The 1% for the Planet Global Summit 2023 in Brooklyn, NY, was a gathering of businesses, environmental partners, and individuals committed to working together to protect the planet. The summit was full of inspiration and actionable insights, and we’ve curated four of the key learnings we took away from this year’s gathering.

 

The Power Of Partnerships

Image sourced by 1% for the Planet and Duncan Nicholls.

Partnerships are vital in creating connections and impact. The CEO of 1% for the Planet, Kate Williams, opened the Global Summit with a collage of past partnerships and highlighted the network’s growth to over 5,500 business members and 6,300 environmental partners. With each of these relationships, there are many partnership wins, and one milestone was Main Beer Company and Wolfe’s Neck Center, celebrating ten years together. This partnership milestone was recognized with the Partnership Award at the 1st Summit Awards Gala.

Williams explained that the impact of 1% for the Planet is not just about the dollars that are donated but also about the relationships and stories that are created through partnerships. “When we are talking about impact, we are tracing it to the dollars that you have given…but we know that it takes place on the ground, that we see it, we feel it, we touch it in terms of partnerships that are happening, of the stories that are taking place.”

 

Bigger Impact Starts With Levers

Image sourced by Amalgamated Bank.

Another theme was creating an impact by looking at your operations and what business levers you can change. Banking was a business lever introduced by Williams and then reinforced by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, who brought this theme to life in her fireside chat. Dr. Johnson said, “When we look at the carbon footprint of a company, like Google, if you look just at their operations, you get one number, but if you actually look into the impact of all their money in the bank, because of the way our banks are funding fossil fuel extraction and expansion, their carbon footprint goes up by 110%. So your money may be passively fueling the climate crisis, so think about where you are banking. If you are at City Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, Chase, they are the top 5 banks funding fossil fuels companies.”

Williams added, “[Banking] is one example of a lever that is part of all our operations; we can also talk about insurance.” There are many levers that operate our business that we can start to change.

 

Look To Our Oceans For Solutions

Image sourced by Sway.

The ocean is another important part of the climate solution. Dr. Johnson and Julia Marsh, CEO and Co-Founder of Sway, both spoke about the potential of the ocean to help us mitigate climate change. Dr. Johnson explained that “35% of the climate solutions can be found in our oceans” and encouraged us to find our role in the climate solutions.

 

Collective Action Is Key

The power of community and collective action was another key theme. In addition to the network update from Williams, we also got an update on the collective impact of the 1% for the Planet community at the start of the summit. It was powerful to see how big and diverse this community has become, with more than 60 industries represented across 112 countries and 126,046 unique donations totaling $500 million in giving.

Community is essential for creating impact. When businesses, environmental partners, and individuals come together to work towards a common goal, they can achieve more than they could on their own. The 1% for the Planet community is a prime example of the power of collective action.

 

Overall, the 1% for the Planet Global Summit 2023 was an inspiring and impactful event. It reminded us that we are all together and can make a difference by working together. The next 1% for the Planet Global Summit is October 15 to 17, 2024, in San Diego, California, and you know we’ll be there; join us!