Global Green USA is the U.S. arm of Green Cross International. It is one of 30 national offices with over 70 professional staff worldwide. Global Green USA is a national environmental organization that focuses on three main issues:
Green Cross International is an environmentalist organization founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993, building upon the work started by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ... This is a list of environmental organizations, organizations that preserve or monitor the environment in different ways. ...

• Stemming global climate change.
• Eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
• Providing clean, safe drinking water for the people who lack access to it.

Global Green USA works in cooperation with individuals, industry, and governments to create a shift in values that will shape a more sustainable and secure future.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Did You Know...?

• Over 65,000 tons of deadly chemical weapons await destruction in both Russia and the United States.
• Millions of people risk grave danger in case of accident or theft at any of 15 chemical weapons stockpiles in Russia and the United States.
• Chemical weapons pose a serious threat to groundwater contamination or major environmental catastrophe at over 200 burial sites throughout the United States.
• 12,000 plutonium pits and vast amounts of highly enriched uranium from diassembled nuclear weapons from the Cold War await destruction by the Department of Engergy. Both pose environmental, public health and security risks to local communities, as well as the nation.

Global Green's Response

Global Green Legacy Program

Global Green USA is combatting the environmental legacy of wars, with a concentration on weapons stockpiles amassed during the cold war.

Global Green USA takes action by:

• Global Green USA researches and documents the security, environmental and public health impact of the disassembly of nuclear weapons and the management of fissle materials.

• Global Green USA helps implement the safe and environmentally safe elimination of weapons of mass destruction. Global Green pays particular focus on the chemical weapons in Russia and the United States.

• Global Green USA's Legacy office works in Washington DC to help reorient US policy to effectively deal with the challenge posed by weapons of mass destruction worldwide.

• Global Green USA provides support to local communities and regions in the former Soviet Union that are burdened by dangerous legacies of the Cold War.

Energy and Climate Change

Did You Know...?

• Excessive consumption is largely responsible for the depletion of natural resources worldwide and the acceleration of global warming.
• The construction and maintenance of buildings are responsible for 40% of US energy use and 30% of wood and raw material use.
• Buildings are a main contributor to global warming by generating 30% or US CO2 emissions (the most significant climate change gas).

Global Green's Response

Global Green USA fosters sustainability by changing patterns of consumption within urban environments through two main initiatives: Green Building (promoting sustainable development through green building practices); and Sustainable Energy (building a sustainable energy future that combines efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy).

Global Green USA takes action by:

• Facilitating the adoption of green building and sustainable energy policies and practices.

• Leading and supporting advocacy on state and federal green building policy.

• Promoting the use of renewable energy, primarily solar power, by government agencies, public utilities and others.

• Advocating for the establishment of a global Solar Venture Fund to encourage a transition from fossil fuels to solar power.

Water Conflict Prevention

Did You Know...?

• In the Middle East, where populations are expected to double or even triple by 2050, water shortages will reach crisis levels within 10-20 years.
• Natural resource based conflicts have historically threatened regional and international stability as well as the global environment. Conflict over water will lead to further instability in already volatile regions.
• Communities surrounding weapons stockpiles in the former Soviet Union are traditionally ignored by their governments, and suffer from poor public health, inadequate education, and an overall feeling of helplessness.

Global Green's Response

Global Green USA works with Green Cross International to address conflict in water-stressed regions. They also help prevent and resolve conflicts by convening people from all sectors of affected communities.

Global Green USA takes action by:

• Hosts symposia on critical water related issues such as international freshwater-conflict resolution.

• Creates report, such as a study in collaboration with RAND using California as a case study, to highlight the connections between water and energy.

• Promotes access to water as a basic human right.

Recycling

Did You Know...?

• Beverage container waste increased more than 50 percent from 1992 to 1999, from 63.4 billion containers to 96.9 billion
• Aluminum can recycling rates dropped from a peak of 66.7 percent in 1992 to 55.6 percent in 1999, the lowest level in the last decade.
• PET bottle recycling rates dropped from 40 percent in 1995 to just over 20 percent in 1999.

Global Green's Response

Global Green USA convened a unique alliance of businesses, recyclers and evironmentalists working to double the national recycling rate of beverage containers from 40 percent to 80 percent. Global Green released a groundbreaking report with stakeholders from throughout the beverage and recycling value chain that identifies key trends and innovative strategies to increase beverage container recycling. Members and task force participants included Coca-Cola Company, Beaulieu of America, Tomra North America, EvCo Research LLC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Grassroots Recycling Network and the Container Recycling Institute, Waste Management Inc., South-eastern Container Inc., and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance.

References

Global Green USA Website [1]
Green Cross International [2]