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This story about sustainable spirits, wines and beer is part of Entertainment Month in TriplePundit's Sustainable Living Challenge, where we unpack simple ways to save money and reduce environmental impact in the ways we have fun. Learn more and take the challenge here.

With the days lengthening and temperatures rising, it’s time to crack out the mojitos, sangria and shandies. Our favorite beverages are a cherished staple of summertime BBQs, but their environmental impact remains real. The spirits, wine and beer industries consume large amounts of water and energy, emit greenhouse gases, and create wastewater and pollution.

Fortunately, sustainability initiatives are hotter than a spicy margarita in the alcoholic drink market. Companies are reducing their environmental footprint in novel ways while still brewing, distilling and fermenting delicious products. You can’t solve all the world’s problems with an Aperol Spritz, but at least your happy hour can be eco-guilt free. 

Organic ales, cabs and tequila

You’re likely aware that organic food has numerous environmental benefits, such as reducing pollution and soil erosion, conserving water, using less energy, and emitting fewer greenhouse gases. But can booze also be organic? If you’ve been down the wine aisle recently, the answer is yes!

While organic alcohol is a niche market — organic wine is just 3 percent of the total sales globally — it’s rapidly growing. The organic wine market is predicted to increase by 10 percent annually until 2030, while organic beer and spirits are also gaining popularity. 

Take, for example, the trailblazing Frey Vineyards in California. Producing organic and sulfite-free wines since the 1980s, it was the first organic and biodynamic vineyard in the U.S. Both organic and biodynamic refer to wines produced without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. However, biodynamic wines can contain more added sulfites, a preservative, than their USDA-certified counterparts.

But that’s just the tip of the vineyard. Wine Country Getaways maintains a list of California organic vineyards, and Demeter, a certification organization, has a list of global biodynamic wineries. 

On the lager and ale side of things, the availability of organic ingredients, particularly barley, can be a roadblock for brewers. Nonetheless, organic breweries are on the rise. Wisconsin’s Lakefront Brewery was the first certified organic brewery in 1996, but it’s in good company now. Peak Brewery in Maine has brewed up organic sour ales, IPAs and pilsners since 2007, along with hard seltzers and teas. Leashless Brewery, found along the Southern California coast, aims to promote an organic lifestyle through beer. Its sustainable creations include Belgian-style beers, IPAs and seltzers. 

Across the pond, the centuries-old Pinkus Muller has brewed organic German beer since the early 1990s, while the Belgian brewery Brunehaut uses locally sourced, organic barley and produces 70 percent of its electricity with solar panels. And there are many more. Untapped provides a list of organic breweries and beers, and Craft Beer and Brewing also reviews organic beers.

Last but not least, spirits have also jumped on the organic bandwagon. For example, Square One Organic Spirits in Virginia makes organic vodka, mixers and ready-to-drink cocktails, while the Midwestern Prairie Organic Spirits and Hawaiian Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery produce a variety of organic spirits from rum, vodka and gin. You can even find organic amaro, liqueurs and bitters at Greenbar Distillery in Los Angeles, California. And the Mexican company 123 Tequila offers organic tequila in recycled bottles.

Upcycling food waste for booze

Organic food and drink are great — if we actually consume it. Globally, we waste about one-third of our food each year, emitting 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases and squandering valuable water, land and money. But one man’s garbage is another man’s malt. Some resourceful companies are tapping into this waste stream for their drinks. 

At British Toast Brewing, liquid bread takes on a whole new meaning. It replaces 25 percent of its malted barley with surplus bread to make its brews. By the company’s estimate, it’s saved enough slices of bread, when stacked together, to reach Mount Everest four times over. The company also donates all its profits to charity and its spent grain to farmers for animal feed. 

Similarly, Crumbs Brewing captures unsold bread to create offerings like Naan Lager and Sourdough Pale Ale. Found in southern England, the company even crafts a Rye Coffee Porter with leftover rye bread and used coffee grounds.

While bread lends itself to beer, there’s no reason it can’t work for liquor, too. The California-based Misadventure Vodka uses unsold baked goods like bread, pastries, and croissants to make spirits with a sweet, cupcake flavor. It also donates leftover waste to a compost facility. Similarly in Australia, Hang 10 Distillery makes vodka and gin from unsold bread. Driven to protect the oceans and fight climate change, it only uses renewable energy in its facility and strives to be plastic-free. 

Bread isn’t the only food we waste, though. Inspired by the Mongolian tradition of making spirits from fermented milk, Black Cow Vodka uses whey to produce its tipple. The surplus whey created during cheese production is often discarded, even though it can be used for fertilizer or other products. One of the British co-founders rescues this overlooked vodka starter from his own dairy farm.

Reinventing packaging

Go ahead and judge that bourbon by its covering. Packaging matters since much of the carbon footprint of spirits and wine stems from their glass bottles and shipping. Glass has a hefty carbon footprint due to its high manufacturing temperatures and shipping weight. While plastic is a lighter alternative to glass, it brings a whole host of problems from damaging ecosystems to threatening human health.

Glass is often favored for alcohol because it doesn’t affect the flavor. Therefore, some companies are sticking to a glass-forward approach by lowering the weight of wine bottles or using more environmentally friendly glass furnaces. For instance, Spottswoode Winery in Napa recently reduced the weight of its cabernet bottles by 30 percent, cutting out 25 metric tons of carbon from its emissions. 

Still, in search of greener packaging, some spirit companies are foregoing glass entirely. For example, the Swedish company Absolut Vodka recently released a paper bottle in limited U.K. markets. Eight times lighter than a glass bottle, this recyclable packaging is part of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Stateside, the Floridian Distillery 98 also uses recycled paperboard bottles. With a carbon footprint six times smaller than a glass bottle, these bottles also break down much faster than glass or plastic if discarded. 

Even breweries are giving fiber-based bottles a go. Carlsberg Group is piloting a recyclable, paper bottle made from sustainably sourced wood fibers. 

Not one to be left out on the new bottle craze, wineries are also experimenting with alternative packaging. They’ve introduced aluminum bottles and cans, though these aren’t meant for aging wine. 

Eco-friendly spirits are just getting started

Fortunately, these actions are just the first sip of sustainable practices happening in the alcoholic beverage industry. Companies are tackling glass recycling, restoring seagrass meadows, making carbon-neutral drinks and more.  

With consumers increasingly demanding sustainable food, green breweries, wineries and distilleries are positioned for success. So grab a glass of Pinot Noir rosé, a tropical IPA or a watermelon basil mojito. If it’s also good for the planet, that sounds like a win-win to me.

This story on mobile apps that reduce food waste is part of The Solutions Effect, a monthly newsletter covering the best of solutions journalism in the sustainability and social impact space. If you aren't already getting this newsletter, you can sign up here.

Households, retailers and food service businesses waste more than a billion tons of food each year, according to the most recent data from the United Nations Environment Program. Put in perspective, that’s roughly the weight of 5 million blue whales, the largest animals on Earth. 

At the same time, over a third of humanity faces food insecurity, and 783 million people are hungry, according to the report. The amount of food wasted in households alone is enough to provide everyone impacted by hunger with a meal every day for a year. 

On top of that, food loss and waste are responsible for 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the amount of land used for agriculture is causing biodiversity loss. 

Of the 1 billion tons of food waste documented by the U.N., 40 percent (or 2 million blue whales) came from the food services and retail industries. 

Taking cues from the success of food delivery services and online marketplaces, entrepreneurs are designing mobile apps to address this part of the problem. These forward-thinking founders want food waste reduction to be as easy as ordering takeout or curbside grocery pickup. With the buzz they’re generating, these apps have potential to become household names, vying to be the answer to: “What should we do for dinner?” 

Pick up surplus food surprise bags 

Too Good To Go made a name for itself in 2016 by offering surprise bags of surplus food from local restaurants and businesses at a discounted price. The social impact company started in Denmark, quickly expanded to several other European countries, and now operates in 17 countries across Europe and North America. Its 90 million registered users and 155,000 active partner businesses make it the world's largest marketplace for surplus food. 

Using the company’s platform, businesses list good food that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the day for half price or less. On the app, buyers decide whether they want to purchase and pick up the food based on only the name of the business and the price. While scrolling through the options available near them, users will see bags from local small businesses as well as chain stores like Aldi and 7-Eleven. In some countries, the app also offers surplus food deliveries via mail directly from manufacturers and producers. 

Over 300 million meals were saved through Too Good To Go since 2016. Each meal is equivalent to 2.2 pounds of food — the weight of 1,650 blue whales total — and avoids nearly six pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 30 square feet of annual land use, and 214 gallons of water, according to the company’s annual impact report. And it’s just getting started. The app sees exponential growth every year, increasing the meals saved by 59 percent from 2021 to 2022 and 46 percent from 2022 to 2023. 

Reduce your grocery bill while keeping food out of the landfill 

Calling itself “the app for grocery’s best kept deals,” Flashfood focuses on closing the retail food waste loop while providing families with affordable, fresh food. Grocers list good food that can no longer be sold, like produce, meats and breads, on the Flashfood app for up to 50 percent off. Shoppers browse what’s available at stores near them and place an order for pickup as they would with any online grocery order. 

Currently operating in the U.S. and Canada, almost 3 million users shop on Flashfood. In 2022, the company kept over 28 million pounds of food out of landfills — roughly the weight of 70 blue whales — and shoppers saved over $56 million. 

Deliver fresh food to those who need it most 

Launched by the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit 412 Food Rescue in 2016, Food Rescue Hero is a technology platform that coordinates the delivery of surplus food to hunger relief organizations in more than 37 North American communities. The platform alerts volunteer drivers about food donations ready to be picked up from businesses like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. Then, it tells them where to drop it off, similar to how a rideshare driver is directed to pick up and drop off passengers. 

Thanks to 51,000 volunteers, the organization has redirected more than 160 million pounds of food — a weight equal to 400 blue whales — to those who need it most. As a result, 92 percent of the recipients say the program helps them make ends meet, and 86 percent say it increases their access to healthier food, according to the organization. Redirecting the food also prevented 290 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. 

The bottom line

Food waste rescue apps still have a long way to go when it comes to accessibility. They often don’t include options for filtering out allergens, for example, and most are only available in large European and North American cities, though I was able to use Flashfood in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula. 

The U.N. Environment Program actually recommends focusing food waste reduction efforts in cities to have the greatest impact, as rural areas generally waste less food. 

While the food saved by these apps only makes a dent in the mountain of waste generated, no single effort can address a problem this large alone. Adding together the impact of many smaller initiatives can turn dents into craters. 

Have you used an app designed to reduce food waste? Let us know what your experience was like here. 

Navjot Sawhney, an aerospace engineer by training, was working as a volunteer in southern India for Engineers Without Borders when he saw something that altered the arc of his life — and has now changed the lives of thousands of families.

Sawhney noticed how much time and effort a neighbor he befriended spent washing clothes for her family. What he saw was a local manifestation of a global condition: 60 percent of the world’s population relies on washing clothes by hand in local water sources or with buckets of water. An estimated 70 percent of households worldwide rely on women and girls of all ages to collect water and do the laundry. These families spend as much as 20 hours a week handwashing laundry, directly limiting the ability of women and girls to work and go to school.

Sawhney saw this problem as an opportunity for action. He designed a hand-cranked washing machine, named “The Divya” after his hard-working neighbor. Then, he founded a grassroots social enterprise, The Washing Machine Project, to produce and distribute it to people in low-income and displaced communities.

The machine only needs to be hand cranked a few times to start a 30-minute wash cycle, which saves up to 75 percent of the time it would typically take to wash a load of laundry by hand, according to the enterprise.

“I was born and brought up in a female-led household with two older sisters,” Sawhney told TriplePundit. “So I know how hard it is sometimes for women to navigate society, and I know that when women thrive, the world thrives. Those are the reasons why I’m so passionate about this mission and vision, and I’m really excited to see how we’ve created impact.”

Since its founding in 2019, The Washing Machine Project conducted research in 13 countries and interviewed more than 3,000 families across 10 countries to learn how they wash their clothes. The project has impacted nearly 30,000 people by distributing Divya washing machines to families and communities in India, Iraq, Lebanon, the United States, Mexico and Uganda.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to washing,” Sawhney said. “How people wash clothes in a certain region compared to another region is totally different.”

The factors at play in these communities include the size of the family and where they get the water from, such as whether it’s from a source outside the home, he said. 

“Those are some of the challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis,” Sawhney said. Then, once you get through all of the challenges, how do you scale this up? How do you make a good quality product a hundred thousand times over and make sure it’s repeatable and scalable, and finally, make sure that it gets to the end consumer in the most efficient way possible?”

The Washing Machine Project’s ability to scale its efforts was significantly enhanced through a new collaboration with the Whirlpool Foundation to deliver thousands of Divya washing machines to communities and households across the world over the next five years. The work is expected to impact 150,000 people. 

“We greatly admire the mission and work of The Washing Machine Project and see an opportunity to help impact more lives collectively than either of us could individually,” Pam Klyn, Whirlpool Corporation executive vice president of corporate relations and sustainability, said in a statement. “Whirlpool Corporation employees are lending their time and talents to help make this long-term vision a reality, recognizing that this initiative goes beyond washing clothes. It is about reclaiming time and improving lives for these individuals who will now spend much less time doing laundry which opens the door to new opportunities.”

The partnership is set to provide machines to underserved populations in rural and urban areas across India, Mexico, Brazil, the Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda. The effort will be customized to the unique cultural, economic, and environmental conditions of each region to ensure it is effective and relevant.

“The Whirlpool Corporation has been making washing machines for more than a century. They invented the first [automatic] washing machine, they are the experts, and they’re amazing at what they do — which is create products and distribute them at scale,” Sawhney said. “The Washing Machine project has been around for five or six years now, and we have been distributing our machines in refugee camps, schools, and orphanages in low-income areas around the world. We do that really well.”

This story is part of Entertainment Month in TriplePundit's Sustainable Living Challenge, where we unpack simple ways to save money and reduce environmental impact in the ways we have fun. Learn more and take the challenge here.

Every year or two, news headlines and online memes start to circulate warning that our video streaming binges create significant greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. 

These claims have largely been debunked. Yes, streaming Netflix — or using the internet for anything — is associated with energy use on your device and at the data centers that power the internet. This energy use translates to carbon emissions, but the impact is much less than what's often reported. Streaming 45 minutes of video is roughly equivalent to driving a gas-powered car for four miles, according to analyses from the International Energy Agency and PolitiFact. 

When it comes to how our gadget use impacts the environment, streaming is far down the list of things to worry about, but you may want to consider the following sustainable gadget habits if you're looking to cut your impact down to size. 

Keep your devices longer 

Generally speaking, far more environmental impact is created by manufacturing our devices — and sourcing the materials needed to produce them — than we'll create by switching them on and going about our daily tasks. Apple, for example, discloses the lifecycle carbon footprint for all of its devices, and the lion's share is attributed to production. 

That means keeping your electronics longer is good for the planet, not to mention your wallet. Extending the life of your devices also reduces unnecessary electronic waste, the processing of which poses serious human rights concerns around the world. 

Using protective phone, laptop and tablet cases can reduce the risk of accidents, while deleting old files and unused apps can free up memory and keep your devices running faster. And make sure to turn them off: Keeping your devices on or in sleep mode for weeks without powering them down shortens their lifespan. 

A few simple shifts can also help to extend battery life, one of the top reasons for trading in old devices. To make batteries last longer, avoid letting your battery discharge below 20 percent, and unplug it when it reaches about 80 percent if you can, scientists who study lithium-ion batteries told the Washington Post. Don't stress about charging your devices overnight, but avoid leaving them plugged in all day. And as sad as we are to say it, fast charging also stresses your batteries, so save it for cases when you're in a hurry and opt for a standard charger for daily use. 

If you find yourself reaching for a charger multiple times a day, you can often make a device last years longer by simply replacing the battery. If you're bold enough to do it yourself, iFixIt has a vast library of repair guides and replacement parts. Computer repair shops and retailers like Best Buy and Apple will also replace batteries for you, or fix other common issues like a cracked screen. 

Make simple shifts to save energy

Most of the energy use associated with scrolling social media, streaming audio and video, and browsing the web actually comes from your device. "For example, a 50-inch LED television consumes much more electricity than a smartphone (100 times) or laptop (five times)," according to the International Energy Agency's analysis.

When shopping for electronics, look for certifications that indicate the device is energy efficient, such as the Energy Star seal in the U.S., the European Union Energy Labels in Europe, or these other global eco-labels.

You can also save money and energy by cutting off what's called "vampire energy," or the energy large devices use to remain in standby mode even when switched off. This may seem insignificant, but an estimated 10 percent of electricity use in U.S. households can be attributed to vampire energy, at a cost of up to $200 annually. Simply put larger electronics such as televisions, sound systems and desktop computers on a power strip, and flip it off when they aren't in use. 

Purchase secondhand devices when you can 

Secondhand is a solid option when you see little meaningful difference between older models and the new ones on the shelf. A waterproof bluetooth speaker for lounging poolside, a starter gaming console for kids, or a keyboard for your ergonomic office setup are just a few examples of cases when you can save money and environmental impact by choosing secondhand.

Your local thrift store is a good place to start, but warranty options may be unavailable and you'll need to confirm the device is in working order. Refurbished electronics can offer a greater degree of assurance. Though it's different for each retailer, "refurbished" generally means the device was inspected and repaired if necessary. Some retailers, including Apple, Bose, Microsoft and Samsung, even provide a one-year warranty for refurbished electronics. Check out this roundup from Engadget to find brands and retailers that sell refurbished tech.  

Clean up your cloud space 

When you back up your photos or archive your emails, that data has to be stored somewhere. Global energy use associated with the data centers that power cloud storage is estimated at around 0.30 percent of global carbon emissions. While it's not monumental in the grand scheme of things, it's way more than the energy required to store data on an external hard drive. 

Reduce your contribution to cloud clutter and unnecessary carbon emissions by turning off cloud backups that you don't need and keeping an eye on your cloud folders. Removing 30 versions of the same selfie will be much easier once a week or once a month than it will be if you wait two years and have to deal with thousands of photos. Transferring documents, photos and videos you know you want to keep from your cloud folder to an external hard drive, if you have one, will also reduce emissions and save you money on extra cloud storage space. 

Similarly, when it comes to emails, avoid hitting the "archive" button absent-mindedly. If you think you'll need it later, go ahead and archive, but "delete" should be your default for things you'll never read again. 

Tell companies you care about sustainability for devices and data centers 

Ideally, you'd never have to think about any of this, because data centers would be powered by renewable energy and devices would be manufactured to high environmental and human welfare standards. Although tech companies are making improvements, this is far from the case today.

Companies generally take an issue more seriously if they know it's something their customers pay attention to and care about. Make your voice heard by reaching out to the tech companies you do business with — and large data center operators — on social media or through the contact forms on their websites. Let them know you seek out energy-efficient devices and care about data centers improving their energy use and switching to renewable energy.

It may seem trivial, but it's really the most influential item on this list. If big companies hear the urge from their customers to make more changes, the footprint of our favorite gadgets could shrink on a massive scale. 

How do you reduce the environmental impact of your devices? Tell us about it at editorial@3blmedia.com. 

Homepage image: Mollie Sivaram/Unsplash

"Climate risk is investment risk," BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote in his 2020 letter to executives. The definitive statement from the head of the world's largest asset manager widely signaled the mainstream adoption of climate risk as a metric in investment decision-making. Tanay Tatum-Edwards, CEO and founder of the data provider FreeCap Financial, wants to do the same with prison risk. 

The movement to mainstream prison risk as a financial metric moved one step further with a newly launched "decarceration index" that's proven to deliver above-market financial returns.  

What is prison risk anyway, and why should investors care? 

In a March edition of Brands Taking Stands, we took a deep dive into FreeCap Financial's 2023 Criminal Justice Report, which ranks the largest U.S. companies based on their vending contracts with prisons, use of prison labor and fair chance hiring policies for people with criminal justice histories. 

Though most don't realize it, profiting from the U.S. prison system goes far beyond private prison operators. Companies across every industry in the Russell 3,000 Index made more than $8.6 billion from state and federal prison contracts between 2019 and 2022, according to FreeCap Financial. Less than a fifth of the S&P 100 Index, which includes the largest U.S. companies, ban the use of prison labor. 

Being publicly linked to prison labor and prison profiteering has proven to be toxic to companies' reputations, with some being linked to prison labor in the media decades after banning it. 

Further, as the United States faces labor shortages across industries, refusing to hire the estimated 1 in 3 American adults with justice involvement that would appear on a background check could easily leave companies short-staffed and falling behind in the race for talent. 

All of this adds up to material financial risk for companies and their investors. "There's these trends showing that companies who engage in fair chance hiring are going to remain competitive, and folks who are profiting off of prison are engaging in reputational risk," Tatum-Edwards said. "If you are looking at those trends, companies whose business models are fixed around and rely upon profiting off of prisons are going to have trouble as incarceration decreases." 

FreeCap Financial's Prison Vending Relationship Dataset and S&P 500 rankings for prison labor and fair chance hiring give asset managers the tools to reduce their exposure to prison risk and drive more values-based investment. 

The newly launched FreeCap Financial BITA Decarceration Index, developed with the investment index technology firm BITA, translates this research into an investable product — and the results are promising. 

The Decarceration Index helps investors reduce prison risk while delivering strong returns 

Tatum-Edwards sees the movement to mainstream prison risk and fair chance hiring as financial metrics being similar to the early days of gender-lens investing when researchers began building indexes that screened out companies with all-male boards of directors. 

"All these companies went from all males to having three women on the board of directors so they weren't negatively screened," she explained. "It was very quick to happen because it became something that was explicitly excluding capital. Now every big bank has their version of a gender index." 

The new decarceration index, also called the FREE Index, includes companies in the S&P 500 that deliver top performance on both prison risk mitigation and fair chance hiring.

"Measuring prison labor and vending contracts can't be successful in isolation without fair chance hiring," Tatum-Edwards said. "But we didn't want companies who engage in hiring but profit from prisons to make the list. You have to be actively involved in decarceration at both ends."

The Index includes 50 of the largest U.S. companies, including Apple, Google parent company Alphabet, chip maker Nvidia and financial giant JPMorgan Chase. 

"From an economic perspective, we believe that companies who are using fair chance hiring as a way to address labor shortages in their supply chain are going to have the biggest financial benefit from it," Tatum-Edwards said. "What excites me about the research is that our initial backtesting shows it is profitable. Isolating that variable out is actually profitable. I didn't know that was going to be the case going into it. But now that we do, it makes it a real opportunity to be ambitious with our product development … because it’s good for business."

Based on backtesting, which tracks the portfolio companies' historical performance, the Index has potential to deliver above-market returns. "We only have three years of backtesting, but for the last two years, our investment thesis beats the iShares S&P 500 index," Tatum-Edwards said. 

Asset mangers can license the Index to create their own financial products or use it as a screen in their portfolios. "This index is basically a ready-made list of equities that a fund manager can replicate to create their own product," Tatum-Edwards said. "It succinctly communicates the value proposition and why it's important."

By turning ranks and scorecards into an investable product, FreeCap is able to demonstrate that screening out companies exposed to prison risk, while screening in companies leading the pack on fair chance hiring, can actually be profitable.

In doing so, the Index provides a key signal to investors that these factors influence their returns. "Then what you're able to do is make prison risk a material financial metric, which gets incorporated into the way everything is measured," Tatum-Edwards explained. "Even if you're not completely screening, it impacts how a company is valued and how capital is allocated."

While the Index is limited to asset managers and researchers at present, FreeCap Financial is working to turn it into a retail investment fund — which would make it available to everyday investors and allow companies to include it as an option in their 401(k) plans. 

It's likely to receive a warm reception, as 80 percent of retail investors think it's important to consider how their portfolios impact economic inequality, according to recent research from GlobeScan and InfluenceMap. 

"Customers drive demand for products," Tatum-Edwards said. "That is one of the main reasons why our team is so committed to creating a retail product, because [nearly 1 in 2 Americans] have a family member who's impacted by incarceration. It's a uniquely American problem, and I think we all want to figure out how to leverage the resources we have at our disposal to impact it."

The retail version of the FREE Index is expected in early 2025, and TriplePundit will have all of the details. Subscribe to our weekly Brands Taking Stands newsletter to stay up-to-date. 

Some leading brands are scaling back their Pride Month activities this year in the wake of last year’s attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Nevertheless, new demographic data provides more evidence that corporate diversity and inclusion outreach is a sound business practice to highlight and celebrate, not hide away as if the U.S. workforce is a demographic monolith.

The limited success of the 2023 LGBTQ+ boycotts

The months leading up to Pride Month last year were marked by a furious spate of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and social media boycotts by right-wing media and right-wing activists. Directed at the leading retailer Target and the Bud Light brand of the beverage maker Anheuser-Busch, the outpouring of hate included several instances of physical harassment at Target stores.

In the wake of those attacks, Ad Age and other news organizations report that brands are taking a quieter, more cautious approach to LGBTQ+ outreach this year.

However, neither Target nor Bud Light completely dropped their commitments to Pride Month. On May 9, Target indicated that fewer stores will carry Pride-themed merchandise this year, but the company will continue participating in Pride Month activities.

On its part, Anheuser Busch,a branch of the global firm AB InBev, adopted a traditional sports-oriented advertising campaign this year. Still, Bud Light is the featured presenter of the high-profile 2024 Pride Fest in Chicago.

A strong majority of overall businesses also express a continuing commitment to Pride Month. PR Daily and other media cite a recent survey by the firm Gravity Research, showing that only 9 percent of companies surveyed were “definitely planning changes” in response to last year’s backlash. Another 30 percent were “unsure” as of the survey date, and 78 percent were “not planning changes.”

The demographic case for Pride Month

Among other factors, the commitment to Pride Month reflects the premium leading corporations place on workforce diversity in the context of fact-based demographic trends.

The polling firm Gallup, for example, has surveyed LGBTQ+ identification since 2012. On March 12, Gallup released the results of a 2023 telephone survey that found 7.6 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and older place themselves in non-heterosexual categories.

“The current figure is up from 5.6 percent four years ago and 3.5 percent in 2012,” according to Gallup. 

That aggregated figure of 7.6 percent masks a much more significant trend for employers seeking to recruit the next young generation of top talent.

“Overall, each younger generation is about twice as likely as the generation that preceded it to identify as LGBTQ+,” Gallup reported. More than 20 percent of Gen Z adults, up to age 26, identified as LGBTQ+ in the 2023 survey.

The impact of employee resource groups

The Gallup poll also complements the findings of another Gravity Research survey, which explores the growing influence of employee resource groups (ERGs).

On March 27, Gravity Research presented several key survey-based insights into new developments in the ERG area, as related to corporate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts.

“ERGs are also taking on a more strategic role in shaping how corporations engage with societal issues,” observed Kendall Seketa, a Gravity Research writer.

In addition to providing a “pulse-check on internal messaging,” Seketa advises that ERGs can provide important input on external communications. Business leaders should reach out to ERGs and get feedback “before rolling out new initiatives to a wider, global audience,” Seketa writes.

Pride Month and the insurrection connection

Holding a strong line on Pride Month is not only a matter of supporting equal human and civil rights for minority groups. LGBTQ+ rights have become the front line in an increasingly fraught battle for American democracy as we know it today.

That may seem over the top, but signs of a second insurrection are growing. The forces at work in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress have regathered in the halls of state legislatures, and they have been busy.

Earlier this year, for example, the influential right-wing organization the Heritage Foundation produced a 925-page book titled “Mandate for Leadership,” which details how the Trump administration would implement the organization’s “Project 2025” plan for establishing permanent authoritarian rule in the U.S.

“Now Trump and his allies have another opportunity to establish a 'unified Reich,' as mapped out by a Heritage Foundation book," TriplePundit reported last week, noting the potential impact on ESG investing.

Leveraging hate to recruit anti-democratic activists

Project 2025 is not just a paper-and-pen exercise, as the insurrectionists leverage anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment to swell their numbers for the next attempt.

The months following January 6, 2021, saw a sudden surge in anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures, a trend that continued into 2022. With the support of elected officials behind them, it was no surprise to find anti-LGBTQ+ activists emboldened to violence during the run-up to Pride Month 2022.

“Pride Month has now become a proving ground and recruiting tool” for the next insurrection, TriplePundit reported in June of 2022.

Separately, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have also drawn attention to anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric attributed to the ISIS terrorist organization, among others.

“Foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month,” the agencies warned in a joint announcement on May 10.

The U.S. Department of State also issued a worldwide travel advisory that business leaders should take to heart in the U.S., as well.

“The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the department warned.

Communication is the key

In this atmosphere of heightened risk, it is all the more essential for employers to keep the lines of communication open throughout their workforce.

“Creating a culture of open dialogue while also managing employee expectations for engagement will be critical in 2024 amidst a potentially divisive election and a desire amongst corporations to remain apolitical while also supporting their workforce and enforcing their corporate values,” Seketa, of Gravity Research, writes.

That reminder about the value of open dialog is helpful, but the “remain apolitical” guidance has become increasingly irrelevant. Beyond the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ extremists on their employees, customers, and clients, business leaders who ignore the political implications of LGBTQ+ hatred will do so at their own peril.

An oft-cited statistic claims that only 15 percent of autistic adults in the U.S. are employed full time. But there are caveats that could very well be affecting the data, such as high levels of missed and misdiagnoses among people assigned female at birth and people of color. And the 85 percent unemployment rate only applies to those who are college educated. In fact, a 2017 study showed much higher rates of employment — nearly half of autistic adults reported working.

Unemployment isn’t the only issue either. Autistic workers also face underemployment, with many who are college-educated working minimum-wage jobs, often part time. Likewise, workers with ADHD face high rates of unemployment and termination, as well as lower annual earnings. Unemployment and underemployment are elevated across the neurodivergent spectrum. 

Yet neurodivergent workers often outperform their neurotypical peers when they’re properly matched to jobs that make the most of their talents and are empowered through the right accommodations and management style. A neurodivergent recruitment program run by JPMorgan Chase reported perfect accuracy among new hires in specific tech roles and up to 140 percent higher productivity than more experienced workers.

How Auticon is making a difference 

TriplePundit spoke with Vance Checketts, the CEO of the consulting company Auticon, about how to create an environment where neurodivergent workers can realize their potential and feel fulfilled in their employment. Auticon is the largest autistic-majority employer worldwide, exclusively employing autistic adults as tech consultants for businesses like Nationwide and Health Catalyst. It also offers consulting services to companies that want to expand their neurodivergent workforce.

“Eighty percent of these people were on the sidelines, working in jobs that were far below their abilities, or not working at all because they didn't have the support they needed,” Checketts said of neurodivergent employees who found their niche with employers that actively pursue inclusivity and accommodation. “Not only are you having social impact providing jobs for people, but you're providing jobs to people that didn't have the same type of job before. And they are so committed, and so excited, and so loyal, assuming that they have the support that they need. So we get tremendous satisfaction and employee satisfaction.”

For Auticon’s neurodiverse team specifically, 84 percent reported loving their jobs and 78 percent credit their employment with enhancing their overall well-being, he said. That’s a huge win for a population that was sidelined for far too long. The numbers beat U.S. averages, in which only 51 percent of workers say they are highly satisfied in their jobs.

Creating a neuroinclusive workplace

“One of the biggest challenges happens when people just think about recruiting, and they don't think about what happens after recruiting,” Checketts said. “It’s putting the cart before the horse to say, ‘We're going to come up with a neuroinclusive recruiting process,’ if you don’t have a neuroinclusive environment for those people to go into. You will lose them at a high, high rate.”

He encourages companies to focus on making the workplace neuroinclusive first. The most impactful and efficient way to do so is through job coaches, he said. Coaches work with the employee and their manager to ensure that the proper supports are in place for that particular worker’s needs. 

“The supervisor or manager can be a really important resource for the autistic individual,” he said, adding that rigor and flexibility are integral to managing a neurodiverse workforce. “Rigor in terms of just being clear ...  but flexible enough to know that if you need to switch off your camera, that's okay … [If] you need to request to reschedule that's okay.” 

Common accommodations for autistic and neurodiverse employees generally include schedule versatility, the flexibility to not be expected in the office every day, communicating changes in advance, providing communications in a variety of mediums, and allowing for sensory accommodations in office and in online meetings — such as having the camera off, Checketts said. Autistic team members are highly committed and perform rigorous work, so it’s important to understand that changes can derail some people, he said. They need to be given the time to get back on track, but they will also make up for it and return dedicated to getting the work done. Auticon also offers a free employer guide on creating a neuroinclusive work environment.

“All you have to do is ask,” Checketts said. “And you don't have to ask someone, ‘Are you autistic?’ You just have to say ‘How can I better support you? How can we play to the strengths that are going to get the most out of your brain?’ We're not asking anyone to disclose. We're just asking them how we can better support them.”

Improving corporate outcomes

Creating a neuroinclusive environment doesn’t just benefit neurodivergent workers, it impacts the entire workplace. Seventy-three percent of Auticon clients reported an improvement in their team’s culture, Checketts said. Clearer communication, increased empathy and stronger teamwork were all evident. Improved retention, lower rates of attrition, and increased productivity were also mentioned as benefits for employers.

Part of this is because the benefits of implementing neuroinclusive policies aren’t exclusive to the new workers, 20 percent of existing employees report that they benefit from the same accommodations. When it comes to tech, that number goes up to between 25 and 30 percent. 

“Twenty percent of existing teams are neurodivergent,” Checketts said. “Companies who ignore neurodiversity or neurodivergence are ignoring 20 percent of their workforce. And that 20 percent then becomes vulnerable to attrition, to high turnover and a lack of productivity.”

Neuroinclusive policies can also help businesses meet their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals. By focusing on neurodiversity and neurodivergence companies are going to end up recruiting people of every race, nationality, sexuality, and gender expression without the risk of the backlash that has plagued the programs as of late, Checketts said. Neurodiversity is safe from backlash because everyone has a brain, some people’s brains just work differently than others, he said. 

Non-inclusive companies face missed opportunities

“We don’t want anyone to think, ‘Oh poor autistic people, we need to give them a job,’” Checketts said. “No. These are amazing autistic people whose abilities are totally on par and, in some cases, maybe spike above existing teams.” 

By ignoring neuroinclusivity and failing to create an environment conducive to a variety of neuro-types, businesses risk missing out on a pool of talent with a lot to offer. From pattern recognition to the ability to hyperfocus and an altogether different way of seeing problems and solutions, neurodivergent workers are a valuable asset. By making an effort to include them, businesses can fill gaps they might not even be aware of. 

Being the largest autistic-majority employer is bittersweet for Auticon, Checketts said. While he’s proud of the company’s business model, it is a comparatively small company to hold such an honor with just 600 employees. He would rather see a much larger employer take over the title. 

“We're growing, and we're going to work to [increase our autistic workforce],” he said. “But … we don't want to be the largest autistic-majority company in the world. We want the largest companies in the world to be the largest autistic-majority companies because they are destinations for neurodivergent talent.”

The United States dominated the global solar industry in the years following the space race of the 1950s, only to lose ground to overseas competitors by the end of the 20th century. Now the emerging field of agrivoltaics is presenting solar innovators in the U.S. with new opportunities to build their business, while also enabling farmers to take advantage of new clean energy systems that can co-exist with crops and livestock.

New solar technology is expanding opportunities for farmers

In the early 2000s, solar development on farmland typically meant taking the land out of production. With cost-cutting in mind, solar panels were placed just about a foot above the ground in large, tightly-spaced arrays, providing no opportunity for farming.

Agrivoltaics represents a more holistic approach to land use, in which solar panels are typically placed 10 to 16 feet high and spaced farther apart. Though the extra racking adds expense, that is counterbalanced by the farmer’s ability to continue farm operations within the solar array.

To date, much of the agrivoltaics development in the U.S. involves conventional silicon solar panels, with a focus on establishing pollinator habitats or grazing livestock.

More recently, new solar technologies are expanding the options for growing food crops, including greenhouse crops. One example in that area is a new type of film, developed by the manufacturing company 3M and the Swiss technology firm Voltairs, which can harvest energy while enabling sufficient light to get through the greenhouse walls for the crops to grow.

Bifacial technology is also emerging in agrivoltaics. In contrast to conventional solar panels, bifacial solar panels harvest energy from both sides. That means the panels can be placed vertically instead of tilted at an angle, saving considerable space within a field. Farmers can also deploy the vertical panels as fencing around a field, saving even more space.

In addition, bifacial panels provide a sheltering environment that can enhance crop growth, potentially creating new market opportunities for farmers. At the University of Vermont, for example, researchers are assessing the use of bifacial solar panels to support saffron as a high-value specialty crop for farmers in the Northeast. 

Bringing space solar back down to Earth

Bifacial solar panels deploy the same type of silicon solar cells used in conventional solar panels around the world. Another approach is represented by the U.S. firm Ascent Solar, which specializes in CIGS solar cell technology for space applications. Now the company aims to put that same technology to work on farms.

CIGS stands for the materials copper, indium, gallium, and selenide, which are combined in a thin film to create solar cells. Thin film solar cells are not as efficient at converting light into energy as silicon, but they are flexible and lightweight. They can be deployed over a wide range of use cases where silicon panels are too heavy and rigid.

TriplePundit spoke with Ascent Solar CEO Paul Warley for some insight on the opportunities to use the company’s CIGS technology in agrivoltaic projects. He explained that building up the efficiency of CIGS technology was the key development that allowed Ascent to pursue the agrivoltaics market.

“We went from 6 to 7 volts per panel to 14.5 volts per panel, and that gave us the groundwork to start looking at this,” he said.

Warley also described how the light weight and flexibility of CIGS film offers the opportunity to develop new agrivoltaic designs that expand the space available for farming.

“Our product … can be mounted on inexpensive metal like tin, which can be slightly rolled or curved,” Warley explained. The curvature enables the panel to harvest more sunlight at different times of the day.

Partly due to their lighter weight, CIGS solar panels can be raised 20 feet off the ground. The panels are also spaced 15 to 28 inches apart, to allow more room for sunlight to reach the crops below.

The CIGS array allows for 95 percent or more of the land under the solar panels to be used for growing crops, Warley said. In contrast, he notes that conventional agrivoltaics arrays leave just 40 to 50 percent of the land underneath with enough sunlight to grow crops efficiently.

Warley also estimates that Ascent’s technology can reduce the amount of water needed for irrigation by 15 to 20 percent. That is consistent with research findings, which show that the partial shade thrown by agrivoltaic arrays helps prevent moisture loss in soil.

Next steps for CIGS in agrivoltaics

Warley foresees demand for CIGS agrivoltaics arrays in water-thirsty agricultural operations like almond farms, where height is also an important element. A typical almond tree stands about 10 to 15 feet high, with a range of up to 20 feet.

For the present, Ascent Solar is focusing on an agrivoltaics grant application to the U.S. Department of Energy, to install its CIGS solar panels at a vineyard in California. The project will help the grower manage the high cost of both water and electricity in the state, Warley said. 

In addition to providing zero-emission electricity for the barn and other structures at the vineyard, the panels could also help create a microclimate to buffer the grape vines against the impacts of climate change.

Similar projects are already underway in other parts of the world. The European energy firm Iberdrola, for example, is assessing the use of conventional solar panels in a small agrivoltaic project at a vineyard in Spain. The European energy firms Enel Green Power and EDF Energy are also exploring the use of solar panels in European vineyards.

That trend has yet to gain momentum in the U.S., though some grape growers have installed conventional on-site solar arrays on rooftops and other non-growing areas.

If and when U.S. grape growers and other farmers are ready to explore agrivoltiacs, they may be able to take advantage of CIGS technology for interior facilities as well as cropland.

Last week, Ascent announced that it’s working with the University of Stuttgart to develop new prototype solar arrays for the school’s Institute for Building Energetics, Thermotechnology and Energy Storage, which focuses on sustainable engineering for living and working spaces.

Growing up in Honduras, I witnessed the power natural disasters can have on the planet and how life-changing it can be when people come together to fix broken communities left with nothing. 

When I was young, Category 5 hurricanes created economic and cultural devastation across Latin America. The international business community often responded with donations of supplies, food, and the arrival of technical teams to repair roads and infrastructure. Local companies of all sizes, even those that had suspended operations for a time, mobilized to assist their employees who had suffered. 

At that time, the term “corporate social responsibility” was not widely used, yet many companies made efforts to help their communities as part of their philanthropic practices. In the years following Hurricane Mitch in 1998, my role as a leader in sustainability led me to become actively involved in efforts to care for communities after natural disasters. HanesBrands (HBI), our global sustainability mission centers around impacting the lives of people, protecting the planet and manufacturing product thoughtfully, all of which make me feel proud to lead global teams who are making a difference.

Sustainability is woven into the fabric of HanesBrands’ iconic portfolio of brands including Hanes, Champion, Bonds, Playtex and Maidenform. Efforts across the brands and throughout the company have helped us to steadily march forward in our quest to achieve ambitious sustainability goals by 2025 and 2030 that encompass three pillars: People, Planet and Product. 

At HanesBrands, we have a goal to positively impact the lives of 10 million people by 2030. Our latest progress report shows that as of 2023, we’ve reached 3.4 million people through a variety of creative sustainability initiatives. 

In a world filled with challenges, it's heartening to see how an innovative idea can blossom into a life-changing initiative. HanesBrands’ Green for Good program is a testament to how a corporate sustainability goal can transform lives and make a positive impact on humanity. The program invests hundreds of thousands of dollars saved from recycling into community improvement projects. We’ve provided access to medical services, funded health clinics, and facilitated over 1,500 life-changing surgeries, demonstrating the direct impact of sustainability on communities where we live and work. Since its inception, Green for Good has also provided educational opportunities for at-risk children and sponsored schools across multiple countries. 


We partner in Honduras with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, WakeECHO Global Ophthalmology, and Hospital del Ojo Club de Leones Fraternidad in San Pedro Sula. Through collaborative efforts, we've been able to facilitate corneal transplants and cataract surgeries for patients in need, including some of our very own associates and their families. In a country where an organ bank is absent, these procedures are critical, and our partner specialized medical team has made a real difference in these patients' lives.

Through the Hanes for Good program, Hanes donated thousands of socks and shirts to people experiencing homelessness in partnership with Super Soul parties. The nonprofit initiative transforms the Big Game in the U.S. into a meaningful and inclusive experiences for those in need. 

In the U.S., Hanes partners with Delivering Good to assist with ongoing natural disasters recovery efforts. HanesBrands began working with Delivering Good over 10 years ago, and together, more than $45 million of products have been distributed to communities recovering from crises.

In Europe, Champion donates personalized apparel to hundreds of athletes, volunteers, and members of the Special Olympics. This contribution is part of an ongoing partnership with the Special Olympics to promote a world free from discrimination where everyone can be a champion.

On the environmental front, we've achieved a notable 50 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 alongside reductions in water use and packaging weight. We're aiming to achieve zero waste across our operations by 2025 and transition to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. 

Biomass-fired boiler technologies, geothermal electric power, and solar electric are all part of our owned energy management strategy as we march toward our 100 percent renewable electricity goal. These cost-effective renewable energy technologies are helping to power our sites. Our biomass operations save about 70,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year — that’s equivalent to taking 14,830 cars off the road or planting 1,138,060 trees. 

Our Dos Rios Textiles facility in the Dominican Republic pioneered an innovative biomass project, which consists of the use of wood chips from a sustainably managed energy crop to power steam boilers, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, lowering the plant’s carbon footprint, and increasing overall energy efficiency. Our Dos Rios plant is already powered by 100 percent renewable solar energy thanks to a Solar Power Purchase Agreement with a local solar park. It is the largest solar electric agreement to date for our company and will supply nearly 100 percent of the electrical needs for the facility for the next decade. 

In Thailand, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, efforts to enhance solar power have been underway for years. These projects are predicted to save $16 million over the next ten years and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

There can be a misconception that sustainability is expensive. We’ve seen that efforts to provide reliable clean power while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigating risk from fuel price volatility can actually save big money in the process. 

Our product-specific goals also reflect our commitment to sustainability, with initiatives such as using sustainably grown cotton and reducing single-use plastics and packaging weight. These efforts are not just about meeting targets; they're about reimagining how we create and deliver products that are mindful of their impact on the planet. 

In Surin, Thailand, we are making meaningful changes through our upcycle program. Associates work with local vendors to turn excess materials into products that are then sold by the local community. This project keeps 240 tons of waste out of landfills per year. We are always actively exploring ways to implement circular approaches into the heart of our clothing production. We kickstarted the use of circular economy practices years ago by partnering with yarn mills to manufacture reclaimed and recycled cotton. Cotton fiber that would have been thrown away as part of the manufacturing process can be re-spun into yarn that can then be used to create socks and similar products. 

Cotton is the most commonly used material in HanesBrands products, and we are well on our way to achieving 100 percent sustainably grown cotton by 2030. We are able to track cotton in a way that gives us visibility into our cotton sources which in turn helps us manage risks and sustainability practices from seed to shelf and beyond. Unlike most apparel companies, we can tell you where this cotton comes from down to the gin level. 

Beyond numbers and metrics, our sustainability journey is also about collective action. Our global associate campaign we kicked off last year, "I'M IN," has encouraged our associates to undertake 90,000 sustainable actions in their personal lives, from energy-saving practices like washing their clothes in cold water to volunteering in communities. This grassroots movement underscores our belief that every action, no matter how small, contributes to a larger positive impact on our planet and communities.

In 2021, we joined forces with Tide to spread the word that washing clothes in cold water is a simple way to combat carbon emissions. We know that Hanes products are in nine of out ten homes in the U.S. That’s a lot of laundry. Up to 90 percent of the energy a washing machine uses is from heating the water. The cumulative effect if all Americans switch to washing three out of four loads a week with cold water, can save enough electricity to power all of New York city and San Francisco for over a year (by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline). 

Our strategic investments in sustainability have yielded $23 million in savings since establishing ambitious goals in 2020. There is an ongoing effort in our global operations to identify cost-savings opportunities and innovative ways to drive sustainability progress. 

Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We've been consistently recognized with awards such as the Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award and Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We also achieved an A- score in the 2023 CDP Climate Change Report and 2023 CDP Water Security Report. These accolades affirm our global leadership in sustainability and inspire us to continue pushing boundaries.

We invite everyone to join us on this journey toward a more sustainable future by visiting hbisustains.com. Together, we can create lasting change that benefits not only the environment, but also the lives of millions around the world. 

This article series is sponsored by HanesBrands and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team. 

When prisons around the U.S. locked down in 2020 as COVID-19 spread rapidly within them, most journalists lost the access needed to report on the issue. But Rahsaan “New York” Thomas could report from the inside, as a then-incarcerated writer who had just tested positive for the virus.

“Instead of crying about COVID, I was like… ‘I got the scoop of the century. Let me write about it. Let me get my voice out here,’" he told TriplePundit. "And my writing career launched." 

His Business Insider story launched more than his writing career. Thomas’ account of San Quentin prison’s lockdown laid bare the administrative abuse and neglect that caused an outbreak that killed 27 people, infected hundreds, and left many suffering in brutal conditions — including solitary confinement under the guise of medical isolation. 

Thomas describes art as the ultimate icebreaker and a path to economic empowerment. That story earned him four figures at a time when he was making just $36 per month writing for the San Quentin News. That same year, he co-founded Empowerment Avenue. The organization pairs incarcerated writers and artists with volunteer editors, helping participants connect with outside publications and secure fair pay. 

“If you want to change the criminal justice system, you need to come proximal to it,” Thomas said, paraphrasing attorney Bryan Stevenson’s words during a visit to San Quentin several years ago. 

Publications focusing on prison reform and social justice, like The Marshall Project and Justice Arts Coalition, and programs like the PEN Prison Writing Contest, which publishes an annual anthology of work by writers who are incarcerated, help amplify incarcerated folks’ voices. But barriers to creative resources and connections, especially in mainstream media, remain high for creators in prison. They often work alone, with little to no professional resources and without the freedom of communication necessary to produce and find work. Organizations and publications are rarely aware of the support that incarcerated creators need, much less equipped to provide it. 

This is where Empowerment Avenue comes in. The program recruits incarcerated writers and artists for its Writing for Liberation and Visual Arts for Liberation cohorts — made up of about sixty people in total. They work one-on-one with editors and mentors from a volunteer network of editors, journalists and other media professionals. The program also offers funding for materials like paper and stamps, administrative help with writing exhibition proposals and facilitating communication, and practical guides for those involved both inside and outside the system. 

A renaissance at San Quentin

The program was piloted under the nonprofit Prison Renaissance, which Thomas and fellow creatives Emile DeWeaver and Juan Meza co-founded while at San Quentin. They were inspired by a growing number of artists and writers there who were getting their work published. “The fact that we were starting to get [our work] in outside magazines and outside publications made me feel like there was a renaissance happening at San Quentin,” Thomas said.

DeWeaver was publishing the most by far and worked with an editor throughout the writing and publishing process, Thomas said. “What if everybody had somebody like that on the outside?” He wondered. 

He met freelance journalist Emily Nonko, Empowerment Avenue’s co-founder and writing director, when she attended an annual breast cancer walk at San Quentin. The two bonded over shared interests in prison reform and media equity. Not long after, they asked an online freelance writing group, “Who wants to help incarcerated writers get their voices out?” Over 100 people volunteered, and Empowerment Avenue was born. 

How it works

The organization hinges on a database of volunteers who are matched with incarcerated writers and artists recruited for the program through their existing work, often in publications like the Marshall Project and the Prison Journalism Project. Empowerment Avenue takes stock of each cohort member’s needs, including how the prison works, how they can receive funds, and what restrictions they need to work around. “[We] let the artists tell us what their rules are,” Thomas said. 

Ryan Moser joined the first group of about 20 established creatives following the pilot cohort. Nonko contacted Moser after reading his essays in the Marshall Project and introduced him to solutions journalism, a style of reporting that focuses on responses to the world’s problems. Over email, the two shared article examples, writing exercises and questions. 

For an early article, Moser wrote about the August 2021 earthquake in Haiti, where many people in the Miami prison he was at were from. He interviewed fellow residents about their families and where they grew up, noting the sense of community his work built and how quickly he fell in love with journalism. “It encompassed a lot of things that I already believed in, like questioning authority, going after bullies, dealing in facts and not fiction,” he told 3p. 

Empowerment Avenue also helps editors and newsrooms support incarcerated artists and writers. The learning curve includes navigating heavily restrictive and slow prison communication systems, providing flexible deadlines and coordinating payment. 

“We always try to put ourselves out of business by teaching people — encouraging outside editors and publications to work directly with artists,” Thomas said. 

The organization’s practical guides address topics like maintaining creative output from inside prison and key points for editors working with incarcerated writers. An abolitionist guidebook written by Empowerment Avenue’s participants, volunteers, and staff and published in Scalawag Magazine, includes essays, step-by-step advice, and case studies about supporting incarcerated folks in the media. The detailed collection is a testament to their dedication and the resilience of artists in prison. 

Empowerment Avenue’s impact

Accessing creative opportunities and building professional relationships can help individuals prepare for release and build the necessary funds. After what he calls his first big story, Thomas published over 40 stories in under three years and returned home having earned $30,000. 

Moser published 27 articles in 12 months after joining Empowerment Avenue and earned $10,000. He is currently a fellow at the Educational Writers’ Association and the local newsroom Resolve Philly. He’s also a freelance reporter and media consultant. 

Empowerment Avenue writers earned over $110,000 from their writing between May 2020 and March 2023. Their articles and essays are published in dozens of literary journals, local newspapers, and major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. 

Participating visual artists exhibit and sell their work in galleries, online and in-person exhibits, and published work, including collaborations with incarcerated writers. “We lose track of the numbers of how much we help incarcerated people make because we help in relationships that become independent of us,” Thomas said. 

Incarcerated artists’ representation in the media benefits us all. Their work not only offers the insight we need to work toward decarceration but is also a potent expression of the creative impulse and its unstoppable generative force. 

Along with Thomas, other incarcerated writers broke stories and led discussions about public health and the carceral system. Following a PEN fellowship on COVID-19, Juan Haines published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle detailing a lawsuit that over 300 San Quentin residents, including Haines, filed asserting that the state’s actions violated Eighth Amendment protections. Days later, a Northern California judge tentatively ruled that state prison officials acted with deliberate indifference and caused the devastating outbreak at San Quentin. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court denied California prison officials immunity against a wave of related lawsuits. 

Thomas reflected on Stevenson’s statement about proximity and changing the justice system, “What's something that we can talk about? Art is that… [it’s] the ultimate way to build.”