Posted on December 4, 2018
Tuesday Tip: 5 Ways to Have a Green Holiday
The holiday season can be a time for family, cheer, generosity and love. But the waste, packaging, and travel can take a real toll on the environment and our climate.
Recent studies – including one report that the Trump administration attempted to bury – reveal that our climate is changing even faster than we thought, and it’s up to us, in part, to change our habits to make a difference.
This holiday season, we can do our part to reduce our impact on the environment.
Here are five steps you can take to have a green holiday.
Get a real tree
Real trees are greener than plastic ones. Yes, you’ll be cutting down a tree—or buying a tree that someone else has cut down—but this tree is a crop raised to be harvested. And when you purchase it, you’ll be supporting a tree farm, which is good. Trees on farms work year-round cleaning the air, protecting water supplies and providing wildlife habitat. Tree farms are also economically important. There are over 15,000 tree farms in the U.S. and most of them are family-owned.
Fake trees are made overseas out of plastic and other toxic materials. Shipping them to the U.S. produces a lot of pollution. A study several years ago by environmental consulting firm Ellipsos found that buying a fake tree does far more environmental damage than cutting a real tree. You can use your fake tree again, true, but the Ellipsos study concluded that you’d have to use that tree for more than 20 years for it to be greener than buying a cut tree annually.
Consider purchasing your tree locally, which can minimize the impact of driving and transport and help your local economy. Be sure to recycle the tree when you’re ready to take it down, too.
If you have space, of course, the best choice is to have a living tree. Keep it outside in a pot and move it in and decorate it for the holidays. After a few years, you’ll feel like old friends.
Buy sustainable gifts
We know. It’s hard enough to come up with gift ideas for family and friends as it is. Limit yourself to sustainable gifts and you might as well throw in the holiday hand towel. Right? Well, not exactly. Try Googling “sustainable gifts.”
We did. And we came up with a list of good ones (check out our gift guide here). Like the Pela Case, a line of colorful, non-plastic phone cases made of a plant-based material called Flaxstic that is tough and child-safe (no BPA, lead, cadmium or phthalates). Or Elephant Pants, each pair of which supports the fight for elephant preservation.
Don’t waste food
A meal is the centerpiece of most holiday get-togethers. If you’re cooking this season, be mindful of waste. It’s a serious problem. Around 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted—an average of 400 pounds per person annually. Globally, one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, along with all the work, water, energy and land that goes into producing it.
There are ways to minimize waste. Shop smart: plan your meals, check what you already have on your shelf and then make your shopping list. Don’t shop hungry (seriously, it works). Don’t buy food just because it’s on sale. For more tips on reducing food waste, check out our post How you can help stop food waste.
Use less paper and packaging
You might have grandparents who insist upon saving all the wrapping and ribbons after gifts were opened for reuse later. That’s a great start – but we can do even more to reduce or reuse the things we would normally throw away during the holidays.
Saving paper is easy. Fold it up, put it in the closet and use it later, maybe for a birthday. Or save the Sunday comics and wrap gifts in those. Burlap makes an attractive package, as does a colorful box or basket.
The Stanford University Recycling Center reports that if every American family wrapped just three gifts in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold every year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. So this year consider sending e-cards instead.
Make the most of staying home
The holidays, of course, are peak travel season, and flying and driving to your destination can produce a lot of CO2 along the way. A round-trip flight from California to New York produces a fifth of the greenhouse gases that your car emits in an entire year—nearly 1 metric ton of CO2 per person.
If you’re staying home instead of getting on a plane, we have 8 tips for better video calls. If you can’t be with grandma, we want to help you make sure she feels as close and connected as she can.
We wish you cheer this holiday season. We also wish you change—the power to make it and the courage to embrace it. If you’d like to make a change every day, consider joining CREDO Mobile, the only phone company that works for your progressive values. Another way you can help our planet is to switch on clean energy in your home. It’s now easy to do with CREDO Energy with Energy Rewards.
Posted on December 1, 2018
Our November grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible organizations. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups fighting climate change, holding corporations and politicians accountable and defending immigrants’ rights. In November, over 50,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation to 350.org, the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our November grant recipients thank you.
350.org
$57,645
“Thank you for your support of 350.org – we’re thrilled you’re with us. CREDO members like you help us oppose new coal, oil and gas projects and build a 100 percent renewable energy future for all.” To learn more, visit 350.org.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
$40,605
“CREDO members like you make it possible for CEPR to ensure that policymakers serve the broad public interest, rather than corporations’ narrow political agenda or their own personal advancement. CEPR values your partnership. Thanks for your support!” To learn more, visit cepr.net.
Women’s Refugee Commission
$51,750
“On behalf of all of us at the Women’s Refugee Commission, thank you to CREDO and to everyone who voted to support us and our work on behalf of migrant and refugee women and girls.” To learn more, visit womensrefugeecommission.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in December, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on December 1, 2018
Vote for these three progressive groups this December
Every month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute our monthly donations between three great progressive groups. This month, you have the opportunity to fund organizations supporting progressive economic policies, standing up to the Trump administration and fighting for the rights of immigrants by voting for Americans for Tax Fairness, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action and Cosecha.
Americans for Tax Fairness
Americans for Tax Fairness mobilizes public support for progressive tax reform so we have the revenue needed to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and make new investments in education, infrastructure, and health care to create an economy that works for all.
Funding from CREDO members will support ATF’s state-based public education and legislative accountability work with members of Congress who voted in favor of the Trump tax cuts and against the Affordable Care Act.
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Bend the Arc is a movement of progressive Jews all across the country that has worked to build a more just society with members who are rising up in solidarity with everyone threatened by the Trump agenda.
A grant from CREDO members will help Bend the Arc ensure that the new Congress fully and unequivocally rejects white nationalism. The organization’s new campaign, launched in partnership with CREDO and our allies, is sending a clear public message to our elected officials that they cannot remain neutral in the fight against this dangerous and destructive political ideology, and that we will hold them accountable for building a country where all of us can live, love and thrive.
Cosecha
Cosecha is a nonviolent movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity and respect for the undocumented community. Committed to winning real victories, Cosecha leverages our labor and spending power as immigrants to shift political opinion and policy.
A donation from CREDO members will help fund a new Cosecha house in Michigan, where the organization has a strong campaign to win drivers licenses for immigrants. Funding will also help support 10 new local leaders in Michigan, Georgia, Indiana and New Jersey as well as 10 new national full time organizers.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donation among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by December 31.
CREDO members who use our products everyday are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on November 27, 2018
Tuesday Tip: 4 Tips for How to Talk Politics with Your Family Over the Holidays
Headed home for the holidays? You could be in for a little heat. If you’re a progressive who’s spending time with friends and family, there is a chance you might find yourself in the company of Trump supporters at some point.
We know it can be difficult to engage with friends and family members whom you may care deeply for, but who also hold wildly different — and sometimes racist, xenophobic, or misogynistic, viewpoints. You may choose to avoid the conversation altogether. Or, you may find yourself, year after year. in full-blown arguments.
We’ve been thinking about our own holiday plans and found three articles we thought were really helpful:
- Here’s how to talk to your Trump-supporting relatives this Thanksgiving
- How To Talk About Racism, Sexism, And Bigotry With Your Friends And Family
- How To Argue With Trump Supporters In Your Family This Thanksgiving (And Yes, You Have To)
Here are four highlights for how to talk politics with your family over the holidays.
1. Avoiding the conversation may mean avoiding your responsibilities
“It’s our responsibility to go home and have the hard conversations with our family members, because, in many cases, only we have the power to reach them and begin the long work of rooting out bigotry in our communities.”
“The stakes are simply too high to sacrifice conversation for comfort…If your family is white, or wealthy, or any other kind of privileged, you might not feel as compelled to interrupt your turkey and gravy to speak up. That’s exactly why you have to. The people who have the most to lose are already doing all they can to stop Trump. We must all act with the same urgency, especially if you or your family is privileged because when one of us is unsafe because of our skin color, or sexual orientation, or gender identity, all of our values are threatened.”
2. Model respectful communication (in how you listen and how you speak)
“Hearing them out is affirming to them as humans and we’re more willing to listen to someone who’s willing to listen to us.”
“Use humor, but don’t belittle. Be passionate, but not condescending. It can feel cathartic to mock, scream, or taunt people who seem dedicated to misinformation and offensiveness, but this approach is ineffective if your goal is social change. So unless you’re dealing with outright trolls, it’s worth the extra effort to model the kind of respectful discourse you want to see in the world.”
3. Make it personal (in both directions)
“If you can share a personal story or connection, take advantage:…personal stories are an important way to change people’s minds,”
“Instead of having a policy-oriented conversation, talk about the people in our lives we love and care about… This might mean telling them about your own experience as a woman, queer person or minority group. It might mean telling them about a friend you have who fits into one of the categories Trump has targeted… and explaining to them the way the election has affected them. Or just tell them a story about their lives, their families, what they do for a living.”
“If you want your friends and relatives to understand why you support Black Lives Matter or LGBTQ rights (and if you wish to persuade them to do so, too), you need to ask about their beliefs, really listen to their answers, and demonstrate that you care where they’re coming from. How do they feel these movements impact their own lives? What’s at the root of their opposition to freedom and dignity for people from different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, or countries, and what would it take to change their minds? Once you’ve shown that you’re listening, ask questions that force them to step outside their experience.”
4. Know when to walk away
You don’t have to continue any conversation that is hurtful or that is giving a bigot more of a platform, but sometimes it can be hard to let go. Figure out your own boundaries and how you’ll hold them. You can even ask for help from other loved ones. A hand sign, code word, or subtle kick under the table can be a good reminder to take a breath and see if you want a conversation to continue, if it needs a reset, or if it’s time to pull the plug.
Posted on November 21, 2018
This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for the amazing work by our progressive allies
Here at CREDO, we’re always working to change our world for the better, to help people who need help and to amplify the voices of those whose voices often cannot be heard. While there is a very long list of work to do, we also want to take a moment for gratitude, to share the things for which we are thankful this Thanksgiving.
We’re thankful for the record number of voters who turned out for this month’s midterm elections who sent an unmistakable message to Trump and Republicans that we reject their dangerous and hateful agenda. We obviously still have much work to do, but the power and commitment that fueled the take back of the House is inspiring and makes us hopeful.
We’re thankful for CREDO members like you who are standing up for progressive change and use our products and services to ensure we can continue fighting for our progressive values.
And we’re so thankful for our progressive partners and the organizations that our members help fund every month who are doing amazing work on the ground fighting for civil rights, economic and climate justice, women’s rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQ equality and more.
This Thanksgiving, we’d like to highlight some of the important work CREDO members like you made possible this year. (This list is by no means exhaustive – we’re grateful for every progressive group we help fund!)
Bold
$49,215 donated in January, $121,768 donated since 2013
Bold fights pipelines with an unlikely alliance of farmers, ranchers, climate advocates and Native allies to protect the land and water. In 2017, CREDO partnered with Bold and our allies to help build solar arrays on the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska. Funding from CREDO members this year is helping Bold create a national Pipeline Fighter Hub and continue building clean energy in the path of Keystone XL pipeline.
United We Dream Action
$44,865 donated in January, $165,187 donated since 2013
United We Dream is building a multi-racial, multi-ethnic movement of young people organizing for justice for immigrants and all communities of color in the United States and fighting against hate and discrimination – and their work is particularly important today, given Trump’s relentless attacks on immigrant communities. Funding from CREDO members is helping UWD secure protections and lasting relief for immigrant communities.
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
$64,155 donated in April, $865,926 donated since 1994
The Brady Center is committed to creating a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half through public awareness, legal action, and public policy. CREDO funding in 2018 is helping the Brady Center reduce the flow of crime guns, expand and protect the Brady Background Check system and change the cultural perception that owning or carrying a gun makes you safer.
Transgender Law Center
$34,470 donated in June, which was TLC’s first CREDO grant
Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all. Funding from CREDO members is allowing TLC to rapidly move forward with impact litigation, provide technical assistance to communities needing trans organizing and provide Trans Immigration Defense Effort (TIDE) support in response to urgent threats facing immigrants. Leaders from TLC visited CREDO this August to talk about their work. You can watch our discussion here.
Social Security Works
$66,585 donated in August, $504,597 donated since 2013
Social Security Works leads the fight to expand and improve Social Security and Medicare and lower drug prices. As Republicans continue their attacks on our earned benefit programs, SSW’s work is more important than ever. Earlier this month, SSW Executive Director Nancy Altman stopped by CREDO HQ to talk about their recent work. You can watch the discussion here.
Southern Poverty Law Center
$60,300 donated in September, $249,547 donated since 1989
The SPLC uses litigation, education and other forms of advocacy to work toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality. CREDO funding this year is helping SPLC to fight right-wing hate and voter suppression and stand up for justice and civil rights.
Planned Parenthood and affiliates
$124,818 donated in 2018, $3.4 million since 1985
Planned Parenthood is one of America’s leading providers and advocates of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men and young people and the largest provider of sex education. In 2018, CREDO members funded both Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood affiliates, helping to ensure that Planned Parenthood’s health services remain available to those who need them most. CREDO is proud to be one of Planned Parenthood’s largest corporate donors.
To see all the great progressive groups our members have helped to fund recently and to vote for this month’s grantees, please visit credodonations.com.
From all of us here at CREDO, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Posted on November 20, 2018
Tuesday Tip: 8 Meaningful Gift Ideas for Progressive People
Gift giving changes with the times. And in these times, when just about every choice we make—where we shop, what we eat, how we travel—feels more meaningful, because we’re more aware of the impact it has, we choose gifts that are meaningful as well. Gifts that make a positive impact.
At least that’s what we’re doing here at CREDO this holiday season. If you’re doing the same, we’re glad to hear it—and we have ideas for you. We asked members of our staff what meaningful gifts they’re giving this year and they had some great suggestions.
Here are eight meaningful holiday gift ideas
Posted on November 15, 2018
New video: How we can fight to expand Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid after the midterm elections
CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess and Social Security Works President Nancy Altman are live from CREDO HQ to discuss the plan to fight for the expansion of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare post-election.
Posted by CREDO Mobile on Thursday, November 15, 2018
On Nov. 15, we were pleased to host a very special live event with CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess and Social Security Works President Nancy Altman who discussed the plan for fighting for the expansion of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare post-election.
If you missed the original broadcast, you can watch the recording of the event below, on our Facebook page or on YouTube.
Posted on November 13, 2018
Fighting for our future: How NARAL members are mobilizing for reproductive freedom
For more than four decades, Roe v. Wade promised the right to legal, safe abortion care.
But that promise, more often than not, doesn’t square with reality. The reality is that for many, access to abortion care is nonexistent – because of laws that shut down the nearest clinics. Or policies that block insurance companies from covering it. Or bans on public funding for abortion, like the Hyde amendment, which make it next to impossible for low-income women to get the same care as everyone else.
Put simply, a right is not a right if you cannot access it.
Seven in 10 Americans support legal access to abortion, even in red states. Nationwide, 71 percent don’t want to see Roe v. Wade overturned and gutted.
But for decades, long before Trump took office, anti-choice extremists have chipped away at access – by stacking the courts with anti-choice judges at every level, electing biased officials to the governor’s mansions, legislatures, and Congress, and passing hundreds of state-level restrictions, designed to shut down clinics and cut off access to abortion and contraception.
And, most recently, by railroading Brett Kavanaugh through to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
Yet we fight on because we know the stakes. We fight on because we want better for ourselves, our families, daughters and sons. We fight on because we continue to be the torch bearers for the promise of a democracy that assures dignity, equality, and justice for all people.
As we take to the streets and demand leaders fight for our rights and values, we’re seeing the power of the people.
The resounding victories by pro-choice candidates in the 2018 midterms prove once again that when candidates stand up for women and our essential rights – including the right to access abortion – they have the power of the people on their side. More than 100 women were elected to Congress – a diverse group of women who stepped up to fight for their communities.
Posted on November 13, 2018
Tuesday Tip: 8 Tips for Better Video Calls When You Can’t Make it Home for the Holidays
8 Tips for Better Video Calls – a Green Solution for Connecting with Family when You Can’t Make it Home for the Holidays
So many of us have family and friends all across the country or the world. We’d love to be with them in person, especially during the holidays. When we can’t, do the next best thing — a video call.
For environmentalists, flying poses another dilemma: air travel accounts for 4% – 9% of the total climate change impact of human activity. The overall impact of aircraft emissions is a warming effect that is 1.9 times that of carbon dioxide alone.
If you’re not going to be with beloved family members this season, you can do the next best thing – enjoy a video call. Whatever your app of choice—FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, Google Duo, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat—a video call is a good and hassle-free way to spend quality time with family and friends.
Unless there is a glitch, of course. Then your intimate conversation can quickly get exasperating. The sound is garbled. The lighting is weird. You spend half the call distracted by the self-view and wondering if you always look like Bela Lugosi.
Happily, you can take steps to ensure that your holiday video calls are almost as good as being there.
Make sure your app is up to date
App makers improve their apps with each new update. So if you’re still running the same version of the app that you downloaded two years ago, you’re probably going to get the same quality you had two years ago (i.e. not so good).
If your apps are not updated automatically, on your Android device, go to the Google Play Store, then tap the menu icon at upper left. Scroll down and tap Settings, then tap Auto-update apps. On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings and go to the iTunes & App Store. Under Automatic Downloads, look for Updates and toggle the switch on. (For automatic updates to work in iOS, your iPhone or iPad must be running a recent version of iOS.)
Use headphones
Or earphones or AirPods or whatever you have. Your sound will be louder and clearer if you’re using a headset of some sort. You’ll hear better and your mic will pick up less background noise. Also, you won’t accidentally end the call while you’re pressing your cell phone to your ear.
Light yourself well
Let there be light—but let it be in the right place. Overhead lighting is not good for a video call. It will cast a shadow under your brow and you’ll look kind of like Marlon Brando in “The Godfather.” Also, don’t place yourself in front of a bright light or sun-filled window or you’ll be a mere silhouette. Natural light is best. It gives you a healthy glow. Sit by a window, facing the window, so that the light illuminates your face. Or use several soft-light sources at approximately eye level.
Find a stable background
If you’re in a crowded cafe or the flat-screen TV behind you is showing the Rose Parade, move to a different place. The more motion you have in your frame, the more work your app will have to do to capture the image and the choppier your video will be.
Be on the level
The best angle for a call is eye level, so hold your device there—and keep it as steady as you can. Also, try to look at your screen and maintain eye contact with the person at the other end. It’s annoying to have a conversation with someone whose thoughts seem to be elsewhere.
Close other apps
Video calls require your device to do a lot of work. Shut down other open apps to free up bandwidth and your call should perform better.
Have a charger handy
Video calls are battery-intensive. If your battery is low or tends to drain quickly when taxed, keep a charger handy so your call won’t end suddenly.
Dress correctly
Your top can be important—and not for fashion reasons. Pinstripes, herringbone and other fine patterns may cause aliasing or moire on some cameras. It’s that effect you notice sometimes on TV when a newscaster wears a check suit that seems to shimmer on the screen.
Wherever you spend them and whoever you spend them with—at home or on the phone—happy holidays from us here at CREDO Mobile.
So many of us have family and friends all across the country or the world. We’d love to be with them in person, especially during the holidays. When we can’t, do the next best thing — a video call.
For environmentalists, flying poses another dilemma: air travel accounts for 4% – 9% of the total climate change impact of human activity. The overall impact of aircraft emissions is a warming effect that is 1.9 times that of carbon dioxide alone.
If you’re not going to be with beloved family members this season, you can do the next best thing – enjoy a video call. Whatever your app of choice—FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, Google Duo, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat—a video call is a good and hassle-free way to spend quality time with family and friends.
Unless there is a glitch, of course. Then your intimate conversation can quickly get exasperating. The sound is garbled. The lighting is weird. You spend half the call distracted by the self-view and wondering if you always look like Bela Lugosi.
Happily, you can take steps to ensure that your holiday video calls are almost as good as being there.
Wherever you spend them and whoever you spend them with—at home or on the phone—happy holidays from us here at CREDO Mobile.
Posted on November 12, 2018
Election Day voting rights victories in Florida and Michigan
Thanks to the activism of CREDO members and our allies on the ground, progressives scored two big voting rights victories in Florida and Michigan on Election Day 2018.
Florida
In Florida, voters approved the Florida Voting Restoration Amendment (Amendment 4), a ballot measure that will restore voting rights for nearly 1.5 million Floridians who have served time for felony convictions.
Florida was 1 of only 4 states that imposed a lifetime voting ban on all citizens convicted of a felony. This ban prevented 1 in 5 Black Floridians from ever participating in our democracy. It was an unjust law the state passed in 1868, rooted in the racism of Jim Crow. Thanks in part to CREDO members who made calls to voters, more than a million Floridians will have their voting rights restored.
Michigan
In Michigan, voters approved Proposal 2, an effort to strengthen democracy in the state and end gerrymandering. Republicans had manipulated the redistricting process, drawing election maps and hand-picking their voters to protect and build power in the state legislature and Congress.
Proposal 2 will amend the state Constitution to create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that will draw the state legislative and congressional districts using a set of strict criteria that prevents partisan influence, bias or manipulation. This important victory will also serve as model legislation for voters in other battleground states resisting Donald Trump’s authoritarian attacks on voting rights, civil rights and civil liberties.
CREDO members joined thousands of activists in Michigan pledging to vote “yes” on Proposal 2, which passed overwhelmingly by nearly 1 million more votes.
