One Million Reasons to Combat Climate Change
We're ready to act now. We have set a goal to commit at least $1 Million this year to anyone or teams who are helping solve our climate crisis. The problems are daunting and, at times, may seem impossible, but there is an opportunity for those who choose to remain optimistic and lead by example in hopes that more will follow.
Our climate crisis is linked to our cultural desire to consume. We’re predisposed to buy now and pay later, which doesn’t lend itself to long-term problem-solving. Capitalism and our unrelenting ability to harvest more natural resources have put us at the brink of another mass extinction. But rather than focusing on the negative narrative that has put us in this dangerous situation, we should be harnessing our humanity and entrepreneurial spirit together. If greed is responsible for our terrible lapse in judgment to ignore the science of climate change, then let us seize the tremendous opportunities to create new eco-friendly economies that will reap greater rewards for all stakeholders.
Proven Guidance & Examples
Project Drawdown is the world's leading resource for climate solutions. Their executive director, Dr. Jonathan Foley, believes that this may be the single biggest opportunity in human history. With a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Wisconsin and after spending three decades researching climate change, he is a qualified beacon of hope for those willing to listen.
“There are dozens and dozens of solutions. If we add them all together, they're more than enough to stop climate change if we really deployed them at scale. And the preliminary kind of financial analysis is for every dollar we spend doing this we return three to four more back to the economy." Foley said. "That's not even counting, avoiding the damages of really bad climate change in the future, which could be untold trillions and trillions of dollars, and literally hundreds of millions of lives affected.”
Certified B Corporations (B Corps) are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Their community directory is full of diverse companies that prove we can succeed in adopting better practices.
How We Can Help Together
No matter the size of a team's organization or if they are a for-profit, non-profit, or budding social entrepreneur, we will be casting a broad search. Together, we will be sparking greater progress so that future generations can better thrive against all the odds.
We will be searching for teams working in the following categories:
1). Wildlife Conservation:
We must conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. We envision a world where everyone works in harmony to protect what is essential so that all life on this planet can thrive.
2). Renewable Energy:
Renewable energy provides essential resources to communities without the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels. Solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal power are all great examples of renewable energy sources. We're looking for teams that are expanding the reach of these critical resources so that we can stave off rising global temperatures.
3). Food Management:
Food management activities, including producing food, transporting it, and storing wasted food in landfills, generate greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. What is your team doing to help solve these problems?
4). Transportation:
Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation account for about 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the most significant contributor to U.S. greenhouse emissions. How are you changing the transportation industry?
5). Waste Management:
Today, products are disposed of at very high rates, and each is quickly replaced by new ones. This cycle leads to the use of more fossil fuels that are needed to power the processes required to obtain raw materials to manufacture more of these items. All of this leads to growing waste sites that contaminate our water, pollute our environment, and kill wildlife. Can you think of a better way?
How Our $1 Million Pledge Works:
We are pledging to create at least a $1 million fund that can help teams combat the growing climate crisis. Your products or services will be evaluated based on their merit and feasibility. We are not a venture capitalist firm and will not require strict term sheets that will put any unnecessary strain on teams. Awarded funds can be gifted, loaned, or invested based on the need of your organization.
The climate crisis will require countless dollars to solve, but each dollar counts and will move us forward. Maybe you need to make a critical hire for someone to take things to the next level or build a minimal viable product that you can pitch to more investors. Whatever the reason, big or small, we want to hear from you, and maybe we can do great things together.
Quarterly deadlines for teams to submit their request are below:
03.31.20 1st Quarter Deadline
03.20.20 Proposals Due/Cut Off
