The LifeStraw

my friend Rebecca and i were having lunch awhile back and she mentioned the LifeStraw as something very relevant to the children she works with through her non-profit, HALO. we thought about adding an element to Interwoven Threads that would allow for the purchase of these amazing water-purifying straws through a collaboration between Interwoven and HALO. i was reminded of the LifeStraw last week while reading the EnviroMedia blog. thought it was high time to raise a bit of awareness for the invention TIME Magazine called the "best invention of 2005." i agree.

hit up the EnviroMedia blog for some great facts on water quality and shortage throughout our world.

What's been keeping me busy

Been a busy time with Interwoven Threads in the past couple days.
+Re-ordered a number of styles today, as a recent sales blitz took down the inventory (great problem to have).
+The collaboration with Barclay Martin and his band has come to fruition. He’s selling his own Interwoven Threads shirts at his shows and last night we met with photographer Tom Foley to finalize the photos for the web (should be up in the next day or two for online purchase).
+Today I was part of a first-time event at reStart, Interwoven Threads donation partner, at which I donated 41 shirts and collaborated with photographer Rebecca Peters to provide holiday family photos to families living at and receiving resources from reStart.

The families were great (about 25) – and thrilled to have the opportunity to have a family photo. For the majority of the families, this was the first time they’ve had a family portrait taken.

Each family wore its best, labored over every detail and truly drank in the moment. Rebecca was amazing with her subjects, taking multiple photos and then getting with each family to choose their favorites. Rebecca donated her time, materials and talent to provide each family with free professional portraits during the holiday season.

Today during lunch, I sat with Kevin Kuzma, a writer for the wonderful local arts and culture magazine, Present, and discussed Interwoven Threads. I have a few other media opportunities in the next month – I’ll let you all know – and am really excited for a chance to further spread the word about Interwoven Threads as we move into year two.

Interwoven Threads, at its core, should be a conduit for doing better. Sure, it’s a T-shirt company, but I hope it’s more. And today, after being at reStart and after reflecting on my partnership with Barclay and his band, it’s clear that what we’re all part of is larger than fashion or clothing or a company.

So thank you for being part of this journey. Thank you for making Interwoven Threads part of your holiday gift purchases. Thank you to those who came to reStart tonight to donate your own clothes. Thanks to Rebecca and to Barclay for being integral parts of new chapters.

I’ll send a note when Barclay’s shirts are up for sale – along with some great promotions for the holiday shopping season. So stay tuned!

newsflash! new partnership, new shirt!

I'm brimming with joy/pride/excitement to announce that Barclay Martin, musician, friend, philanthropist, do-betterer has some pretty nice looking threads for sale! Barclay is Interwoven Threads' first collaborator in what I hope will be a growing element of the company. You can contact Barclay (barclay@barclaymartin.com) to get a look and buy, or simply make it to any of his shows (well worth your time). The shirts will be up for sale on the web within the next month (just in time for holiday shopping!).

Barclay and I began chatting about ways we could combine our passions for social responsibility, his work with a number of world changing organizations and Interwoven Threads about six months ago, and after numerous coffees, lunches, etc., it's a reality. The Barclay Martin Ensemble shirts are printed on Interwoven Threads' label, with the same 100% organic cotton love you're used to. They feature a great, multi-layer logo and come in brown and blue.

For each sale, Barclay will contribute a percentage of the profit to an up-and-coming organization, Walk With The Poor (site coming soon), which provides resources for children across the world to help them make education (from elementary through college) a reality. Money from the sale of Barclay's shirts will go toward funding college scholarships to providing school supplies to ensuring dependable transportation for children to and from school. Important, and very relevant action.

I'll get some photos of the shirts up soon (going to wear mine first). He has a women's and unisex design.

Shoot Barclay an e-mail for more info, or contact me.

It's a beautiful thing when dreams become reality, and standing outside the coffee shop this morning, going through the box of fresh threads, I saw an exciting new opportunity for Interwoven Threads, and more importantly, a new way we can use a T-shirt as a catalyst to change the world.

the case for standing for something

i don't even know how to introduce mike swenson, other than letting you know his opinion matters. he just posted some great thoughts on brands and what they stand for. follow his blog here.

mike cites the PR Week/Barkley Cause Survey. it's worth downloading if you care about the good work brands can do, the whys and the hows.

Planet In Peril

there are few times i wish i had cable television. this is one of them.

via ecorazzi, planet in peril, from cnn. check out the trailer.



say what you will about anderson cooper. some call him a shallow opportunist, some credit him for demanding lenses are pointed and dedicated to an issue. i applaud this effort based solely on what i've read in the publicity phase.

on a side note, the trailer gets me pumped for R.E.M's new album, also reminds me to grab the double-disk live album. my very hip dad scored a moral victory over me by downloading this and burning it before i knew it existed. hat tip, dad.

Social entrepreneurship

i'm always interested in other social entrepreneurs and what they're doing with their ideas. more specifically, how can social strategies succeed in the traditional business world. here's a great interview of David Bornstein by Guy Kawasaki.

one quote from David hit me hard...when asked why some take action and make their ideas happen, while some don't: "There is emotional pain associated with inaction, especially if we care about something."

Critical Mass in Chicago

my friend sara (and interwoven threads advocate extraordinaire) just shot me a link to a Chicago Tribune story on the city's famous (and huge!) critical mass. check it out. i'm a big believer in critical mass-type events within the cycling community. they help underscore a number of issues: car/bike safety, environmentalism, getting off the grid, fitness. but they also serve to energize a base and recruit new enthusiasts with the hope of converting drivers into pedalers (is that a word?).

one thing that caught my attention in the article is the questioning of participants dedication to the mission and meaning of critical mass events. "are you real?" do you come out and ride a mass or do you commute to work/school/jump on your bike when you run errands? i personally don't have any problem with people participating who may not live that vision daily - the more the better here. and some people are unable to bike to work, etc. because of distance/terrain/inability to show up sweaty for meetings.

this brings up a larger question: how many causes or issues are you involved in in theory, but not in practice?

it's cliche, but take action. however small your first step. ride a critical mass and then aim to cut a car trip a week via bike. watch the 11th hour, but then set up your home recycling system. you get the point.

PSFK calls out Delta

I walk a fine line here at the Do Better Blog. I try to post only info of the purest of heart. We all know there's a ton of "greenwashing" going on with brands right now to be part of the cool, green, kids' table. Boo on that. I'm not suggesting a witch hunt, but I am suggesting we continue to feature and laud honestly good companies compared to companies who've tacked on a green initiative because their competitors just adopted a highway. So far from the point. Anyway, I love reading PSFK (and get a lot of my truly environmental info from this source - so put 'em on your RSS reader) and tonight saw an interesting post calling out Delta's "green" efforts.

First of all, I'm really happy. Why? Because PSFK did something that I am so darn excited to see in the mainstream: a feet-to-the-fire accountability check of companies' "green" efforts. Since forming Interwoven Threads, I've tried to do as much as I can to create a sustainable company. Am I 100 percent good yet? No. But I'm working toward it. And I like the dialogue and the pressure from consumers. I invite it. It's how this green thing will get some gas (and by gas, I mean...).


PSFK questions Delta's "green" in-flight amenity kit (photo credit psfk). You know, they were pretty harsh on Delta, but I'd have started out with even a harsher criticism: When you're an airline, burning god knows how much fuel, a corn-based toothbrush isn't going to offset your carbon footprint. Don't jerk me around with an in-flight kit. I'm going to criticize your marketing dept. Promote the trees you're planting to offset your footprint. Promote your partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Fund. Give me a sapling instead of a toothbrush to, if your website is correct, symbolize the tree you are planting on my your employees' behalf. That's good stuff and it's stuff I, as a consumer, get and can get behind.

What would make me happy (and I imagine Piers, too) would be an honest account of how to do better. Something like this, printed on the in-flight bag: "We're an airline. We burn lots of fuel. But you have to get to L.A. from New York and you need to do it fast. So, we exist to aid travel. To offset the environmental implications of our industry, we're doing X. You'll see that reflected in our in-flight service and our gate experience, where we're working toward a social consciousness we believe is critical to balance our impact on the environment we all seek to preserve."

One great thing that came from the giant Web 2.o movement was transparency. It started as an edict for web behavior and has trickled into all aspects of modern business communications. Nowhere is it more beneficial to a company and appreciated by a consumer than being transparent with your environmental and social efforts. None of us are perfect. Delta, your consumers know what you're putting into the air when they buckle their belts. So face it. Be who you are. Seems like you've got a lot of good offsets going for you, none of which have anything to do with a "green" toothbrush. How do you communicate those better? How do you change the bigger picture, not just the cute kit with some nice copywriting.

It's a good day, folks. We're challenging brands. We're debating authenticity. And that is what grows efforts.

Barefoot Wine, please

On the topic of companies doing better, Barefoot Wine is doing it. They've partnered with the Surfrider Foundation to identify 7 beaches to renew to a level fit for activity. The cleanups have taken place across the U.S. Their next cleanup is Sept. 1.

Have a beach you'd like to see revived? Vote here. They've also provided 10 things you can do to keep the ocean and beaches clean.

Austin City Limits Fest goes green

I've always wanted to attend the ACL fest - now, after reading the steps the fest took to greenify the experience and lessen the impact, I'm darn tempted to up and trek down next month. Always the cultural and musical bar-setter, ACL is continuing its role as a force. Kudos.

Remarkable.co.uk

Remarkable is a, well, remarkable product design company based in the UK that reuses old products to create new, very cool products. From pencils to mousepads, I'm diggin' and wishin' I could buy these in the States. Great, er, remarkable work. My favorite part is the call-out on the products of what they used to be.


via Josh Spear.

Green jobs and do-better employment

I had a conversation with a friend last night on jobs, companies and marrying the two to an employee's ethics...much of what I covered in this post. Browsing TreeHugger this morning, I noticed their job board. Check it out if you're interested in a diverse selection of "green" jobs. Also, idealist.org is another great resource for volunteer and employment opportunities in the U.S. and abroad.

Employment always stumps me...we humans seek out friends with which we have commonalities. Significant others who share our passions and beliefs. Places of worship that speak to personal theology. Even brands that seem in line with our moral fiber. But many of us do not seek to continue those standards into the jobs we do. And maybe that's because of, simply, the word job. It's a means to an end. A necessary evil. A have to. But it doesn't have to be like that. And maybe, as the attention on green moves ahead and the public conversation on social awareness increases, so will (as I posted before) the demand for a better work experience.

The bottom line is we human folk do better doing what we enjoy. Moreover we do better doing something that resonates on a level higher than ego, salary, fame and status. It's never too late to seek such an opportunity. Start by volunteering. Or by exploring the little gut feelings you might frequently ignore. You never know...that dread of skydiving one day may result in a dream career.

Also from TreeHugger, some tips to green your workplace. Even if you don't love your 9-5, you could love the impact (or lack thereof) your office has on the environment. This would be a nice link to send your boss. Or your HR dept.

Shellhouse collapsible shelter

Read a blurb in the latest issue of Good Magazine on Shellhouse, an innovative effort to engage DIY-ers to create portable, foldable shelters for the homeless. First of all, these are beautifully-designed structures. Second, they are quite practical, as they fold up to be carried during the day. Shellhouse also has instructions to create (and donate) radio transmitters. I'm not 100 percent clear on the transmitters, but I'm still diggin' through the site.

Regardless, this is a wonderful project and I do hope it catches on. This issue of Good is all about design - more importantly, designing for a greater good. Shellhouse is a great example of a practical and simple design that can improve lives. For you DIY-types, might be a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon...the materials are free and the product is fantastic.

Kudos.

Europe beatin' the pants off U.S. for Ethical Fasion

Andrew passed an article my way, via Marketing Daily, on the gap between European and American consumption of ethical fashion. Europe, is much farther along that our fair country when it comes to purchasing clothing (and goods) that adhere to a variety of socially-responsible standards. From organic material to fair trade certification, the popularity level is high.

The difference could be based on the U.S.'s lagging adoption of fair trade and a lack of oversight by a third party. Might be driven, also, by mindset. If you simply look at what TransFair has done to raising awareness in the food and beverage market in the U.S., it's clear that third-party endorsements not only provide additional brand recognition during purchase opportunities, but aid in raising the overall awareness level.

I do think that the article paints a more dire picture of Americans' awareness level for ethical clothing than is fair to build a soapbox upon. We're doing better. And as mainstream designers continue to incorporate fair trade products and practices into popular lines, the awareness will only grow. Additionally, American consumers are embracing the green/sustainable/ethical buzzwords and turning them into buying practices. We may be lagging behind Europe, but we're making progress. And that's encouraging.

Resources:
TransFair
Business for Social Responsibility