Spreading (Wee) Glee

Hi, gum chums! If your winter season has been anything like the one here in Rhode Island, you are more than ready to welcome spring. So slip off that woolen sweater, slide open the windows, and step into the sunshine!

While you’re high-stepping, why not sidle on over to Cost Plus World Market? It’s chock-full of extraordinary finds to celebrate the spring andsummer season. From Easter treasures to summer must-haves, it’s the one-stop shop for the best deals in gift giving, home décor, and entertaining. A visit to Cost Plus captures the excitement of an international journey to colorful bazaars and bustling markets—no passport required!

Know what else you will find there? WEE GLEE! That’s right! Those itsy bitsy, teensy weensy pieces of Glee, perfectly sized to pop by the handful, can now be found at Cost Plus World Market. Stroll the candy aisles, stop in the gum and mint section, and pick up a box! You’ll soon be enjoying the unique Wee Glee medley of Tangerine, Triple Berry, Bubblegum, and Banana flavors, sure to make your breath as fresh as a spring breeze (and twice as sweet)!

There are over 260 Cost Plus World Markets located across the country. To find a store near you, check out their store locator right here. And, in the meantime, HAPPY SPRING!

Leave Dinnerware to the Leaves

What do coffee beans, cacao, mushrooms and maple syrup have in common? All four are non-timber forest products, otherwise known as NTFPs! That means they can be harvested sustainably, give forests more value standing than cleared, and help to conserve forest regions. What else do they have in common? Why, we’ve extolled the virtues of each in previous issues of this very newsletter!

In this issue, we are delighted to introduce you to a NTFP that seems almost elementary: fallen leaves! That’s right, leaves. The stuff that we here in RI rake all fall (and sometimes winter and spring too, but that’s another story). Who knew that they could be transformed into elegant, environmentally-friendly dinnerware?

At a recent expo in NYC, we met Michael Dwork, the founder and CEO of an incredibly crafty company called VerTerra. VerTerra makes dinnerware from fallen leaves and water. They gather leaves, then steam, press, and heat them and… voilà! Beautiful bowls, plates, and serving dishes that also happen to be non-toxic, biodegradable and compostable. You can even put them in the fridge, freezer, oven or microwave! More durable than plastic or paper plates and far more “green”, VerTerra dishes are perfect for parties and picnics. And they look lovely!

VerTerra is a natural solution to the problematic piles of disposable dinnerware currently lining landfills. Michael came up with the concept while interning in India some summers ago. He saw a woman on a rural road pressing wet leaves into a contraption like a waffle iron. Within moments, she had made a plate with which to serve food. Michael set about refining the process and design, resulting in a unique and super-chic product line.

To find out more about VerTerra, visit VerTerra.com. You can locate a store near you, order in bulk, learn how to make a home composter, and more! We couldn’t help but fall for this fallen leaf dinnerware, and we think you will too. Leaves as NTFPs? This idea is the bee's knees! 

Gum Base Contest: A Creative Quest

You know what gives gum good chew, don’t you? It’s gum base, the sticky stuff responsible for that oh so unique chewing gum texture!

The gum base in Glee Gum and the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit is a mix of natural rubbers (chicle!), waxes, and resins. When combined with sugar, syrup, and flavor, it becomes delicious, delectable chewing gum—yum!

But some people prefer our gum base PLAIN. What do they do with it, exactly? Well, some chew it just as it is-- it comes in pellet-form and has a subtle, woodsy taste. Since it has no nutritional value, some folks on restricted diets consider it a handy, dandy carb-free snack. Others use it as a smoking cessation tool. Smells a lot better than cigarettes, as a rule!

Then there are those who use the gum base even more creatively. For example, we know a fella who uses it as fishing bait. (Of course, being vegetarians, we can’t help feeling a bit sorry for those gummed up fishies!)

Can you think of other uses for ooey, gooey, stretchy gum base? Send us your best idea, and you could win a Refill Kit of gum base pellets (to try out your idea), a Glee Tee, and a case of 8 boxes of Wee Glee!

To enter the “Gum Base” Contest, send your idea along with your name, email address and zip code to Verve, inc. by May 29, 2010. You can email your idea to gleeguy@gleegum.com, fax it to 401-272-1204, or send it by snail mail to Verve, inc., 305 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02907. There is no limit to the number of ideas you can send. Submissions will be judged on originality and functionality. We plan to post as many submissions as possible to the Glee Guy's blog, so keep your eyes peeled for 'em!

Sugar-Free, Naturally

You’ve been asking, and we’ve been listening. You love Glee, but want the option for Sugar-Free! We are pleased to announce that our Research & Development Team is right now putting the final touches on a new formula for Glee Sugar-Free Gum. Like the rest of the Glee Gum line, Glee Sugar-Free will be made with all-natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners. Instead of the pure cane sugar we use in Glee Gum, we’ll sweeten Glee Sugar-Free with xylitol, a sugar alcohol made from birch trees. Look for Glee Sugar-Free this summer!

Places You're Apt To Find Glee: Basically, Far As The Eye Can See!

Find more information about Glee Gum at GleeGum.com.