Haiku is seasonal, and so we have recently added a spring haiku design with a lovely little frog. Based on what is one of the most well-known of the minimalist Japanese poems, our original design is adapted from a haiku by famous Japanese poet Basho:

“An old pond … A frog jumps in! Splash!”

古池や蛙飛び込む水の音
furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

On t-shirts and ribbed knits, this fresh new design just seems to sing out “spring is here!” On pillows, they make for a wonderful fresh match to last year’s dragonfly haiku design written by the poet Issa (which is still available and still popular!)

Technorati Tags: japan, japanese, haiku, poetry, poems, basho, issa, frogs, pond, soring

We admit it — we’re Mac-heads. And one of our favorite resources is SmallDog.com. Not only are they knowledgable and authorized Apple dealers, but you’ve got to love a company whose employees bring their dogs to work, regardless of size, *and* you get small (toy) dogs in every order they ship out.

Beyond all that likeability, though, is their commitment to “striving to reduce the environmental footprint of running our business, including the environmental impact of the electronic products we sell and service.”

Last Saturday, the day before Earth Day, Small Dog Electronics offered free ewaste recycling at their South Burlington, Vermont store. They collected well over 35 tons of old electronic junk that might have simply been tossed in to the landfill, where toxic elements such as lead and mercury would leak into the ground. This junk will be parted out and ultimately ground down. The powders will be elementally separated, recycled, and reused in new gear.

According to the EPA, 2.5 million tons of electronic waste, or “ewaste” is generated every year, including iPods, cell phones, printers, monitors, and especially computers. More than 60 million computers are buried in landfills around America, containing elements such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Unfortunately, only 10% of this waste is ever recycled.

SmallDog has recycled over 65 tons (!) of electronic waste since the program began.

See? It’s not just the toy dogs we like
(Source: SmallDog’s TechTails Newsletter)

Have an old computer that still has life in it? Consider putting it up for adoption at your local freecycle.

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Today’s Eco-Reco:

We love the one-of-a kind glass baubles — pendants, bracelets, rings and buttons — that Sprout Studio creates with reclaimed, found imagery. There’s something magical about the clear glass — maybe it reminds us of sea glass, or maybe it’s the unique image in each one, like a crystal ball image of a moment frozen in time. Our advice is, if you see something you love, grab it, because once it disappears, it won’t be be back!

We can’t wait to try this coffee, because it sounds yummy: “a sweet, nutty coffee from Uganda with notes of pecan and nutmeg, grown by an amazing and unique cooperative.”

It’s from Mirembe Kawomera (mir´em bay cow o mare´a) which means “delicious peace” in the Ugandan language Luganda. It is the name of a Ugandan cooperative of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian coffee farmers.

This remarkable cooperative was founded in 2004, when JJ Keki, an Abayudaya Jew, traveled on foot, knocking on each of his neighbor’s doors, asking Jews, Muslims, and Christians to put aside their differences and join him to create an extraordinary partnership.

Mirembe Kawomera Coffee is Fair Trade Certified, guaranteeing the farmers a fair price for their coffee and supporting the 558 family farmers of the Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative, and $1 from the sale of every package donated to the Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative to support their community-based projects.

This very special coffee can be purchased via the Thanksgiving Coffee Co., who specializes in organic and fair trade coffee.

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Today’s Eco-Reco:

MoonDropClothiers offers an eclectic assortment of recycled, organic, and fair trade goods from various artists, from jewelry and clothing, to incense, shoes, skincare and home decor. This week they are having a sale on all totes and market bags to help you break that nasty “paper or plastic?” habit. The Fair Trade African Recycled Plastic Bracelets (below) really caught our eye.

Technorati Tags: coffee, fair trade, uganda, cooperative, delicious peace, moondrop clothies, recycled clothing, hemp clothing, africa

From the beautiful mountains of Ojai, California, sprouts Can You Dig It? organic t-shirts for adults, kids and babies, made with with earth-friendly inks and decorated with clever green sentiments, like “rose-a-holic,” “botanic fanatic,” “peachy keen” and “mulch maniac.”

Stephanie, the creator of this colorful line of tees writes:

I’ve found the joy of organic gardening and have learned so much about the harmful contaminants used in farming practices. Through this journey and in search of clothing that would represent earth, labor and health friendly practices, I have created a line of clothing that celebrates and embraces this way of life. Can You Dig It? is a company that has grown from my passion. What began as an adult line of garden shirts has now grown into a clothing company that includes a wonderful children’s line! Fun designs and great colors, encouraging and playful sayings are printed on high quality, soft, organic cotton shirts.

Two of our favorite designs, created for CanYouDigIt by our friend, artist MaryO:

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Eco-Reco:
The Stanley Family Lodge reminds us of a country store, except that it’s online, and offers vegan, organic and sustainable clothing, jewelry, bath products and more that it consigns from indie entrepreneurs. We were so pleased that among them were some folks we know, like MadebyTess, ManicTrout, MiSpa and Textile Fetish. Also check out Tess’ adorable tote from recycled kimono (or is it yukata?) fabric, and our recent blog about goodies we got from Textile Fetish.)

Technorati Tags: recycled fabric, vegan, eco-friendlym, earth freindly, organic t-shirts, organic baby shirts, can you dig it, made by tess, stanley family lodge, mispa, manictrout

Think you need to be a high-powered executive or motivational speaker to benefit from public speaking training?

Think again.

Didn’t you ever have to get up at a meeting and introduce yourself? Or maybe you get tongue-tied at networking events? An artist contacting galleries, a manager who runs staff meetings, a job seeker preparing for interviews, a salesperson approaching customers - nearly everyone can benefit from improving their public speaking and presentation skills.

Our friend, public speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite, will be giving a one-hour webinar/workshop, “Build Skills and Confidence: Learn to Love Public Speaking.”

And it’s *free*!

Lisa will will cover basic public speaking skills and tips that work for everyone, novice or a seasoned professional, including:

* Preparation and organization of content
* Audience interaction
* Voice
* Eye contact
* Movement
* Efficient use of visual aids
* Relaxation
* Fear and anxiety

Webinar takes place on April 24 at 6:00 pm CST (7:00 pm EST / 4:00 pm PST.)

Check it out and sign up here.

We’re going to be there.

Technorati Tags: public speaking, confidence, presentation skills, lisa braithwaite

…love to combine a love for cutting edge design with a love for the environment? Check out the sustainable designer furnishings from Vivavi, like this “Pi” bench made of wood scraps that would otherwise go to landfill. By Scrapile, who collect the scraps from woodshops and create one-of-kind pieces with non-toxic water soluble glue. See a video about them here.

Be sure to check out the other designs at Vivavi, like the Lollipop Bench and the Sushi Daybed,

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Today’s Eco-Reco:

Plant a tree, fight CO2 and give a Mothers Day gift at the same time by planting a tree in your mom’s honor via the TreePeople. For a minimum donation of $25, TreePeople will plant a tree and send a beautiful, personalized Mother’s Day card. For a minimum donation of $100, they will plan grove of 5 trees and send a personalized certificate.

TreePeople is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades, helping nature heal our cities. They offer sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems, focusing on evironmental education at all levels, working with government agencies on water issues, and training communities to plant and care for trees.

Technorati Tags: treepeople, earth day, environment, eco-friendly, sustainable, sustainable furniture, trees