Citizen Brand

TwoHands update

Brady and Alicia are about two years into their online business selling fair trade goods at TwoHandsWorldshop.com.  It's growing quite nicely because they are doing some very cool things to market themselves.

Last Saturday, more than a hundred folks braved some cool, rainy weather to attend the Lawrence version of a worldwide coffee break.  The event at Watson Park in Lawrence was sponsored by TwoHands and served up some great fair trade coffee to the attendees.

On May 19th, TwoHands will cosponsor a special showing of the film "Black Gold."   The film has received rave reviews in telling the story of how one man fights for a fair price for his coffee.  It should make us think more carefully about our morning cup of joe and where the beans for it started.

Finally, TwoHands will be present for the big Wakarusa Festival from June 5-8 at Clinton Lake outside Lawrence.  Brady and Alicia will have fair trade products on sale throughout the festival which is fast becoming one of the big music festivals in the nation.

Great stuff!

Fair Trade Love

Time to take a commercial break from our continuing election coverage here at Citizen Brand for a word from our sponsor.....

Looking for that unique gift for that special Valentine?  Look no further than Two Hands Worldshop for that fair trade gift for the one you love. 

Now back to our regular programming......

A Fair Gift

It's not too late to visit Two Hands Worldshop and pick up that last minute gift for someone special.  And the good news is all their gift ideas are fair trade goods from all over the globe.  I was thoughtfully surprised last week by my co-workers with a whole reusable cloth sack full of fairly traded goods - cool coffee mugs; BBQ rubs for grilling; coffees and nuts etc.  Another one of my colleagues was given some incredible jewelry from India.  She said it was better than anything her husband had ever given her.  (I promise not to tell him she said that.)  And you can still get things shipped in time for the holidays.

I'm going there right now to finish some shopping.  Hope you do too.

Enjoy this great time of the year.

'Tis the Season

It's that most wonderful time of the year......time to help the economy out a little and buy a gift or two.  If you are having trouble, Citizen Brand is here to help.

For example, Fast Company tell us what to buy that road warrior in your life.

If you haven't seen this site yet, check out Shop It To Me.

If you want to give fair trade gifts this year, go no further than Two Hands Worldshop.

What would Christmas be without a model train?  Check out Discount Trains Online.

Maybe a rare book is what you are looking to buy.  Try Bauman Rare Books.

If you can't decide you can always head to Giftcertificates.com and cop out with a piece of paper.

Now if I happen to have made it on your list this year, you can never go wrong by visiting The Golf Warehouse.

Or if you are really stumped, give the gift that everyone can support - make a donation to that person's favorite charity as their gift this year.  Everyone wins.

Enjoy the season!

Anyone can be a fair trader

Alicia over at TwoHandsWorldshop gives us all ten easy ways to get involved in fair trade.  And don't forget to check out the new fair trade products from around the world at TwoHandsWorldshop.

What's new with fair trade?

I admit that I have neglected Citizen Brand a bit this late spring and early summer.  But thanks to so many others out there who are not so neglectful, I can share some other points of view.  For example, take a look at the TwoHandsWorldshop blog to hear the latest and greatest on what is happening in the world of fair trade.  Trust me, there is plenty going on.

And Joe tells us how buying a simple pair of flip flops can be a very good thing to do.

And thanks to Britt for telling us about a nice film festival in San Fransisco on Monday, June 25th.  Wish I could be there.

Thanks for hanging in there with Citizen Brand during these interesting times.  It's the new normal as my friend Jenne calls it.  For the record, my wife has begun her chemo and is doing very well.  My sister starts hers on July 6 and is ready to go.  We appreciate all the notes, emails, thoughts and prayers coming our way.  They work, so please keep it up.

Chicago Green Festival

Brady and Alicia of Two Hands Worldshop (aka - my son and daughter-in-law) spent Earth Day weekend at the Chicago Green Festival.  Visit the THW blog for their first person reports from the Windy City.

If you missed Chicago, there will be two more Green Festivals this year in Washington D.C. in October and San Francisco in November.

Fair trade update

A few notes on fair trade tonight.  Like cause branding, fair trade is a movement that is hitting the mainstream in a big way.

First, a quick update on my favorite fair trade topic, my son Brady and daughter-in-law Alicia and their growing online fair trade store called Two Hands Worldshop.  They had a great holiday and are grateful to the readers of Citizen Brand who found their way there and perused the goods and made some purchases.  They keep adding products from around the globe so check it out regularly and make your next gift one from Two Hands Worldshop.

Brady and Alicia have begun a blog as well.  You can find it here.  Both links to the store and the blog have a permanent and prominent place in the upper left column right here at CB.

Another great fair trade story is The Odegard Collection.  Stephanie Odegard and her company make some of the finest rugs in the world but she makes sure they are made under reputable work conditions.  She and her company were named one of Fast Company's Next best 50 business ideas recently and with good reason.  In concert with the Rugmark Foundation, she not only has made sure her company sells the highest quality rugs but she cajoles suppliers to pay higher wages for employing only adults to make the rugs.  It's a documented fact that Odegard and Rugmark have aided in pulling more than 3,000 children away from the rug looms and into school. 

If you are a wine snob, you can become a fair trade wine snob by visiting Fairtrade.org and check out their nice wine list.  If beer is more your style, then check out Chris O'Brien's Beer Activist blog.

Interesting dynamics are at work in the global economy.  Big and bigger are still with us but it seems like it is the smaller and more nimble entrepreneurs who are leading the way in helping us all see how to act like true citizen brands. 

Whether it be cause branding, fair trade or going green - companies can no longer afford to ignore these dynamics.

How does your company measure up?

A spotlight on Two Hands Worldshop

A link to a nice article about my kids' online store in the Lawrence Journal World.  If you are looking for a great and unique holiday gift, click on over to Two Hands Worldshop and find some incredible fair trade products from around the world.

Two Hands Worldshop

A new business is open and ready for you just in time for the holidays.  In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you right now that this is from a very proud father.  My son Brady and daughter in-law Alicia, have launched Two Hands Worldshop on line at http://twohandsworldshop.com.

Two Hands Worldshop is a fair trade store now open on line but Brady and Alicia's objective is to have a retail store open in Lawrence, Kansas sometime in 2007.  I just finished purchasing some very cool holiday ornaments made in India.  What is great about the site they have built is that with every product you buy, you learn about the artisans that made it.  It is one of the most personal on line shopping experiences I have ever had.

So give it a try when you have a chance.  I have put a permanent link in the left column of Citizen Brand.  I hope you give it a try.