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Some Sweet News about Chocolate…

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I am a certified chocoholic. I still remember being wowed by the first Whitman’s Sampler I saw as a kid. And through the years I discovered M&Ms and Hershey’s chocolate bars and Godiva and See’s Chocolates – to name just a few.

Chocolate companies need to source their cocoa ethically.

Chocolate companies need to source their cocoa ethically.

The “dark side” of chocolate

So I was dismayed to learn from Green America about how much cocoa production involves child slave labor. The global chocolate market is $83 billion a year, of which the cocoa farmers get a pittance.

This past Christmas was the first where my family skipped our usual boxes of Godiva’s and See’s. My daughter was not happy, but as a high school student she is old enough to understand that feeding our “sweet teeth” should not come at the expense of children.

Since learning about this issue, I’ve paid attention to some of the big chocolate companies. I was underwhelmed by Hershey’s response, which was to drag their feet for years and then announce in 2012 that they would source 100% Fair Trade cocoa by 2020. That’s an 8 year lead time. In the life of a child, 8 years is an eternity. And who really “recovers” from being a slave?

But there is some recent good news to share:

  • Harry Potter fans persuaded Warner Bros. Studio to source ALL of the cocoa for their chocolates from Fair Trade sources by the end of 2015. That’s this year. If you’ve read the Harry Potter books, you know that magical chocolate frogs figure prominently.
  • Hershey just announced that they are ahead of schedule in sourcing their cocoa from Fair Trade sources.  “30 percent of their globally sourced cocoa was independently certified and verified in 2014—this reflects an accelerated pace for achieving its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its cocoa supply from certified and sustainable cocoa farms by 2020.” That’s still not fast enough, but it’s better.

I’ve often wondered why can’t we grow cocoa beans here in the US. There’s huge demand for it, it’s healthy for you in moderation, and we’d eliminate the emissions that currently arise from shipping beans by boat across the Atlantic. I’m sure there’s an agricultural scientist out there who knows why that won’t work. But if urban dwellers can grow their produce on their apartment walls, then there must be opportunities to grow the much-beloved cocoa bean in news ways and places.

New Carbon Rules Coming Soon

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Yesterday, I tuned in to a brief conference call with Gina McCarthy, the EPA Administrator. She spoke about the soon-to-be-released rules governing carbon emissions from power plants. “Rules” sound stodgy, but as a green business owner, I welcome them.

Addressing the biggest part of the problem

The call was hosted by the American Sustainable Business Council, of which I am a member. (As a green business, I feel more “at home” with the ASBC than I do with, say, the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.)

The American Sustainable Business Council hosted Gina McCarthy.

The American Sustainable Business Council hosted Gina McCarthy.

Ms. McCarthy spoke briefly about the intensive process used to craft the rules, and the flexibility with which they can be implemented.

I can’t wait. Really. About 40% of total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions in 2012 came from power plants. A huge chunk of that comes from coal. It makes sense to go after the biggest part of the emissions problem first.

Still waiting for renewables here…

As a green business person, I would like to run my home and business on renewable energy like wind or solar. Sadly, my latest electric bill shows that Tampa Electric derives 58% of its fuel from coal, and 37% from natural gas and oil. Ugh. No matter how I try to conserve energy, whatever I do use creates more greenhouse gas emissions. And I can’t choose a different power company.

TECO ran its annual lottery for solar panels on April 25, 2014. It sold out within minutes. With 700,000 customers, allotting  just $1.5 million per year to solar systems doesn’t make sense.  It’s like pouring a teaspoon of water on a forest fire.

So I hope the new carbon rules will – ahem –  “motivate” utilities like TECO to change – and quickly.

Pledge to Buy a Clean Energy Victory Bond this Earth Day

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Happy Earth Day!

My gift to you this Earth Day is a “heads-up” about a something called “Clean Energy Victory Bonds (CEVB).”

Last week I tuned in to a webinar from Green America’s Green Business Network that explained them.

The Green Business Network held a webinar on Clean Energy Victory Bonds.

The Green Business Network held a webinar on Clean Energy Victory Bonds.

2 Representatives from California introduced a bill on April 8 in the House of Representatives to create “Clean Energy Victory Bonds.” The idea is based on the “Victory Bonds” that helped finance World War II.

I think it’s a great idea. Here’s why:

What is a CEVB?

  • If passed, the bonds would be U.S. Treasury bonds of the EE type. They will specifically finance the production of clean energy technologies.
  • The interest will be competitive with other EE bonds.
  • The sectors supported include solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, electric vehicles and energy efficiency technologies.
  • The face amounts would be as little as $25, so small investors can participate. And redemption periods are very flexible, ranging from 12 months to 30 years.
  • The plan is to sell $50 billion in bonds, with the expectation that that would attract additional public and private investment on the order of $150 billion more.

Why are they needed?

  • The bonds bypass Congress. The US is losing the renewables race to countries like Germany and China. Bonds take the issue of financing clean energy away from our dithering Congress and put it into the hands of both citizens and investors.
  • The bonds would provide a steady and consistent source of financing. For businesses that never know if a particular government tax credit will be there or not, this form of financing guarantees consistency over the longer term.
  • These bonds enable investors of all sizes to participate. There is plenty of interest and support for this bill. Over 15,000 people coast to coast have already pledged to buy the bonds. And the bill was just proposed.

What will CEVBs  do for our economy?

  • Create jobs. It is expected that the funding from CEVBs would create over a million jobs. Not just jobs in the future, but jobs right now in areas like construction and manufacturing. This is more jobs than the fossil-fuel sector creates. And the jobs, on average, pay more.
  • Avoid new taxes. This is not a tax. CEVBs would be an investment option, and people who want to own part of the clean energy future can buy in.
  • Improve energy security. As renewable energy options are deployed, the U.S.’s reliance on unstable countries for oil will diminish. And unpleasant oil price shocks will be a thing of the past.

What will they do for the environment?

CEVBs will support both research into and deployment of technologies to:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Reduce the air and water pollution that result from fossil fuel drilling, mining and burning
  • Reduce the likelihood of catastrophic natural disasters (floods, fires, storms) that have become more frequent and more severe as the planet warms.

How can you get involved?

  •  Pledge to buy a bond! Great Green Content has already pledged to support this bill and to buy bonds.
  • Tell  your Representative in Washington that you support this bill. The more sponsors, the better its chances for passage.

Required caveat: I am not an investment adviser. So use your common sense when it comes to this, or any other, financial decision.