness of social and environmental issues we face, highlighting the companies and organizations providing solutions to these issues, and inviting the community to engage with these solutions daily. They exist to encourage all of us to take actions every day to ensure a life of dignity for all people, protect the planet that sustains us, and support those who make sustainable living possible. They are also a member of 1% for the Planet.

Grow Ensemble has come out with the list of the 10 Most Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Companies. However, before we get to the list, lets look at what make a company environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Here’s how Grow Ensemble defines an environmentally friendly company:

“For companies that we consider eco-friendly, sustainability is central every step of the way: from transparent and ethical sourcing of raw materials, to environmentally-friendly practices in manufacturing, to packaging and shipping, to diverting landfill waste at the end of their product’s life.

Eco-friendly companies go beyond their products in their fight against climate change. They each continue the fight in their own unique way as well. They take action to preserve the planet through environmental policy advocacy, promoting environmental awareness and local participation in conservation efforts,  partnering with other movements and organizations and more!” – Grow Ensemble

Many of the companies listed have been highlighted in previous posts.

  1. Patagonia – Outdoor clothing company
  2. Seventh Generation – The paper, personal care, and cleaning product company
  3. A Good Company – Everyday products
  4. New Belgium Brewing – Craft Brewery
  5. Pela – Phone cases
  6. Dr. Bronner’s -Organic soaps and personal care products
  7. Preserve – toothbrushes, razors, plastic tableware and more
  8. Numi Organic Tea – Organic tea
  9. Rogue Creamery – Organic cheeses
  10. West Paw – Pet toys

Finding an environmentally friendly company is becoming easier and easier. However, don’t fall for companies with false claims of being “green” and sustainable. Make sure you do a little homework. A great place to start, when finding companies that are putting the planet before profits is the B-Corporation directory.

Vote with your dollars!

Tomorrow, making sense of the recent Illinois’ environmental legislation.

Sustainable Pet Products

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Day 272 – All year I have been sharing eco-friendly products to help you on your way to a more sustainable lifestyle. Well, that doesn’t stop when it comes to your pets. Today, I’m writing about two companies that offer pet products that are good for your pet and the planet. I would also like to add that both these companies are Certified B Corporations. YES!

West Paw., located in Bozeman, Montana, is on a mission to create the best pet products possible. They choose eco-friendly materials and processes whenever they can. They keep waste out of landfills, chemicals out of soil and water, and toxins out of their products, all while guaranteeing durable, beautiful toys and beds your pets will love. West Paw has created a material called Zogoflex.

“Zogoflex is made to last. After your dog’s favorite toy has been thoroughly loved, chewed on, retrieved, carried, buried, dug up, and cuddled, just send it back to West Paw. Old toys are sanitized, ground up, and fed back into our machine to make completely new, bouncy, bright Zogoflex toys. Nothing diminishes Zogoflex’s strength—it can literally be recycled infinitely.” – West Paw

They also have a line of toys, bowls and mats made from Seaflex. Seaflex is made from ocean-bound plastic.

Another pet company trying to do their part to help the planet is P.L.A.Y. Located in San Francisco, California, P.L.A.Y. offers dog beds, toys and accessories. P.L.A.Y. uses PlanetFill polyfiber, which is made from plastic bottles, to make their beds. They keep packaging to a minimum and use tags made from paper that is certified safe by the Forest Stewardship Council. P.L.A.Y. also offers dog bed covers that can be stuffed with your old towels, garments, or even bed filler from an old dog bed. When you fill your own bed you can easily wash the cover and filling to help the bed last longer and reduce waste.

P.L.A.Y. also gives back to numerous charities.

The next time your furry friend needs a new toy, bed or accessory, consider supporting a company that is putting the planet first.

Tomorrow, composting pilot program coming to a Chicago neighborhood.

Green Circle Salons: Creating Beauty, Not Waste

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Day 248 – Green Circle Salons is a Certified B Corporation and they offer to help salons go green.

They provide services that will help salons do the following:

  1. Recycle and repurpose up to 95% of your salon’s beauty waste including hair clippings, used foils, color tubes, excess hair color and more.
  2. 84% of salon guests care about a salon’s environmental impact. Grow your business while being an industry leader and making a difference.
  3. Get help setting up a simple revenue-building program that supports environmental sustainability as well as financial sustainability.
  4. Use additional revenue to invest in environmentally friendly technologies, which conserves energy, reduces waste, and saves you more money.

You may not think about the waste produced by hair salons, but it is substantial.

  1. 63,000 pounds of hair gets thrown away every day.
  2. Over 42,000 pounds of excess hair color, lightener and toner is thrown away every day. When rinsed down the drain, it can find its way back into our drinking water and soil.
  3. Over 110,000 pounds of used metal, including hair foils, is thrown away every day in salons in North America.
  4. Single use items – like nail files, waxing strips and cotton swabs – make up a large portion of beauty waste that ends up in our landfills.
  5. More than half the waste thrown away in salons is paper and plastic. If not properly recycled, these items clutter our landfills.

Since 2009, Green Circle Salons have been able to keep close to 8 million pounds of beauty waste from entering the landfill.

To find a salon that is putting the environment first, click HERE.

Tomorrow, a sustainability expo coming your way.

Looptworks: Upcycled Fashion

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Day 240 – The word upcycle was first used in the early 1990s. Upcycling is defined as the reuse of discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Today, upcycling is more popular then ever. We are running out of space to put our trash. So, we need to find ways to reuse our stuff and get a second and possibly a third life out of them.

We now have companies that upcycle materials to create new products for resale. Looptworks is one of those companies. They are a Portland, Oregon based business that re-purposes and upcycles abandoned, pre-consumer and post-consumer materials into limited edition products.

“All the materials used to create Looptworks products at one time were headed to the landfill, or worse. We intercept and utilize these industry excess materials, transforming them into new, useful products — a process known as upcycling. Our sustainable, eco-friendly products are made in limited editions, and in the process save materials from landfills or incinerators.” – Looptworks

Looptworks has collaborated with numerous companies to create new products from discarded materials.

  1. They have partnered with professional kiteboarder and swimsuit entrepreneur Sensi Graves. Their bags are designed from pre-consumer excess kiteboarding kite material.
  2. They partnered with the NBA to give a second life to all those game jerseys that become obsolete. They created backpacks and crossbody bags.
  3. They partnered with Southwest Airlines when they replaced their heavy leather airline seats with a lighter weight material. Southwest Airlines wanted to ensure that the journey didn’t end for 80,000 leather seat covers. Looptworks upcycled the seat leather into the In Flight Collection.
  4. Looptworks partnered with Patagonia to upcycle retired Patagonia fly fishing waders. The result is an insulated wine carrier and Tate lunch bag.

Looptworks is always looking for new partners and the possibilities are endless. I look forward to seeing what new and improved products they will create from materials that were once on their way to the landfill.

I almost forgot to mention, Looptworks is a Certified B Corporation!

Tomorrow, glass recycling.

Preserve: Reusable Plasticware

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Day 207 – It may sound counterproductive to write about plasticware, especially during Plastic Free July. However, Preserve is not your typical plasticware. Preserve has been making products good for people and the planet since 1996.

Here are just a few of the ways Preserve is making a difference:

  1. Preserve’s plastic products are made from 100% recycled plastic.
  2. Preserve’s plastic products are dishwasher safe and made to last.
  3. Preserve’s products are made in the U.S.
  4. Preserve has a line of 100% compostable items that are plant based and gluten free.
  5. Preserve has a take back program called Gimme 5, which collects #5 plastic that they transform into new Preserve products.
  6. Preserve even takes back their own products that reach the end of their life. They then recycle and create new products from those items.
  7. Preserve is a Certified B Corporation.
  8. Preserve makes a line of products made from ocean plastic. Through sales of our POPi products, they support organizations that prevent plastic from reaching the ocean. 25% of proceeds from POPi products are donated to non-profits that work on issues including:
  • Developing better recycling systems around the world.
  • Researching the effects of plastic in the ocean and on marine life.
  • Creating catchment technologies (ways to trap plastic in waterways before it reaches the ocean).
  • Providing better end of life solutions for recovered and recycled packages that were heading for the ocean.

I recently purchased the On the Go Party Set (currently sold out) and couldn’t be happier with the product. The plates, cups and plasticware will be used for countless parties to come.

Tomorrow, fun at the beach is becoming more environmentally friendly.

Eco Bandages: Plastic free options for your cuts and scrapes

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Day 187 – There was always an uptick in the number of Band-Aids that my children needed, once the summer arrived. The combination of more time outside and frequency of wearing shorts, increased the likelihood that an injury would occur. I never gave much thought about the plastic waste created from all those bandages.

It wasn’t until a recent visit to the pharmacy that I noticed an eco-friendly bandage brand. PATCH bandages are 100 percent compostable (wrapper and paper backing included), natural, kid-friendly, hypoallergenic, soothing, vegan, and cruelty-free. It is the world’s first compostable and 100% plastic-free wound care product. It is entirely made out of bamboo fibers and is infused with different natural minerals and oils for different types of wounds. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource that grows many times faster than trees, uses much less water, produces up to 35 percent more oxygen and doesn’t need pesticides or herbicides.

Patch is a Certified B Corporation. So, you know they are a business that prioritizes the environment and producing a safe product for their consumers. Patch bandages can be found at your local pharmacy and come in a variety of sizes.

So, the next time you need to make someone feel better with a kiss and a bandage, grab a PATCH. It will make yourself feel better, too, knowing you are helping the planet.

“We see scratches, bruises and cuts as little badges of honor. Signs of a life lived to the fullest! Because scratches are natural, so is PATCH.” – PATCH by Nutricare

Tomorrow, inventive ways to use plastic waste.

We Need to Welcome a New Normal

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Day 186 – “I can’t wait until we get back to normal.”

This sentence has been spoken by many of us this past year. We all want the pandemic behind us and be able to move on. Unfortunately, going back to normal will not work. “Normal” has not been working. Real change needs to happen and it needs to happen now.

Mahira Kalim wrote in an article for B the Change that there are a number of challenges that face us today.

  • Our resource consumption is abnormal. At the current consumption rate, by 2050 we will use Earth’s resources three times faster than can be regenerated. Scientists suggest that we have roughly eight to 10 years to save the planet by slowing global warming, but our actions in the next 12–18 months are critical in sealing the planet’s fate.
  • Our measures of growth and success are askew. Gross domestic product (GDP), a commonly used measure of economic growth and success for nations, does not account for the cost to create monetary wealth, wellness of its people, or damage to the planet.
  • Recycling is a myth. Less than 9% of the 800 billion tonnes of plastic has ever been recycled. Most of it gets incinerated, resulting in further air pollution and an increased risk of respiratory conditions, or it ends up in the oceans where it breaks down into micro and nanoparticles and lives on for hundreds of years.

The pandemic forced us all to slow down. It made us realize what was important and what we could do without. It would be easy to go right back to the hustle and bustle and forget the lessons learned from this experience. However, if we don’t learn, we are destined to repeat the same mistakes.

“Our best hope for a livable future is to embrace sustainability on a massive scale. To achieve this, we don’t need a handful of people achieving sustainability perfection. We need MILLIONS of people making concrete, positive changes to the best of their ability, even if they do so imperfectly.” – Rainforest Alliance

Everyday we are reminded that the environment is in need of help. Wildfires, extreme heat and weather conditions are an indication that change needs to happen, now. The new normal involves making a real effort to reverse the current trends. It starts with small steps. As long as those steps are in the right direction, we will reach our main goal of saving the planet.

Tomorrow, covering those summer cuts and scrapes with a non-plastic bandage.