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The Green Initiative is a nationwide movement aiming to inform the world about sustainability  habits in order to help the environment. Their strategy of achieving this goal includes collaborating with major environmental organizations who have already made progress in the movement, but also in major companies who have not developed to incorporate sustainable aspects because they recognize the importance they would play on a larger scale. Other components this initiative takes into account is the economy, as well as consumer involvement, which can include what individuals can do to contribute on a smaller scale. The Green Initiative has tentative timelines for the achievement of specific sustainable-living goals, one of which is to ultimately go carbon neutral, but their beginning steps are to garner support and backing.

History
The Green Initiative made its first debut in 2002, making its appearance at the Walnut Grove Elementary School as the “Go Green Initiative.” At the head of the operation was former Naval Officer Jill Buck who in addition to being the PTA Council President in Pleasanton, California, has a history of being involved with recycling programs. Her teaching of recycling methods and the importance of recycling as a whole to Navy members are what led her to wonder why the same concepts were not being taught in elementary schools.

Her passion for this initiative also stemmed from her belief that pesticides were being overused around communal playgrounds. Buck believed that because this issue could potentially be affecting young children, she needed to take action. In order to do so, she enlisted the help of both parents and educators, writing the first comprehensive environmental program that focused on getting schools to spread awareness about the responsibilities of having and maintaining a healthy environment.

Since its introduction to the schooling system, it has been endorsed by larger named associations such as the “National School Board Association, National Recycling Coalition, adopted by numerous State PTA Boards, implemented all 50 states and the District of Columbia, schools in Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and Africa” (Go Green Initiative). These connections have been made for the purpose of expansion- along with pairings with other organizations- are done so in hopes of reaching further crowds, and teaching the latest developments in environmentally clean living. ( https://www.greeninitiative.eco/en/initiatives/ )

Being in correlation with the Paris Agreement and the European Union, it aims to gain allies such as Forest Friends, who maintains the goal of restoration and conservation of the wildlife and all the biodiversity it encompasses. With 1.5 million people as well as jobs depending on a clean and safe environment, this action was done with a specific end result in mind. The Green Initiative is taking action through word of mouth and strategic advertising to spread awareness as well as gain support to the cause.

( https://gogreeninitiative.org/about/our-history/ )

( https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/history/centenary/WCMS_467270/lang--en/index.htm )

Consumer Involvement
The Green Initiative affects a vast amount of people, and there are many ways to get involved at a consumer/individual level. Considering that the goals of the Green Initiative are on a larger scale than the consumer level, there are multiple facets as to how much people can choose to participate in sustainability. Environmentally friendly decisions such as recycling, carpooling, and cutting down energy use are a few ways people can participate in the Green Initiative. Reducing the amount of waste and energy individuals exert into the environment incrementally contributes to the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Intended Targets
With The Green Initiative, the primary target audience consists of major organizations and corporations. Although consumer level issues do matter, people supporting this initiative believe that in order to make real, widespread change, it is important to focus on a larger target. According to ilo.org, “The Green Initiative also serves as a vehicle to expand strategic partnerships, such as with the UN Climate Secretariat (UNFCCC), the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)  the NDC Partnership  and other global initiatives” ( https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/history/centenary/WCMS_467270/lang--en/index.htm ). Collaborating with these credible, well-established organizations serves to accomplish three things:


 * 1) It helps The Green Initiative receive widespread coverage, whether it be through the media or elsewhere.
 * 2) It opens up a whole new array of resources in order to further the overall mission of The Green Initiative.
 * 3) It adds to the credibility of this Initiative. If people know it is associated with a credible organization, they will be more inclined as well to be open to The Green Initiative.

The Green Initiative does not only intend to target major environmental activist organizations. Major corporations are also who they are trying to make pay attention to their initiative and all the different layers that come with it. By targeting large, established companies (i.e Apple, Amazon, CVS, etc), the end goal is to start from the top and have it filter out to a consumer level.

Economy
The Green Initiative’s primary problem with our economy today is that is has “widespread environmental and health risks, encourages wasteful consumption and production, drives ecological and resource scarcities and results in inequality” ( https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/green-economy/why-does-green-economy-matter/what-inclusive-green-economy ).

The Green Initiative does not stop at a social aspect of the world. The economy is part of the decline of the environment. For instance, the amount of plastic being used in and then thrown away is immense. To improve the economy, this initiative seeks to replace the present practices with sustainable ones, as well as end inequality: “It is a pathway towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, eradicating poverty while safeguarding the ecological thresholds, which underpin human health, well-being, and development” ( https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/green-economy/why-does-green-economy-matter/what-inclusive-green-economy ). The primary focus is on making the economy sustainable, but also about seeking a solution to the socio-economic inequality across the nation.

Challenges
With The Green Initiative also comes political, social, and economic challenges necessary to overcome, or control before this initiative can be effectively implemented.

In regards to social challenges, a primary one is that there are not enough people having open-minded discussions between their peers. In the media, there is a clear divide between those who believe in climate change and those who do not. This proves to prevent environmental initiatives like this one from taking off because there are not enough people who care, or want to do something about it. There are also groups of people who do not believe it is a viable issue to resolve, or that there are at least other problems that should take priority.

Political challenges are similar to social ones in the sense that there is not enough agreement between different groups of people to the level it needs to be for The Green Initiative to actually be implemented. On the International Labour Organization’s “Green Initiative” webpage, they explore the social and political challenges:

The Green Initiative seeks to better equip the world of work to understand the challenges and opportunities of the coming transition, and help them take up the active role that they must play in managing this change. It provides a platform of knowledge and research to further build the case that decent work approaches and social dialogue are indispensable for truly transformative change ( http://www.ilo.ch/global/about-the-ilo/history/centenary/WCMS_467270/lang--en/index.htm ).

Economic challenges come in two main forms:


 * 1) There is not enough money invested in research the sustainable ways we can live as a society to better the environment, and there is not enough money invested in research to see how we can instate those sustainable living techniques in all aspects of society.
 * 2) When there are studies done and research is gathered, The Green Initiative still faces the challenge of getting financial support to actually execute the solutions found by those studies.

Main Projects
ForestFriends (www.forestfriends.eco)

The ForestFriends initiative was launched in 2017 with the aim to catalyze carbon mitigation action for tourists. The project supports forest restoration efforts in biodiversity hotspots in Peru and Costa Rica. The project is led by Green Initiative in collaboration with key partners.

Carbon Neutral Now - www.carbonneutralnow.eco

This project aims to support SMEs to engage into climate action, measuring, reducing and offsetting its carbon footprint. Green Initiative leads this project since 2015, having supported more than 50 companies.

Carbon Neutralization of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Biological Diversity

The purpose of the project done by The Green Initiative is the neutralization of the Greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions related to the realization of the COP 8 through the reforestation of a degraded riparian area in the City of Curitiba. The Project will be realized in two stages and will demonstrate in a practical way a possibility to contribute at the same time to the Biodiversity and Climate Conventions.

Carbon Free CD

The Green Initiative is the first organization in Brazil to develop a Carbon Free Album (Compact Disc).

The musician Txai Brasil released his first album which is the first in Brazil to have its carbon emissions neutralized by reforesting 1 ha of riparian area in the State of São Paulo - Brazil.

The production, distribution and usage of the 3.000 copies caused an emission of 5.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent to the atmosphere which will be absorbed by the reforestation of the riparian area.