Green Screen is a monthly column that summarizes and reviews the best in eco documentaries from around the world.
One percent. Sounds like a pretty small number, right?
But when a company or individual signs up to donate one percent of their revenue to an environmental organization, those single digits can add up to some powerful positive change.
This simple equation is the basis behind 1% for the Planet, a groundbreaking initiative that began a decade ago to set an inspiring example for the global business community.
It began as the brainchild of Yvon Chouinard, CEO of Patagonia outdoor clothing. Yvon’s company had been dedicating one percent of its profits to environmental efforts since 1985, and, in 2002, he collaborated with Blue Ribbon Flies owner Craig Mathews to create a nonprofit encouraging other businesses to follow suit.
Terry Kellogg became the new CEO of 1% for the Planet (1%FTP) in 2005. “It’s been absolutely incredible,” he says. “It’s exceeded my wildest dreams for what it could accomplish, and I think even the dreams of the founders. They never would have imagined 1,000 member companies, or 45 different countries, or the kind of aggregate annual giving that the network is doing.”
Terry is probably right—the initiative has grown remarkably from a small core of eco-conscious businesses to a network of 1,400 and counting, each supporting one or more of the 2,700 approved environmental groups. Members of the 1% alliance include everything from local microbreweries and bicycle shops to donut makers in Japan. There are even famous musicians signed up, including acoustic hotshot Jack Johnson.
“Even though the core of it is really simple—1% of revenue to organizations working on sustainability—the work itself is just incredibly varied,” says Terry.
In addition to publishers, boutiques, real estate agents and musicians, there are also member companies that make films. One production company, called Felt Soul Media, was recruited a few years ago to create a short documentary, showcasing some of the great work being done around the movement. It continues to be screened at festivals, in stores and online, and Terry says the response has been tremendous.
“We just felt like it was the best medium to tell the story through the eyes and the voices of largely its member companies and, of course, its founders, and I guess I’m in there, too,” he says.
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