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:

Greetings from Pennsylvania!

The 2008 Ten Thousand Villages Workshop has been very informative and inspirational. I attended great break-out sessions that provided useful information regarding volunteer management, merchandising, using free PR, and retail sales skills. Our artisan visitors from Salay in the Philippines were very inspirational and helped us all to renew and strengthen our committment to our fair trade mission.

I have made new connections with other managers and it’s been fun for me to spend time with my dear travelmates from the learning tour. Best of all, I was thrilled that last night at the awards dinner Villages of Austin was one of only 25 stores to be presented with a sustained sales growth award. This year the awards were given to stores that showed sustained growth of 10% or more over 4 years. This is a huge accomplishment and a great honor. Having come from a corporate business background, I know that sustained growth is a key indicator of a business’ overall strength and is only achieved through smart management and hard work. Kudos to Kitty and all who have supported her in creating a dynamic and positive retail environment, and promoting fair trade in the Austin community. Together we really do make a difference!

Thank you all for allowing me to represent our store at this workshop. I am proud to be a part of Villages of Austin.

Polly

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

You know how sometimes, someone seems to come along at just the right moment and provide you with exactly what you need? We usually don’t even have to tell them when we need them. They instinctively know when to be there. Someone even created a day of recognition for these folks. It’s known as Be An Angel Day, celebrated on August 22 each year.

Well, we here at Villages of Austin have had our own angel these days. His name is John Egan, and he lives right here in Austin, TX. He has written stories about Ten Thousand Villages of Austin and as a result, has generated a lot of great publicity for our store and for fair trade. He recently donated a brand-new all-in-one copier/scanner/fax machine to the store. We cannot thank him enough!

Saving the day is a full-time job, but John manages to find time to run the company he founded, UpWord Communications. He is a master wordsmith, and he uses his skills to help magazines, businesses, and non-profit organizations promote themselves effectively.

Thank you again, John, for all that you do!

Sincerely,
Ten Thousand Villages of Austin

Saturday, May 10, is World Fair Trade Day, and the Fair Trade Resource Network has organized the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break! Ten Thousand Villages of Austin wouldn’t miss it - the coffee break will be held Saturday, May 10, at 2pm CST. Come by our “coffeehouse” for a cup of free, fair trade coffee courtesy of Texas Coffee Traders, and help us set a world record!

In addition to the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break, Ten Thousand Villages of Austin has quite a day planned for World Fair Trade Day! We’ll have live music in the store all day, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet people in our community who are spreading the mission of fair trade. Our schedule of events is below… hope to see you there! …Taylor

SATURDAY, MAY 10:
11:00AM - Daniel Reonidas
12:00PM - Elizabeth Rainey
1:00PM - Texas Coffee Traders - Learn about Fair Trade Coffee!
2:00PM - Todd Rusch
3:00PM - Wynn Taylor
4:00PM - Jackson Michael
5:00PM - Meg Johnson
6:00PM - The LP’s

At Ten Thousand Villages of Austin, we’ve just gotten in a wide array of new items in our Lotus (blue and white home accents) collection. All fair trade, all handmade, all the time!

The lotus is revered because it is typically born out of muddy water, producing a beautiful bloom that unfolds at the dawn of each morning. It has become a symbol of peace and tranquility. Like the lotus flower, these new items can bring YOU peace and tranquility in your home!

Start your day right with yoga or meditation… This meditation pillow from Vietnam is made with handmade fabric and stuffed with kapok from trees found in the villages of Vietnam.

Has it been awhile since you sent a handwritten letter to an old friend? You can make your own ink with this calligraphy set from Vietnam, complete with brushes, paper and your own stamp.

May I take your coat? This beautiful hanger is carved from meh wood in Indonesia and is treated with teak oil.

How about a nice, soothing cup of tea? This handmade teapot from Nepal is finished with a blue, two-tone glaze and bamboo handle. Don’t forget the matching teacup set!

Also, don’t forget the cream and sugar… This handpainted set from Vietnam will complement your teapot quite nicely!

Shall we go sit in the garden? This handpainted ceramic garden stool from Vietnam is reminiscent of the Ming dynasty, adorned with a garden scene.

Hope to see you in the store very soon …Taylor