We Pluribus
We the people. No exceptions.
Welcome to We Pluribus
Art?
After all the weekend events we've been doing lately, we decided to take Tuesday off and go to the Denver Art Museum. (Yes, that's the one with the cool new Libeskind building.)
We loved the quilts from Gee's Bend, Alabama, and the impressionists exhibit complete with Monet and Renoir, and we had fun just wandering around the wonderful building and looking at the Libeskind condos next door and the new Denver Public Library (designed by Michael Graves).
As usual, I was wearing a We Pluribus t-shirt; this time the peace symbol one. In the midst of all the wonderful art, someone who works at the museum stopped me and said, "Cool t-shirt! Where did you get it?"
Yes, of course it made my day.
We loved the quilts from Gee's Bend, Alabama, and the impressionists exhibit complete with Monet and Renoir, and we had fun just wandering around the wonderful building and looking at the Libeskind condos next door and the new Denver Public Library (designed by Michael Graves).
As usual, I was wearing a We Pluribus t-shirt; this time the peace symbol one. In the midst of all the wonderful art, someone who works at the museum stopped me and said, "Cool t-shirt! Where did you get it?"
Yes, of course it made my day.
No, we didn't drink it ourselves
As you know if you've been reading this blog, we're always looking for ways to be "greener." We use recycled mailers to send out our retail orders, but haven't always been able to find recycled packaging for our wholesale orders.
Until now. We've decided to re-use.
Thanks to a local liquor store, our wholesale orders will be shipping in all kinds of interesting boxes from now on! So don't be surprised (or refuse the delivery) if a box labeled Wild Turkey, Napa Valley, or Heineken shows up at your store. It just might contain the softest t-shirts around.
Until now. We've decided to re-use.
Thanks to a local liquor store, our wholesale orders will be shipping in all kinds of interesting boxes from now on! So don't be surprised (or refuse the delivery) if a box labeled Wild Turkey, Napa Valley, or Heineken shows up at your store. It just might contain the softest t-shirts around.
Every day is Earth Day
Several people have asked why We Pluribus didn't send out an Earth Day message, like many other companies did this week. Well, we have a simple answer: Because for us, every day is Earth Day.
On Tuesday, I got an e-mail from another t-shirt company that many people consider similar to ours, though quite a bit more political than we are. We really like their company and shirts, and to be honest, I'm sometimes a little bit jealous of the fun they have with their overtly political messages. (We Pluribus avoids politics, but that doesn't mean that I, personally, have to!)
What struck me about the e-mail was that, in honor of Earth Day, the company criticized other companies for lately jumping on the "Green Bandwagon" and claimed to be "Green from the very beginning." Unfortunately, that just isn't true. That particular company today only has one line of organic shirts, and sells mostly conventional cotton — and they didn't introduce their organic line until 2006, two years AFTER they launched. So how is that "Green from the very beginning?" (Yes, I was a tad annoyed.)
I'll be the first to admit that We Pluribus is a green newbie. We only launched on November 1, 2007, and we are still learning about how to be green. There are so many pitfalls! You can do something you honestly believe to be green (like, for instance, putting ethanol in your gas tank) and then learn that maybe it isn't so green after all (Oops! Corn-based ethanol uses petroleum products to produce it with very little net energy gain) or that it has other negative effects on the world (there are food riots worldwide, and we're burning food as fuel?). We run into similar challenges in our efforts to produce, market, and distribute our shirts in as green a way as possible.
Kermit said it best: It's not that easy bein' green.
There are, however, a few things we can do! First, we buy only organic cotton garments. (Our t-shirts are 100% organic cotton, and our fleeces are 80% organic cotton and 20% polyester.) Why do we do this? Because conventional cotton is responsible for 25% of the pesticides used in the entire world, even though only 3% of the world's farmland is used for cotton. And because it takes 1/3 lb of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to make ONE conventionally grown cotton t-shirt. For every 1,000 t-shirts we sell, that's 333 lbs of chemicals that didn't go into our food supply or drinking water.
But it's not that easy bein' green. Did you notice the word "polyester" up there? Yes, the only organic cotton fleece we can find has some polyester thrown in to make it a practical, livable item of clothing. So it's the greenest fleece we could find, but it still isn't perfect.
And being environmentally conscious isn't enough. We have to be socially conscious as well. We buy only sweatshop-free clothing, and our main garment manufacturer has FLO fair trade certification (www.fairtrade.net), which we "inherit" since we don't manufacture the garments ourselves. We pay more for shirts that have organic and fair trade certifications.
Okay, so since we pay more for our shirts, we could charge an arm and a leg for them, right? I mean, Bono sells $50 organic t-shirts online — why can't we? Well, it's because we want everyone to be able to afford to buy and wear organic cotton! It doesn't do much to change the world if we only sell a few shirts, now, does it?
As for other companies jumping on the "Green Bandwagon," I say, "Go for it!" Being green isn't a contest, and I don't care who was green first. I read recently that Wal-Mart is actively working to become greener. They have a long way to go before anyone in their right mind would call them green, but even tiny steps by the world's largest company have more impact than our little company being totally green.
And I'm glad that other t-shirt company has an organic line. I hope they'll start using strictly organic shirts in the future. I wish every cotton garment manufacturer in the world would begin to insist their growers migrate to sustainable, chemical-free farming practices. It won't make everyone green overnight, but it will move us in that direction. And after all, isn't that the whole point?
On Tuesday, I got an e-mail from another t-shirt company that many people consider similar to ours, though quite a bit more political than we are. We really like their company and shirts, and to be honest, I'm sometimes a little bit jealous of the fun they have with their overtly political messages. (We Pluribus avoids politics, but that doesn't mean that I, personally, have to!)
What struck me about the e-mail was that, in honor of Earth Day, the company criticized other companies for lately jumping on the "Green Bandwagon" and claimed to be "Green from the very beginning." Unfortunately, that just isn't true. That particular company today only has one line of organic shirts, and sells mostly conventional cotton — and they didn't introduce their organic line until 2006, two years AFTER they launched. So how is that "Green from the very beginning?" (Yes, I was a tad annoyed.)
I'll be the first to admit that We Pluribus is a green newbie. We only launched on November 1, 2007, and we are still learning about how to be green. There are so many pitfalls! You can do something you honestly believe to be green (like, for instance, putting ethanol in your gas tank) and then learn that maybe it isn't so green after all (Oops! Corn-based ethanol uses petroleum products to produce it with very little net energy gain) or that it has other negative effects on the world (there are food riots worldwide, and we're burning food as fuel?). We run into similar challenges in our efforts to produce, market, and distribute our shirts in as green a way as possible.
Kermit said it best: It's not that easy bein' green.
There are, however, a few things we can do! First, we buy only organic cotton garments. (Our t-shirts are 100% organic cotton, and our fleeces are 80% organic cotton and 20% polyester.) Why do we do this? Because conventional cotton is responsible for 25% of the pesticides used in the entire world, even though only 3% of the world's farmland is used for cotton. And because it takes 1/3 lb of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to make ONE conventionally grown cotton t-shirt. For every 1,000 t-shirts we sell, that's 333 lbs of chemicals that didn't go into our food supply or drinking water.
But it's not that easy bein' green. Did you notice the word "polyester" up there? Yes, the only organic cotton fleece we can find has some polyester thrown in to make it a practical, livable item of clothing. So it's the greenest fleece we could find, but it still isn't perfect.
And being environmentally conscious isn't enough. We have to be socially conscious as well. We buy only sweatshop-free clothing, and our main garment manufacturer has FLO fair trade certification (www.fairtrade.net), which we "inherit" since we don't manufacture the garments ourselves. We pay more for shirts that have organic and fair trade certifications.
Okay, so since we pay more for our shirts, we could charge an arm and a leg for them, right? I mean, Bono sells $50 organic t-shirts online — why can't we? Well, it's because we want everyone to be able to afford to buy and wear organic cotton! It doesn't do much to change the world if we only sell a few shirts, now, does it?
As for other companies jumping on the "Green Bandwagon," I say, "Go for it!" Being green isn't a contest, and I don't care who was green first. I read recently that Wal-Mart is actively working to become greener. They have a long way to go before anyone in their right mind would call them green, but even tiny steps by the world's largest company have more impact than our little company being totally green.
And I'm glad that other t-shirt company has an organic line. I hope they'll start using strictly organic shirts in the future. I wish every cotton garment manufacturer in the world would begin to insist their growers migrate to sustainable, chemical-free farming practices. It won't make everyone green overnight, but it will move us in that direction. And after all, isn't that the whole point?
Green Festival
Yes, the time has come — we are off to Seattle, Washington for the 2008 Green Festival at the Washington State Convention Center, Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13. It's only $15 to get in for the entire weekend — or $10 if you ride your bike or take the monorail to get there.
The Green Festival isn't merely a bunch of tree-huggers (though it's probably fair to say everyone there has hugged a few trees at one time or other — after all, who hasn't?); it's a place to see environmentally and socially conscious products of all types.
We Pluribus is in booth #1105, in the Fair Trade section. We could have been in the organic section, or the eco-fashion section — we're just so green on so many levels!
As a former Seattle resident, I'm happy to be heading back to my old stomping grounds for the weekend. Seattle is one of the greenest cities in the country, so it should be the perfect place for the Green Festival! If you are there, please stop by and see us!
The Green Festival isn't merely a bunch of tree-huggers (though it's probably fair to say everyone there has hugged a few trees at one time or other — after all, who hasn't?); it's a place to see environmentally and socially conscious products of all types.
We Pluribus is in booth #1105, in the Fair Trade section. We could have been in the organic section, or the eco-fashion section — we're just so green on so many levels!
As a former Seattle resident, I'm happy to be heading back to my old stomping grounds for the weekend. Seattle is one of the greenest cities in the country, so it should be the perfect place for the Green Festival! If you are there, please stop by and see us!
Yuppie Wagon? You've got to be kidding me.
I think I mentioned before that we're heading to Seattle to the Green Festival at the Washington State Convention Center April 12-13. While we're at it, we're visiting retailers on the West Coast. That means a lot of driving, with a huge amount of inventory and booth supplies going along for the ride.
As you might imagine, it's not easy to get hundreds or even thousands of t-shirts where they need to go just by stuffing them in the back of a car. Keeping all the different styles and sizes organized and not horrendously wrinkled is quite a trick. Given the number we need to have on hand in Seattle, we were tempted to just ship them — but then we wouldn't have access to them on the rest of the trip, plus it just seems like a waste of money!
Enter the Yuppie Wagon.
I must admit, I'm not thrilled with the name of this object. (Of course, that wouldn't matter at all, except it's emblazoned boldly on the back of it.) I tend to think of the term "Yuppie Wagon" as a disparaging name for...well, perhaps a Volvo station wagon of the sort purchased by someone who'd rather have a Beamer but can't haul the kids around in one. Not to mention the word "Yuppie" would imply that we are young, urban, and professional. Depending on the day, we we probably miss two out of three.
But the Yuppie Wagon is cool! It's 7 feet long and has over 96 cubic feet of storage. No more having to decide what to leave behind! And because it's so lightweight, we can pull it behind our smallish car that gets good gas mileage. Plus it's waterproof, so no soggy shirts at the show.
If you see us driving along, wave! And come visit our booth at the Green Festival.
As you might imagine, it's not easy to get hundreds or even thousands of t-shirts where they need to go just by stuffing them in the back of a car. Keeping all the different styles and sizes organized and not horrendously wrinkled is quite a trick. Given the number we need to have on hand in Seattle, we were tempted to just ship them — but then we wouldn't have access to them on the rest of the trip, plus it just seems like a waste of money!
Enter the Yuppie Wagon.
I must admit, I'm not thrilled with the name of this object. (Of course, that wouldn't matter at all, except it's emblazoned boldly on the back of it.) I tend to think of the term "Yuppie Wagon" as a disparaging name for...well, perhaps a Volvo station wagon of the sort purchased by someone who'd rather have a Beamer but can't haul the kids around in one. Not to mention the word "Yuppie" would imply that we are young, urban, and professional. Depending on the day, we we probably miss two out of three.
But the Yuppie Wagon is cool! It's 7 feet long and has over 96 cubic feet of storage. No more having to decide what to leave behind! And because it's so lightweight, we can pull it behind our smallish car that gets good gas mileage. Plus it's waterproof, so no soggy shirts at the show.
If you see us driving along, wave! And come visit our booth at the Green Festival.
The Gathering
We've spent this week at the Annual Gathering of United Centers for Spiritual Living in Kansas City, MO. It's been a great week! A few observations:
I'm excited to say we now have three new retailers in KC! I'll post their information when they get their first orders from us.
- People talking about this event just call it "The Gathering." I think that sounds very mysterious and secret, like something out of the DaVinci Code. "We're going to The Gathering... but I can't tell you what it is or..." [As ominous music swells, the speaker trails off with an evil chuckle.] Or maybe it sounds like something that should be done outside in a big meadow at midnight when the moon is full, possibly involving dancing naked and/or newts. Turns out, it's actually a very cool conference at the Hyatt Regency. Apparently these folks do NOT believe in "slumming it."
- Kansas City is a good place to eat steak.
- We saw Carlton Pearson speak again. He's still cool. So is Iyanla VanZant , who also spoke at the conference.
- Karen Drucker has a great sense of humor. I didn't realize she was a musician AND a comedian.
- I've never been around so many people whose name tags say "Rev." or "Rev. Dr." and actually had FUN with them.
- Kansas City is also a good place to eat barbecue. (Apparently, Kansas City is just a good a good place to eat.)
- Fortunately I have managed not to sing "Everything's Up-to-date in Kansas City" to anyone. Not even once. (We won't talk about what's going on inside my head. What happens there stays there.)
I'm excited to say we now have three new retailers in KC! I'll post their information when they get their first orders from us.
Niwot Market
I have to tell you a little story.
Carol, who is one of our investors and our biggest fan and best cheerleader, talks about We Pluribus everywhere she goes. She is charming, sweet, and knows absolutely everyone. And when she's just going through her day, she makes things happen.
Carol has an old friend, Bert at Niwot Market. Niwot is a tiny place in Colorado, just outside Longmont. Carol and Bert were chatting one day, and before he knew what hit him, Carol had convinced Bert to put We Pluribus shirts into his store.
Niwot Market is one of the coolest grocery stores ever. Historic Niwot doesn't allow the big chains into their town, so Niwot Market is not only the best, but the only game in town. But instead of just going through the motions, knowing they have captive customers, Bert and his family and team have set about making the store the best it can be, by offering natural foods, a bakery, a deli, and all kinds of products and amenities one wouldn't necessarily expect to find in a small-town grocery store.
Bert knows a good thing when he sees one, and he trusts Carol — so he put our shirts in the store, even though he'd never heard of us (we were so new, nobody had!) and had never sold any clothing products.
He sold 30 shirts in just over a week.
If you're in Niwot, drop in on Bert and say hi.
Carol, who is one of our investors and our biggest fan and best cheerleader, talks about We Pluribus everywhere she goes. She is charming, sweet, and knows absolutely everyone. And when she's just going through her day, she makes things happen.
Carol has an old friend, Bert at Niwot Market. Niwot is a tiny place in Colorado, just outside Longmont. Carol and Bert were chatting one day, and before he knew what hit him, Carol had convinced Bert to put We Pluribus shirts into his store.
Niwot Market is one of the coolest grocery stores ever. Historic Niwot doesn't allow the big chains into their town, so Niwot Market is not only the best, but the only game in town. But instead of just going through the motions, knowing they have captive customers, Bert and his family and team have set about making the store the best it can be, by offering natural foods, a bakery, a deli, and all kinds of products and amenities one wouldn't necessarily expect to find in a small-town grocery store.
Bert knows a good thing when he sees one, and he trusts Carol — so he put our shirts in the store, even though he'd never heard of us (we were so new, nobody had!) and had never sold any clothing products.
He sold 30 shirts in just over a week.
If you're in Niwot, drop in on Bert and say hi.
On the road again... just can't wait to get on the road again...
We Pluribus is hitting the road to Kansas City for the Annual Gathering of United Centers for Spiritual Living, March 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. We know our shirts will be a hit with this group!
Look for us in Seattle April 12-13 at the Green Festival, downtown at the Convention Center.
More events and dates are in the works!
We know that the way to get our message out is to make it easy for people to find us, so that's exactly what we're doing. We know you're telling your friends about us, too, and we appreciate it!
Look for us in Seattle April 12-13 at the Green Festival, downtown at the Convention Center.
More events and dates are in the works!
We know that the way to get our message out is to make it easy for people to find us, so that's exactly what we're doing. We know you're telling your friends about us, too, and we appreciate it!
It figures
There's a nice mention about us in this cool article in the Greeley Tribune.
The person who wrote the article is Barb, our corporate chaplain. I realize not many companies these days have a corporate chaplain, and it's probably not something the typical small business even thinks about. But We Pluribus is more than a company— it's a message.
Barb's job at We Pluribus is to help us keep that message focused, and to remind us of it in everything we do, not just in our t-shirt designs. Our mission and our message are in lock step, so we have to stay focused!
What is that message, you may ask? It's a message of unity, tolerance, and respect for one another and our planet, since we're all in this together.
Yes, it's simple. We like it that way. (And we wanted to keep the chaplain's job easy.)
The person who wrote the article is Barb, our corporate chaplain. I realize not many companies these days have a corporate chaplain, and it's probably not something the typical small business even thinks about. But We Pluribus is more than a company— it's a message.
Barb's job at We Pluribus is to help us keep that message focused, and to remind us of it in everything we do, not just in our t-shirt designs. Our mission and our message are in lock step, so we have to stay focused!
What is that message, you may ask? It's a message of unity, tolerance, and respect for one another and our planet, since we're all in this together.
Yes, it's simple. We like it that way. (And we wanted to keep the chaplain's job easy.)
Sundance Entry 4: So hot we're smokin'!
Could We Pluribus get any hotter?
Check this out: Fort Collins: NOW
Yes, that handsome fellow on the left would be Danny Glover, in the photo shoot for his new movie “Trouble the Water,” wearing our shirt with his jacket pulled back carefully so you can see it. The movie, about Martin Luther King, Jr., premiered on MLK day – and Danny chose to wear OUR shirt that day. That has to say something!!!
Check this out: Fort Collins: NOW
Yes, that handsome fellow on the left would be Danny Glover, in the photo shoot for his new movie “Trouble the Water,” wearing our shirt with his jacket pulled back carefully so you can see it. The movie, about Martin Luther King, Jr., premiered on MLK day – and Danny chose to wear OUR shirt that day. That has to say something!!!
Here’s another great Danny Glover link: Danny Glover at Sundance. He’s doing an interview in our shirt on MLK day, talking
about Dr. King. It doesn’t show off the shirt quite as well – but you can
clearly see it’s our shirt! (It takes a while to load, but it's fun to watch.)
| Danny isn’t the only person who got excited about our shirts
at Sundance. There’s a hot new movie that premiered there called
“Assassination of a High School President.” Three of the stars were there – all very cute young men – and two of them put our clothes on right on
the spot! Joseph (Joey) Perrino put on the
hand making a peace sign one on the spot, and Vincent Piazza wore our peace
symbol hoodie all day – and he learned my sales pitch and gave it to everyone
else he saw. I think he does it better than I do. (That's Vincent on the left and Joe on the right.) |  |  |
We also had interactions with
Shar Jackson, Cisco Adler, Schwayze, Lil’ John, Fawne Chambers, and a lot
of other folks. They really liked our
clothing, our message, and our sustainability.
Check this out: www.AndrewHorne.org
This gentleman is running for the US Senate in Kentucky. He’s going
to wear our flag hoodie on the campaign stump! Regardless of your political leanings, check him out. He's a good man who sincerely wants to do the right thing for the country and his constituents.
We got a blurb in the Advocate in a blog
entry about Sundance swag. See it here: