1% for the Planet

Week 9: One Percent for the Planet

Often when we think of doing good, we forget about the for-profit sector and leave so much room for impact on the table. 1% For the Planet helps create partnerships that protect the planet. They are an organization that connects business dollars with doers. They link businesses that contribute at least one percent of annual sales with high-impact environmental nonprofits.

“When you have a whole life in the outdoors, you realize you have a sense of responsibility to protect these wild places.” - Yvon Chouinard

1% For the Planet was founded by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Blue Ribbon Flies founder Craig Mathews. Today, businesses and individuals are both making the 1% for the Planet commitment, creating greater impact every year.

“To do good, you actually have to do something.” - Yvon Chouinard

They collaborate with member businesses to identify where they can invest dollars that meet their business goals, and then they certify that every dollar contributed goes to a vetted, trusted environmental nonprofit. The goal is to not only direct business giving toward environmental causes, but to increase the overall amount of global dollars going to help protect the planet.

Your donation will be leveraged to unlock greater funding for clean water, more sustainable agriculture, tackling climate change, conserving wildlife habitat and more.

Want to dive deeper? I highly recommend the gorgeous documentary 180 Degrees South, it talks about the importance of wild spaces and features Yvon Chouinard and the story of an epic adventure.

Besides giving to this week's organization, this week for me is all about examining consumption. Where can I cut back? Where can I use a sustainable option over disposables? Where can I invest in a high quality product that will last a lifetime instead of a cheap fix that I have to keep purchasing and wasting?  Can I recycle more? Do I really need as much stuff??

Please let me know how you do your part. I'd love some suggestions and I'm eager to learn!

Have a lovely week and stay wild.

Love,

Jodi

Partners in Health

Week 8: Partners in Health

“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.” - Paul Farmer

This week, I have chosen Partners in Health, an incredible organization that has had huge personal impact on my career trajectory and how I think about healthcare. I was lucky enough to intern at PIH on the clinical oncology team and the lessons from that experience have stuck with me.

PIH’s mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. This means that they bring the benefits of modern medical science to those who need them most. When patients are ill and have no access to care, PIH’s team of health professionals, scholars, and activists will do whatever it takes to make them well.

PIH is currently working in Liberia, Rwanda, Haiti, Malawi, Lesotho, Russia, Peru, Sierra Leone, and Navajo Nation. They care for patients in their homes and communities, working in close partnership with local government officials and the world’s leading medical and academic institutions to build capacity and strengthen health systems. They are committed to accompanying the people and communities they serve for the long term. They stay, and that matters.

During my time at PIH, I witnessed and was engaged with countless rigorous discussions about the right to healthcare, how to best accompany the poor, the importance of building health systems, the role of NGOs, and the fight for health as a human right. I learned the importance of infrastructure - staff, stuff, and systems - on health. All of which PIH works on in order to treat the poorest of the poor. I can ramble on about everything I learned, but instead, I'll just say that this organization and these people are some of the smartest, most dedicated, and passionate bunch I have ever encountered.

If you’d like to learn more about Partners in Health, of course check out their website, but I also recommend reading Mountains Beyond Mountains. It is one of the first books I read after hearing about PIH while working in Haiti after the earthquake.

I’ve been seeing quotes everywhere lately that remind me of you all and this project. I thought I would share one of them: “The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” - John Burroughs

Here’s to all of our collective small deeds, and to making a dent.
You are so awesome and I hope this week is a great one.

Love to you and yours,
Jodi

STOKED

Week 7: STOKED

So stoked that it is Week 5 of GIVE52! And... this week's organization is STOKED. Their mission is to create a community of fearless leaders through mentoring, opportunity, and action.

Through no fault or effort of their own, a child born into a low income family is more likely not to graduate from high school, get stuck in a dead end job, or have low self esteem. Whereas a child with wealthy parents, regardless of IQ, talent, or effort, is much more likely to graduate from college, pursue a fulfilling career, and feel confident enough to pursue their dreams.
This is what’s called the “opportunity gap.”

STOKED exists to level the playing field by creating a sense of community for struggling students to feel success and joy beyond the classroom.

STOKED’s mission is to inspire teens who are the most vulnerable, to believe in themselves through action sports. They believe that riding a wave, building a skateboard, and gliding down snowy mountains can show teens that they are capable of greatness, despite the odds against them. From standing on a mountain top to catching a wave, they place kids in environments that not only changes their perspective, it changes their lives.

I first discovered STOKED at the DO Lectures USA where I met Steve. An amazing person heading up an incredible organization. Check out his DO Lecture discussing the opportunity gap.

Here is a quote from Steve to light a fire under your Monday morning:

"That itching feeling when you know that you should be doing something more with your life - You should be doing it. You're doing yourself, and the universe, and your community, and your family a disservice if you play small."

Let's work together to close the opportunity gap.
Wishing you a world of opportunity.

Here's to you! Here's to not playing small.

Have a fantastic week,
Jodi