Dear readers,

Many of you know that our Goodwill has an eBay site that features vintage items, clothing, antiques, and other items of interest that are donated to our stores.  This allows us to raise extra revenue to fund our job training and human services programs.

We are starting a new series on the blog that features Good Buy of the Week. We are kicking it off with a pretty amazing donation: a collection of original photographs taken during the Great Depression for the Farm Security Administration (FSA).  The photos are from 1939-1942.

The FSA was formed to assist poor rural farmers in the aftermath of the Depression and Dust Bowl.  This documentary photography project visualized the harsh living conditions of the Great Depression.  One of the more popular photographs from this time period is the one that has become known as “Migrant Mother,” by Dorothea Lange, which features a mother and her two children.

There is a description on the back of each photo in the collection:

*Mexican mother and child in doorway, San Antonio, Texas. March 1939

*Farm Laborers who were working in a sugar cane field near Arecilso,  Puerto Rico.  February 1942

*Mexican Carrot Puller, Texas.

*Mexican Children in Kitchen. San Antonio, Tex. March, 1939

*Farm Security borrower’s wife near Rio Piedias, Puerto Rico. They own a small farm and raise sugar cane.  February 1942.

This collection is now open for bidding and you can see more details here.

This is a new Goodwill donations video from Goodwill International.  I really like it, what do you think?  I’m also excited that I figured out how to embed videos on WordPress.  The possibilities are now endless!  You can see videos from our Goodwill at our YouTube site.

We have talked about Portland Green Drinks on our blog in the past (I mean really, who can forget the Green Drinks Goodwill Spectacular!?).  Green Drinks is a monthly event in which people in the community get together around a common interest: the natural environment and what we can do to be more sustainable in our daily lives and work.  Many Green Drinks events feature different local organizations engaged in green practices.

But did you know that there are Green Drink meet-ups in several towns across New Hampshire and Vermont?  Green Drinks started at a small pub in London in 1988 and has grown by the hundreds since then.  If you live in these areas, be sure to check out the sites to find out when the next Green Drinks event is scheduled!

New Hampshire

1.Green Drinks Portsmouth meets the third Thursday of each month at 2 Ceres Street, from 6-9 pm.  If you would like to receive a monthly reminder email, please contact Joe Harrison. 

2.Keene Green Drinks is held the second Monday of every month.  It is hosted the Monadnock Sustainability Network, “committed to encouraging sustainable living practices and resource conservation in the region through direct advocacy, education and outreach.”

3.Green Drinks Concord is held the second Thursday of each month at The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub (72 Manchester Street).  If you are interested in being a local presenter or have an idea for a future Green Drinks event, please contact Barb Morris or call (603) 325-2168.

The next event will be Monday, July 6, at the E.F. Lane Hotel, 30 Main Street.  For more information, please contact Bonnie Hudspeth.

4. Mount Washington Valley Green Drinks meets in the Conway area.  I could not find a regular schedule, so please contact Cimbria for more information.  It is hosted by local Sustainability Network, which also coordinates the Brattleboro, Vermont Green Drinks.

Vermont

1. Burlington Green Drinks is held the last Tuesday of every month at the Skinny Pancake, located at the corner of Lake and College Streets. You can sign up for email updates by visiting the Skinny Pancake’s site and entering your email with and checking “green news.”

Each event features a different sponsor that presents their green initiatives in the Greater Burlington community.  If you would like to be a presenter, please contact Robbie for more details.

2. Montpelier Green Drinks: the only information I could find was a contact email.  If anyone in the Montpelier area has more information, please let me know!

3. Brattleboro Green Drinks recently held a Green Drinks events in early June, which featured Kevin Lyons of Rutgers University, who is known as the “guru” of green purchasing practices.  The next event is scheduled for July 16 at The Marina, 28 Springtree Road.  For more information or to host an event, please email Jim or Cimbria.

Hey New Hampshire!

Nick at the Central New Hampshire Bicycle Coalition informed us that Concord is having its first bike swap ever!  If you have been hankering to get on the road or trails this summer, be sure to check out the swap to find the perfect bike for your riding needs.

The swap is June 27 & 28 at S&W Sports, 296 S. Main Street, Concord

(603) 228-1441

Sale hours:

Saturday, June 27, 9am-5pm

Sunday, June 28, 10am-12pm

Do you have a bike to donate? Donations are being accepted now through Friday, June 26.  If you would like to drop off a bike to sell (consignment), you must do so on Friday, June 26, 9am-8pm.   Donate a bike for consignment for 25/75.

The event will benefit the Central NH Bicycle Coalition and will fund bicycle sharing and complete street projects in the Greater Concord area.

Bikes (if not sold) and/or checks to be picked up Sunday, June 28 1-5pm. (Not responsible for bikes not picked up on Sunday)

The Central NH Bicycle Coalition is:

Program for Alternative Transportation and Health (PATH)

S&W Sports

Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire

Contact Nik Coates at ncoates@cnhrpc.org or 603-226-6020 if you have any questions or bikes to donate/consign.

We’ll see you in Concord this weekend!

You know those times you look at the tag on your shirt or pair of pants to determine the washing instructions?

And all you see are those weird symbols and abbreviations?  I usually have a vague idea of what the symbols mean (the handwashing one is pretty apparent), but most of the time I kind of guess.  However, if we want our favorite shirt or pair of jeans to last for many years to come, it’s important they receive proper care.

Help is here!  I recently read a post on the Budget Fashionista blog that not only breaks down the meaning of all those odd symbols (exhibit A to the left), they also created a handy PDF version of the meaning of clothing tag symbols that you can print and hang in your laundry room.   Awesome!

They also have an International Size Conversion Chart, which is a handy link to have, because there have been many times I have come across a European garment in a thrift store.  Having a rough idea of the size conversion is really helpful.

Make sure you read past blog posts on how to Green your Laundry!

Greening your Laundry Routine, Part 1

Greening your Laundry Routine, Part 2

Make your own Laundry Detergent!

Five Tips on How to Care for your Clothes

Do you have any tips on interpreting clothing tags or caring for your thrifting finds?  Let us know!