Captain Planet Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is branded as a spinoff of the TBS television show “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” which aired from 1990 to 1996. ¹ It operates environmental advocacy campaigns, recruiting young people to participate and using alarmist language to recruit supporters. ²

Captain Planet Foundation campaigns in support of initiatives to reduce the consumption of animal products, the use of conventional energy, and the use of single-use plastics to stop climate change. ³

History

Captain Planet Foundation was co-founded in 1991 by CNN and TBS founder Ted Turner and producer Barbara Pyle as a foundation under TBS and based on the television show “Captain Planet.” Its website states that Pyle negotiated that an unspecified percentage of the profits from the show would be spent on environmentalist advocacy. In 2022, Captain Planet Foundation became incorporated into its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. ⁴

In 2012, Captain Planet Foundation launched its first program, Project Learning Garden, in the Atlanta, Georgia area, which funds school garden programs that include incorporating discussions on conservation. ^{5 6} Since, it has created additional programs that serve to promote environmental topics in K-12 schools and recruit young people to engage in environmental advocacy. ⁷

Planeteer Alliance

According to its tax returns, $1.16 million of Captain Planet Foundation’s $1.5 million expenditures in 2021 went toward funding its Planeteer Alliance project. ^{8 9} Planeteer Alliance funds environmentalist advocacy campaigns and uses alarmist language to recruit young people to become environmentalist activists. ¹⁰

Planeteer Alliance’s campaigns advocate for environmentalist initiatives based on the premise that specific human activities are causing catastrophic damage to the environment, labeled as climate change, and it claims to know how to stop such alleged damage from occurring. It bases many proposals on the premise that greenhouse gases cause climate change. Planeteer Alliance campaigns in support of people transitioning away from consuming animal products as it claims the “farts” of livestock as well as the land required to maintain them cause climate change. It also campaigns in opposition of the use of conventional-energy-powered transportation and advocates for the use of alternative methods, naming electric vehicles and active transportation as recommended alternatives. ¹¹

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Planeteer Alliance campaigns in favor of eliminating consumption of products that consist of single-use plastic. It also states that in all its advocacy, it requires its campaigns to acknowledge so-called “injustices” and invite “marginalized” persons to contribute. ¹²

Leadership

Leesa Carter-Jones has served as president and CEO of Captain Planet Foundation since 2012. Previously, Carter-Jones worked as executive director of U.S. Green Building Council’s Georgia Chapter. She also sits on the board of the Minnesota Colorectal Cancer Research Foundation and the steering committees for FoodWell Alliance and the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project. ¹³

Financials

In 2021, Captain Planet Foundation reported $1.7 million in total revenue according to its tax returns. ¹⁴ It reported $1.5 million in total expenditures, $1.1 million of which was spent on its Planeteer Alliance program. ^{15 16}

1. “Captain Planet & the Planeteers’ Legacy.” Captain Planet Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-story/captain-planet-the-planeteers-legacy/.
2. “About.” Captain Planet Foundation, February 22, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/.
3. “Climate Solutions.” Planeteer Alliance, March 8, 2023. https://planeteeralliance.com/solutions/.
4. “Our Story.” Captain Planet Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-story/.
5. “Project Learning Garden.” Captain Planet Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/programs/project-learning-garden/.
6. “Our Story.” Captain Planet Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-story/.
7. “About.” Captain Planet Foundation, February 22, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Captain Planet Foundation Inc. 2021. Part III, Line 4a.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Captain Planet Foundation Inc. 2021. Part I, Line 18.
10. “About Us.” Planeteer Alliance, July 11, 2023. https://planeteeralliance.com/about/.
11. “Climate Solutions.” Planeteer Alliance, March 8, 2023. https://planeteeralliance.com/solutions/.
12. “Climate Solutions.” Planeteer Alliance, March 8, 2023. https://planeteeralliance.com/solutions/.
13. “Leesa Carter-Jones.” Captain Planet Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-people/leesa-carter-jones/.
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Captain Planet Foundation Inc. 2021. Part I, Line 12.
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Captain Planet Foundation Inc. 2021. Part III, Line 4a.
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Captain Planet Foundation Inc. 2021. Part I, Line 18.