“Use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
― Yvon Chouinard, co-founder of 1% for the Planet and founder of Patagonia
Written by Captain Blankenship's founder, Jana Blankenship
From its birth in my kitchen, I envisioned Captain Blankenship as a force for good in this world. For me, this extends beyond creating clean products with organic ingredients and sustainable packaging to directly putting our profits where our values are. All of the products at Captain Blankenship were inspired by time spent in nature and it is my desire to do everything I can in my power to protect the wild. Every decision we make at Captain Blankenship is made with people and the planet in mind.
April is Earth Month and a powerful time to recognize and reckon with the way our individual and corporate actions affect the environment. In my opinion, every day should be Earth Day as we pay devotion and gratitude to the planet that sustains us. I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect this month and come together with kindred individuals and businesses to amplify our support. I want to highlight the incredible work of 1% for the Planet and also describe two of the nonprofits that we support through our 1% membership.
What Does 1% for the Planet Do?
“To become a 1% for the Planet member, a business or individual pledges to donate one percent of their annual gross revenues to the planet. Since its inception, 1% has become a global movement and raised more than 250 million to support environmental nonprofits with over 3000 members.”
I was so excited when I learned about the 1% for the Planet movement, which was started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies. The concept behind the company is simple and very powerful. Since companies profit from environmental resources, we in turn should use at least 1% of our profits to support the environment. To become a 1% for the Planet member, a business or individual pledges to donate one percent of their annual gross revenues to the planet. Since its inception, 1% has become a global movement and raised more than 250 million to support environmental nonprofits with over 3000 members.
1% for the Planet works with environmental nonprofit partners who fight to support our planet through advocacy, conservation, education and stewardship. 1% also is deeply invested in the intersection of environmental and social justice. The six main areas of concern that 1% seeks to support in terms of the planet are climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife.
Captain Blankenship has been a member of 1% for the Planet since 2017. While we donate to a range of nonprofits, the main areas for donations we have focused on so far are climate, food, land, water and wildlife, but we are excited to keep expanding our network of support. We have been so excited about the ever-growing community of nonprofits that 1% partners with.
GreenWave - Regenerative Ocean Farming
We have supported GreenWave an incredible nonprofit with an innovative and holistic regenerative ocean farming model that grows food for local communities and helps fight climate change. The nonprofit was created by Bren Smith who is credited with developing regenerative ocean farming also known as “3D ocean farming” on his Thimble Island Ocean Farm in the Long Island Sound. They have a polyculture farming systems, meaning instead of farming one monoculture they diversify their farming. They grow seaweed and shellfish together with a very small footprint. “GreenWave’s regenerative ocean farming model offers tremendous potential to mitigate climate change, feed the planet and build a new economy at sea.” They are teaching others how to use their model to create foods, jobs and fight climate change.
“Regenerative ocean farming has been identified as a key solution to climate change. It has the power to sequester carbon on land and sea, reduce methane production in livestock, rebuild marine ecosystems, enrich soil, and address the global plastics problem.” We are so excited to be able to support GreenWave’s powerful mission to create and support regenerative ocean farming systems worldwide. We also hope to start sourcing Sugar Kelp from them in the future to use in our seaweed extracts.
Scenic Hudson - The Hudson Valley’s Largest Environmental Organization
Captain Blankenship is based in New York’s Hudson Valley and we strive to support local nonprofits that fight to conserve and protect this beautiful land. We want to highlight one of our partners, who are also the Hudson Valley’s Largest Environmental Organization, Scenic Hudson.
“Scenic Hudson preserves land and farms and creates parks that connect people with the inspirational power of the Hudson River, while fighting threats to the river and natural resources that are the foundation of the valley’s prosperity.” Scenic Hudson is a grassroots environmental organization that was founded in 1963 to save Storm King Mountain on the eastern banks of the Hudson River from an industrial project. Ever since then they have mobilized to keep the majestic Hudson Valley and now have grown to 25,000 supporters.
In the face of climate change, environmental destruction and rapid development in the region, Scenic Hudson seeks to maintain and preserve our beautiful parks, working farms, and riverfront historic cities and towns. Now more than ever their work is critical as our area experiences what could be referred to as a landrush. We are excited to keep supporting Scenic Hudson to increase their positive impact and urgent need to conserve this land we call home. Living here I am so overwhelmed with gratitude to experience and love the beauty of this land and want to do everything in my power to help protect it.
I’ll end with an inspiring quote and call to action for Earth Day from Yvon Chouinard, “To do good, you actually have to do something.”
Read more: Why We're a B Corp, Follow Your Nose: Essential Oils.