Anya Hindmarch created a bag that has seen wild success, selling out in London and in America. And according to the website, “Due to the unprecedented demand for I’m Not A Plastic Bag in South East Asia and our concerns for our customers safety we will be cancelling the launches at the following stores: Anya Hindmarch Beijing, On Pedder in Shanghai and On Pedder in Jakarta.”
I have seen the story in the news and wanted to congratulate the entrepreneur for her success with the launch of this product. I have also had friends mention the desire for this particular bag and actually saw a variety of, what I thought, were cool comparables at the local Ten Thousand Villages store. Check out the alternatives that provide the same utility, added social benefit of fair trade plus allow you to have a different bag than the thousands of English and Americans. =) Ten Thousand Villages new address is 1941 South 1100 East with the grand opening happening today.
I apologize to any readers that follow both my blogs. I have started implementing trackback posts if I want readers to read a post on my other blog. However, I felt like the subject of this entry was so cool that I wanted to re-post.
I stumbled upon the great site of Tom’s Shoes due to a post on the Lifehacker blog. Tom’s Shoes, a company founded by Blake Mycoskie, focuses on addressing poverty and health issues by donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair of shoes purchased.
The concept was conceived as Blake was traveling through poor villages in Argentina and realized that he could create a difference by establishing a shoe company. He decided to fashion the shoe after the local alpargatas but with bold colors and artistic styles. He spent two months seeking Argentina fabric and shoe makers and debuted a collection of 15 styles in June 2006. By fall of 2006 he had sold 10,000 pairs of shoes and gave away 10,000 pairs with a handful of volunteers alongside 2,200 miles of Argentinan countryside.
As of February of this year the self-financed company had orders from 300 stores and was turning a profit. On top of that, 240 customers had offered to pay to go volunteer resulting in Mycoskie starting to create a sister company that will offer $2,000 vacations consisting of two days of sightseeing and 4 days of volunteering.
At the beginning of this year I organized an event for a local non-profit. The experience was invaluable and I greatly appreciated the opportunity; however, after that event I went on a two month hiatus from volunteering. I was burnt out and a little cranky with the non-profit model.
This past Sunday I ended my volunteering hiatus and have returned to my typical schedule of volunteering once per week. I believe the two month break was a good idea as this past week’s experience was completely refreshing.
I have had a lot on my mind lately concerning the American lifestyle. I live what I consider a good life for the following reasons:
I have a job that allows me to pay for my needs while providing some discretionary income
I am able to live in my own apartment
I am able, due to my financial situation, to spend many hours a week on my hobbies
I am fortunate enough to have a strong support network through friends
Once per year I travel out of the country to explore a new destination
If I become injured, I have insurance to help me cover the costs
I own a car (with dents and all)
I feel like my needs are covered
I bring up this list because lately I have felt a lot of guilt due to my easy lifestyle. I don’t believe that my life is extraordinary, but rather that I am very fortunate to live in the country that I do and have the opportunities that are presented to me. I truly feel like anything is possible, and it makes me think of the people who are barely able to survive.
The tricky part is I sincerely do not know the best way to go about making a huge difference. Sure I try to volunteer on a weekly basis, but there are some major atrocities taking place in the world and I want to know how I can make a positive impact. Do I quite my job and move to another country to volunteer “in the trenches”? Do I donate money to organizations already in place? Do I create or be involved with organizations that get the word out to people? Do I become politically involved? I truly don’t know.
Perhaps the solution is different for each social ill. And perhaps I just need to find one issue and focus on it. I just catch myself really feeling guilty sometimes that I have been born into the life that I have been given. It has hiccups for sure, but in comparison to the millions of people without in the world I feel pretty damn lucky. And I feel like I need to return the karma and give back, but have yet to conclude the best method of contributing.
I genuinely contemplate this at least a couple times a week. Any ideas from you readers would be most appreciated.
I have blogged a couple times concerning donating blood as a form of service. Yesterday I donated and made another appointment in order to start a trend of donating as often as possible (the allowance being every 56 days). While at ARUP, I learned some new information on whole blood versus platelets as ARUP takes donations of both. The girls who helped me stated that there is a need for both and that their supply never exceeds the local demand, but platelets short lifespan can result in platelets being needed more frequently.
The platelets are what makes blood clot and are needed by cancer patients, transplant (organ and bone marrow) patients, plus others. Whereas whole blood can be frozen, platelets can only be used up to five days as they will actually start to clot together.
Another interesting fact is since a platelet donation only removes part of the blood with all other components being restored to the donor, donations can be made 24 times a year rather than six times a year with whole blood.
I try to volunteer once per week (though I have been on a small hiatus) as a way to try and keep my priorities in order. Upon learning about platelet donations I started contemplating integrating this activity into my life. I am still pondering the subject as it does mean sitting with a needle in my arm for an hour and half time period every other week, but I do like that it is a form of service with a huge impact, which sometimes is hard to find.
The Red Cross released an article in the Salt Lake Tribune last week stating that donations of blood are low during the summer months and requesting blood donations. I would encourage all my friends to call 1-800-Give-Life and make an appointment to donate as giving blood is the easiest form of service with a huge impact.
Hey fellow climbers! If you have ever in your life used a bolt or pre-placed anchor, I would urge you to come support the Salt Lake Climber’s Alliance in their annual fundraiser comp and party. Not only will it be a ton of fun with a DJ, food from Ricos, lots of beer and tons of schwag, but all the proceeds will help with bolt and anchor replacement in our local canyons.
Date: Thursday, May 3 Time: Comp goes from 4:30 - 7:30 and party starts at 7:00 and goes until the beer runs out. Yes… this does mean you can start drinking while finishing up climbing. Where: The Front Climbing Gym at 1450 South 400 West Cost: $30 for Comp and Party (however, you get $5 off for pre-registering and $5 off if you are a Front member). $15 for party only ($5 off for pre-registering and the Front is covering the cost for all their members). $10 for spectator passes. Register at www.frontslc.com
Even if you can’t make it, please consider donating through the above link. There isn’t a donation box, but you can just purchase a comp or party ticket even if you won’t be there.
Thanks for your support and for keeping climbing safe!
I am not going to lie…. hearing the KCPW pledge drive on the radio drives me crazy! However, due to the pledge drive I get to participate in one of the best volunteer experiences of the year. You wouldn’t think that answering phones to take pledges would be so enjoyable, but it is. It actually might be my favorite volunteer gig because the people who work and volunteer at a public radio station pledge drives are usually well informed people with passion for changing the world. Every time I volunteer I meet the most interesting people and learn about new organizations and ideas.
If you haven’t pledged to KCPW before (or if you are already a member), I would urge you to support the programming through this drive. You can pledge by calling 801-359-5279 or by pledging online.
Or, if you want to have the best volunteer experience of your life, fill out this online form to get involved.
Ten Thousand Villages has found a new location as the Sugarhouse area will soon be going under some construction. Please note that the new location is 1941 E 1100 South and that they will make the move within the next couple months. In the meantime, please visit them in their normal location next to Fat’s Grill.
Yesterday I volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages. With the cyclical nature of retail, it has been quite slow in the store so it was nice that we were sending out the quarterly newsletter as I stamped a bazillion newsletters while running the register.
Last night as I was leaving, the volunteer coordinator said, “It was great working with you.” I have noticed that every time I leave the store, my fellow workers will state very similar comments and it is such a relief to be leaving a work environment with so much positive energy. The best part is I know they are genuine when they say these comments, and I in return honestly have a great time working with them.
I was thinking about this over the weekend. Can I implement this positive enthusiasm into my career? I think that if I stated such a quote every time I left work for the day, people might starting looking at me like I am crazy. However, perhaps I can implement it in other ways. Perhaps I need to just say ‘thank you’ more often when someone helps me on a project, smile and laugh more in the office (I am usually very serious while at work, which is completely out of my character) and then occasionally tell people, “It was great working with you today.”
It’s funny how simple it sounds, but how rare it is to hear this in the work place. The funniest thing is these little simple things make the biggest difference. After having a long week that included a car accident, this simple statement by the volunteer coordinator at Ten Thousand Villages completely turned my week around. Thank you.
Anya Hindmarch created a bag that has seen wild success, selling out in London and in America. And according to the website, “Due to the unprecedented demand for I’m Not A Plastic Bag in South East Asia and our concerns for our customers safety we will be cancelling the launches at the following stores: Anya Hindmarch Beijing, On Pedder in Shanghai and On Pedder in Jakarta.”
