Ten Thousand Villages stores sell a variety of reasonably priced fair-trade products, including baskets, jewelry, star garlands, dishware, soaps, folk art and other quality home dcor items.

Junior Meggan Lloyd of Hastings is coordinating the store project.

"Due to the success of the off-site sale Hastings College had in November, I wanted to provide the opportunity to always have fair-trade products available," she said. "Having a store on campus will help educate people about what fair trade is and will give them the opportunity to purchase items right on campus. It also gives the Hastings community another avenue to purchase fair-trade items."

Last summer, Lloyd was selected as one of Oxfam America's 2007-08 CHANGE Leaders and was trained to coordinate an Oxfam campaign on campus. She selected fair trade as her social justice mission. In November, Lloyd coordinated a two-day craft sale of Ten Thousand Villages items during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The success of that event led to the establishment of a permanent store.

Ten Thousand Villages stores have been open since 1946 and today support thousands of artisans in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. More than 160 retail stores in North America offer a variety of unique, high-quality fair-trade products that help improve the livelihood of disadvantaged people in developing countries around the world.

Strobel Industries to manufacture, sell liquid sprayers

CLARKS Strobel Industries Inc. and Swihart Sales Co. have established a working relationship to manufacture and sell liquid sprayers under the trade name of Spray Innovations.

Swihart Sales of Quinter, Kan., recently acquired Spray Innovations and will market, distribute and sell the liquid sprayers. Strobel Industries Inc. of Clarks is going to be custom manufacturing the sprayers at its manufacturing location in Clarks.

The sprayer comes in various sizes and models, and it can be used in multiple applications, such as for livestock insect control, orchards, Christmas trees, vegetables and more. A blower attachment on the sprayer gives the user more options for application.

The owner of Swihart Sales, Roger Swihart, said he is looking forward to the working relationship with Strobel Industries Inc. Swihart Sales will continue to service current customers while expanding the market for Spray Innovations sprayers.

Dwight Strobel, president of Strobel Industries, said he is excited to manufacture the sprayers for Spray Innovations and Swihart Sales. Strobel Industries prides itself on manufacturing top-quality products. Production of the sprayers fits with the tradition that Strobel Industries has built over more than 40 years of manufacturing diversified agricultural products.

All sales will be handled by Swihart Sales of Quinter, Kan. For more information, call (800) 864-4595.

Keep Nebraska Beautiful collects more than 1 million gallons of used oil

LINCOLN Through the Nebraska Used Oil Collection Program, Keep Nebraska Beautiful has collected more than 1 million gallons of used oil.

In 2007, Nebraskans recycled 206,376 gallons, bringing the total amount collected since the program's inception to 1,012,041 gallons. That translates to more than $100,000 in hazardous waste disposal fees saved by program participants.

When LB1256 banned landfill disposal of waste oil in 1994, there were very few outlets for farmers and people who change their own oil. The used oil program changed all that in 2000 by establishing 10 sites in southeast Nebraska where people could dispose of their used oil for free. The program now has 67 collection sites in 65 counties.

Hall County residents can dispose of their used oil at the Grand Island Aurora Co-op, 1140 S. Lincoln Ave., Grand Island. For a listing of all used oil collection sites, visit the Keep Nebraska Beautiful Web site at www.knb.org/oil_collection.html/.