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October 21, 2016

If You have your Doubts about Hillary, Here is the Best Reason to Vote for Her.

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The U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce (USGCC), a non-partisan sustainable business organization, has taken a unprecedented step in endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2016 election cycle.

“The stakes were just getting too high—Mr. Trump’s words, actions and proposed policies are not in alignment with our mission or vision at the chamber and he would put our business members, associates, and partners at great risk. We feel he is not an acceptable candidate for the highest office in our nation—and one that certainly does not represent the companies, employees, consumers and communities that care about sustainability.”

~ Michelle Thatcher, CEO and Co-Founder of USGCC

The USGCC is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization that promotes the triple bottom line—People, Planet and Profit—within the greater national business community. They achieve their mission by providing educational, networking and promotional opportunities, in addition to promoting sustainable business legislation. USGCC serves as a unified voice for forward thinking business owners, entrepreneurs, employees and corporate leaders who understand that businesses can be the solution to a healthier planet, more fulfilled lives and a thriving economy.

“In America, tens of thousands of small businesses and large businesses like Tesla, Google and Apple are leading the way every day toward increased sustainability—and our national politics, and especially the views of our president, are critical to making our country a worldwide leader in key areas that will affect the quality of our lives for generations to come. The forward or backward-looking policies of our leaders can critically impact our energy policies as well as our environmental, waste, and sustainability issues.” ~ Jim Bunch, Chair of USGCC

Mr. Trump has taken a strong stand on the side of supporting the abandonment of pollution limits on coal burning power plants, disbanding or greatly limiting the EPA, and drilling for oil on national lands. He has continued the divide on racial and social issues, and poses a high global risk, due to his lack of diplomacy.

“Mr. Trump’s platform of continued subsidies for dirty fossil fuels, evisceration of environmental regulation, large tax breaks for big corporations, policies of discrimination, and creating an environment of misinformation, fear and distrust among our citizens is detrimental to the business community in America.

He demonstrates a lack of diplomacy, knowledge and decorum and does not represent the hundreds of thousands of small to mid-sized businesses and larger companies that understand that economic success and sustainability go hand-in-hand; shareholder value and social consciousness co-exist side by side; and long-term business profits, global leadership and environmental stewardship are inseparable from each other.

Sabotaging America’s emerging economy may not be Trump’s goal, but all of his rhetoric, plans and actions suggest he is willing to sacrifice the welfare of American businesses—small and large—for questionable agendas.”

~Michelle Thatcher.

A Brighter Future in Alignment with Sustainability

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There is a clear delineation of business, energy, environmental and social proposed policies in the candidates. As a result, the USGCC made the decision to endorse Hillary Clinton for President.

In taking this position the U.S. Green Chamber joins a large number of highly-conservative and moderate legislators and representatives nationwide, conservative and moderate news organizations around the country, top security experts and economists, and other business organizations such as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; this will be the 38-year-old chamber’s first-ever official backing of a presidential candidate.

“We wish to add our voice to these other prestigious groups which question Mr. Trump’s intentions and commitment to see that America continues to excel as a major global economy and flourishes in the marketplace at home and abroad.” ~ Jim Bunch.

Many in the conservative press have rarely, if ever endorsed a Democratic candidate, including The Dallas Morning News since World War II, The Arizona Republic, which has never endorsed a Democrat for president since its founding in 1890, The San Diego Union-Tribune, which had not endorsed a Democrat for president in its 148-year history and The Cincinnati Enquirer, which had not endorsed a Democrat for president in nearly a century. But they have all endorsed Secretary Clinton in this election.

Furthermore, Clinton received over 80 newspaper endorsements during the Democratic primaries, and dozens of editorial boards have since reiterated their conviction that she should be the next president. Meanwhile, Trump has only received three.

In addition to this overwhelming support, top corporate business leaders have also endorsed Secretary Clinton including Dan Akerson, Former Chairman and CEO of General Motors; Richard Anderson, Executive Chairman, Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Stewart Bainum Jr., Chairman of Choice Hotels International; James Bell, Former Interim CEO of Boeing; Former Corporate President and CFO of Boeing; Jeff Brotman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Costco Wholesale Corporation; and Warren E. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

From a business sustainability perspective, Secretary Clinton has often stated clearly her views on the green economy and the environment, such as making the U.S. the “Clean Energy Superpower Of The 21st Century” by deploying 500 million solar panels and having “enough clean energy to power every home.”

“Like Hillary and others, we want to promote and build sustainability into our businesses and communities, protect our national treasures and resources for future generations, and care for our employees’ and family’s health and wellbeing.” ~ Michelle Thatcher

Mr. Trump believes American Energy Policy is “Putting a lot of people out of work,” and the policies “are a disaster.”

However, as a result of solar and wind, renewables, we have seen energy costs drop and deployment increases across the board. Last year the United States brought online as much solar energy every three weeks as it did in all of 2008, and the solar industry added jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy.

“We feel the consensus is clear. Our members value creating strong, sustainable businesses that provide secure employment for millions of Americans long-term that the vision of our next president must be both fully inclusive and representative of businesses that seek the highest level of success through innovation and principled leadership.” ~ Michelle Thatcher

Consequently the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce is endorsing Hillary Clinton for President based on her clearly stated policies related to economic affairs, job creation, environmental stewardship and social considerations.

 

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Author: The U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce

Image: Wikipedia Commons

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

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