Something To Talk About: Green Mobile Phones and Accessories

The International Herald Tribune reported an interesting trend at the Mobile Congress in Barcelona earlier this month: "green" cell phones made of recycled and biodegradable materials that require less energy than regular cell phones.

Until now, there have been few environmentally-friendly cell phone options available to consumers. This seems, however, to be quickly changing! Nokia, the Finland-based manufacturer that made one of every 3 cell phones sold last year, introduced "green" features on a number of its mobile products, including sensors that detect natural light to allow the phone to save energy, and chargers that beep when they are fully charged, cuing the owner to unplug them from the wall socket.

Motorola showed off its MOTO W233 Renew, which it touts as the first carbon-neutral phone. The W233 is made using plastic from recycled water bottles and can itself be recycled, arriving to customers in 100% recycled paper with a prepaid shipping envelope for customers to send in their old phones for recycling. Motorola also pays to offset the carbon emissions created to manufacture and distribute the phone, and to recycle it at the end of its life. 

Sony Ericsson presented GreenHeart, a cell phone made of recycled, biodegradable components that was actually released in the U.S. late last year. GreenHeart's charger also uses less energy than other chargers when it's plugged into the wall. Both ZTE and Digicel, from China and Latin America respectively, offered low-cost solar-powered options that would make mobile communications possible for 2 billion people that don't have electricity.

If these new offerings are an indication of where the mobile industry is headed, we are clapping our hands in delight! One World Projects is also proud to offer "green" accessories to accompany your new mobile, including cell phone holders that are handmade from recycled Huipils (pronounced wee-peel), traditional blouses worn by Mayan women in Guatemala. Available in multiple sizes and colors, each holder comes with a handy button loop that can be attached to belt loops or key rings for easy access and has been handcrafted by an income-generation project that makes work for disadvantaged women in Guatemala. Please browse our selection of cell phone holders starting at $12.

Thanks for reading and for your support of sustainable and socially-responsible business. Our 11,000 artisan partners (and Mother Earth) thank you too! 

Sincerely,

The Team at One World Projects

Afghan Teddy Bears Have Arrived!

What a great start to the weekend...

For those of you who have been following our blog, our first teddy bear shipment has finally arrived from Afghanistan. These bears are a part of Teddies For Two, the share-a-bear program that allows customers to buy two handmade teddy bears for just $28 - one bear is shipped to you, the customer, while the second bear is donated to a child living in a refugee camp or orphanage in Afghanistan. In many cases, your donated bear may be the first toy this child ever receives! (Wholesale customers, please contact us for pricing).

The bears are handmade by the Children and Women Education Fund (CWEF), a Kabul-based NGO that provides basic education and vocational training in sewing and embroidery to women and teen girls from the lowest income districts of Kabul. Besides receiving an education and fair wages to support her family, she develops her creativity and grows in self-esteem, learning that in her hands she holds the key to a better future.

Each bear comes dressed in traditional Afghan vest and "pakol" hat with button joints for movable arms and legs. (Not appropriate for children under seven). Please click here to read about our holiday delivery of teddy bears to an orphanage in Kabul.

Thanks again for your support of Afghan women and children, and for helping make Teddies For Two a reality.

Have a great weekend!

The Team at One World Projects

Looking On The Green Side: U.S Stimulus Would Cut Climate Emissions

A new Greenpeace report published this week reminds us that each cloud has a silver lining: Taxpayers' wallets will be hurting after the economic stimulus, but the proposed plan will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 13 million tonnes per year. That's the greenhouse-gas equivalent of turning off the electricity in 7.9 million U.S. homes or taking 13 million cars off the roads! "The fact that the federal government could spend so much money to slow global warming means we've really turned the page as a country," said Kert Davies of Greenpeace.

Please click below or paste this link into your browser to read the entire article: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentnews/idUSTRE5146EI20090205?feedType=RSS&feedname=environmentNews

You can do your part to curb global warming by making little green changes in your daily routine. These could include (but aren't limited to) bringing your own shopping bag to the store, passing up the paper cup for a reusable travel mug, or by embracing earth-friendly fashions, such as recycled tire accessories from One World Projects. Not only are these hip handbags made of items that would otherwise go to waste, they're keeping roads and ravines clean by utilizing discarded car and truck tires.

Even the smallest green change makes a world of difference. On behalf of the World, thank you!