More Great Holiday Gifts with a Purpose from Fundacion Promedio

If you still haven't gotten all of your Holiday shopping done, you may want to consider these creative and useful options to give as gifts. Chairs and stools made out of old refrigerator and television cardboard boxes, shopping bags, baby bibs and aprons made from large flour or sugar sacs are just a few of the many items available to give your loved ones or co-workers. I own several of these products and am always happy to give and receive more!

Fundacion Promedio, a non-profit organization created by Samuel Cordoba and Catalina Lopez has been creating products that are not only useful but they are made out of materials that have been up-cycled as opposed to re-cycled. This means that the cardboard and propylene used to make these items has been kept in it's current state and re-used to serve a different purpose. Hence the name of their product line "Re-Uso" or Re-Use. 

The best part of these gifts is that they are unique, have a low impact on the environment, and better yet, 15% of the proceeds go to Tumaco in Choco, Colombia, one of the poorest areas in the country. Currently proceeds have been used towards purchasing items such as fabrics for costumes and instruments that are used to promote and maintain traditional customs native to the region.

Interested in giving a gift and helping a community while doing so? Visit http://www.fundacionpromedio.com to see more products and social causes or e-mail fundacionpromedio@gmail.com to place your order.

Not sure what to give this year for the holidays?

 

How about a gift from Oxfam?

Oxfam International is an organization that creates sustainable solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice by working with communities locally and globally. It encourages people to help by purchasing a unique gift on behalf of a friend. Your gift has a purpose and can range from honey bees to planting a vegetable garden and more. The community in need receives the gift and your friend receives a card.

Take a look at all of the unique gifts available at: http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/home.php

This year cards were created by illustrator Jessica Hische. Here are some samples of the campaign that was created and some of the inspiring illustrations.

A Very Much Needed Quick Guide to Type

If you are a designer you can probably relate...especially to the reference of using Comic Sans! You may want to show this to your clients.

For those of you who are not designers, hopefully this will serve as a useful guide.

Click here to see the original article and enlarge image.

Impact! Design for Social Change is filling up fast!

 It's time again for Impact! Design for Social Change being offered this summer at the School of Visual Arts in NY. As I have mentioned in the past, this intensive program was an amazing and life changing experience for me. I highly recommend it regardless of your profession. A few spots are still available but not for long. If you are interested in finding out more about the program and submitting an application, visit http://impact.sva.edu/

You can also learn more about the classes, lectures and guest speakers from last year by reading previous posts on my blog (July-August).

Conflict Kitchen May Soon Have a New Item to Add to Their Menu

Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant that sells food only from countries that the United States is in conflict with. Every three or four months, there is a rotation of country and food that is served through a window at their Pittsburgh location. 

Not only does Conflict Kitchen serve food, but the project, founded by artist Jon Rubin, creates events, programming and provides information via the food wrappers in order to initiate conversations and create awareness. Through the collaboration of the Afghan community and the artists who run the project, the kitchen is now serving Afghan turnovers with a pumpkin, spinach, lentil or potato and leeks filling.

In the future they will be focusing on North Korea, Venezuela and quite possibly, depending on the upcoming events...Libya? Hopefully, not.