Thursday, April 26, 2012
Paper is as Paper Does
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Green and Fair Trade Clean
April is Earth month, and this Sunday April 22nd will be Earth Day! It's this time of year when the sun is shining and the flowers bloom that we are reminded Fair Trade isn't just a movement benefitting people but our environment as well. We've spoken before on all the ways that Fair Trade is environmentally conscious and all it does for the planet as well as the people. But this week we get to talk about ways in which we as consumers can incorporate helping the planet while simultaneously helping people.
Of course, one of the best ways we can stay green is how we clean! It's important to keep our homes clean, but many products we use in the process contain chemicals that are dangerous to the environment, and toxic to us. But believe it or not, there are some Fair Trade alternatives that are good for the environment too!For our laundry, the New Internationalist Shop and Ten Thousand Villages sells Soap nuts. Eco-friendly, biodegradable, sustainably produced, as well as compostable, soap nuts are a safe and natural alternative to harsh chemical detergents. There are different ways to use them, whether by boiling them to excise the soap or just throwing them in with your laundry. In any case, this product has gotten good reviews. You can get multiple washes from them and they are affordably priced.
Dr. Bronner's is well known in the Fair Trade Community for their soap with "18 in 1 uses." Their liquid soaps while typically used as a body soap boasts even more uses than just that, including as a laundry detergent, surface cleaner, and even fruit and vegetable rinse. Their website has instructions on different concentrations to be used for each use. In addition to this they have also come out with another product Sal Suds specifically for surface cleaning, and like their liquid soap it is Fair Trade, eco-friendly, animal product free, and not tested on animals.
It's not easy being Green, and it's not easy being fair either, but the Fair Trade movement is actively thinking of ways to help consumers out in our ethical endeavours. When we support these products we are part of the Fair Trade movement, and part of the solution to a healthier planet.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Build a Garden That Grows Fair
Spring is here! And with it the sun and the rain, perfect conditions for gardening. Whether or not you've been blessed with a green thumb, The Welcome Mat would like to give you some helpful tips on ways you can make your gardening experience ethically responsible.
Gardening definitely requires skill. It's hard to get the right results if you don't have the right tools. Here are a few places you can get what you need!
The what: If you are looking for some seeds to get started, West Coast Seeds, a company based out of Canada will have some options for you. Greenline does as well, and they are based in the UK. However you will have to become a member of Greenline before having access to what they have. Remember that when it comes to produce, if you are having difficulty finding a Fair Trade option, shopping locally is a good alternative.
The wear: Remember when working out in the sun, and sometimes with sharp and/or dirty objects, it is important to wear the appropriate gear. Traid Crafts has Fair Trade gardening gloves, hats, and aprons for your convenience!
The how: Traid Crafts also has planting pots, garden trowels and tool sets, tins, twine, and even mulch bags. Out of Wisconsin we have the Cobra Head! A unique and ethically made gardening tool. In addition to that Oxfam has terracotta water drippers and other handy gardening items.
With the weather on our side we can take our Fair Trade lifestyles to the earth! And build gardens that grow fair, not just fairly grow.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Another Step for Easter and Passover
This Friday evening marks the beginning of Passover which will last until the evening of April 14th.
It also happens to be Good Friday, which means this Sunday will be Easter. Two major holidays from two major cultures equals one big opportunity to support the Fair Trade cause. This seems especially fitting for Passover, as it celebrates the release of the Israelites from their slavery in ancient Egypt. Contributing to the fair treatment of others, and the attempts to abolish slavery around the world this weekend is especially poignant.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
One Small Step for Electronics
Friday, March 16, 2012
Weaving Fair Trade and Silk
Friday, March 9, 2012
Hear Fair Trade Roar
Yesterday was International Women's Day, so The Welcome Mat would like to discuss all of the benefits Fair Trade has to offer to all of women kind. Even though Fair Trade is beneficial to everyone, not just a specific gender or race, for women in particular what fair trade does can mean so much more.
Opportunities for work- In the long run it can be harder for women to find employment then it can be for me, especially since the list of "female jobs" is significantly lower than that of "male jobs." But Fair Trade companies intentionally provide jobs for women, giving them a foothold in the work force and an ability to provide for their families in a way that they were previously unable. Divine Chocolate is a good example of a Fair Trade company that is empowering women to have a stronger part in their communities development.
Education and training- Many Fair Trade companies do not just provide jobs, but training in the community for work in their company as well as other professions as well. Asha provides training in catering, education, and childcare.
Issues that affect women are issues that affect everybody, except a lot of the time it can be harder for them to overcome these issues because of their culturally lower place in society. Fair Trade gives women around the globe a leg up to a better life, and empowers them economically in ways they have so far struggled to achieve.
Education for their children- It's a little hard to teach your kids to read in addition to working. For many families in impoverished countries education and schooling is a luxury. However with the extra money received through fair trade, smaller communities are able to build schools and buy materials for their children's education. A good example of this is Rishi Tea, whom as we've said in our blog The Power of Tea has helped build schools in Asia in addition to other types of community development.
Better health care- Health care is a big issue all over the globe, especially for women. In addition to schools, the extra money received from Fair Trade programs helps provide medical care that would otherwise be unavailable to them. For instance, Tinsaba in Swaziland, Africa provides a mobile homeopathic clinic to combat the AIDs epidemic in their community.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Fair Trade Weddings
- Stationary: When preparing the announcements or invitations for your wedding, give Vinati's Paper a look. Vinati's supply stationary specifically for wedding invitations.
- Clothing: Mata Trader's makes dresses for bridesmaids and flower girls, but of course things get a little trickier when it comes to the bride's dress. As of right now there is a lot of green and organic options, but if you want something with an actual fair trade label then its not who makes the dress, but what its made of that matters. Fair trade cotton is actually growing in popularity for every day wear as well as wedding wear.
- Flowers: While many fair trade sources are primarily based in the UK, we are lucky in America to at least have nationwide access to fair trade flowers. One World Flowers delivers across the country!
- Gifts: Of all of the categories this would be the easiest to accomplish. After all, if you want a fair trade lifestyle then just direct your friends and family to buying your house wear items at fair trade stores like The Welcome Mat! And that isn't even all. As we've said before there is fair trade wine and champagne available, as well as ethical jewelry to match your gown.
The Fair Trade Federation supplies even more great tips in their Fair Trade Wedding Guide. With these ideas you and your spouse to be will be ready to walk down the aisle Fair Trade style.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Handmade Expressions
As a global fair trade store, The Welcome Mat sells products from all over the world, sourced by multiple organizations. One of our largest wholesalers, especially for our selections from India, is Handmade Expressions. Founded in 2005 by Manish Gupta, this company partners with multiple NGO's and grassroots artisan co-operatives that source fair trade products from India. Many of the artisans that Handmade Expressions employs have been marginalized in some way, making them innovators in the empowerment of these people, enabling them to compete in the global market through socially and environmentally responsible products.
The Welcome Mat values the legwork that Handmade Expressions undertakes to make it possible for fair trade stores everywhere to obtain these unique items efficiently and reliably. Handmade Expressions believes that "economic sustainability and social empowerment are the keys for community development." With this in mind, it is their mission to bridge the gap between the talented artisans and the modern global market by providing them with the resources to compete with education, fair wages and health care. They also encourage artisans to be environmentally responsible by using as many recycled materials as possible.
As one of a kind and unique as the products made by Handmade Expressions are, the artisans themselves are much more valuable and important. Handmade Expressions gives these hardworking artisans opportunities to better their lives. It is exciting to see the good that Fair Trade is doing all around the globe and it is a movement that The Welcome Mat is certainly proud to support.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Fairtrade Fortnight: Two Weeks for Ethical Standards
Last October The Welcome Mat celebrated Fair Trade Month by explaining the beginnings of fair trade, however our fair trade friendly neighbors overseas celebrate Fair Trade Fortnight, and this year it begins February 27th to March 11th!
Luckily for us, this years theme doesn't exclude the new world from participating in the fair trade festivities. This year the Fair Trade Foundation is encouraging everyone to "Take a Step for Fair Trade." It can be any step, big or small, that integrates fair trade into our lives more than it has been before. Maybe you could buy fair trade coffee for your office next time its your turn to buy, or you could make a change permanently to fair trade sugar for your household.
Fair Traders from across the globe are cataloguing their steps on the official Fair Trade Fortnight site. The foundation's goal is to reach 1,500,000 steps by the end of 2012. As of right now the recorded steps number nearly 7000, but more can still be done, and the fortnight has yet to even start! Each step we take whether it is as simple as requesting fair trade options at your local super market, or as big as organizing a fair trade chocolate tasting at your school, supports the fair trade cause! So what can you do? The Welcome Mat is here as always to help you out, because every step is just another piece of the journey towards an ethical market.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Fair Trade is Red...Fair Trade is Blue...
Chocolates are delicious, but once you eat them they're gone. Flowers are wonderful as well, but they fade with time. However, jewelry lasts. If there is one thing that fair trade can provide to you, it is jewelry (and The Welcome Mat has plenty in stock)! There are so many fun designs and pieces that it's hard to imagine not being able to find something to match any one's style. Diamonds are not always a girls best friend. Sometimes it's paper beads, sometimes copper, sometimes soapstone. But for those ladies who are especially close to diamonds, places such as Brilliant Earth and Pristine Planet will be the places to look.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Fair Trade Super Bowl
As soon as your guests walk through the door you can have a number of fair trade beverages and snacks waiting for them. Windmill Organics makes quinoa salty snacks, and Liberation can provide a wide variety of party nuts. And to wash it down, Maine Root has a selection of fair trade sodas, as does Ubuntu Cola. By pre-game your guests will be munching and mingling more ethically then they ever have.
http://www.fairtradeusa.org/get-involved/blog/make-years-super-bowl-fair-trade-certified
http://www.peppermaster.com/fair_trade_certified?zenid=1f633b509c882c32e5300593082d837
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Power of Tea
Happy Chinese New Year! This last week China celebrated the beginning of the year of the Dragon. In honor of this cultural event The Welcome Mat would like to talk about a product both important to Chinese culture and to fair trade; tea! Tea has been a major part of the Chinese diet for thousands of years and for many of the people of China's Yunnan province it is their life.
In the South West corner of Yunnan lies the Jingmai Mangjing Ancient Tea Forrest. It is home to many varieties of tea found no where else in the world, and to some of the world's oldest tea trees, ranging from 600 to 1300 years old. The rich biodiversity of this forest also harbors excellent conditions for organic conditions. Jingmai is a gathering of villages of the Dai people, and Mangjing to the Bulang peoples. Both are descended from the Pu people, known to be the earliest tea
planters (1066-221 BC.) This ancient Bulong proverb explains the people's dedication and deep cultural connection to the tea trees:
If you leave the gold you will spend it,
If you leave the ox it may die,
We must leave the tea trees,
So they can grow and provide.
You should not let others take the tea trees.
You should protect the tea trees like you do your life
And never let them out of your control.
The only fair trade tea available from this unique part of the planet is distributed by Rishi Tea from the Ancient Tea Tree Association. The money the farmers get helps support community development, education, as well as environmental stewardship. Social premiums have helped the locals start a library, cultural center, agricultural training program, and make improvements such as road and water quality. In addition to this, the first two students from Mangjing Village were able to attend university! To some these things may not seem like a lot, but for Yunnan they are some very large steps towards a better life. Despite their natural resources and rich biodiversity Yunnan has one of the lowest income levels per capita in all of China. Thanks to the fair trade initiatives of Rishi more and more Jingmai Mangjing children are able to afford education, because more and more local schools are being funded.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Let Us Serrv One Another
Serrv supports and empowers artisans in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Americas in at least 35 different countries, and in addition to buying and marketing products Serrv also helps with things like product design, and technical training to help their artisans gain economic self-sufficiency.
- In Swaziland, Africa. Tintsaba is making a difference in the lives of women and their families by providing them with more than just an income. Tintsaba provides training in literacy, business, and health education, as well as a mobile homeopathic clinic treating rural groups suffering from HIV/AIDs.
- VillageWorks of Cambodia was started by the Girls' Brigade of Singapore, a Christian, non-profit organization working to improve the lives of women in South East Asia. The name itself is meant to express the companies focus on work done by small village artisans using their own indigenous techniques and materials. They even make special use of recycled materials for their handbags and wallets.
- Sarajevo Phoenix of Bosnia-Herzegovina is an exceptionally inspiring group. Bosnia-Herzegovina, formerly Yugoslavia, was ravaged by the Balkan war in the 1990's. Sarajevo Phoenix employs Bosnian women-Serbs, Muslims, and Croats to help them rebuild the lives they lost in the war. What makes this so significant is not just that they are being helped in this way, but that the company is supporting the development of a multi-ethnic society built on healing the wounds of war. The Serbs, Muslims, and Croats can work side by side, and live side by side.
Serrv is a company certified by the Fair Trade Federation, Green America, and the World Fair Trade Organization. They are good for the planet, and good for people, empowering, and serving artisans across the globe.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
When Fair Trade Meets Fashion
There are multiple causes to this blatant infraction of human rights. One issue is that many of the countries that harbor these sweatshops do not have the infrastructure to enforce international labor laws. However, sweatshops can be found anywhere, including the United States. Another issue is that many large corporations will pressure manufacturing facilities for cheaper goods. This gives them incentives to pay their workers less and make them work for longer hours.
However, one major cause that consumers have control over is ignorance. When we do not take the time to research all that why buy, we are kept in the dark about where our clothes and other products come from. In fact many corporations do not intentionally use sweatshops, but simply do not look into their own factories, keeping the conditions of their workers out of sight and out of mind. If we took the time to look and enlighten ourselves on the matter we would find the thousands of women and children forced to work over 10 hours a day and 7 days a week for pennies an hour.
So what is it that we can do? Most of us are not in a position to change corporate policy, but as consumers there are ways that we can influence the market towards change.
- Shop Fair Trade: As we've said before, by shopping at stores like The Welcome Mat we support ethical companies that pay their workers fair wages. This can be done with clothing too! Buying fair trade clothing is supporting ethical manufacturing and not sweatshop labor.
- Shop Second Hand: Second hand stores, and thrift shops sell lightly used clothing that has already been bought from other stores, so this time the money we spend on these items goes towards the seller and not the manufacturer.
- Stay Informed: The market is always changing, and there are always new ethical companies starting, and always new information regarding other companies. By doing our research and staying informed we are aware of which companies are ethical and which are not. Using this information to our advantage and spreading the word keeps consumers out of ignorance to the problems of the world such as sweatshop labor.
As consumer's we have a voice, and that is what fair trade is all about! Every dollar we spend is a vote, and when we vote for ethical products we show companies that we care about where our clothes come from, and we actually make a difference with our dollars.
Here are a few companies that sell fair trade clothing:
Friday, January 6, 2012
A Look At Asha
Since 1975, this innovative company has been giving marketing support to different groups of small producers and craftsman cooperatives in order to aid small scale producers. It houses two separate divisions, one overseeing trade, and the other overseeing welfare programs including training activities and producer development. Asha pays for products in advance, and orders from the artisans directly so as to minimize debt accumulation on behalf of the artisans. And by providing training and teaching facilities, Asha is able to empower more and more artisans, continuing the positive effect in the community, as well as the diversity of their products.
On their website, Asha Handicrafts introduces you to a few of the artisans whose handiwork they employ. While each group employs many artisans and workers who create the beautiful pieces unique to their local cultures, one group in particular embodies the fair trade spirit through its equal opportunity endeavors. The Women's India Trust (WIT) is a non-governmental self-help organization for the women of India. WIT helps to educate and train women so they can gain employment in several fields such as nursing, screen printing, and even catering and food processing. They can also receive training as teachers for Balwadi, an education program for children providing them with a good foundation for further education when they get older. At any time there is at least 100 students in Balwadi schooling.
Asha Handicrafts does more than just buy products at fair prices. They empower small scale artisans of India to compete in the mainstream global economy, and continue to make further progress in the developing the equality of and equal opportunity for women, as well as the development of education. It is companies like this that is continuing to make fair trade a beneficial movement for global society.