Funds Raised for Global Literacy:
$10,184,799.20
Books Re-Used or Recycled:
63,271,794

To Co-op is Divine

Posted by admin on 01.26.2009 at 5:00 pm

1.5 ounces of goodness.From today until February 6th, 4 out of 5 of our new book orders on BetterWorld.com are going to come with a Valentine surprise from us to you, courtesy of an amazing social enterprise – Divine Chocolate.

No worries Charlie, no Golden Geese or Oompa-Loompas were harmed in the production of this chocolate surprise. Divine Chocolate comes from the Kuapa Kokoo co-op in Ghana, West Africa. From their site:

Kuapa Kokoo – which means good cocoa growers – has a mission to empower farmers in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood, to increase women’s participation in all of Kuapa’s activities, and to develop environmentally friendly cultivation of cocoa.

Divine indeed. Will you get a golden ticket?

6 Comments » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, ,

Top Ten Best Books of 2008

Posted by admin on 01.09.2009 at 2:49 pm

I sent out an email to my 200+ coworkers that read “What were the ten best books you read in 2008?” The question is not what the best books were that came out this year, but rather, what were the best books you read during the year. Considering we have 4 offices, are an international company, and are notably an eclectic group, we got some great responses. Read more…

12 Comments » | Tagged Book Lists, Dispatches from the Green House

Happy Holidays from Better World Books

Posted by Xavier on 12.23.2008 at 11:30 am

“Friends, Readers, Customers, lend me your eyes”

It’s not often you take the time to tell someone how important they are to you.  So first things first, we’d like to say thanks for all you do. Literacy has been recognized as a human right for over 50 years, yet 1 in 7 people is still illiterate. Illiteracy is at the heart of poverty, hunger and war from the Congo to California. Six years ago, we were just two recent college grads running a single book drive, and we didn’t think we’d have much impact past the community center in South Bend. Since then you’ve taken us from Sudan to Brazil to Mexico, showing us the incredible power that social entrepreneurs can have in building a more literate world.

Since that first book drive, you have raised over $4.6 million for literacy by making the conscious choice to buy from Better World Books. Each book bought has been another book in the hands of someone like William from Malawi, (see attached picture) who built a windmill in his village solely based on a picture in a donated engineering book! Each book bought is another day that a girl in Vietnam goes to school (see other picture). Who knows what will she be capable of? There are too many more stories to tell and people to thank. 

They say the best part of the holidays is giving, so this is the part where we ask you for a favor. It’s now, in these crazy economic times, we need your support more than ever. Anyone can help when times are good, but it’s these times of adversity when those who are without need us most.  It’s hard to ask any more of you, so we’ll make this part easy with three things you can do to make an even bigger impact for those in need:

1. Watch the new video from Invisible Children to see why it matters where you buy your books.

2. Forward this e-mail to at least 10 friends & family. You’re our marketing department.  Help us spread the word.

3. Buy BetterWorld.com gift certificates as gifts for your loved ones this Christmas. They get to choose from millions of new and used books while funding literacy. It’s the simplest way you can support our movement.

Without you, none of this would be possible. We wish you well these holidays and just wanted you to know that we’re thinking of you. 

Thanks for all you do,

Xavier & Kreece, Founders of Better World Books

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, The Man Behind the Curtain

Destinie’s DC Green Festival Trip

Posted by Kelly on 11.20.2008 at 12:00 pm

As a 24 year old who has never been out of the vicinity of South Bend, Indiana (aside from Chicago, Illinois and Niles, Michigan, lame I know), I was pretty excited to hear that I had won the extra ticket to the Washington, DC Green Festival. I was pretty nervous, having never been on a plane or so far from home, so my anxiety was running a bit high. I spent literally 2 weeks packing for a 4 day trip… very OCD. Then the day to leave finally arrived.

All the way to the airport I was about to pass out from nerves. But as soon as I got on the plane (which was very tiny) I felt a little bit better. Then it started to move. Read more…

5 Comments » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, , ,

Rolling out the Red Carpet

Posted by Rudy on 10.20.2008 at 12:00 pm

Here at the Greenhouse, we get a lot of visitors from near and far; and, let me tell you, it never gets old. In fact, it’s one of the things that I enjoy most about being based here in Mishawaka. Among our recent guests were the Ambassador of Malawi to the United States and the Honorable Joe Donnelly of Indiana’s Second Congressional District.

Most recently, we received a visit from our local public television, WNIT, and their awesome program Outdoor Elements. Host Evie Kirkwood, who also serves as the director of our county park system, brought a film crew to tape a segment for the program which will air in Feburary 2009.

We walked our distribution center for about an hour, exploring all of the ways in which our little company in the corn fields has really embraced its sustainbility focused mission. From waste recycling to our co-op garden to our committment to reuse just about everything that we come in contact with (including our shelving and furniture), there was plenty into which to sink our teeth. I’m actually curious to see what will air during the short, 10-minute segment, given that we must have filmed more than 45 minutes worth! I’ll be sure to update you when the segment is available.

1 Comment » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, , , , , , ,

Sales Support Team Bids ‘Adieu et Bon Voyage’ to a Sea Container…

Posted by Rudy on 10.17.2008 at 12:57 pm

What’s a sea container? Well, for us it’s a lot of books. Last month we bid a fond farewell to what amounted to a massive undertaking of love and fun. We hand packed over 20,000 books bound for Cambodia. While it isn’t our first container, nor our last, this one was the first for the new sales support team, who really got to know each other in this little venture. Picture it: nearly 1000 boxes, all those books, 14 hands… well, you get the picture. And, in case you didn’t, here’s one for you.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, Impact, , , ,

Welcome to Better World Books Letter

Posted by Jack on 10.09.2008 at 11:07 am

Courtesy of Mallory Meuninck, here’s an excerpt from our letter to new employees:

Welcome!

You have the tremendous opportunity to become a member of the BWB team.  Together with a dedicated group of individuals you will have the privledge, of working to accomplish common goals and make a positive impact for literacy in our world.

Every day you will carefully pick and ship books out to eager customers, allowing them to navigate the expanse of the universe, embark on a quest of self-discovery, converse with mythical creatures and broaden the depths of their minds.

Along with this you will be the first face a newly arrived book will see before being placed on our shelves waiting for their loving home.

Standards[...]

Above all, we seek to flabbergast our customers.

While here, you are a protector of dreams.  You are the mightiest of dragons, guarding a vast treasure.  Customers from lands near and far will open one of our packages, filled, by you, and they will be overwhelmed with joy, anticipation, and excitement.

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, , ,

Discovering the Value of Us

Posted by Rudy on 09.29.2008 at 4:00 pm

For the next ten weeks, my more than 200 co-workers and I will be celebrating the very best of one another through each of Better World Books’ core values.

 

  1. We ♥ Books. Respect the book. Read often and help others to do the same.
  2. Flabbergast our Customers. Seek out opportunities to make a difference with value, service, and selection.
  3. Invest well. Waste not. Choose wisely; consider the return on your efforts and the impact in your actions. Reuse, reuse, reuse… Then reduce and recycle.
  4. Lead the movement. Take a stand; share your enthusiasm and build momentum through human connections.
  5. Speak through action. Put your ideas to work; play to win but never fear failure.
  6. Be passionate. Wear your heart on your sleeve; stand up for what your believe.
  7. Pursue growth through learning. Challenge yourself; make a point to try new things.
  8. Be genuine. Keep it real; be honest with others and true to your quirktastic self.
  9. Embrace change. Adapt to circumstances; help others find ways to succeed in our evolving world.
  10. Respect our team. Be humble; welcome diversity and recognize that shared success is the only kind that matters.

To get things started, the Antiquarian, Rare, and Collectible Books Team performed an original composition by cataloguer Carol Devorkin entitled “I Am ARC”…

Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, , , , ,

Xavier, Meet Pie

Posted by admin on 09.19.2008 at 11:07 am

Courtesy of Network admin, Nate, enjoy this YouTube video of co-founder Xavier getting a pie to the face (and some silly string) during a company presentation in South Bend from COO/co-founder Kreece.  Happy 30th birthday, X!

Have your say » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, The Man Behind the Curtain, , , ,

Epic Dragonboat Showdown in Niles Michigan

Posted by Jack on 08.28.2008 at 2:18 pm

You’ve heard of them, Jordan’s Bulls, Montana’s 49ers, Gretzky’s Oilers, Bird’s Celtics, Magic’s Lakers, the teams that any player hates to play because they know the odds are against them because that other team of stars is going to play all out until the buzzer sounds.  At Riverfest in Niles Michigan, in the Dragon Boat Races, the town of Niles is that team.  Reaping both the benefits of home [river] advantage and a team comprised of grizzly veterans and new rising talent, the deck was stacked against any competition.  Niles is known for both experienced play and a solid farm system, bringing refined talent to the adult level from the highly competitive youth races.  The Niles High School Band would hold up that dominance in the youth league, but in the adult race, change was in the air.



 Better World Books came to Riverfest to sell books and engage in a great festival, they came to put a creatively designed float in the water, but most of all they came to win.  Like a rookie in battle who is too ignorant to know to fear a war champion, Better World Books was the lowly infantry man to Niles’ Achilles; but unlike the lofty Greek, Niles had no perceivable weakness.  Better World Books would have to simply be the better team.



 Murmurs spread around the festival all day of a young upstart team, made up of heart and absolutely no talent whatsoever, a bookish crowd with warehouse tans that would take on the Olympic level competition of the iron-fisted Niles crowd.  Could the tiny Better World Books boat stand against the wrath of the Dragon Boat embodiment of Posiedon himself?

The race started close, jitters clearly affecting Better World Books as the Viking like warriors of Niles stroked even and true.  But slowly something changed.  Cows lay down when it is going to rain–they just feel it in the air and react–so when all of the kids stopped playing and went to watch the river, the prescience of the youth was palpable; victory would be a cruel mistress today.

Only a few meters left, rowing beyond their own abilities, infused with the spirit of Michael Phelps, the scrappy squad of ARC stud, Jorge Fragoso, Howard Roark-esque architect Jaime Knabet, superstar receiver, Javier Castro and hard hitting Maintenance standout David Sherwood were joined by the husband and wife Majerek in an epic throwdown.   Also, Better World Books saw promise in a few Niles folks who were left off the famed squad.  It was those few crew members, the rejects, who had become the proverbial cornerstones of the squad.  With this group they would stand strong, crushing through the ripples of the river and the mighty approach of the heroes of Niles, Michigan.


Better World Books: Ballerific

 Life moves on, and as Herodotus said, “You can never step in the same river twice.”  Jordan has retired and Montana is in the booth, and Niles, Michigan is left scratching their heads as to how a small upstart company came in and simultaneously sold books while taking the checkered flag at their own flagship event.  Will they ever recover or are the nouveau riche of the Dragon Boat circuit set to become the next giants of the Mitten State scene?  Only time will tell, but the pantheon of great teams will truly never be the same.

1 Comment » | Tagged Dispatches from the Green House, , , , ,

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