While much has been written on this vast stretch of plastic soup in the ocean, we know relatively little about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and its impacts on the ecosystem. The recent Mega Expedition hopes to give researchers a better picture of the problem and what we could do to solve it. In the meantime, Rachel’s Network members are supporting the organizations that are fighting plastic pollution at the source and developing more sustainable packaging and supply chains.
Trish Silber, president of Aliniad Consulting Partners, shared core trends in board leadership and organizational change management with members of Rachel’s Network. She introduced her tiered board leadership framework that recognizes the multiple responsibilities of nonprofit boards, and the range of ways directors think about their role. Here, Trish shares her thoughts about leadership for nonprofit board members.
Family forest owners, who care for more than one-third of the nation’s forests, can see the effects of climate change on their land firsthand: they’re seeing changes in growing cycles, extreme rainfall variations, increased insect and disease infestations, and uncontrollable wildfires, among other impacts. Despite these threats, forests are also an important part of the solution to climate change. Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, explains how family forest owners can help solve this great challenge.
These days, it’s hard to trust that the food you’re eating was produced in a safe, humane and sustainable manner. But online tools like the Eat Well Guide make it easier to support local farmers, restaurateurs, and others who are doing good by their customers, their workers and the planet. The Guide’s thousands of listings include restaurants, farms, farmers’ markets, stores and more. Eat Well Guide Project Director Dawn Brighid shared with Rachel’s Network why initiatives like hers are needed as we build a better food system together.
It’s inspiring to see a woman-led business increasing livelihoods for women farmers and employees in parts of the world that markets struggle to reach. It’s even more powerful when that business does so while having a positive impact on the environment. Root Capital is investing in those kinds of businesses – high-impact, gender-inclusive, and focused on agriculture. Root Capital’s Senior Vice President of Investor Relations & Operations Catherine Gill talks about ways we can encourage and support women farmers.
Here’s what we know about climate change: 97 percent of climate scientists are convinced, based upon the evidence, that human-caused global warming is happening. When they see no solution, people just don’t want to think about it. But when an effective solution is possible, opinions change quickly. Through Citizens Climate Lobby, Marianne Gabel is holding respectful discussions based on common values to help Congress find the way to a cooler, livable world.
