A lot of things are just way more fun when you do them together with other people (be it live or digitally): hosting game nights, enjoying a good dinner, saving the world …
Finding like-minded people who share the same values as you do can be a real challenge, especially for that last one.
Apparently, that’s what Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, were thinking when they founded the nonprofit organization 1% for the Planet in 2002. And clearly they aren’t the only ones who think we can achieve more together: The notion of giving something back to the Earth, the planet that supplies us with resources every single day, has now snowballed into a global movement that has attracted more than 3,000 members since its inception.
Wildling Shoes is also a part of this mission as of this year, and we are thrilled to join forces with so many fantastic companies and individuals.
Wildling Shoes and 1% for the Planet
Right from the start, Anna and Ran Yona built Wildling Shoes on a solid foundation of core values. The year 2020 served to put a few things into perspective for us, too, and has really made one thing clear: Just making sure that we minimize how much negative impact we have on our planet won’t cut it for us anymore. There is so much more that can and must be done – we want to create a positive impact!
These sentiments inspired the creation of the Wildling Shoes Positive Impact Team, which aims to use both smaller and larger-scale projects to move the needle on this very issue.
Participating in the 1% for the Planet movement is just one of the many steps we’re taking down that path. And the best part about it all is that we aren’t walking that path alone.
Image: Wildling Shoes/Sarah Pabst | Four hands supporting a beetle carefully
So – what’s happening with all this right now?
Companies and individuals who join the 1% for the Planet nonprofit movement donate one percent of their annual revenue or salary to vetted nonprofit organizations that are partnered with the nonprofit. These organizations operate in six categories: climate, food, landscape, pollution, water, and wildlife. Donations can either support organizations in all of these areas or they can focus on one in particular.
So from now on, Wildling Shoes will contribute 1% of its annual sales to support charitable projects that are dedicated to protecting our planet. Being involved in 1% for the Planet also means being part of a vast network, and within that network we find exactly the like-minded people and kindred spirits that we were talking about at the beginning of this article.
Which means we can easily exchange information about planned projects with other companies and individuals and (and this is the real kicker) we can interact directly with environmental organizations and work with them to plan joint projects.
For Wildling Shoes, this makes it far more than just a way to donate money to a meaningful cause – more than anything else, it’s a significant step on the path to making a positive impact on people, planet, and the way we do business.
We’re excited to join in the lively dialogue in the 1% for the Planet network and about all the opportunities and projects that will evolve from it.
Header Image: Wildling Shoes/Sarah Pabst | Three children standing in the forest with Logo overlay "1% for the Planet"
