An Advocacy Toolkit to Make a Difference In Your Community  We all love and depend on clean water. Unfortunately, plastic is polluting our waterways — in the Great Lakes and around the world.
Plastic pollution comes in many shapes and sizes. And it’s everywhere: beaches, rivers, lakes, and even drinking water. In fact, researchers estimate that over 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes every year. Communities spend lots of money each year to collect and manage plastic pollution. Across the Great Lakes region, we’ve seen successful advocacy efforts that help communities stop plastic in its tracks. Whether it’s pushing for local or state policies, or innovative programs to prevent or reduce plastic pollution, you can make a difference in your community. In this toolkit, you’ll find lessons from all levels of government across the Great Lakes region, and sample policies designed to reduce plastic pollution. We also provide you with the tools you need to make an impact. Download Plastic-Free Toolkit today!  Self-care shouldn't come at the expense of the environment—which is why natural ingredients play a big part in the inspiration for, and creation of beauty care products across the globe. Still, unfortunately, many brands have lost touch with the natural world, relying on harmful chemicals to produce shampoos, soaps, sunscreens, and more. Luckily, 1% for the Planet's members like Salty Salmon haven't lost touch; countless brands in its network offer products that are 100% plant based, sustainably packaged, or both! Exfoliating with pure sea salt, using crushed berries as pigmented eyeshadow or clay and olive oil for soap—these centuries-old, natural practices are what inspired the creation of modern-day beauty products and accessories. The clear benefits of herbal remedies and organic ingredients have brought modern beauty trends back to the basics. Self-care shouldn't come at the expense of the environment—which is why natural ingredients play a big part in the inspiration for, and creation of beauty care products across the globe. Still, unfortunately, many brands have lost touch with the natural world, relying on harmful chemicals to produce shampoos, soaps, sunscreens, and more. Luckily, 1% for the Planet's members haven't lost touch; countless brands in its network offer products that are 100% plant based, sustainably packaged, or both! So you can do good while you're feeling good. "Going back to a simpler life is not a step backwards." — YVON CHOUINARD PATAGONIA, FOUNDER & CEO 1% FOR THE PLANET, FOUNDER Here's a list of the 1% for the Planet members who created environmentally safe products:
Product Categories Hair Care Beach Hair (Florida, U.S.) - What happens when an avid surfer and a girl from the Midwest share the same passion for the ocean as they do natural beauty? You get Beach Hair, a natural texturizing spray that gives back to nonprofits working to protect the ocean. PHYTO (Florida, U.S.) - Phyto botanical power has major respect for your scalp, your hair and the planet. Made up of more than 500 plant ingredients, the PHYTO herbarium uses plants to create beautiful, silky, and soft-to-the touch hair. Davines North America (New York, U.S.) - A hair care brand that provides for people and planet by encouraging everyone to practice sustainable beauty. Founded in Parma, Italy in 1983, Davines products are still made in Parma by a combining the highest-quality natural ingredients and scientific rigor. Nitwits Intelligent Lice Treatment (Massachusetts, U.S.) - Lice, no more! Nitwits is committed to improving environmental awareness and education for their customers and community at large. Plus, their ingredients are organic, pesticide free, and environmentally friendly. New Wash by Hairstory (New York, U.S.) - One big issue in beauty products is waste. Thankfully, you can eliminate the number of empty shampoo and conditioner products by using just one product: New Wash by Hairstory. Hairstory is rethinking the hair care industry and giving back to the environment, all at the same time. Controlled Chaos (Maine, U.S.) - As if providing the best frizz-fighting, sun-blocking, curl-smoothing product wasn't enough, the socially-conscious Controlled Chaos Curl Crème is made with organic, U.S.-sourced ingredients and is packaged in BPA-free bottles. Skincare UpRoar (Surrey, U.K.) - UpRoar is redefining men's grooming and skincare. Why rely on artificial ingredients when your body and the environment will benefit from choosing natural ingredients? MuLondon (London, U.K.) - Boris, the Founder of MuLondon, has always believed in the power of nature. These organic skincare products are inspired by traditional herbalism and are certified organic. Anders Natural Soap Co. (North Carolina, U.S.) - Paraben free, sulfate free, phthalate free, and never tested on animals.Anders Natural Soap Co. has natural bath and body products that are too good to be true! Bee Wild (Georgia, U.S.) - Wildcrafted raw honey and spa-quality, honey-based body products that help save the bees! PB Twenty Five (Tyne and Wear, U.K.) - Massage wax and oils that use 100% natural ingredients. Pure Suds Co (Pennsylvania, U.S.) - Handmade bathing products using all natural and organic ingredients. Planted in Beauty (New York, U.S.) - These organic, plant-based beauty products are created with the belief that wellness and beauty are inextricably linked. Kaia Earth (New York, U.S.) - To Kaia Earth, sustainability is everything. Their natural skincare is free from toxins and synthetics, has minimal & recyclable packaging, are 100% cruelty free, and only use extracts that come from herbs, flowers, seeds, roots, and leaves. LUMION (New York, U.S.) - When's the last time you could count a product's ingredients list all on one hand? Say hello to Lumion, an all-natural skincare line that mimics the body's immune system through the creation of hypochlorous acid and oxygen (HOCL). Poethique (Massachusetts, U.S.) - No harsh chemicals here! All of Poethique's skincare products and cleansing oils are 100% plant based. BK Apothecary (New York, U.S.) - bkK|ap was inspired by the simple truth that nature heals, nourishes, and connects us all. Their 100% non-toxic, plant-based skincare uses 100% recyclable glass packaging. Vermont Soap Company (Vermont, U.S.) - Since 1992, Vermont Soap has been replacing yucky petrochemical-based products with yummy natural formulations made from organic oils and herbs. Safe, non-GMO and nontoxic, Vermont Soap has the natural solutions you need. Suncare TapaReef (Florida, U.S.) - This team of passionate surfers and water-sport enthusiasts found a solution to removing stubborn sunscreen without harming the environment. They have created natural, biodegradable, and compostable sunscreen remover towelettes, which are produced in a facility with renewable solar energy and limits water usage. Raw Elements (Florida, U.S.) - An Ocean Rescue Lifeguard created Raw Elements after searching for a natural alternative to chemical sunscreens. Gentle enough for infants but strong enough for professional athletes! Stream2Sea (Florida, U.S.) - Stream2Sea has mastered sustainable packaging; their tubes are made from sugarcane resins, their 32 oz. bottles are made from recycled milk jugs, and their baggies are made with biodegradable and recyclable PLA film. All Good Products (California, U.S.) - All Good makes everything better. Their non-nano zinc based sunscreen products are cruelty free, reef friendly, and are made with organic ingredients that come directly from their family-owned farm. Nektor (Florida, U.S.) - On-the-go organic suncare products that protect your skin from the sun, without harming the environment. Accessories & Essential Oils Spectrum Collections (Wales, U.K.) - Spectrum's brushes are vegan and made of the highest-quality synthetic hair. Any gift to a little one in your life from "The Little Mermaid" line gives back to environmental nonprofits making a difference. Grow Fragrance (North Carolina, U.S.) - Since when have fragrances become artificial? Brighten a room in your house with Grow Fragrance's 100% plant-based home fragrances. Nature's Origin Aromatherapy (New York, U.S.) - Not only do these essential oils give back, they're packaged in 100% virgin sugarcane-fiber packaging, which eliminates wood-based processes, invests in a renewable resource, and helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Pour le Monde (New York, U.S.) - Pour le Monde is the only fine fragrance company to be certified with the NPA Natural Seal, the first and only natural certification in the U.S.  From the Waukesha diversion to Foxconn, it’s clear that the Great Lakes water wars aren’t over. The Great Lakes Compact is a binational agreement to keep Great Lakes water in its place. But 10 years later, disputes over Great Lakes water persist. Join us October 4th for a conversation with Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, and Michael Hawthorne, investigative environmental reporter with the Chicago Tribune. We’ll discuss the new frontier of the fight over Great Lakes water and celebrate the release of the second edition of Annin’s book. The first edition of The Great Lakes Water Wars took us through the 2008 signing of the Compact. The new edition offers new reporting on the controversies that have happened since. Tickets available online: $15 admission, refreshments included, registration required.  Ocean Plastic vs. Great Lakes Plastic Pollution What comes to mind when you hear the words “plastic pollution”? Maybe the phrase conjures up images of the infamous trash island plaguing the north Pacific. Maybe you think of the now-banned microbeads — formerly found in products like toothpaste and face wash — that researchers discovered polluting the Great Lakes in staggering quantities. You know that plastic pollution anywhere is bad news. But how exactly is plastic pollution different in the Great Lakes compared to the ocean? Here are five reasons why Great Lakes plastic pollution is different from ocean plastic pollution. 1. Generally, it’s really, really tiny. Plastic never really goes away. It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces known as “microplastics.” These tiny pieces of plastic come from many sources. For example, washing clothing made of synthetic materials, like fleece, washes tiny fibers down the drain. Both large and small plastic pollution exists in the Great Lakes and the oceans. But, in our lakes and rivers, it’s what you don’t see that’s the problem. 2. It’s in our drinking water. We don’t drink ocean water. But nearly 40 million people drink Great Lakes water. Because microplastics are so tiny and so prevalent in the lakes, they can make their way past water treatment facilities. Scientists have found microplastics in drinking water and even beer—yuck! (In case you were wondering, researchers found that some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands are even more likely to contain microplastics than tap water!) 3. It washes out, not up. Plastic pollution travels differently in the Great Lakes compared to the oceans. In the world’s oceans, trash and debris can wash up from really, really far away due to global ocean currents. In the Great Lakes, plastic pollution doesn’t come from an anonymous source from far away. Plastic pollution flows out from our shorelines because we leave it there. Across the Great Lakes region, plastic travels through local watersheds and from beaches into the lakes before flowing with currents downstream. Eventually, tiny pieces of that litter flow out to the ocean, and our Great Lakes plastic pollution adds to the global ocean plastic problem. 4. The water is different. Saltwater is more dense than freshwater. Currents are different in the ocean and Great Lakes. Unlike parts of the Great Lakes, the oceans never freeze. All these factors affect how plastic pollution moves through the water, and how it breaks down. 5. There’s a lot less information about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes compared to ocean plastic pollution. Scientists have been studying plastic pollution in the ocean for decades. But overall there is a lot less research about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and freshwater. We’re lucky to work with some Great Lakes superstars whose research is beginning to fill in the gaps.  Act Now to Keep Plastic Out of the Great LakesPlastic pollution in the Great Lakes is going to get worse unless we do something about it. Add your name to the Plastic-Free Great Lakes Pledge now.
 Salty Salmon Company was launched six months ago and we were aptly labeled an apparel company. We believe we are an environmental company that happens to sell apparel. We believe in protecting the greatest resource in our back yard, the Great lakes. Last Sunday we ventured down to Light House Beach in Evanston, IL and spent some time cleaning up the beach as a part of the Adopt-A-Beach program through the Alliance for the Great Lakes. We picked up straws, cigarette butts, plastic lids, paper products, glass, and even a few floor tiles. Over 20 pounds of trash was collected by the seventeen friends, family and other community volunteers.
  In preparation for this event we noticed quite a few news stories pertaining to the Great Lakes pop up in the news these past few weeks. For instance, the Line 5 pipeline was recently damaged by a tug boat dragging their anchor. Although the experts don’t believe the pipe was compromised there are concerns by citizens and environmentalists that we don’t have a repeat of Enbridge’s Line 6B pipeline spill in the Kalamazoo river in 2010. The Line 5 pipeline runs through the Straits of Mackinac to Sarnia and moves 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas per day. Our role is to pay attention to this pipeline and hold the authorities and companies benefitting from this oil accountable in making sure this pipe stays intact. We will be keeping an eye on how Michigan Governor Rick Snyder handles Enbridge moving forward.  Another concerning news issue is the Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group received approval by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to pull 7 million gallons of water from Lake Michigan each day as they build a new manufacturing plant. What’s concerning is their poor environmental record in China and Japan and the quantity of water pulled. Environmental group, Clean Wisconsin, is considering filing a lawsuit and as they believe this is a violation of the Great Lakes Compact as the water won’t be used for public consumption.
Are we experts on these issues, absolutely not. Our duty as residents of the Great Lakes region is to be aware of what environmental issues are in front of us and we believe in being a part of keeping our backyard clean. Learning about the Line 5 pipeline, the Lake Michigan Asian carp invasion, corporate compliance etc are vital in how we act as a company. Our vision and our “Why” have changed over the past few months and we look forward to being the responsible corporate partner the Great Lakes desperately needs. Each year, Adopt-a-Beach™ volunteers like you make a huge difference for the health of the Great Lakes. Caring for your local stretch of the Great Lakes shoreline is a great way to get outdoors with friends, family, neighbors and coworkers and give back to the lakes that give us so much. Join Salty Salmon Company in cleaning up Lighthouse Beach in Evanston, IL Beach Cleanup May 6th, 2018 9:00am Lighthouse Beach Evanston, IL  Salty Salmon Company loves working with Alliance for the Great Lakes, they've been working to keep our lakes healthy with programs like Adopt-a-Beach™ for more than 25 years. Come on out and join us! Enter Lighthouse Beach on 5/6/18 in the search and we'll see you there!
 Pollution and failing water infrastructures threaten the safety of our drinking water! We need strong policies in place to protect the Great Lakes. Please tell Congress to support and fund the priorities outlined in our 2018 Great Lakes Policy Agenda:
 Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, started 1% For The Planet to bring businesses, nonprofits and individuals together to create a healthy planet.
We are very excited to be a part of this amazing organization! 1% For The Planet will collaborate with Salty Salmon Company to identify environmental organizations, like the Alliance for the Great Lakes, to align with our giving goals. Our mission to protect the Great Lakes is our utmost important goal. The Great Lakes are constantly at risk, we feel obligated to do our part. The Great Lakes hold 90% of North America's fresh surface water. But, they can be depleted if we don't take care to keep Great Lakes water in the lakes. This risk and many others face our Great Lakes. Together, we can make a difference!  It's a new year and we're on a mission! More than 35 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, jobs and their way of life. More that 6 million peoples visit the Great Lakes every year. But the Great Lakes face many different kinds of threats. Salty Salmon is dedicated to help stop those threats.
Here's how we can make a difference in 2018: 1 ~ Laundry One load of laundry can release hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic fibers from cloths made out of fleece, acrylic, nylon, and polyester. This pollutes our waterways and disrupts the food chain. What to do? Wash full loads in cold water with liquid—not powder—detergent. You get extra credit if you install a washing machine filter that will capture these microplastics! Amazon sells these filters. 2 ~ Fertilizers Want that putting-green lawn look? Use phosphorus-free fertilizers. Too much phosphorus released into our waterways as a result from fertilizer pollution can be deadly. It can poison the fish and contaminate our drinking water. Even Scotts agrees! 3 ~ Medications Traces of pharmaceutical drugs—including antibiotics, hormones, and psychoactive drugs—can be found in our drinking water. Many people flush their unused or expired drugs down the toilet, don't do that. Throw them away properly. The EPA recommends incinerating collected pharmaceuticals but allows other methods of disposal as well. 4 ~ Aquatic Equipment Humans have introduced more than 186 invasive species to the Great Lakes ecosystem. You can help prevent this by rinsing and wiping down your boats, paddleboards, kayaks, and other watercraft after you use them. 5 ~ Vote Great energy and conservation policies make a magnitude of a difference to our resources. Vote for candidates who are committed to protecting our water & our Earth's resources. |
Compliments to our amazing photographer
JD Lucas Photography |
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© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.