world of good...

ok... i've been eye-ing world of good's fair-trade products at my local natural food store for months... and, on an impulse, bought a set of organic cotton socks... and i DIG 'em... so i poked around and found out these folks have all sorts of great items... from great handbags (yes, they carry the same style of monk bag that oodles of you asked "where did you get that?" a few years ago) to *gorgeous* handmade jewelry to really cool and unique housewares and gifts.

yeah, while there are all sorts of companies that make cool stuff, world of good is offering the creative work of international artisans with an emphasis on fair trade and economic viability by putting 10% of its proceeds directly back into the artisans' communities.

according to its website...

"In our first full year of business last year, World of Good sold over 100,000 handmade items crafted by 133 artisan groups in 31 countries - all of which helped make actual, concrete improvements in the lives of over 2,500 artisans and their families.

"We created employment for the disabled in Cambodia, and for HIV positive women in Swaziland. We promoted anti-child-labor activism in India, provided Tsunami relief in Sri Lanka and supported educational programs in Guatemala and Nepal."

pretty cool, eh? check em out!