We are delighted—or perhaps re-lighted!—to be invested in One Degree Solar, producers of “BrightBox,” the best solar light and small appliance recharger we have yet seen. Most solar light brands last only until the first part on them breaks. Replacement parts, including bulbs, are especially hard to find in low wealth communities, where these lights…
Well, actually, just a few paragraphs are. Our friends at SosteNica featured the UnTours Foundation and me in their fall newsletter. Find us on pages 2 & 3. SosteNica supports beautiful, green development in Nicaragua. I was recently at their office in West Chester, PA, which is affordably in the home of SosteNica’s president, Alan…
Photo courtesy of North Durham Rotary Club The current focus areas of The Rotary Foundation are a close fit to the principles of Fair Trade. Rotary’s foci are the following: Promoting peace Fighting disease Providing clean water Saving mothers and children Supporting education Growing local economies The principles and rules of Fair Trade are simply…
So, what does one of Hal’s employees do on her day off in New York City? What else? Bike riding! And what better place than Central Park. (Yes, I should have worn a helmet, and didn’t learn till after my ride that a helmet came with my rental.) And what else did I do? Took…
Witness to Innocence (WTI), which received a bridge loan from our foundation last year, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. WTI empowers death row survivors, whose convictions have been overturned, and their loved ones to be effective leaders in abolishing the death penalty. I attended WTI anniversary festivities this week meeting the fiery, feisty, fearless,…
So, what are the perks for our foundation’s loan recipients? Technical assistance and a cheerleading squad at every turn – like it or not! Last week I wore the cheerleader hat and spoke at the Philadelphia Convention Center on behalf of Tosheka Designs, which continues to train and hire 400 women in Kenya to make…
Photo by Beth Scupham cc Hal is all about getting to know others and their cultures for the sheer fun of it and also so that we have more incentive and understanding to live peacefully. Hence, the idea behind UnTours. UnTourist Glenn Marshall sent me the short clip below about an exemplary world citizen, who’s…
We receive lots of requests for support at the foundation. Most requests just aren’t green enough or don’t generate employment among vulnerable populations. And then there are those projects that we really do want to invest in, but they, too, don’t quite fit our model. One was a film called “Future Weather” by Jenny Deller….
Brian directs UnTours with his friendly, laid back, methodical style. He’s also one of our foundation’s board members. Of the many things I could add in my mini-intro, I have to take advantage of my “Speaker’s Corner” to praise Brian for being in that minority of men, who add their spouse’s last name to their…
Photo taken at Grounds for Sculpture Kate has worn many hats at UnTours from foundation board member to expert editor for many of us. She succeeded in describing UnTours and its foundation beautifully and in under 100 words for the packaging of Equal Exchange’s coffee: Hal’s Blend. Quite a feat! Though she’s moving onto a…