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The beginning of the school year is, for me, a very chaotic and vexing time, and this year more so than ever. In a few months I will be going into my senior year of high school, and there is no way that I will let it slide by, I am determined to give my all, and start it off with a bang! For many of my peers and friends this is the time to shop for the newest name brand clothing and the latest in the line of classroom equipment so that they can be at the top of their game academically while still being able to look “cool”.
Being a standard teenager, the same things race though my mind on a daily basis: “what is this years style going to be like?”, “can I afford this without dipping into my Prom savings?” and most importantly “would the girls think I look cute in this?”, but being fortunate enough to know about and live in the near vicinity of various fair trade stores in my town has allowed me to forego much of the usual angst of this pre-school mania. Shopping fair trade allows me to find edgy outfits and equipment that will set me apart from most high schoolers, clad in outfits direct from the nearest mall, while still being able to prepare myself academically for the top tier colleges that I am applying to and help me make the splash that I am looking for in my senior year.
Random strangers will stop me in the halls and ask where I got a specific article of clothing and practically beg them to tell me where they can find the store, friends eye my attire with look of cautious curiosity at first, asking if American Eagle opened a new line and when I respond with the eventual “no”, they inquire as to how they can get their hands on something similar.
The ability to stand out and stand up for something which shopping fair trade allows for, has given me the gift of being a leader in my own high school. Contrary to many modern concepts, you can support a world that is economically stable, long lasting and based on partnership while vying with the most outfit aware, best dressed students.
As a young adult, fair trade gives me a glimpse into a world that is vastly different than the one which I live in now, a world that I want to be part of and a world that I want to live in which is why I am starting off my senior year by becoming a conscious consumer and shopping fair trade!-Cameron Conner
Certified or Committed Fair Trade?
What’s
the difference? 1) “Fair trade” now means many things. It is important to distinguish between fair trade certified products and fully committed fair trade companies.
2) FTF members are fully committed fair trade companies. We support artisans and farmers who are often ignored by conventional corporations and many times struggle to compete. We are deeply committed and connected to them.
3) Fair trade certification is a tool that allows larger corporations to clean up their existing supply chains. Increasingly, certification has moved away from farmer cooperatives and now includes
large factories and farms that are audited for basic health and safety, with an extra percentage
added to the price (known as the “fair trade premium.”)
4) Fully committed fair trade companies have built ethical behavior into their DNA. It is part of every decision and process. Companies that sell certified products sometimes source only a small percent on certified terms. It’s a positive direction, but the degree of commitment can vary tremendously.
Why does it matter?
1) Although they both use the words “fair trade,” these approaches are not the same. Fair trade
certification is a tool for auditing farms and worksites. Fully fair trade companies seek deeper
relationships and are totally focused on ethical supply chains for everything they purchase.
2) Historically, fair trade implicitly meant a holistic approach to trade. That’s not the case anymore.
This has challenged all of us to be clearer about what we do, and why it’s important.
3) Fully committed fair traders are dedicated to all nine fair trade principles. Long term, respectful
trading relationships are at the core of our model. Through these relationships, we create change.
Fair Trade Federation
July, 2014Teenagers and Fair Trade?
My name is Erin and I have been interning for Ganesh Himal since November. Throughout my time at Ganesh Himal, the idea had been brought up about what teenagers know about fair trade. Teenagers make up a large consumer group and we wanted to know what they know about the items they purchase. Then we wanted to know if they knew or cared about fair trade. And finally if they know about fair trade, what might drive them toward or away from a fair trade purchase.
I put together two surveys to see what teenagers my age may know about fair trade. The first survey asks questions such as, if you have ever heard of fair trade, do you know where a fair trade store is in your city, and do you strive to make a difference in someone else’s life.
The second survey is geared towards those who know about fair trade. We designed this second survey to see what factors may drive teenagers toward or away from fair trade purchases and if they were to buy a fair trade idem, what would it be?
If you would like to distribute the survey to teens in your area, please feel free to share these links and the information will come back to me and I am looking forward to see what results we can collect!
Stay tuned for my updates and finding on this project. I am excited to starting the conversation on teenagers and their buying preferences with the fair trade community!
Power of 5 Update
We recently had the great joy of sending $15,000 to The Association of Craft Producers for the their Child Education program. Thanks to everyone who helped raise this extraordinary amount of money in just a few months! In particular we would like to thank Ethical Choices, 10,000 Villages Austin, Just Creations, The Bridge, Kizuri, Garuda, Peacecraft, Momentum, Gaia’s, Jubilee, Greater Goods, Yesterday Today & Tomorrow, Sphere of Influence, Made by Hand, Work of our Hands, One World Fair Trade, Trinity Lutheran Church for their recent contributions. And we would like to thank everyone who sponsored a Power of 5 Fundraiser in their stores over the past 13 months! We continue to be so humbled by the generous spirit of all of our customers. Thank you for helping girls in Nepal stay in school!
Below is a message from our good friend who is the director of the Association for Craft Producers who organize this scholarship program in Nepal!
Meera Bhatterai, the Executive Director of ACP, wanted to share her gratitude:
Dear Denise,
Greetings from ACP!
You are amazing! You have made it happen!! Congratulations to you and all those who have joined hands together for the Power of 5 Project. It is a remarkable achievement. Our salutation to you and the team! We admire your zeal and untiring efforts.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you and all those kind hearted individuals who have actively canvassed for this noble cause and contributed towards our Child Education Program. Your support has demonstrated your faith in us and enabled us to provide our children their basic right- Right to Education.
With your generous support we have been able to double the Education Allowance from this year. This has been a tremendous help to our producers to weather their economic difficulties and keep their children in school. We intend to extend the allowance for another two years from next year.
Once again our sincere thanks to all of you for your willingness to help our children go to school. Your help for today has provided a hope for tomorrow. This is the difference you make!
Warm regards,
Meera Bhattarai
Executive DirectorFor more info, visit www.ganeshhimaltrading.com/poweroffive
The Power of 5 has sent $35,000 to Nepal over the last 13 months
Start a #FairTradeClothingRevolution
We are excited to see an increase in our clothing sales, and we have been hearing from stores that they too have experienced more of a demand for Fair Trade clothing. We believe some of this interest in ethically sourced clothing is related to the tragedy in Bangladesh where 1,100 factory workers were killed due to poor working conditions. This is heartening, as often these stories are forgotten a few weeks after they hit the news. However the change we are seeing now isn’t related to an isolated incident, but to a larger movement that many of you have been committed to for years, and because of your hard work, Fair Trade clothing is a viable alternative for people tired of participating in the mainstream fashion industry and sweatshop sourced apparel.
Let’s keep the momentum going. Let’s redefine what clothing and fashion mean to us. Let’s not be slaves to an industry that likes to tell us what to wear, how long to wear it, and to always buy more than we need. Let’s ignore the voices that say our self worth is dependent on buying an outrageously priced pair of pants that will be out of style in 6 months. Let’s encourage others to do the same. Let’s do it together.
The Campaign
Our campaign is featuring the people who are at the forefront of this Revolution. That’s YOU.
1. Submit a photo of you, a coworker or a customer wearing their favorite Ganesh Himal Trading Fair Trade clothing item, accessory or outfit. Include a brief statement (a few sentences) about why you chose to wear Fair Trade clothing.
2. We will post this on our Facebook page and link it to your store’s Facebook page and display your store’s website address. We will also tweet it using #fairtraderevolution.
3. You then “share” your picture with your “friends” and/or promote it on your fan page. Please tweet it if you are a tweeter under #fairtraderevolution. 4. The store that gets the most “likes” wins a free scarf of their choice and will be featured in an article in our newsletter, on our Facebook page and in our Fair Trade News Blog. 5. Round One for the most “likes” ends October 1st.
Advance order your Fair Trade Clothing
We have been getting feedback from stores like yours that more people are now requesting Fair Trade Clothing. We are trying our best to keep up with the demand, and luckily, we have just expanded our clothing line that includes cute new styles for both men and women.
Advance orders help us get you what you need, including, full size runs and preferred colors. Please get your orders in by August 1st for our October shipment. This recent demand for Fair Trade clothing is GOOD NEWS for everyone, and a big step towards a future where inhumane sweatshops are obsolete.
Thanks for the work you do–
Denise, Ric, Eileen, Sarah, Austin & MicheleWhat is “Added Value” in Fair Trade
Wikipedia Says:“Added Value” refers to “extra” feature(s) of an item of interest (product, service, person etc.) that go beyond the standard expectations and provide something “more” while adding little or nothing to its cost.”An example of the above definition of “added value” could be: buy our gift envelopes featured above for very little (just 20 cents each) and either include them in the sale of your earrings or have them as an option to buy separately to go with an earring purchase. Either way, you have just increased the value of the earring by offering an affordable packaging option. You also set yourself apart, and your customer returns to your store because you offer a unique alternative to a gift box.You can also take this idea further, and use the envelope as a way to advertise for your business, like this (below).
But what does “added value” mean in the world of Fair Trade? Since I started working for Ganesh Himal 9 years ago (time flies!), added value has become a buzz word around here. Denise, our resourceful and creative leader, is always looking for ways to provide more work opportunities for our producers, and often it’s by “adding value” to existing products. We believe that the more hands involved in the production of a product, the more value is added to it. By designing products with many details, and different production steps we involve more producer groups and help to employ more women. The more women working, the more women are getting paid. The more women getting paid, the more children are educated, families are fed and communities are transformed. These added steps can be seen in our block and silk screen printed fabrics, embroidered bags and colorfully dyed paper. We also pride ourselves in adding value to what would be waste. For example, the production of some of our bags and jackets leave leftover scraps of material that would normally be thrown away. Instead of throwing these away, we recycle them and use them to make other products, like wallets, coin purses, and rag rugs. Scraps from sari scarves are used for headbands, leather scraps add detail to rubber bags. Not only is this environmentally smart, but it also creates more work, and potential more economic growth, for our producers. I can’t begin to tell you all the ways Denise has created opportunity for our artisans using this model of added value, the list is too long for this newsletter.So, consider buying our gift envelopes made out of handmade paper to increase the value of your earrings and other jewelry pieces. Your customers will appreciate the extra touch of beauty that highlights their purchase, and will probably be back again for more. But also consider you are providing work for our wonderful artisans in Nepal who make these gorgeous envelopes. The value you just added is immeasurable, and by far, the most meaningful.Namaste,Sarah & all the GanesheesTrip to Nepal 2013
What do you do when someone you respect so much asks a huge favor of you…
Denise & Laxmi of ACP ….When one of your mentors says they want you to lead them? Well, a few years ago, Candi Smucker of Baksheesh Fair Trade, asked me if I would take her to Nepal to meet with the artisans Ganesh Himal works with. Well, I said no! I’m not a tour leader, I’m just an on the ground hands on worker! Candi didn’t believe me and persisted and because of the amazing work that she and Brian have done on behalf of Fair Trade, I finally relented. So with some angst, this past February, I organized Ganesh Himal’s first (and only) artisan trip to Nepal, in honor of Candi!
Four others came along with Candi, and each of them from different areas of involvement in Fair Trade; Joan Frisz from Just Creations, and Sandi Thomson-Royer from Jubilee are both managers of non-profit stores; Martha Newell is a fair trade advocate and has been involved in Fair Trade education through FTRN board membership and the Women’s Donor Network; and Kathy Lukefahr-Jewell is a fair trade consumer and just a lovely person! It seemed like the right mix and it was. We had an amazing time together and although I ran them rather ragged (I warned them I would) they were troopers and absorbed every last bit of information the artisans had to offer. The artisans, in turn, gave an amazing amount of their time and energy to help to educate the group. Sarah and Austin from the Ganesh Himal staff were along and were indispensable, as were Eileen, Michele and Ric who reluctantly stayed home to keep business running smoothly.
I know that each of the individuals who traveled with us is available to talk with you about their experience and to give you their own personal insight into Ganesh Himal. And, as much as I know each and every one of you would have liked to come along, it’s just not possible, so I chose those who had asked me for years and who had committed to moving this experience forward to the nth degree. They will have to be your eyes to these beautiful people we work with in Nepal. There is just too much work to be done to provide you with the beautiful products for me to take on another career as a tour guide but I want you to know how I wish you were all along for this wonderful journey (and in a way you were).
To give you a taste, we’ve included a bit of the thank you notes we received from Candi and Joan….enjoy.
From Candi:Imagine going to work and finding five people in your office, smiling kindly but leaning over your shoulder and asking questions while you’re trying to get your job done. Add to that a work day that is much longer than eight hours, a work week that’s eight days instead of five and it’s all happening in a different culture and those five people could do something really dumb at any moment.
Great thanks to Denise, Austin and Sarah for putting up with exactly this situation with grace and humor and patience as five of us joined them for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see fair trade on a very personal level in Nepal.
It was a great privilege for me to see Denise in action. Her genuine love of the people of Nepal and their culture was evident in every communication. Her commitment to fair trade is strong. To see concrete examples of the fair trade principles of long-term commitment and capacity building was awesome. She has worked with most of these groups for over 25 years. In many cases she has become part of their extended family. She continually develops new products to satisfy the North American market while taking careful consideration of artisan skills and restrictions. She hasn’t given up when groups fall on hard times but searches for creative ways to increase her purchases. She is sensitive to the realities of their environment and work situation making sure that her orders are placed to maximize continuity of work for them. The balancing act needed to accomplish all of this and make sure you have a sustainable business while doing it is amazing.
Thanks to all who remained in the States to keep things running while we rambled through Kathmandu.
I know this was a disruptive and exhausting thing for the Ganesh Himal team to do and that it won’t be repeated. I appreciate this opportunity. I take my role in moving this forward seriously.
Great, great thanks.
Candi SmuckerAnd from Joan:“I did want to take the opportunity to tell you just how much it meant to me to share the experience in Nepal with you…this one was really special. We talk so much about relationships in Fair Trade and that often is simply related to buying. What I saw and experienced with you were deep and real personal relationships…” -JoanFor us at Ganesh Himal, and for me personally, this was truly a wonderful experience. It is a bit like opening your heart and hoping that people will step lightly on the things that you love so much. What I found was a profound deepening of the relationships I have with my fellow North Americans with whom I walk along this Fair Trade path and a deep respect for them and what they bring to this endeavor. We hope to deepen our relationships with all of you over the coming years and want to thank you all for your amazing support of our work together in Nepal.Namaste!
Denise
Did I mention Nepal has a lot of stairs
Ganesh Himal has begun our Artisan Tour in Nepal! Below, Candi Smucker, owner of two fair trade stores in California (Baksheesh) writes about her visit to The Association of Craft Producers.
ACP headquarters are located in the suburbs of Kathmandu down a short, steep driveway that ends in a postage stamp sized parking area. No problems, we have trained, professional van drivers.
The buildings cling to the side of the hillside, multi-leveled and a bit warren-like, beautiful decorated with pieces made from the artisans. There are felted rugs in the bathrooms, blocked curtains at the windows, terracotta light fixtures and colorful paintings on the ceiling.
We met Meera, founder and executive director, in her office. The video equipment was set up and Sarah taped her presentation to us for future use of one sort or anything. Meera loves her work and gave us the history and stories of ACP.
The tour began. We trooped up the stairs, down the stairs, across the walkways and all around to see the many divisions at work. About 80 people work at this complex, we may have met them all. Headquarters houses the administrative offices, a cafeteria, shipping, design and multiple production units, finishing and packaging units.
First stop was at felting, where new samples of felted jewelry was in process. The first group of women sat in a covered area on the rooftop sudsing the wool and rolling little cylinder beads in a wide array of colors.
Then on to the next set of workrooms where two women where busy making prototypes of potential new products. Next came the ceramic pieces. Back down the stairs and across the wide central court yard. Under this court yard is a massive holding tank for rain water so they can provide much of the water needed for their felting and dyeing processes. The water used is all retained and the sludge removed.
On the other side of the courtyard and into the next building we see the mounds of dyed yarn coming out of the drying ovens and the HUGE roller presses used to dry yards and yards of fabric when it’s too damp to dry outside in the courtyard.
Now, please remember here that I am fully aware that the Baksheesh bags we give away in our stores are made here. I really do know that. But being fully engaged in the moment I had totally forgotten. At the top of the next set of stairs the door opens, I walk into a huge workroom covered, really covered, with silkscreened Baksheesh bags set out to dry. On the floor, all over the work tables, everywhere! Naturally, I had to burst into tears. Four silk screeners didn’t miss a beat while I stood there and cried. Joan took about 102 pictures, no exaggeration there. We namasted all over the place and I thanked them for the bags and they thanked me for the orders and I just cried some more. It was wonderful.