Recycling Fact about our Off the Street Picture Frames

Did you know...We have recycled over 10,000 CTA transit cards for our recycled Off the Street picture frames? Pretty amazing, isn't it?

According to Earth911.com recycling is:

Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to make another product. The internationally recognized symbol for recycling includes three arrows moving in a triangle. Each arrow represents a different part of the recycling process, from collection to re-manufacture to resale.

But what does all this have to do with you? Well, recycling is a simple way that you, as a consumer, can help out the environment, create a profitable market for recycled goods and help preserve natural resources from being depleted. So...let's get involved!

WCIU TV Segment

This is a recent WCIU TV segment about our Off the Street collection that was done over the weekend in celebration of Chicago's Green Festival. Also pictured with the OTS picture frames is one of our eco-friendly handbags - a grey messenger bag made from repurposed mosquito netting, which is a part of our Cambodia line. Enjoy!

Direct link to WCIU TV http://www.wciu.com/youandme.php?section=home&assetID=10002274

OxFam DePaul's First Fair Trade-Apalooza

We are participating in Oxfam DePaul's first Fair Trade-apalooza next Tuesday, May 25th from 11-4pm!

For more information about OxFam, please visit http://oxfamamerica.org whose mission is:

"Working together to end poverty and injustice."

Northwestern Expo Event

Thank you to the Northwestern Expo Committee for hosting this event. Here are a few details they provide on their website:

Saturday, May 22

11 a.m. - 7 p.m

Henry Crown Sports Pavilion/Norris Aquatics Center

• Vendors from all over Chicagoland
• Support local businesses AND get the deals of familiar name brands: food, giveaways, and quality merchandise
• Live performances
• DJs all day, acappella performances, dance shows, and more
• Educational sessions
• Nutrition consultations, fit checks, demonstrations.
• Fun games and activities
• Win prizes. Bring your family!
• A Great Experience!
• Take advantage of a full day centered around YOU!

For a complete schedule of events, please visit http://www.fitrec.northwestern.edu/expo/schedule.html

StreetWise Fundraiser at Chicago's Green Festival

This is just a reminder that we are looking forward to holding a fundraiser for StreetWise, who supplies us with our Off the Street socially conscious gift products. The fundraiser will be held at our booth at Chicago's Green Festival on May 22,23 at Navy Pier. This is our largest event of the season. The fundraiser will include a 5 minute massage in exchange for a $5 donation to StreetWise. Hope to see some of you Chicagoans there!

Details:

May 22-23, 2010
Saturday – 10am – 7pm
Sunday – 11am – 6pm

Navy Pier
600 E Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

In the meantime, check out this Green Festival Introduction:

New Partnership with the Center for Disability and Elder Law

We are excited and privileged to be partnering with Chicago's CDEL - Center for Disability and Elder Law - to donate $5 from each Off the Street (OTS) picture frame sale through CDEL. Thank you, CDEL, for your partnership and support!

Special Thank You to our Interns

five ACCESSORIES would not be what it is without the time, help and support of our many interns that help us throughout the year. In the last four years, we have had more than 30 interns pass through our doors. So we would like to mention their hard work and dedication to our mission by honoring them with a little public recognition here on our blog, Facebook and Twitter by sending out a special thank you to our interns at the Illinois Institute of Art and DePaul University - Thank you all very much, we are so pleased to have you as a part of the five ACCESSORIES team!

Picture Note: Rachel (left) is one of our interns. Forgive us for not being able to picture everyone at this time.

Our First Donation

This is a bit late, but we celebrated our fourth anniversary in March and we thought we'd share a bit of history about our very first donation. As important as our socially conscious gifts like our eco friendly handbags are to our company, the people we are giving back to are that much more important because they are the reason behind all that we do.

The recipients of our first donation back in 2006 were a group of school children in Bali, who are show in the picture above.

The picture below is a family we supported in 2008-2009:


Our company has evolved over the past four years to now give back to charities and individuals at need in India, Cambodia, Honduras and Chicago. We feel privileged to be a part of this ongoing work - the school children, families and charities are the reason why we seek to create and sell eco friendly hand bags and purses so that we can give back a portion of the proceeds to enrich and improve the lives of others.

Thank you for the part you have played in helping us fulfill our mission over the last four years! We appreciate your support!

World Fair Trade Day Update

Chicago's World Fair Trade Day on Friday, May 7th, was a very successful day for us. Despite the rain, we connected with some very conscious consumers looking to help make a difference purchasing socially conscious gifts and accessories. We are grateful for their interest and support.

We also saw Maureen, from Mindful Metropolitis Magazine at World Trade Day. We are excited to be a part of the Green Gala on May 21st.

Thank you to the city of Chicago for working towards becoming more Fair Trade friendly! And an extra special thank you goes out to Nancy Jones and the staff of Chicago Fair Trade for hosting such a great event! Thank you!

10 REASONS TO ATTEND
GREEN FESTIVAL CHICAGO

1. Reduce, reuse and repurpose.
Get the best methods and tools for reducing your home and business waste, conserve resources, source reusable products and repurpose all that stuff you’ve stored away.

2. Learn what new green careers await you.
Keep you and your family secure by finding your career in the green economy.

3. Get fueled with healthy food for body and mind!
Discover the health benefits for you and your family by making the right food choices without sacrificing great taste and your budget.

4. Live lighter with a smaller and greener footprint.
Find sustainable woods, organic cottons and repurposed and recycled materials that are perfect for your home, wardrobe or backyard. Hear from experts on how living lighter helps protect, conserve and preserve our communities and the planet.

5. Find out how to make your home toxin-free!
Your next spring-cleaning can be just the time to create a healthier and safer home. Learn how to eliminate those chemicals that make the air inside your home toxic—from furnishings and carpets to paints and cleaners.

6. Bring the family and inspire the kids.
Delightful surprises await families at the Green Kids' Zone. Around every corner, cool products, green schools and fun workshops will inspire your family.

7. Learn to leverage social media to create social good!
Social networking, blogs, twitter, video… Learn how to leverage the power of social media for social good.

8. Make your home energy efficient.
Put money back in the bank with the latest information on home and commercial energy efficiency and conservation techniques.

9. Beautify yourself without harmful toxins.
Green Festival has vendors that only use certified organic ingredients in their body care products. From moisturizers to shampoos to makeup, you will find personal care products that provide beauty and good health, both inside and out.

10. Become conscientious about your consumption.
Do good by supporting sustainable companies passionate about people- and planet-friendly products and services. Green Festival's marketplace is the place to find responsible businesses and organization located right in your community.

May 22-23, 2010

Saturday – 10am – 7pm
Sunday – 11am – 6pm

Navy Pier
600 E Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

http://www.greenfestivals.org/chicago/

World Fair Trade Day Celebration Reminder

Just wanted to remind you all that World Fair Trade Day is this coming Friday, May 7th at the Daley Plaza in Chicago see our original post for complete event details. If you live in or near the Chicago area, we'd love to meet up with you there!

We will be participating in this event with 24 other fair trade vendors. We will be selling our recycled picture frames from our Off The Street Chicago Program and our new Messenger Bags from our eco-friendly handbags from our Cambodia Line. They are made out of recycled netting. We will also have available our new selection of jewelry from Bali. All of which will make wonderful socially conscious gifts for Mother's Day, graduations and birthdays.

Here's a little video from 2009 World Fair Trade Day:




And the official World Fair Trade website: http://www.worldfairtradeday10.org/

World Give Day is Today

Have you ever heard of World Give Day? Well, it is today. It is not just a day to give back to your favorite cause or charity, but also a day to remind ourselves and each other to practice giving in our every day lives. Imagine the world a better place because we are thinking of each other first and giving of ourselves and resources.

Please visit www.WorldGiveDay.com for more information.