Andira Rain Tees-T-Shirts for Trees

With a growing environmental awareness, many clothing companies are making the decision to go green with their merchandise. Andira Rain Tees is no exception to this growing trend, selling 100% organic t-shirts and bags.Named after a Brazilian flowering tree cut down by loggers, this eco-friendly company does more than offer great organic shirts. Founder Beth Doane started her company in 2005 as an import and distribution company that has recently expanded to include consulting, design, distribution and marketing strategies to companies who wish to stay eco-conscious.

Andira Rain Tees also sells their own special merchandise directly from the Amazon. On a trip to visit South America’s beautiful, but endangered rain forest, Doane donated craft school supplies to the children living there. She told them, as she distributed crayons and paper, to draw what they saw around them. Their artwork was then transformed into designs for women’s and children’s shirts in the Andira Rain Tees collection.

When establishing her clothing company, Doane chose to manufacture her clothes in Peru due to their enforced fair labor laws. Her entire business plan is focused on remaining sustainable and Peru provided the perfect environment for this goal. Peru produces huge amounts of cotton, which eliminates the need to import material. Free trade also exists between Peru and the US, so there are no import taxes. The factories are all family-run and vertically integrated, which means that all the labor and assemblage is done in the same place. This allows for the workers, no matter what part of production they work on, to see the end result of their labor. Workers receive wages that are 20% above the average in Peru. Many of these workers were previously forced to work for illegal logging companies, animal trafficking and oil companies just to support their families. Donane’s factories provide a safe, clean alternative to such devastating jobs.

With the money raised from the clothing sales, Doane donates trees to be replanted in Costa Rica where logging companies have destroyed the natural forests. Children who Doane has worked with during a trip to bring school supplies plant each tree donated.

All the Andira Rain Tees’s merchandise is sold through online retailers. They are currently selling to 8 different websites and 15 boutiques. Although they are not currently selling merchandise on their website, http://raintees.com, you can find a complete list of retailers who do carry her stuff.

Is there a Ghost on Twitter?

Pacman
Originally uploaded by Scorr HampsonOriginally uploaded by scott hampson.
Originally Uploaded by Scott Hampson.

It's been about two months since I first got on Twitter and I have mostly positive reviews of it. I have never learned so much from so many brilliant people who have passed on information via Twitter about my interests: business philanthropy, CSR, non-profits, volunteerism, entrepreneurism and others. Just this last month I have been able to experience via Twitter, from the comfort of my desk, four amazing conferences: Business As Agent Of World Benefit Forum, Craigslist Foundation Bootcamp, the International Positive Psychology Conference and the National Volunteer and Service Conference.

While I wish I had the opportunity to be physically present at the conferences, being on Twitter gave me live feedback from the participants there as well as the links to the livestream of the proceedings. I had the the opportunity to observe some of the presentations, workshops, and hear many speakers like Michelle Obama speak via livestream. I am so grateful and privileged to be able to get this much value from my virtual participation.

So what do ghosts have to do with this? I continue to be puzzled by this rush to have hundreds and thousand of followers who are trying to add me to their list and who have nothing to do with what I am interested in. Most of them that find me are not scary, a few of them are and I block them. But somewhere there is a ghost that is creeping in. All of the sudden I am seeing "thank you for following me" from people like "LooseFat" that I would have not agreed to follow. Of course I now have to take the time to "unfollow" all these unknown people.

I had not heard about these ghosts in Twitter before and I hope Twitter does something about them, so I can get back to doing learning and writing about what it is important to me, and participating in all these great conferences!

Give Free Advertising To Your Cause

So you think that because your business cannot afford to give much to charity there's nothing you can do? Think again, there are plenty of resources that you already have that you can use to make a positive contribution to a charity.

One company, eCompliments is offering their website as an advertising vehicle to charities.
"Through their ongoing initiative, eCompliments is offering free advertising for approved charities through banner ads on their site as well as through what eCompliments has coined as ECN advertising. ECN stands for Email Compliment Notification. When a compliment is made on the website an ECN is delivered to the profile owner (typically the business owner or manager) showing the compliment given. Just below this compliment is the ECN text ad."
eCompliments COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- eCompliments is an online review and referral site whose mission is to share the good(TM).

eCompliments hopes that other businesses will be inspired by this idea. Businesses and charities can participate with them when they use eCompliments. http://www.ecompliments.com

It's great way to promote your business through eCompliments, and now you can help promote a charity too. But you can also do this on your own. Why not post the banners, advertise or raise money for a favorite charity on your website? The charities will be grateful for any additional support that comes their way.