I did a guest-post on the CRS blog this week on the Olympics (Catholic Relief Services). Given that I'm not Catholic, I thought that was a big deal (turns out that it is not). They wanted to know my take on the Olympics as I view it through a "Fair Trade" lens.

Head on over to check it out when you have a chance...

"Green" is in, especially at auctions this year. Auctioning off our eco-friendly sports balls is a great and easy way to make a lot of money for your organization.  If you purchase a regular priced Fair Trade Sports soccer ball at $45, have one of your organization's VIPs sign it with a Sharpie marker, then auction off the soccer ball for $1,000. You've made $955 for your organization! We've had a number of folks do items like this. Today I'd like to draw your attention to one of them.

The Washington Health Foundation was founded in 1992; their mission has been to improve the health of the people in Washington State.  Their goal today is to make Washington the Healthiest State in the Nation.  Their Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign is the largest civic engagement project for health in Washington's history, with more than 1,0000 businesses, over 350 schools, and more than 35,000 individuals involved.

In recent years, the Washington Health Foundation has lost the funding that kept them going for their first ten years.  They've had to seek alternative means of funding their programs.  One way they've done that is by holding auctions, where they've auctioned off Fair Trade Sports' "green" soccer balls.  Pictured in the photograph above, from right to left, are Heather Pitre, Gina Legaz, Nhi Eklund, Sandy Duncan, and Rose Baz from one of their 2008 "Heroes of Health" galas.  I quite happy to say that our soccer balls are helping to make Washington one of the Healthiest States in the Nation.

Kicka Witte, eco-fashion photographer and mom, knew that she didn't want to buy a toxic soccer ball for her toddler son, so she spent time researching environmentally-friendly soccer balls...and found us.  We even made it into her blog.

I happen to think that Kicka Witte is pretty inspiring herself.  She is truly living the "less is more" philosophy.  She believes that it's better to have just a few things you really enjoy than it is to have many things, just because they're pretty.  For example, Kicka only owns about seven dresses, one for each day.  She is very aware that everything she does can have an impact not only on her son's future, but the future of the planet as well. 

You can read more about Kicka in this Miami Herald article.

Recently I did a short interview with Sarah from Green Families. 

We found each other through Unclutterer, a great blog we're both fans of that gives daily tips on how to get rid of clutter in your life and stay organized.

For people who are a bit retentive when it comes to being organized (what, me retentive?!?), blogs like Unclutterer, 43 Folders, and Zen Habits are like magnets.

The Green Families blog gives some cool advice on all things eco, from tips on how to make your backyard barbecue less wasteful to how to get your kids involved in the environmental movement.  Thankfully, they also like our environmentally friendly sports gear, like our Fair Trade mini-balls for soccer and rugby/football and our RESPECT tagline.

(Interesting sidenote for those of you in marketing or intellectual property: FA referees are also digging our RESPECT tagline).

You can read the Green Families interview here.

Roxi Suger, the founder of the eco and Fair Trade friendly fashion line Angel Rox, recently ordered some Fair Trade Mini-Soccer Balls.

Her son Cotton ended up with one of them, which now makes him our youngest fan, I believe.  Roxi says he giggles when she tosses it to him. You can't get better than a baby giggling.

Angel Rox is a company committed to producing sustainable fashion using local suppliers whenever possible, and fair trade practices when local suppliers aren't feasible.  They are also, like Fair Trade Sports, committed to philanthropy and donate to several different charities. In short, they rock. Check them out here.

The folks over at Play It Green had some kind words to say about our green eco-basketballs and the excellent role model Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns recently. 

Play It Green is Brita Belli's blog and it deals with all things green and sports related.  Brita writes about everything from athletes' activism to how to make golf a greener sport.

Brita is also the editor of E-The Environmental Magazine.  E is in its 19th year and is published bimonthly by the non-profit Earth Action Network Inc.  E reports on a range of current environmental issues and has plenty of information on how you can make your own life a little greener.  When you visit the site, you can sign up for their free weekly newsletter and read some articles.

Be sure and check out both of these great websites.

I teach the Marketing class at Bainbridge Graduate Institute in the Fall along with my teaching partner, Dr. April Atwood from the University of Washington.  Many of my students end up eventually launching the businesses that they conceive of in my class.

My students from last Fall just graduated and I was recently on a judging panel for their final business plans.  My fellow judges, pictured from left to right (I'm the first on the left), were Dr. Howard Frederick, who teaches Entrepreneurship in New Zealand, Jim Poss, creator of the Big Belly solar powered waste receptacles (and the instructor for BGI's Entrepreneurship class), and Tedd Ladd, owner of Ladd Energy Inc. in Wyoming.

The answer to the question of which is worse, the banana or the plastic bag? Interestingly, the banana is actually a worse item in a landfill because it emits significantly more methane gas than the plastic bag. The landfill does not allow the banana to break down properly.

The winning team from the competition was Philly Compost, which will get paid to divert fruit from the waste stream into industrial sized compost in Philadelphia (thus the bananas and odorless compost inside the coffee bags on the table in front of us). PC will then sell this high quality compost to nurseries and homeowners for a premium. It's a great business model which solves a significant environmental problem.

Side note: the other item on the table in front of us are called "Ugly Dolls." They have microphones stuffed inside them; one of many BGI traditions which are slightly unusual but serve a purpose. I think the Ugly Doll microphones prevent anyone from getting too serious while trying to solve the problems we face in our currently un-sustainable world. It's hard to go on a rant while holding an Ugly Doll.

It's a good physical reminder that not lost on me, as my personal mission statement is to "help others while having fun."

A few months ago Green Girls Global wrote a post on Fair Trade Sports and their thoughts on fair play.  It was quite a compliment to be endorsed by a team such as theirs.

Green Girls Global started in 2006 when the blog City Hippy ended.  The editors of City Hippy, who all happened to be women from various parts of the world, joined together to start a new blog and Green Girls Global was born. 

Green Girls Global is a fun, hip, eclectic blog written by women acting on their eco-beliefs.  They blog about topics ranging from eco-fashion to raising chickens to vegetable seasons to our own Fair Trade Sports balls. While you're there, be sure to check out their brother site, Green Guys Global, and the guest post I wrote about them a few months back.

I'd first like to apologize for using the blog to so blatantly promote one of our own products, but our new Unisex Performance Shorts are really cool. 

I just played soccer in these for the first time this past weekend and they did terrific. They come just in time for the summer heat, with their moisture-wicking, anti-microbial and anti-static fabric.  You can go out and play your favorite sports all summer long and these shorts will wick moisture away from your body and allow your sweat to evaporate more quickly, keeping you cool and dry.

Also be sure to check out our matching Unisex Performance Tee and Unisex Performance Tank.  All three items sport the RESPECT logo and are made in the USA by a union crew. Say NO to sweatshop apparel!

Jacob Levitt is a student with a mission-to prevent child labor, and to ensure fair labor practices for everyone, young and old. 

Jacob is now thirteen and first learned about child labor when he was in sixth grade and his class began a lesson on it.  He was horrified to learn that children around the world were sold into slavery and forced to work long hours, but he also wanted to find out more about the issue in the hopes that maybe he would be able to do something about it.

When Jacob began middle school, he joined a group called SANDBOCS, which stands for Saving All Neglected, Denied, and Blatantly Oppressed Children from Slavery.  In addition, as part of his Bar Mitzvah preparation, Jacob must take on a social justice project.   Like a lot of kids, Jacob loves sports, and so he decided to combine his love of sports with his growing interest and sense of injustice over child labor issues.

Jacob has since become one of the youngest and most dynamic supporters of our Fair Trade Sports soccer balls.  He organized a meeting with the Northampton Soccer Club, where he explained unfair labor practices and convinced the group to begin using our Fair Trade balls.  He's now trying to encourage the Northampton High School to team up with the Northampton Soccer Club to make the bulk amount of balls they will need to order feasible and more affordable.  He's also hoping to get the city of Northampton Recreation Department to consider using Fair Trade Sports soccer balls in their leagues as well.

Kudos, Jacob!