Imagine our surprise when, attending a Green Conference in Washington, DC, we came across ‘Me to We Responsible Clothing’ and discovered that it was a Canadian company.
Our surprise quickly turned to delight when we further realized that Me to We makes clothing in Canada, sweatshop free, from certified organic cotton and viscose made from bamboo, and gives 50% of its net profits to support the work of Free the Children.
If you hate taking plastic cutlery when you are buying food on the run, To-Go Ware has created a fabulous option. Refuse plastic and use your own reusable bamboo cutlery set – a fork, knife, spoon and chopsticks wrapped in a hand-woven cotton case made in the Umpium Mai Refugee Camp, by WEAVE, a Fair Trade women’s cooperative on the Thai-Burma border.
Radios are critical tools for spreading information. This is especially true in developing communities where being able to hear a broadcast can keep vital lines of communication open between communities. However, this can be a challenge if the community has no way to generate electricity.
The Bird Totas and Tree of Life hangings and Pillow Covers available at P’lovers come from The Barefoot College (www.barefootcollege.org), founded in 1972 in Tilonia, Rajasthan, one of India’s largest, driest, and poorest states. The Barefoot College is based on the belief that solutions to rural problems lie within the community. The programs and initiatives of the Barefoot College are designed to benefit the ‘poorest of the poor’ and improve their lives by addressing basic needs for water, electricity, housing, health, education and income.
The Barefoot College encourages learning by doing and focuses on practical knowledge and skills. It many programs include training and service delivery in solar electrification, rainwater harvesting, environmental restoration, health promotion, and education.