You’ve Won! May 19, 2008

Sorry I have been so absent lately at the old posting thing.  It has been a hectic week!  I think I am ready to get back to it.  The exciting part is I get to start with a bang by announcing the winner of the organic earth monkey t-shirt from 2monkees.  Congrats to Stefanie from focusorganic , the lucky winner of the monkey t-shirt.  I am excited that Stefanie was the winner because she is a woman with a similiar philosophy to that of Our Great Green Globe.  Here is a great quote from her About Page, “In learning to be more eco-friendly, we can better ourselves, our lives, and the planet.  Implementing even just small changes into your daily living can help to make a big difference and my hope is that with this site, you may learn something new, and decide to make your life more green, as well. ”  This quote embodies Our Great Green Globe’s philosophy about trying to shine a spotlight on small producers and artists who are doing their part to change the world.

Checkout her informative blog and store where she has partnered with many retailers to offer organic and earth friendly products.  Her blog offers advise and tips for people trying to live a green lifestyle.  Focus Organic  is a great resource for all us “greenies” out there!  Congrats to Stefanie and enjoy!!

Bath Product Giveaway April 24, 2008

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite nostalgic items from childhood is the old bath time favorite of the soap on a rope.  I recall when my parents  bought my first one……. it was a bright blue turtle hanging from a woven white rope.  I loved it!  It just seemed so cool to have a shaped soap that I could wear as a necklace.  (Boy was I easy to please back then!!)

The Enterprising Kitchen has resurrected this old favorite with a more socially conscious, green twist.  The Enterprising Kitchen is non-profit organization that enables lower-income women who have been unemployed and underemployed to gain valuable job and life skills while creating beautiful bath and spa products.  The women of the Enterprising Kitchen create their products using only the finest ingredients and purest essential oils. All products are manufactured in small batches onsite at their Chicago facility and they sell to over 300 stores across the US and are available online.  The Enterprising Kitchen is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.

Ananya Studio (And don’t forget Ananya is offering 30% off all their fair trade sterling silver jewelry.  Just enter mom in the coupon code box at checkout.)  is beginning to stock a range of the incredible products from the Enterprising Kitchen.  (As soon as I can get them loaded up on the website.) To kick off this product offering, we are pleased to do a giveaway of their fun, new take on the soap on a rope.   The Enterprising Kitchen crafts their soap on a rope using the recycled, odd shaped scraps from their bars of soap.  Each piece is knotted to create a yummy smelling, colorful line of soap.  To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post.  The winner will be drawn on Friday May 2nd.

Trillium Artisans April 23, 2008

On days like today, when Portland is weighted down under depressing, cold grey clouds for what seems like the thousandth day in  a row, it is difficult to remember why I love Portland and choose to raise a family here.  Then, however, I stumble on something like Trillium Artisans and my love for Portland all comes rushing back. 

Trillium Artisans is a Portland group with a primary purpose to help small, low income crafters form sustainable, profitable businesses for themselves.  As part of the program, Trillium artists have access to product reviews, retail and wholesale opportunities, small business counseling, peer networking, and guest speakers.   Also, artists agree that of the products they sell through Trillium,  the items will be constructed of at least 50% recycled or reclaimed materials.    I love this program because it is supporting independent artists who are committed to helping our environment!!
 

Trillium began in 1999 as Eco-biz  and eventually combined with a business-planning program called the Entrepreneurial Training Program.  Trillium is currently funded by the City of Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development, New Belgium Brewing Company, and the Oregon Arts Commission through the National Endowment for the Arts.   This innovative program has grown so much that artists now have their own retail store in Southeast Portland.   If you are not blessed enough to live in Portland (I guess I actually do love Portland), you can also purchase products through their website or on etsy.  Both the store and their website offers a range of beautiful, creative crafts that reflect the diversity of this group of talented artists.  When you visit their shop or website, you will find garden art, jewelry, scarves, clocks, hair accessories and too many other enchanting products to list.