My Pure & Co Sweater Wrap: The Back Story

Shopping with my daughter this summer on our annual beach outing, a brightly colored stack of shawl/sweater wraps caught my eye, and I was talked into buying one.  My daughter even managed to steer me to a bright color and not my standard black.  It's  a very clever design - wide, with three buttons placed so you can wear the shawl in several different funky ways.  Since I'm not a fashion blog, why am I bothering to tell you this?

When I had a look-see to learn more about the company, Pure & CO HandKnit, I was smitten.  

Their company's handknitters are in Chiang Mai, 4,300 women in Northern Thailand, who are supporting themselves through their knitting.  And the company gives 1% of its profits to microcredit and other NGO's to help raise up the region and their workforce.  Among the many details on their website, this captured my attention:

Sebastien Sirois / President and the Pure & Co team.

Who are we donating to?

We are helping organizations that we’ve visited and where we were impressed with the management team and the effectiveness of the program. When we visited the “Mirror Foundation” and “Cynthia’s Clinic”, we were amazed by the dedication of the staff and the amount of goodness produced with such a shoestring budget. It is amazing to see that ‘money spent on drinks with friends’ can really change someone’s life. We donate directly to the organizations, thus guaranteeing that 100% of the money reaches the people. We have formed alliances with various U.S, U.K and Canadian based Non Profit Organizations (NGOs) that issue tax receipts for donations to the projects. We also encourage you to come and visit the programs and experience with your own eyes the kindness of mankind. You will see volunteers and staff that unselfishly give their time to provide opportunities for others who are less fortunate.

Of course, the bottom line is that the design and craftsmanship of the shawl is delightful.  But the added value of knowing that when I wear it, I am helping support a company that is not only providing income-generating activities for women in a very impoverished region, but is giving back in other ways, makes me enjoy it all the more.

The Ecology of Gifting

Gifting is an area where the material/ecological and human nature/psychology are at odds.
It's good to give, it feels good.  It's fun to receive gifts, and important for all kinds of symbolic reasons.  Gifting is ritualized; messing with it leaves people confused and hurt.  But!  Most of us have way more than we need, and the occasions for gifting have been multiplied and grossly inflated by retail marketing and advertising.  Choosing a gift that will truly please the recipient is a huge challenge.
There isn't a one size fits all answer, but here is a list of questions I am posing to a group where I will lead a discussion on this topic.  Thinking for a few minutes about your answers will likely surprise you.

1. What was the best present you recall receiving?
2.  What was the least appropriate gift you've received?
3.  What strategies for ratcheting down the "Gifting Industrial Complex" have you or  your family employed?
4.  Do you resent or enjoy gift giving?
5. Calculate a quick estimate of the number of gifts you present in a calendar year.

What stood out for me is that there weren't many presents I could single out as having been terrific, despite all the wonderful and much-appreciated efforts people have made to please me over the years.  From this I generalize that the odds of choosing an ideal gift are slim, unless I am unusually picky.  That said, I would be very bummed if no one had ever made the effort.
This year I am actually including gifts in an expenditure spread sheet and it's amazing how much we lay out , even though I am highly evolved on this question and avoid material gifts as much as possible.  How much more are people in the gift-giving mega-sphere laying out - birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, hostess gifts, birthdays - endless!
My nomination, by the way, for the least appropriate gift I've received was a donation in honor of my Confirmation in 1968.  I didn't mind that it was a donation, it's just that it was to The Cemetery Fund.  For a sixteen year old.  Creepy!!  (However, if the goal of a gift giver is to be remembered, it worked.  I still recall who it was from.)

AARP Roadside Service - Nicest Lady Ever

Call this post giving credit where credit is due.  I've lambasted many a company for super terrible customer service - or as my husband has dubbed it, customer disservice.  A few years ago we dumped AAA because of their anti-global warming stance, and signed up with AARP Roadside service for half the price.  The service has been comparable, though their maps aren't as nice.  However you can buy a lot of maps at retail and still come out way ahead!
My car had a flat tire, so I called AARP Roadside Assistance.  They answered immediately, and the woman's first question was "Are you safe?"  I assured her my problem was just a flat tire in my driveway, not an actual emergency.  She was solicitous and empathetic.  "I'm so sorry that happened to you."  She arranged for a 3rd party service to come and change the tire.  I received two follow up calls from them while waiting for the guy to show up, and each time they updated me on how long it would take.  Of course it took longer than their initial prediction, but it was rush hour and that was not surprising.
What a difference it makes when the person you're dealing with comes in with great roadside manner.  I give an A+ to them for customer service.  They deal with people in extremely stressful situations - much worse than flat tires when you're safely inside your own house - and they do it well.

EcoFleece: Pants from Soda Bottles

Recently I talked to a local group about the ecology of clothing.  We don't see the process of creating/growing fibers, manufacturing them into textiles, or the factories which make them into garments.  We just see an endless supply of clothing marketed to us at all sides.  Globalization has brought the cost of clothing so low that we have accumulated overflowing closets full of it, much of which ultimately is given away.
So what do we do about microfleece, a nice warm, cozy fabric made mysteriously from polyester?  People are surprised to learn that's just a different word for fossil fuel.  But no fabric is without eco-footprint.  Cotton requires a great deal of water and pesticides and other fabrics have their downsides, too.
One obvious behavior is to purchase fewer clothes and wear them longer.  Purchasing or swapping used clothes, of which there is a huge surplus, is an additional low-cost and fun strategy.  But sometimes you do need something specific, like new black fleece pants to replace the ones I've been wearing for five years.  And fleece, being warm, helps you to keep your thermostat down.  But after that talk I couldn't bring myself to just go order more microfleece/plastic/fossil fuel pants!
A little research uncovered eco-fleece. This is a polartec product made from 85% recycled material, formerly pop bottles.  On sale at Campmor at the moment.  I don't especially like to hawk specific stores or products as a rule, but I i ordered these and they are very nicely made, warm, and they even come in a shorter length. Score for short people!  
Here is the description of the fabric:
Recycled Polartec® Classic 200®
Polartec® Classic 200® mid-weight velour fleece is made of 100% polyester (85% recycled) with a durable water repellent (DWR) finish to provide protection against rain and snow. Polartec® Classic 200® fleece provides warmth without the weight and bulk of traditional insulating fabrics, is highly breathable to provide comfort in all activities, dries quickly to minimize heat loss, and is durable and machine washable.

Taking Local Seriously: Footprints' Bamboo Socks from Abington, PA!

These really funky socks caught me eye and jumped into my basket at Weavers Way, our local coop.  My first thought was how odd for eco-friendly bamboo socks to have such a wasteful plastic display hanger, but on closer examination, I was wowed.  The hanger is made out of corn, and is designed to be reused as a chip clip.  OK, it's not the greatest chip clip in the world, but it works.  And it is really cute!
And this clever company is one town over from me.  Most socks come from China, so to be made in the USA, let alone 7 miles from me, is quite impressive.
Here is why they named their company "Footprint".

We named our company Footprint to express our commitment to leaving a good impression on the earth and toward mankind.  We build the best product and cause no unnecessary harm.  That's our mission statement, and it takes many forms. As it applies to making products, we work hard to source sustainable materials and use processes that are less harmful to the Earth without compromising quality. Because to us, quality is not only how well a product performs and holds up, but also how it's made.  As it applies toward mankind, we give back part of our proceeds as well as donate our socks and clothing to organizations that make a difference.  When you wear the Footprint logo, you demonstrate that you are doing your part in leaving a good impression too.

Of course, all the eco-credentials - organic, renewable sources, panda safe (never saw that one before!), environmentally beneficial (bamboo grows fast and helps fight soil erosion)  - wouldn't matter if the socks weren't comfortable.  I am happy to report they are sturdy and wonderfully, deliciously soft.  Worth the $10. Their only downside is that they take forever to dry, because, according to their creators, bamboo is super-absorbent.  That's good when you're wearing them of course.  If you put them in a dryer with cotton, they actually absorb some of the cotton's moisture, so dry separately.  If you line dry, figure a day or two!

They've created another product from coconut which is faster drying.  Made from coconut shells, it is really sustainable, since they would normally be waste.  I'm looking forward to trying them out.

You can buy them online or at a store. Just reading their story is fascinating all by itself, actually.