Redthreaded is Now 1% for the Planet Certified
We’re really proud to be able to make our ongoing commitment to the environment more visible by joining 1% for the Planet. This certification is given to businesses that commit at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes.
And we’re doing it for the whales.
When I was a child in New England in the 1990s, I took a whale boat tour out of Provincetown, MA, and saw whales for the first time. I don’t remember what kind they were, but I do remember that they were filter feeders. So based on the location, it is possible that these were right whales.
Do you know why the right whale has that name? It was the “right whale” to hunt for its physical attributes, including baleen for corset bones and spermaceti for candles.
Fast forward to last year when I watched orcas glide through waves off the coast of Alaska. I sat on that boat and thought about the strange connection between the gruesome whaling industry, the historical corset trade, my business, and the current state of the planet. It occurred to me that we could do something to directly help the animals who were hunted to near extinction for the 18th and 19th century versions of my trade. I felt the ripples of history acutely.
Recently I watched NOVA: Saving the Right Whale. This episode is hard to watch, but I highly recommend doing so to learn more about these critically endangered animals. We are still losing so many right whales to boat strikes and entanglements. Today there are less than 400 right whales left in the world, and they are not reproducing fast enough or living long enough to stabilize the population. But there are things that can be done, including adjustments in the fishing industry and shipping corridors.
So this little corset business is pledging 1% towards right whale protection and study via the Center for Coastal Studies. They’re based in Provincetown—exactly where I took that whale tour some 30 years ago and where whaling ships launched 150 years ago.
Don’t worry, we will continue to support other charitable and mutual aid avenues as we have always done (we generally donate 3–5% annually). This certification is just a great way to make our environmental commitment visible and official.
~Cynthia Settje
Redthreaded Owner
(image sources: wikimedia commons, Cynthia Settje, wikimedia commons)