Howdy do, gum chews!

Do you remember when I told you about the Design for a Living World exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NY last May? Commissioned by the Nature Conservancy, this innovative show included vases made of chicle by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. Chicle, as you may recall, is my very favorite tree sap; it’s that swell, sticky stuff that gives Glee Gum good chew and helps conserve the rainforest too!

Well, as it happens, Hella’s chicle vases inspired a group of young designers to develop a line of beauty products made from chicle. Who knew all that chicle could do?

WHAT THE HELLA? is the product line that Ingrid Zweifel, Monica Bhatia, Leigh Ann Tucker, and Chelsea Briganti designed. In an effort to find more industrial uses for chicle, and to support the communities of the Yucatan Peninsula where chicle is sustainably harvested, these designers have created products like incense and sapodilla soap and oil. Perhaps most impressive is the chicle wax they developed for hair removal. Check it out!

This weekend, you can vote to get funding for the further development of WHAT THE HELLA? at FEAST (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics), a community fundraiser to support new artists. On Saturday, February 6, 2010, FEAST will be held at Church of the Messiah at 129 Russell Street in Brooklyn, NY from 5-8 pm. For $10, guests can enjoy a local dinner, dessert, and unlimited beer – plus vote for one of the proposed projects. Hope you can make it there, New Yorkers! (But, goodness gracious, be careful on the subway after “unlimited” beer!)

To learn more about WHAT THE HELLA?, click here. In the meantime, let me know if you think of any more nifty uses for chicle!

Hey gum chews, more news!

Do you remember last summer’s Glee Gum Newsletter in which I told you all about 1% for the Planet (or 1%FTP)?

Here at Verve, inc., we are delighted to belong to this swell organization. Being a member means that we donate 1% of all Glee Gum sales to environmental organizations that we trust. And we are not alone! Over 1000 other companies are members too.

Great tunes for a great cause...

This month, 1%FTP launched an album called 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1. Featuring rare and exclusive tracks donated by more than 40 leading artists, this all-digital release is sure to get your feet tapping and your fingers snapping!

Jack Johnson, G. Love and Special Sauce, and Angelique Kidjo are among the many fine performers you can hear in this unique compilation. And all proceeds benefit 1%FTP, which in turn supports environmental non-profits all around the globe!

Here is a link to the album site. You can preview all the tunes at Amazon.com, and you can learn more about 1%FTP here. So shake a leg or tailfeather, get ready to cut a rug, and enjoy!

... from some really great artists!

The end of the year is finally here! The new year is drawing near.

Do you have great plans for 2010? No? Well, hey, grab a pen!

I’ve got a few lists of green resolutions for you. You can pick and choose what to do!

The Daily Green offers “15 Resolutions for the Environment that Actually Make a Difference.” Fifteen ways to be really, super green!

If that sounds like ten too many to commit to, check out “5 Green Resolutions to Make Now to Be Ready for 2010” on Discovery’s Planet Green.

Feeling a bit more energetic? Planet Green also provides “7 Resolution Reminders, Including: Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle… Radical?”

But, if you’re really dragging, Lime.com kindly suggests you pick three of their “9 Great Green Resolutions for 2010“. Just three! How easy could that be?

Naturally, I know you are a busy bee. So if you have time for only one green resolution next year, well… You can always chew GLEE!

Happy new year, gum chums! Thanks for your support throughout the year. Please know that I hold you very dear!

Season’s greetings, gum chums!

Hope your holidays are filled with family and friends, food and fun, health and happiness and, if you’re really lucky, gobs and gobs of GLEE! Of the latter, I can honestly say– mine will be!

Now, if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you may have heard this news before. (And if you don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook, well hey– what are ya waiting for? Spending time together on the Internet is almost like spending time together in the real world, but requires way less effort!)

If you have heard this news before, I’m sorry for repeating it and don’t mean to be a bore. It’s just such SWELL news that I can’t help repeating it some more! So here’s the score…

NBC featured Glee on LIVE TV!

Now can you see what’s causing such excitement (and redundancy) in me?

Last Friday, December 11th, NBC News channels nationwide aired a segment on “Green Gift Ideas for the Holidays.” Thanks to NBC News Correspondent Jinah Kim and Sierra Club’s Owen Bailey for including Glee Gum and the Make Your Own Candy Kits in this special newscast! If you’re still shopping for the holidays and want to see some great green options, you can check out the clip right here.

Until next time, gum chews, I remain your humble gum mascot… and number one source for Glee-ful news!

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! First stop, NBC. Next up? The WORLD!

Green gifting is all the rage this season, and with good reason! Why not purchase gifts good for both people and the planet? Everybody wins!

Stumped on where to start? Look no further. The 2009 Holiday Green Guide from EcoScence and MeGoGreen is a totally FREE, interactive online coupon book with tons of great ideas and exclusive discounts for you. Available through Dec. 31, 2009, the Guide provides coupon codes on everything from organic tees to green spa services. It includes a particularly Glee-ful promotion for 15% off Glee Gum, Candy Kits and more. So what are you waiting for? Click here to explore!

Want more ways to spread holiday cheer? Check out the other gift guides collected here!

Discovery’s Planet Green offers a swell list of “69 Quirky, Unique and Semi-Homemade Gifts” to green your holiday giving. There just may be some Make Your Own Candy Kits mentioned in there!

BargainBriana.com recommends Glee for a stocking stuffer in her 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, along with other nifty suggestions for folks of all ages.

For “Unique Kids’ Gifts“, check out ResourceRobin.com. The Frugal RI Mama Blog’s got great ideas too, including a Make Your Own Gummies Kit review. And don’t miss this post of “Interesting Eco Gifts under $30 for Anyone on Your List“, courtesy of Creatively Green.

In closing, thanks to Organic Runway Blog for this lovely write-up on Glee!

Okay, time to chew some Cinnamon Glee and trim the office holiday tree! Wonder if there are any green gifts under it for me…

Gum chews, what news, what news!

I am tickled pink to announce the 1st winner of the “Your Ticket to Glee” Sweepstakes!

Congratulations, a tip of the hat and a pat on the back to the very lucky Sadie S. of Kamas, Utah!

Goooooo Sadie! Also - cute baby!

The lovely Sadie found a silver runner-up ticket inside her last pack of Glee Gum. And that meant she won a swell prize package of Glee Gum and “Glee” show merchandise! Check it out!

You Like?

TEN more tickets remain hidden in packs of Glee Gum, all across the country. One of them will take the grand prize winner straight to Hollywood! Only a month remains in the “Your Ticket to Glee” Sweepstakes, so keep chewing and start looking today! For more info on the sweepstakes, click here. And keep watching “Glee” Wednesdays at 9/8 c on FOX!

Here at Glee Gum, we get a LOT of donation requests. Nearly every day, we hear from an organization that would like to include Glee Gum in their fair or fundraiser. Hey, who can blame them? (Of course, you know my sentiments on the subject of Glee. Something along the lines of… YIPPEE!!!)

While we can’t accommodate every request, we do our best to spread the Glee far as the eye can see. This month, at the request of a dental hygienist named Linda, we sent some Glee Gum samples to a conference on autism. In truth, we weren’t 100% sure how Glee would be helpful at such an event, but were delighted to hear that it could!

Linda sent this lovely note with an explanation shortly after.

My job as the oral health consultant for Autism is Medical, Inc. is to provide parents and children who are affected with one or more difficulties on the autism spectrum with an oral hygiene program that is safe and effective. All of the children suffer from gastrointestinal difficulties associated with autism and its related disorders, and must be on incredibly strict diets. In addition, it is often the case that many of the children must be on liquid-only diets in order to “rest” their inflamed GI systems. It is my concern that not having food to chew will cause their teeth and oral tissues to become coated with plaque and debris, resulting in decay.

That is where your gum comes into play. The mechanics of chewing gum will allow for the teeth/ jaws to be functional, and for the oral tissues to produce saliva normally. Glee gum is the only gum that is safe for them to chew, as it doesn’t contain any of the irritating/ allergy-producing ingredients found in all other products… Parents are already overwhelmed by this disease, [so] it is nice when we can help them by pointing them in healthy directions.

Thank you again for your attention and generosity.

Gratefully,

Linda Cooling, R.D.H.

Thank YOU for sharing, Linda. This letter brings Glee, naturally!

Until next time, gum chums, here’s wishing you and yours a most Glee-ful Friday. Ciao for now!

Lately, have you been seeing green?

No doubt that’s because Glee Gum is all OVER the scene!

Let me help you understand what I mean. Glee Gum has been making the rounds from blogs to TV and everywhere in between!

First off, did anyone see Glee Gum on TV? In the last few weeks, Glee Gum has turned up on ABC’s “Good Morning America“, ABC7, and “The Martha Stewart Show“! Stardom, here we come! And unlike starlets, we do not mind if the camera makes Glee Gum look like it gained ten pounds. Just means more Glee for me!

All joking aside (for now), thanks to Melinda at Fit and Fabulous for hosting a Glee Gum Giveaway! Be sure to check it out today.

And…

Kudos to the folks at Go Dairy Free for being so enthusiastic about Glee! See which other Halloween treats made their top ten list here.

Plus…

Three cheers for Planet Forward blog The Sustainable Scribe for posting “Glee Gum for Greener Lifestyles.” The bee’s knees, I tell you, the absolute bee’s knees!

Besides which…

Glee Gum snagged a spot in the Slashfood article “‘X’ Marks the Spot – Rhode Island”, alongside such local delicacies as coffee syrup, cabinets, and johnnycakes! Sweet! 

Not to mention…

Thanks to TheCelebrityCafe.com for a bang-up Glee Gum review. You guys are the cats pajamas!

And…

Gotta love the SPEWD Free Mom’s suggestion for soy, peanut, eggs, wheat and dairy free gum. Yum!

Also…

It’s super to see the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit included in SIERRA Magazine’s holiday guide, “Gifts That Keep Giving.”

And…

Thanks to Doanut Diaries for letting us know that Glee Gum made it all the way down under, to Australia! 

Finally…

Thank you to all the wonderful websites and blogs like Girlawhirl, Over Coffee- the Green Edition, Ecoscene, CandyAddict, MommyFuel, Go Green Articles Blog, I Liked It But I Didn’t Love It Blog, and the Green Living Newsletter for writing about the “Your Ticket to Glee” Sweepstakes! Don’t forget, gum chums, you have six more weeks to keep your eyes peeled for a winning ticket. You could be on your way to Hollywood soon!

And then we’ll be writing about YOU painting the town green…

Happy almost-Halloween, gum chums! 

The best holiday for ghosts and ghouls is finally here. How do you plan to celebrate this year? I can’t decide whether to be the Monopoly Guy or Mr. Potato Head. Tough call, I know! But I am sure about one thing. This Halloween’s color scheme is green! 

Naturally, I’ll be giving Glee Gum to trick-or-treaters. Surprise!

But for more tips, tricks, and ideas, I’m turning to Green Halloween®. This non-profit, grassroots organization works to create healthier, eco-friendlier holidays– starting with Halloween. To read all about it and find fun, local events near you, visit GreenHalloween.org. You can even share DIY costume ideas, recipes, and more! So golly gee, what are you waiting for?

Have a safe and spook-tacular Halloween, my friends!

Hey gum chums! 

You’ve no doubt heard me extol the virtues of Deborah Schimberg, company president of Verve, inc. and mastermind behind my beloved Glee Gum. But here’s your chance to hear about this daring damsel in her own words! 

Deborah is among 40 inspiring women who contributed to the 2nd edition of a new eBook called “The Personality Project: Women of Personality.” It’s a collection of true stories from 40 visionaries, entrepreneurs and businesswomen like Deborah. Read their tales, take their tips and learn how personality played a role in their success!

Here is the link to read and download this unique compilation. It may even inspire you to start your own business! So hats off to Deborah and to all the contributors. Keep up the good work, ladies!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some gum to chew. As, I trust, do you! Ciao for now!