I have always been green... inside. It started with Fair Trade. A thirst for cultures beyond my own led me to a SELF HELP store (now called Ten Thousand Villages--the largest fair trade importers of international handicrafts in the U.S.) in Ephrata, Pennsylvania--I think I was about 10 years old. Within 4 walls were the exquisite hand-crafts of people from all over the world. Tapestries, jewelry, pottery, carvings escorted me to a portal view of countries far away. For a dime I was able to buy a tiny daisy ring made of jute created by a woman in Bangladesh. I wanted to know who she was, how she made the ring, where she lived. Every time I visited my grandparents I wanted to go to that store.
Fast-forward to 1994, there was an article in my local paper about a fair trade shop the featured products from around the world. I dragged my mom there and signed up to be a volunteer that day. I became the youngest volunteer they had and was soon sitting on the board because of my unique perspective. College and travel took me away from time to time but I always returned to One World Goods--my fair trade home. I started employment there as an assistant manager in 2001. While I have cut myself back to part-time fair trade is as much a part of my fiber as my DNA.
October is fair trade month--what is fair trade? It is a social movement aimed at creating international trade opportunities for artisans and farmers from developing nations through which they are compensated more equitably for their skill, talent and produce. Put, most simply, it is trade that operates using the golden rule. (see more discussion here)
Fair Trade Month is a great time for One World Goods, it's our 10th anniversary in our current location which is a testament to the growing strength of fair trade as a movement and to the quality and variety of products that connect the shopper with the people around the world who create beauty and ingenuity with their hands. Check back throughout the month for fair trade tips and links to information, shopping, contests, and more.
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