Force of Gravitz

The secret to saving money by going green is to think in categories, not in pieces. Piece thinking would be, "This organic-cotton, made-in-the-U.S.A., not-made-in-a-sweatshop T-shirt is more expensive than a T-shirt I could buy at Wal-Mart." Category thinking is deciding to make your clothing purchases green (eco-fabrics) and fair (no sweatshops/child labor).

What you want to look for is how your electric company defines green energy. Is it renewable energy, like wind and solar? Or are they trying to sneak in controversial waste-to-energy schemes? Also, check to see if they are directly bringing new green power online (for example, building new wind farms or solar installations) or simply buying green tags in secondary markets.

All of the businesses that exhibit at Green Festival must pass Co-op America's screens for social and environmental responsibility. (It's the same approval process we use for companies that qualify to be in our National Green Pages.) The process investigates each company's familiarity with and commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and the practices they've put in place to carry out that commitment.

Everyone can be invited to think about what happens to a dollar when it leaves their hands. Too often, it does harm, supporting corporations that pollute, exploit workers, and harm communities. But it doesn't have to be that way -- we can each be intentional about how we spend and invest our money to help create a better world.

This year, Co-op America helped our allies at the Nonprofit Mailers Association convince the United States Postal Service not to adopt a proposal to put mail in blue plastic bags to deliver to homes and businesses every day. (Can you imagine the mounds of plastic packaging waste this would have caused?)

The first stop would be to set up a meeting with building management to find out what they are doing. If you aren't satisfied with the steps they are taking, talk with them about the money-savings benefits of having a building energy-efficiency plan. Energy-efficient buildings are also more valued by tenants; the buildings are better maintained, with improved lighting and heating and cooling systems (no hot spots or freezing zones).

The work we do behind the scenes on the climate crisis. It's simple but powerful: In the corporate, investor, green-business, and economic-policy sectors we work in, we are demanding that the players respond on the scale that the climate crisis requires. Awareness, disclosure, and first steps are necessary, but not nearly sufficient. We push for answers that will meet the scale of the problem. Behind the scenes, I'm starting to see investor and corporate leaders stepping up in ways they never have before. I think you're going to see some amazing, game-changing announcements over the next few years from auto, utility, and oil companies.

One of our key program areas is corporate accountability. Our corporate campaigns focus on key issues of sustainability -- from the climate crisis to sweatshops and child labor. You'll be glad to know that as part of this corporate accountability work, we deal with issues of ownership. Who owns corporations and who makes their decisions are key issues in gaining greater corporate responsibility. One way to get the workers at the table is through greater worker ownership or worker representation on the board. Of course, unions play a key role.

Wherever you come out on the best economic system design, the reality is that the one in place is going to be around for a while. In that context, it is crucial to get more socially and environmentally responsible practices in place as quickly as possible. This means moving on two sets of strategies simultaneously -- the "no" and the "yes."

What a great idea! There is nothing better than noticing when a company is doing a good job, to create a virtuous cycle -- that company will continue to do it, others will follow their lead, and others will try even harder to win the award the next year.

I'm so glad you are thinking about starting a green business! Once you get started, join Co-op America's Business Network and attend one of our Green Business Conferences, like the one coming up this November in San Francisco.

What a worthy goal! You could create a community co-op with broad membership across the community and affordable membership rates to help raise some or all of the money you need. Members might also be willing and able to contribute sweat equity, too -- old-fashioned New England barn-raising style -- to make whatever repairs might be needed, as well as run the store.

We recommend checking out the National Cooperative Business Association (here in D.C.); the NCB Development Corporation, the arm of the National Cooperative Bank that helps small cooperatives get going with both technical assistance and loans; Cooperative Development Foundation; and ICA, which provides technical assistance and information for cooperatives.