Walker, there is no path. The path is made by walking.
- Antonio Machado (1875-1939) (from Reinventing Fire, Lovins & RMI, 2011) 

Our Vision

Leveraging the power of the natural products industry to reverse climate change.

Our Mission

We are concerned businesses from the natural products industry working collaboratively to catalyze bold action, amplify the voice of business and promote sound policy to reverse climate change.

Our Values

Collaborative. Strategic. Inclusive. Impactful. Ego-Free. Determined.

Our Story

It all began with a conversation between two moms, Lara Dickinson of OSC² and Jessica Rolph of Happy Family. Seeing the visible and growing effects of climate change in their communities and fearing for their children’s futures, they pondered what our industry could do. They joined forces with Katherine DiMatteo of the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA) and sustainability leader Nancy Hirshberg, and the Collaborative was born.

The Climate Collaborative launched as a project of OSC² and SFTA on Climate Day at Expo West on March 8, 2017.   

The Sustainable Food Lab, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, became the Climate Collaborative’s partner and fiscal sponsor, and remained so until April of 2021 when the Climate Collaborative incorporated as an independent organization and applied for 501 (C) 3 status with the Internal Revenue Service.

Today, the Climate Collaborative is an independent organization with more than seven hundred companies that have made 2600+ commitments to climate action. Since our founding, the imperative for bold climate action has only continued to grow. We are more committed than ever to working collaboratively with the natural products community and beyond to put our nation and our world on a path to solving the climate crisis and creating a healthier, more just, and equitable world.

Our Manifesto

We are manufacturers, retailers, distributors, brokers, suppliers, and other concerned businesses from the natural foods industry working collaboratively to take bold action to reverse climate change. 

We are a community of businesses joining forces to create pathways to action, connecting companies to resources and working together to create solutions. We shine a light on success stories and recognize companies for their great climate work which in turn inspires more companies to act. 

We are a catalyst for change. Big, bold change.

We’re turning-up the heat to challenge our peers to up their climate game. 

Climate change is here now.

We already feel its effects. While climate change is one of the biggest risks ever to face humankind, read more...

All organizations listed on Climate Collaborative website have made a public commitment to climate action and have agreed to let the Climate Collaborative make that commitment public on our website and in our communications. This is in no way an endorsement by the Climate Collaborative or a certification of any kind. The Climate Collaborative logo may not be used without the written permission of the Climate Collaborative. 

Board of Directors

 Corinne Shindelar

 Board Chair
 Principal,
 All Natural Strategies, LLC

 

 Amy Kirtland

 Executive Vice President of Growth & Innovation,
 KeHE Distributors (KeHE)

 

 

 Julia Collins

 Founder & CEO,
 Planet FWD & Moonshot Snacks

 

 

 Kate Ogden

 Head of Advocacy and Movement Building,
 Seventh Generation

 

 

 Katie Clark

 Sustainability Impact Manager,
 Danone NA

 

 

 Lara Jackle Dickinson

 Climate Collaborative Co-Founder 
 Executive Director & Co-Founder, OSC2

 

 

 Patrick Smith

 Managing Partner,
 Wolf Tree Ventures

 

 

Executive Director

 Courtney Pineau

 Executive Director,
 The Climate Collaborative

 

 

Operations Team

 Caitlin Oleson

 Director of Operations & Programming,
 The Climate Collaborative

 

Strategic Advisor 

 Nancy Hirshberg

 Climate Collaborative Co-Founder
 Chief Catalyst, Hirshberg Strategic

 

 

Advisors

 Tobias Bandel

 Managing Partner,
 Soil & More International

 

 JoAnne Berkenkamp

 Managing Director,
 MBOLD initiative

 

 

 Linda Brown

 Senior Vice President,
 SCS Global Services

 

 

 

 Paul Hawken

 Executive Director,
 Project Drawdown

 

 

 

 Anne Kelly

 Vice President of Government Relations, CERES
 Director, BICEP

 

 Joel Makower
 
 Chairman & Executive Editor,
 GreenBiz Group, Inc. 

 

 

 Carlotta Mast

 SVP & Market Leader,
 New Hope Network

 

 

 Danielle Nierenberg

 President,
 Food Tank

 

 Cara Pike

 Founder & Director,
 Climate Access

 

 John Roulac

 Founder,
 Nutiva

  

 Jessica Shade

 Director of Science Programs,
 The Organic Center

 

 

 Eric Toensmeier

 Author of The Carbon Farming Solution
 Senior Fellow, Project Drawdown