Saving Energy & Giving Back: 1% For The Planet Has Joined the Rewards Marketplace

Want to know the secret to driving change? It's actually pretty easy — we can accomplish far more together than we can alone.

It's simple, but it's true! And it's a mindset that our newest donation partner, 1% for the Planet, shares. 1% for the Planet is a global organization that exists to provide critical philanthropic support to some of our most pressing environmental challenges.

Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet's mission is to drive positive environmental change for future generations through collective action and giving. 

From wildlife concerns and food scarcity to water pollution and climate change, 1% for the Planet empowers its global network of partners to share 1% (or more) of their annual sales with causes that protect the future of our planet. 

They've helped certify over $450 million in donations to date — and we're thrilled to announce that OhmConnect members can now support their mission, too, as 1% for the Planet has officially entered the OhmConnect Rewards Marketplace! 

That's right — you can now use the watts you earn by saving energy at home to give back to the planet even more! Here’s how.

‍

1% For The Planet: Getting Involved with OhmConnect

‍

It's a sad statistic that only 3% of global philanthropic giving supports environmental causes yearly, but it's a number we can change together.

Through the OhmConnect Rewards Marketplace, OhmConnect members can now donate the watts they earn by powering down at home to 1% for the Planet’s Environmental Partners Network, supporting grassroots environmental programs and activism around the world. 

Their network consists of thousands of carefully vetted environmental partners and programs in over 60 countries that have proven to positively impact the environment. Frequently intersecting with social issues like urban infrastructure, gender equality, land rights, policy and more, these environmental initiatives focus on four key impact areas: Rights to Nature, Conservation & Restoration, Resilient Communities and Just Economies.

To determine whether an organization is eligible to become a 1% for the Planet environmental partner, they must pass a partnership and risk assessment and connect their mission (and at least two-thirds of their programming budget) to one or more of these four key areas of focus.

Let's take a closer look at these impact areas now. 

‍

Rights to Nature

The Rights to Nature impact area includes organizations that focus on:

1. Increasing reliable, affordable and efficient access to renewable energy for all. 
2. Protecting land rights for Indigenous peoples, women, small-scale farmers and other vulnerable populations.
3. Strengthening participation from local communities in managing culturally significant lands and waters.
4. Creating safe, inclusive and accessible public green spaces for youth, vulnerable populations and marginalized peoples.

Conservation & Restoration

The Conservation & Restoration impact area includes organizations that focus on:

1. Reducing the degradation of natural habitats, halting the loss of biodiversity, preventing the poaching and extinction of endangered species and reducing the impact of invasive species on the planet.
2. Restoring, protecting and conserving marine and coastal ecosystems.
3. Ensuring the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of freshwater ecosystems.
4. Restoring degraded forests, grasslands, deserts, tundras and their soils.

Resilient Communities

The Resilient Communities impact area includes organizations that focus on:

1. Strengthening adaptation to climate-related hazards and natural disasters through inclusive policies and programs. 
2. Improving the environmental impact of cities.
3. Reducing deaths and illness caused by hazardous chemicals, pollution, and contamination in air, water and soil.
4. Educating on environmental issues, environmental appreciation and sustainable development and living practices.

Just Economies

The Just Economies impact area includes organizations that focus on:

1. Decoupling the concept of economic growth from environmental destruction.
2. Promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities.
3. Reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels or other greenhouse gas emitting practices.
4. Ensuring and enhancing sustainable agriculture and food production around the world.

By donating your watts to 1% for the Planet, you are giving back to organizations across all four of these impact areas, helping to enhance the health and resilience of our planet for a better tomorrow. Click here to read more about 1% for the Planet's impact areas in more detail on their website.

Not an OhmConnect Member Yet? It's Free!

If you haven't already signed up to be an OhmConnect member, what are you waiting for?

OhmConnect is a free program that rewards its members for saving energy and giving back to the planet — and the process is simple! As a member, you'll receive a text or an email as soon as electricity costs spike in your neighborhood, equipping you with the knowledge you need to know when to power down at home and save.

Your energy-conservation efforts will earn you rewards, which you can use to give back even further by donating to causes like 1% for the Planet, as well as entries into weekly draws for fun prizes and more! In addition, OhmConnect will take the energy you save and sell it back to the grid, sharing those profits directly with YOU! 

Ready to get started? Click here to learn more.