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Home › Fair Trade › Ten Thousand Villages News › March 2006

Ten Thousand Villages News

March 2006

Ten Thousand Villages Celebrates Earth Day(s)
The Earth from Space March 30, 2006 - Confused about the difference between Earth Day and International Earth Day? If you're reading this between March 20 and April 22, you have good reason. Since 1971, the United Nations celebrates International Earth Day each year on the northern hemisphere's vernal equinox (March 20 in 2006), also known as the first day of spring. But there's an Earth Day on April 22, with its roots in a 1970 event called the Environmental Teach-In. Co-founded by environmental activist senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), this event is widely seen as having launched the modern environmental movement in the United States.

For products handcrafted using recycled, natural and sustainable materials, see our Environmentally Friendly Collection.

For more about the two Earth Days, visit the following links:
  • The Origin of April 22 Earth Day: www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay05History.html
  • Wikipedia article about both Earth Days: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
  • U.S. Government's Earth Day page: www.earthday.gov/
  • The Nature Conservancy's Earth Day page: www.nature.org/earthday/
  • How to celebrate International Earth Day: www.earthsite.org/celebrate.htm

Actress Valerie Harper Shops at Ten Thousand Villages
March 28, 2006 - Valerie Harper recently visited the Ten Thousand Villages store in St. Paul, Minnesota with a reporter from the Pioneer Press. During her shopping trip, Harper stressed the importance of fighting world hunger and empowering women in Third World countries. Harper, famous for playing Rhoda on the "Mary Tyler Moore Show," is currently starring in the one-woman show "Golda's Balcony," a play about Israel's former Prime Minister Golda Meir. Read the article on the Web for a limited time.

Ten Thousand Villages Featured in New York Times
Illustration by Leif Parsons - used with permission March 20, 2006 - The purchasing behaviors of consumers— and their multiple motivations for buying gifts from fair-trade retailers such as Ten Thousand Villages— are examined in Rob Walker's "Consumed" column entitled "Values Chain" in the Sunday, March 19th edition of the New York Times Magazine. Dwayne Ball and Ronald Hampton, associate professors of marketing at the University of Nebraska, have focused on the differences between "doctrine centered" and "other centered" purchasing behaviors, and have found it useful to use Ten Thousand Villages as a "useful lens through which to view their work," writes Walker.

Ten Thousand Villages Celebrates International Women's Day
March 2, 2006 - International Women's Day will be celebrated around the world on Wednesday, March 8th, 2006. Although its roots in the U.S. go back more than 90 years, the modern incarnation of International Women's Day stems from its official sanction by the United Nations in 1975. Wednesday's celebration is about inspiring women to achieve their full potential in their homes, communities and workplaces, while honoring the courageous achievements of women past, present and future.

Many Ten Thousand Villages stores hold events in conjunction with International Women's Day. Use our store locator to find one near you. For stores without an upcoming events page, contact the store manager by phone or email. To learn more, or to search for other International Women's Day events in your area, visit www.internationalwomensday.com.

FTRN Releases 4th Edition of Consumer-Focused Fair Trade Publication
March 1, 2006 - The Fair Trade Resource Network has released the fourth edition of its flagship publication, The Conscious Consumer: Promoting Economic Justice Through Fair Trade. This new and expanded edition is commonly viewed as the authoritative source for basic, comprehensive Fair Trade information. It is full of producer stories and photos, history, facts and figures, challenges and goals. Limited quantities will be available soon at Ten Thousand Villages Stores.

Since its first edition in 1999, The Conscious Consumer has proved a valuable resource for Fair Trade allies, individual consumers, the media, students and educators, advocacy and faith groups, and development workers.

The Fair Trade Resource Network, based in Washington, D.C., seeks to improve people's lives through Fair Trade alternatives by providing information, leadership, and inspiration. FTRN gathers, develops, and disseminates educational resources to people and organizations interested in the movement to build a more just and sustainable world through Fair Trade.

To order The Conscious Consumer, or for more information, visit www.FairTradeResource.org.

Contact Juanita Fox, media coordinator, for more information.
Email: juanita.fox@tenthousandvillages.com
(717) 859-8120