Green America (known as Co-op America until January 1, 2009) is a
nonprofit membership organization based in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
that promotes environmentally aware,
ethical consumerism
Ethical consumerism (alternatively called ethical consumption, ethical purchasing, moral purchasing, ethical sourcing, or ethical shopping and also associated with sustainable and green consumerism) is a type of consumer activism based on the con ...
. Founded in 1982, by Paul Freundlich, Green America states that the purpose is to harnessing the
economic power of consumers and businesses to promote
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
and
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
sustainability. The approach of helping consumers find environmentally compliant companies in the marketplace. Green America provides businesses with the Green America Seal of Approval, after completing Green America's screening process and have been approved to be listed in their National Green Pages
directory. The Green America Approved seal is given to applicant businesses that operate in ways that support workers, communities, and protect the environment.
History
Co-op America (now Green America) had its roots in the environmental and social justice movements of the '70s. Founder Paul Freundlich thought that there was a significant segment of Americans who had been changed by the culture of recent decades, yet had not found a way to express that in their lives. Some regional businesses had grown out of similar values, yet lacked access to a customer base sufficient for growth.
Co-op America began as a collaborative marketplace, speaking to the shared interests of consumers and business, by a staff and an elected governance structure. Co-op America published a quarterly journal, ''Building Economic Alternatives'', and a catalog of goods and services.
Co-op America received support from Consumers United's President, James P. Gibbons. The Co-op Catalog was developed and supervised by Denise Hamler, who joined staff in 1982, and has continued to manage major program including National Green Pages and
Green Festivals. In 2016, Denise Hamler retired from Green America after 34 years.
Alisa Gravitz became a consultant in 1983 and in 1990 succeeded Paul Freundlich as executive director. Paul remained on the board of directors as founder and president emeritus.
Programs
Green America has programs to promote environmental preservation and on the improvement of human rights, in the areas of food, finance, labor, and climate. In 2019 these were some of the programs were available:
![Cocoa_season_in_Cameroon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Cocoa_season_in_Cameroon.JPG)
* ''The true cost of two-day shipping'' is a program exposing the poor conditions in the warehouses that pack and ship for Amazon.
* ''The immigrants who feed the country,'' exposing the low wages and poor working conditions of workers who harvest food crops in the US.
* ''Raise the Bar, Hershey'' is a campaign to urge the Hershey chocolate company to go fair trade, as well as adopt more transparent sourcing policies.
Green America is part of Voice, a watchdog coalition for a reformed cocoa industry. Godiva chocolates and
child labor
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...
is one focus.
Global Exchange
Global Exchange was founded in 1988 and is an advocacy group, human rights organization, and a 501(c)(3) organization, based in San Francisco, California, United States. The group defines its mission as, "to promote human rights and social, econo ...
and
International Labor Rights Forum are also part of the program.
Publications
Green America publishes the ''National Green Pages'',
a nationwide directory of screened, socially and environmental responsible businesses in the United States. It is intended to connect consumers with green products from green businesses.
Your Green Life is an annual publication that is a guide for consumers who wish to make responsible choices when purchasing goods or services.
References
External links
Green America web site
{{Authority control
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Nature conservation organizations based in the United States