Upper Mississippi River >

Audubon Minnesota is the headquarters for Audubon’s work on the Upper Mississippi River. Audubon strives to improve the function, ecological health, and viability of the Mississippi River System, measuring success through the status of selected declining and vulnerable bird species in key habitats: bottomland forests, coastal zones, emergent wetlands, and urban areas. Major program areas include:

Birds and Conservation:
Currently five Important Bird Areas in Minnesota are located on the Mississippi River: Itasca State Park, Twin Cities Mississippi River, Vermillion Bottoms, Lake Pepin, and the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge.

Education:
Audubon is developing educational programs and field trip opportunities along the Mississippi River with the Mississippi River Field Institute and local state chapters.

Public Policy:
Two great opportunities exist to restore and protect bird habitat on the Mississippi River in Minnesota: the Upper Mississippi River Environmental Management Program and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge. Take action to support annual appropriations for these programs.

Dominique Conseil

During April 2008, Aveda and its salons and spas will raise money for clean water as part of Aveda’s 2008 “Every Drop Matters” Campaign.

Audubon, with its Mississippi River Initiative and Important Bird Areas along the River, will be one of the fiscal recipients of this campaign. Audubon Minnesota recently sat down with Aveda Corporation President, Dominique Conseil, to learn about the Campaign and Aveda’s commitment to sustainability.

When did Aveda begin its Earth Partner program and how much money has it distributed to non-profit organizations since then?

Aveda’s Earth Month program has evolved from a day of awareness in 1990 into a month-long international effort to involve the Aveda network of salons, spas, Experience Centers and Institutes in fundraising for the Earth. From $300,000 raised in April 1999, the Aveda network has grown its fundraising effort to a $2.1 million total in April of last year. Over the past six years, more than $8 million have been raised for over 70 Earth Month Partner organizations.

Why is Aveda committed to this program?

Earth Month is Aveda’s signature program for the Earth and is one of many ways in which we live our mission. Aveda’s commitment to environmental sustainability has been a cornerstone of our culture and the Earth Month program helps us to bring that commitment to life. Each April, our entire network gives their time, energy and passion to raise awareness and funds for environmental causes – it’s a time of intense activity, a time of giving back and I am deeply grateful for the dedication and hard work on the part of our employees, salon/spa professionals, and our Earth Month partners.

Tell us a little about Aveda’s Earth and Community Care Department: How does it work, what does it do, and what are your plans for it in the future?

The Earth and Community Care Department grew out of our former Environmental Sustainability department. This evolution reflects our desire to include more stakeholders within our Corporate Social Responsibility agenda – to care not only for the natural environments that we depend upon, but also for the human communities that we touch through our business. Moving forward, we will increase outreach to key communities, from our supply chain to our salon network. We look forward to broadening the ways in which we care for the world we live in, and more clearly articulating the results of our actions in our CSR reporting.

Why was Audubon selected as an Earth Partner for 2008?

We are impressed by Audubon’s focus on habitat restoration and water quality improvement of the Mississippi River. Being headquartered in the Twin Cities, Aveda is keenly aware of the important role the Mississippi River plays in providing drinking water, habitat value and recreational opportunities to the surrounding community, and the Mississippi is an important part of the cultural and historic heritage of this country. Aveda’s Earth Month focus on Clean Water and Audubon’s commitment to the Mississippi River make it a natural connection.

What are the key goals that Aveda has for this year’s “Every Drop Matters” Campaign?

Aveda has a goal to raise $2.3 million for our Earth Month Partner programs aimed at protecting clean water. We are confident the Aveda network will be able to reach this ambitious fundraising goal and that the funds will help advance the diverse water programs of our dedicated partners. We also hope the Every Drop Matters campaign will help educate Aveda guests and the public about clean water issues and what they can do, both globally and locally, to protect clean water.

How did you become personally become interested in sustainability?

When I lived and worked in the booming economies of Southeast Asia, I became interested in how some countries generated economic development while respecting their natural environment, as others were sacrificing their ecosystems to short-term gains. I had my “enlightenment” on the Mekong River in 1992. I saw on one side of the river a semi-arid landscape with exposed soil, while the opposite bank was a lush, tropical forest. I wondered how a micro-climate like this could exist, and then realized that one side of the river had sacrificed everything to economic growth.

How long have you been president at Aveda? What changes have you seen that have made this company more sustainable?

I started with Aveda in August 2000, and since that time Aveda has made significant strides in our environmental leadership and corporate social responsibility. Aveda is an industry leader in ecologically responsible packaging, and we continually push our suppliers to innovate in this area, going from an average of 45% post-consumer recycled content in our packaging in 2002 to over 80% today. We have increased our support of organic agriculture significantly and are among the largest purchasers of organic essential oils and raw herbal ingredients in the personal care industry, moving from about 20% certified organic in 2000 to around 90% today. From 1996 to 2006 we halved our energy need through industrial energy conservation projects and investments, and we were the first beauty company to manufacture with 100% wind power in 2006, and are the largest purchaser of wind generated electricity in the state of Minnesota. In 2008, our Blaine manufacturing site also became carbon neutral through the purchase of 5500 tons of carbon emission offsets. We are also implementing a program to collect plastic caps, which currently do not have a recycling stream, to make new caps for Aveda products, thereby reducing plastic in oceans, rivers and landfills. While we are proud of these changes we’re not content — we’re constantly exploring ways we can reduce waste and minimize our impact on the earth.

What one action has Aveda taken to become more sustainable of which you are most proud?

When I joined Aveda in 2000, we started an overhaul of all company systems and processes to ensure alignment with our Mission. This was the only way to ensure Aveda would walk its talk in a consistent way, given its rapid growth rate and unique culture. In 2002 we created the “Mission Aligned Ingredient Review” to ensure we factored in our Mission at the earliest stage of product development. We empowered our sustainability team with a sign-off on all product development projects.

Is there a growing awareness in the beauty industry of the importance of sustainability and corporate responsibility? Can Aveda play a role in leading this change?

Clearly there is a growing awareness of the importance of sustainability – both within our own industry and around the world. Aveda is proud to have played a leading role in the environmental and social responsibility movement for the past thirty years. We were the first private company to adopt the Valdez Principles in 1989, which later became the CERES Principles, (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) a business network joined to advance the protection of the Earth’s biosphere.

We are also very proud to have been a founding member in the launch of OASIS in March 2008, the first US organic standard for the beauty and personal care industry. OASIS stands for Organic And Sustainable Industry Standards, and is a trade organization that represents the concerns and goals of companies that make sustainable and organic products for the health and beauty industry. It is the result of a decade of hard work on the part of a group of deeply committed people, including Aveda Senior Research Scientist, Tim Kapsner, to set standards and clarity in the organic and personal care products field. The wonderful thing about projects like OASIS is that they create a ripple — Aveda benefits, and so do other companies in our industry. We believe we can change the world by changing the way the world does business.

What gives you hope that industry will treat the planet with greater care in the future?

The growth of the Socially Responsible Investment movement and increasing consumer awareness make me confident that industry will improve its practices. In a free market economy, stakeholder and consumer demand will get industry and agriculture where they need to be.

Greater white-fronted goose © USFWS

What is your favorite bird?

The wild goose. It is still debated where geese get the energy needed to migrate over long distances: food intake alone cannot equal their energy consumption. Geese have a very advanced leadership model, whereby individuals in the flock assume leadership in turn, supported by the others. They display an exceptional social cohesion, while their collective interest never prevents them from taking care of individuals in need. As far as I know, they have a sustainable lifestyle. The five-fingered ones can learn a lot from their web-footed friends.