Ten Thousand Villages of Austin’s Blog

Earlier this month, Ten Thousand Villages joined such companies as IKEA, Stoneyfield Farm, Target, Kellogg Company, Google and Trader Joe’s as one of the world’s most ethical companies.  The companies are chosen by The Ethisphere Institute and Forbes Magazine.

Craig Schloneger, CEO of Ten Thousand Villages, had this to say:

“This is truly an amazing distinction bestowed on Ten Thousand Villages, and we are honored to be recognized among this class of elite companies.  As a nonprofit retail operation we strive to be fair trade leaders, coupling our mission with sustainable economic and environmental practices.  I am proud of Ten Thousand Villages and our team’s commitment to fair trade and to serving the needs of both the artisans who supply our products, and the customers who purchase them.”

CEO Craig Schloneger accepting the award.

For more information, check out this article in The Daily Texan, newspaper for The University of Texas at Austin community.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. We’ve all heard about the importance of recycling.  Places in Austin like Ecology Action and the City of Austin’s Curbside Recycling Program make it pretty easy for most of us to recycle.  Most of us know about the importance of reducing waste and reusing things as well.  But what about altogether new uses for some of your favorite products?

 
Some of the best ideas for new and unusual uses for Ten Thousand Villages products come directly from our customers.  A Ten Thousand Villages customer in Nova Scotia has been using soaps from Palam Rural Center artisans to make her own, non-toxic, environmentally friendly laundry soap.  The recipe is “easier than no-bake cookies,” but the best part about doing this is you can choose whatever scent suits your mood.  All you need is:

Polly Monear, Volunteer Coordinator at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin, represented the store at the 2008 Ten Thousand Villages Workshop, held last week in Pennsylvania.  For the second year in a row, our store was awarded the Sustained Growth Award!

Our growth since the store’s opening would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the team at Villages of Austin.  In addition, there would be no growth without our wonderful customers!  Thanks to all of you!

Here’s what Polly had to say about the Workshop: (more…)

Fair trade unites people across Austin, across the United States, even across oceans! Ten Thousand Villages made a new friend this week - Peter, who owns Babi Pur (Welsh for Pure Baby), a family-run, eco-friendly company in the UK.

Check out the Keep the Planet Cool playsuit or the Little Green Radical tee - both made from fair trade, organic cotton, naturally. The goal at Babi Pur is to make shopping for you and baby both fun AND ethical. And isn’t shopping more fun when it’s ethical? Of course!

There is lots more to see at the Babi Pur website - from skincare to accessories to clothing, with a special section just for moms!

Already shopped at Babi Pur? Getting ready to? Leave us a comment, and tell us all about it! …Taylor

Ten Thousand Thanks to all who made our celebration of World Fair Trade Day possible! It was a beautiful Saturday in Austin, and Texas Coffee Traders kept things going all day by serving up their fine, freshly brewed, fairly traded coffee!

Thanks so much to all of you who came by the store this weekend. We hope you enjoyed yourselves, and we can’t wait for World Fair Trade Day 2009! Also, a big thanks goes out to all of the local musicians who provided the tunes! Finally, a special thanks to all of our Villages Volunteers. The store would not be what it is without you. Thank you for all that you do to promote fair trade every day!

I’m sure some of you are wondering… did we break the world record for largest coffee break?! The numbers are still out, but we’re feeling confident. We’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, come on in and support the pups at Ten Thousand Villages! …Taylor

Ten Thousand Villages is proud to support local non-profit organizations by hosting benefit shopping nights.  This month, all of our benefit nights will be helping local dog rescue, wellness, and training organizations.  You and your four-legged canine friends are welcome to stop in to shop.  As an added bonus, our fabulous sponsor, Bark for Peace, will be providing vegan, organic treats for your pets! Also available will be greeting cards from Verysupercool with all of your favorite dog expressions!

Stop in any evening next week, May 12-15, and your purchase between 5pm-9pm will benefit the following organizations:

May 12 - Lucky Mutts Mixed Breed Rescue
May 13 - Chain Free Austin
May 14 - Schrodi Memorial Training Scholarship Fund
May 15 - Austin German Shepherd Dog Rescue

Our neighbor, Rivers & Reefs, will stay open late for last minute dog food shopping May 12-15!  Hope to see you and your pups in the store! …Taylor