What People Want from Wedge Worldwide

Whether or not the items on the list are surprising to others, it can be fascinating to see what people want. Here is a list of items that Wedge Worldwide shoppers seem to be most interested in:

1. Fair Trade Jewelry: Our fair trade jewelry is brought to us from only a few select vendors, but our selection is quite thorough (and always improving). People seem to appreciate our Minneapolis-based artist, Robin Rifé and our jewelry from Far Fetched.

2. Bamboo Disposable Plates & Utensils: They are a wonderful and attractive alternative to standard disposable paper plates made from trees that take many years to grow. These products were made from 100% certified organic bamboo! Bamboo truly is a remarkable renewable resource. Those of us who have used the plates have found that they actually hold up to being used many times. On a related note, we also have biocompostable corn-based utensils available.
   

3. Reusable Bags: Reusable bags are a superior choice to any common plastic (and paper, for that matter) shopping bags because they are an easy way to decrease the amount of waste we create each year. We have a variety of options available. Popular choices include our Hemp Shopping Bag, ChicoBags, and Fair Trade Recycled Market Bag. Check out all of our reusable bags here.

4. Recycled Rugs: Our current rug selection consists mainly of a recycled plastic or cotton rugs. The fair trade recycled rugs are made from post-consumer recycled plastic. They make a stylish eco-friendly addition to any home, but is also durable enough for outdoor use. Our cotton rugs are made with recycled materials, which creates a colorful, soft rug while extending the useful life of the components.

5. Water Bottles: Metal water bottles are becoming a common household option for a safe alternative to plastic (Bisphenol A: BPA) water bottles. With the frenzy of media attention about the safety and health concerns of plastic water bottles, people are now choosing metal options. The two main lines that Wedge Worldwide is carrying are: Klean Kanteen and Sigg water bottles. However, check back soon because we are in the process of adding an additional line to the mix.

6. Alaffia Body Care Products: Alaffia has chosen to empower communities in Africa through promoting indigenous African natural resources that are culturally, spiritually, economically, and ecologically sustainable. Traditionally handcrafted shea butter fits these criteria. It is a renewable resource of African origin; shea trees are wild, requiring no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Furthermore, it is an integral part of many savanna communities and, consequently, there is a wealth of local and traditional knowledge of making shea butter. This fair trade handcrafted shea butter is also produced by workers who belong to cooperatives, bringing income to and empowering African communities. They are a wonderful company and their products never cease to amaze us at Wedge Worldwide. Check them out!

Along with the top six, there are a few other items/vendors that deserve, at least, an honorable mention. So here they are: our Cookware items, Bambu products, Gusanito® Brand Worm Factory, and our Green Leaf Dinnerware.

Clean and sensuous

Sensuous Beauty's mission is to craft sensual botanical formulations that inspire people to nurture themselves each day. Their name reflects their belief that beauty arises through sensuality - an engagement of the senses. Sensuous Beauty creates products that are recognized as food or plant derivatives by the skin to work in harmony with the body's natural processes and that are as vital and vibrant as if they'd been made in your own kitchen. As a result, their formulations are sophisticated and effective, while remaining truly natural. You will instantly notice the difference in the smell, feel and effectiveness of their products.

Chemical, synthetic and paraben-free, Sensuous Beauty's products are made entirely from fresh food and plant-based ingredients; many have been used in beauty and healing remedies throughout the centuries. They formulate everything "from scratch," blending all of their ingredients by hand in small batches to maintain product integrity and freshness. Sensuous Beauty also uses only the finest wild-crafted or certified organic herbs and grains along with high quality carrier oils and steam-distilled or organic, pure essential oils in their products. These essential oils, along with other naturally occurring preservatives and antioxidants and amber glass bottling, help assist with product longevity. Absolutely no chemical or synthetic oils, fragrances or preservatives are ever used. Your skin will thank you! To achieve maximum benefits, Sensuous Beauty recommends that you treat their body and skin care products no differently than your fresh food items, using them regularly and within a reasonable amount of time from their purchase.

After years of using her concoctions on family and friends and finding the results more beneficial than any professional products available, Dae Williams, the company's original founder and a licensed esthetician, created Sensuous Beauty's skin care line in 1994. Sensuous Beauty tests their products on willing people.

A desire to provide additional products of the same caliber as the original skin care line led to a collaboration with local herbalists and the innovative creation of body, pleasure and men's care products. By the way, word is that their line of pleasure products are a great option for a Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie!

View Sensuous Beauty Products on Wedge Worldwide

New Year's Resolution: Clean Up and Green Up Your Personal Care Products

As we turn the calendar page to 2009, many of us will be setting goals for the upcoming new year. Travel plans, new projects, and thoughts of renewal will be on our minds. During this time of reform, I suggest that we also take a look at the personal care products on our shelves and make a resolution to clean up our acts. After all, the skin is our body's largest organ, absorbing whatever we put on. We pay attention to the ingredients in our food that nourish our internal organs, why not start paying attention to those in our soaps and shampoos as well? By eliminating products containing the ingredients listed below, we can maintain and enrich our body's first line of defense. Make a resolution for good health from the outside in.

The Bad Guys:

The following products are common additives to personal care products that are harmful to our bodies. Next time you pick up a bottle of lotion or deodorant, be sure to check out the label and steer clear from anything that contains the following:

sodium lauryl sulfate: This ingredient is used as a detergent, emulsifier, and foaming agent in thousands of cosmetic products. It is produced synthetically by the sulfation of lauryl alcohol. Sodium lauryl sulfate irritates the skin and dries the skin and hair due to its degreasing abilities.

propylene glycol: This is one of the world's most largely used cosmetic ingredients. It is a derivative of natural gas that is used as a moisture-carrying vehicle in everything from moisturizers and toothpastes to antifreeze and artificial smoke.

parabens: These preservatives are produced from synthetic chemicals and are considered toxic and allergenic to the body. Research done in the European Union has led many to believe that these chemicals alter hormone function and increase the risk of certain cancers and infertility.

synthetic fragrance: These synthetic substances used to impart odor into cosmetic products can trigger allergic reactions in many individuals. Common forms of synthetic fragrance, phthalates, have been shown to be mutagenic, cancer causing, and adversely affect human male sperm.

The Good Guys:

The above list may sound ominous but don't worry, there is hope. Certain companies have been reviewed by our staff and given the "Wedge Award". This award guarantees that none of the products offered by the company contain any of the nasties listed above.

Here are a few top of the line brands to look for just to get you started:

EvanHealy: A revolution in skin care and hands-down Wedge Co-op & Wedge Worldwide staff favorite. These products are worth their weight in gold. Clean as can be, purifying, and nourishing, these skin care products are made to order in small batches and sent directly to us. Discover the radiance that rosehip treatment oils, floral hydrosols and clay masks can bring to your skin.

Sensuous Beauty: These "sensual" botanical formulations are made entirely from fresh food and plant-based ingredients. Formulated by hand in small batches, this company uses organic and ethically wildcrafted herbs in their cosmetic concoctions. Check out items like their line of body pleasure products.

Dr. Hauschka: A complete line of holistic face and body care products, this company has offered us the highest quality of products for over 40 years. Their commitment to sustainable practices is evident in their use of biodynamically grown and harvested herbs in their products. If you haven't indulged yet, now might be the time. Their bath products are dreamy.

Alaffia: Sustainable skin care products made with fair-trade, hand-harvested shea butter - the highest quality available. Aditionally, 10% of the company's profits go back to the African communities that produce their raw materials. Try their luxuriously moisturizing soaps, shampoos, lotions and creams... or my favorite, unrefined shea butter.

Scrub Your Butt: An all natural, locally (Minnesota) based company offering a variety of different body washes made from organic based soap. Great products with whimsical names like our best seller "Stinky Hippie" patchouli body wash.

written by Katie Frerker

Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea

Autumn is officially here, and soon to be on its way out. Along with the equinox, cooler temperatures sweep in and fall breezes begin to blow. As you spend your days out in the fresh air watching the leaves change hue, there's nothing that satisfies more than a hot cup of tea to warm your body up from the inside out. It's the wool sweater of the beverage world in the fall.

However, making this cup of tea isn't as simple as pouring hot water in a cup. To truly enjoy and savor your tea drinking experience let me offer you a few basic guidelines that will make each cup a memorable one. Our bulk herb department has a wide variety of loose teas and herbs to help get you started.

Common Mistakes in the World of Tea Brewing
Several common mistakes can have a drastic effect on the flavor of your tea and can even end up costing you more money. Pay attention to these little details next time you brew up a pot and see if you can tell the difference.

Correct Measurement
When brewing a pot of tea using bulk tea leaves most people just dump in the leaves until there's a nice pile at the bottom of the pot. That looks like a good amount, right? Wrong! Did you know you only need about one measuring teaspoon full of tea leaves per 8 oz cup? Measure it out next time and you'll see that you can have just as much flavor using far fewer leaves. Brewing the proper amount can make your tea drinking a much more affordable habit.

Full Leaf Expansion
Now that you have the proper amount of tea measured out, it's important to make sure the leaves have enough room to fully expand so that all of the flavors can be released. Your strainer should be large enough to let the leaves expand to 3-5 times their original size. Basket infusers work very well for providing ample expansion room. You can also brew the leaves right in the pot and strain them out afterwards.

Tea Particulars
Different types of tea require different steeping temperatures and times. Many teas will become bitter if steeped too long or develop an unpleasant flavor if the water is the wrong temperature. Follow these guidelines to bring out the full flavor in each variety.

Black Tea
Black teas can be steeped for approximately 4-6 minutes when the water is at a full, rolling boil.

Green Tea
Green tea leaves are more delicate than black and require a lower steeping temperature and shorter time. The water is the right temperature just before it begins to boil, when steam is swirling out of the kettle. Steep the leaves for only 2-3 minutes.

Herbal Tea
Herbal teas can be made with boiling water and generally steep for about 6 minutes. When making a medicinal herbal tea however, steeping times of 10-15 minutes will brew a stronger cup and can be more effective.

Next time you get out the teapot, follow these basic guidelines and see if you can taste the difference. Happy steeping!

Check out the teas currently available on Wedge Worldwide!

written by Katie Frerker

Doing the Best That We Can.

Well, the election is over and now the holidays are the next thing to look forward to. It seems as though they are approaching at nearly the speed of light. Time passes so quickly and all we can do is attempt to plan ahead, while doing the best that we can with what we have available to us.

The holidays can be a particularly tricky time of year. Hopefully, Wedge Worldwide is able to simplify the process somewhat. While looking for products to carry, we commit ourselves to the following concepts:

• Earth-Friendly & Natural
• Sustainability & Organics
• Fair Trade
• Social Responsibility
• Locally Made
• Recycled Materials

Our icons lay out these concepts, giving a quite thorough overview of our buying process. By keeping our buying practices transparent, we hope to assure you that you are getting the best products available, according to our standards, which hopefully match up with your values.

The Wedge Co-op (our parent company) and Wedge Worldwide are working to create a future that we can all look forward to. The previously listed concepts are just where we begin, with what we are tangibly presenting to you. As a co-op there are many other principles that we stand for. Read a previous blog regarding National Co-op Month (October) and the values that our business is based on.

Think about the products you are buying. Think about where they are coming from, the useful life of the product or material, the impact the product will make or has made on the environment, et cetera. Think about these things and let your ethics lead the way this holiday season.

written by Jessie

Does this Hemp Shopping Bag Make Me Look Like a Hippie?

Simply answered, no. There are many things to address here, but still keeping it simple, it is not the hemp that makes someone a hippie and what is so wrong with being a hippie, anyway? Your hemp shopping bag actually makes you look smart.

Hemp is an all around smart choice, mainly due to how earth friendly it is. It is an environmentally positive crop, improving soil quality as it grows. It requires no herbicides and is naturally resistant to insects, fungus and other pests. Hemp grows rapidly during its vegetative period, becoming tall and thick. It suppresses weeds, and shades and mulches the ground, which its deep taproots break up and aerate. These attributes promote healthy microbial soil life and leave the earth in a condition where it is easily worked and able to retain moisture during the next growing season.

With that said, an additional fact is that hemp is reusable and durable. The material is good throughout the growth and use stages of it's life. Hemp Shopping Bags are a superior choice to any common plastic (and paper, for that matter) shopping bags because they are an easy way to decrease the amount of waste we create each year. A hemp shopping bag adds the bonus of it being created from a sustainable plant, that has a positive impact on the soil as it grows. Check out the rest of our reusable shopping bags and our other hemp products.

written by Jessie

Celebrate National Co-op Month!

If you did not know already, Wedge Worldwide is a department of a consumer owned co-op in Minneapolis. The Wedge Co-op to be exact. And October is the month to celebrate our business and the values it supports. It is National Co-op Month.

Here is a bit more information about co-ops. Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. We base our business model on the values outlined in the Co-op Principles, which are as follows:

• Voluntary and Open Membership
• Democratic Member Control
• Member Economic Participation
• Autonomy and Independence
• Education, Training and Information
• Cooperation Among Co-operatives
• Concern for Community

Learn more about the Co-op Principles on the Wedge Co-op's website.

Now that the very base of co-ops is laid out, what is National Co-op Month? The National Co-op Month's official website states, “Each October, cooperatives all across America celebrate the role, accomplishments and contributions of our nation’s cooperatives.

The annual celebrations play a key role in promoting cooperatives to our members, the public and policy makers. Through a combination of media outreach, member education, and interaction with policy makers, co-op month events help raise the visibility of your cooperative, and improve public understanding of cooperatives.”

The theme for National Co-op Month 2008 is as follows: “Stronger Together – Go.coop!” promoting the idea that everyone is stronger when we work together. Cooperatively owned businesses inherently invoke that concept through the democratic structure of their business models. “Stronger Together” was selected to establish the idea that, “when together, among each other or with consumers, cooperatives become an attractive and viable force in today’s global marketplace.”

So celebrate any cooperatively owned businesses that you know and love this month. Show your appreciation for all of the work that they do to improve how businesses are run, products are produced, et cetera.