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Unity Blog
September 02, 2010
I am sure I am not alone when I say that the end of summer is always bittersweet. While I love having a house full of kiddos, by this point I am very ready for the school bus to come by bright and early and whisk them off to school for the day! Our kids' schools are a wonderful starting place for spreading the word about Fair Trade. Both kids and teachers are usually very receptive as there is an educational aspect, and there are a million ways to make it fun. So this school year I am calling on all of my fellow parents to get Fair Trade into your child's school - join that PTO and get busy! Of course, I would not leave you without some ideas of where to begin, so here we go: 1) Do your kids play soccer? How about organizing a fun Fair Trade soccer match using a Fair Trade soccer ball. This could be your school vs. another, parents vs. kids, teachers vs. kids....you get the idea. 2) Need to raise some funds? How about a Fair Trade bake sale! Substitute Fair Trade sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, etc. for traditional ingredients and voila! Of course you should have information about Fair Trade Principles displayed at the sale and be ready to talk about it. 3) Organize a Fair Trade fashion show. This is a great one for Jr. High High School kids. 4) Does your school have a school store? Add some Fair Trade items - journals, notebooks, jewelry, coin purses, bags and backpacks, and of course Fair Trade chocolate and hot cocoa. 5) Let teachers know about the free Fair Trade Power Point Presentation available from Fair Trade Resource Network. It is only 8 minutes long and easy to incorporate into a lesson plan. 6) Have school logo gear printed on Fair Trade cotton clothing from Hae Now. This could be used to raise funds for the school as well. 7) Organize a screening of a Fair Trade film. This could be held at the school auditorium or just be shown in a classroom. 8) For K-6 teachers, introduce them to the Fair Trade Cocoa curriculum available here. It is an awesome way for teachers to introduce Fair Trade in an age-appropriate way. 9) Hold a Fair Trade Wine tasting party - for parents only of course! This should help get some parents involved :) This list is by no means exhaustive....get creative and share your ideas with us! As usual, Europe is way ahead of us on the Fair Trade front and they have a website called Fair Trade Schools that has many wonderful resources to bring Fair Trade into your local school. So on the first day of school after you wave goodbye to those sweet little faces, kick back and enjoy a peaceful cup of Fair Trade coffee or tea and enjoy some peace and quiet - you've earned it! After that though, it's time to get to work getting Fair Trade into our schools - no rest for the weary! Nichole Warner Unity - Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (0) Find your SUMMER SPLENDOR! July 21, 2010
Part of the reason for this lapse is in a way a good thing, at least for our family. This is because it signifies a positive type of busy, beginning with warmer temperatures, spring crops that are soon to bring farmers markets...and then culminates in beach days with warm Lake Michigan waters that is the SUMMER SPLENDOR of our beloved Northern Michigan. This year we are taking full advantage of it - taking the kiddos to the beach every time we get the chance, hiking & mountain biking in the woods, swimming, sailing, fishing, walking, and enjoying all the local fruits, veggies, and meats that we have access to at potlucks with friends. Now that's summer! So now that it is somehow already the end of July, we at Unity encourage you to do the same. Take a look around you and realize what you have, then start to take advantage of it. I can say that having been to a fair amount of states in our beautiful country, one thing remains constant - if you look hard enough, you will find plenty of local activities, food, attractions, and fun...so get out there and find your SUMMER SPLENDOR! p.s. Here's a great new product for you fellow beach goers or farmers market supporters, our Fair Trade Recycled Rice Bag Eco-Tote! We carry this one to the beach almost every day, and it's amazing how much it can hold and how durable it is. Wishing you a WONDERFUL summer! -Drew Warner Unity Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (0) A Call for Peace this Mother's Day April 28, 2010
But each year, my very favorite thing to do is to reflect on the origins of this holiday and the words of Julia Ward Howe, an extraordinary woman whom I truly admire. Throughout her life Julia was a wife and mother, a writer and an editor, but above all, an activist. She worked tirelessly campaigning against slavery and for women's suffrage, even founding the American Women's Suffrage Association. She also published several volumes of poetry, penned the timeless "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and was editor for both the anti-slavery journal Commonwealth as well as The Woman's Journal. Wow, what a woman!! In 1870 as the country was still healing from the horror of our Civil War, Julia penned "The Mother's Day Proclamation" which voiced her opposition to war and called on the mothers of the world to come together against war and work together toward peace. I would like to share these poignant words with you, which are as relevent today as they were then. Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe Arise then...women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts! Whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: "We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, For caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, Will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe out dishonor, Nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil At the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home For a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace... Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God - In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality, May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And the earliest period consistent with its objects, To promote the alliance of the different nationalities, The amicable settlement of international questions, The great and general interests of peace. This is what Mother's Day was meant to be - a day for women to come together in opposition to the destruction and pain caused by war and to work together to find peaceful resolutions to the conflicts of the world. There is a wonderful organization called Code Pink - Women for Peace and they celebrate the original Mother's Day every year. This year they will be holding a Mother's Day Peace Fair on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in opposition to the annual military exhibition fair that will be happening there at the same time. This is such a cool organization and a wonderful way to get involved and honor the spirit of women like Julia Ward Howe by working for peace. Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow mothers out there - and join me in honoring the true roots of this day and our job as mothers to make this world better for our children. -Nichole Warner Unity - Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (0) A REAL Commitment to Fair Trade March 02, 2010
So what's all the hoopla about? Everyone's favorite indulgence is finally going Fair Trade! That's right everyone - Ben & Jerry's recently announced that they are committing to going 100% Fair Trade in all of their flavors by 2013. Yipppeeee! Read the full press release here. This is a true, real, and full commitment to Fair Trade, folks - not the "hey, let's introduce a Fair Trade product so we look better even though we don't give two hoots" publicity stunt. We've heard it a lot in the news lately - Starbucks commits to purchasing a miniscule amount of it's total coffee from Fair Trade farmers, Nestle will use Fair Trade chocolate in one of it's candy bars (only in Europe of course), or Green & Black's (now owned by Kraft) commits to using 100% Fair Trade cocoa. That's all well and good, and certainly will make a big difference, but do they really deserve a pat on the back for having a few token Fair Trade products in their product lines to try to make them look like good guys, while the overwhelming bulk of their product offerings are made by exploiting cheap labor and loose environmental regulation in other countries? I think not. In my opinion, this is even more of a reason to steer clear of these sleazy corporations. A token good deed does not redeem them for the harmful way they choose to do the rest of their business. Ben and Jerry's company co-founder Jerry Greenfield said, “Fair Trade is about making sure people get their fair share of the pie. The whole concept of Fair Trade goes to the heart of our values and sense of right and wrong. Nobody wants to buy something that was made by exploiting somebody else.” Well said, Mr. Greenfield. Doing business the Fair Trade way is just plain the right thing to do! If everyone did business in an ethical way, the Fair Trade movement would not be necessary. As consumers, we control the market by voting with our dollars. When we pick up that 75cent Nestle Crunch bar in the checkout line, we are telling Nestle that we are okay with the fact that they force cocoa farmers into extreme poverty and support child-slavery on cocoa farms. Is that really where you want your money to go? When we dish out $4 for a pint of Ben & Jerry's we can truly indulge fully knowing that our dollars are going to the greater good and nobody has been exploited to give us our favorite treats. Now that's truly decadent! Let your voices be heard - eat lots of ice cream (Ben & Jerry's of course)! -Nichole Warner Unity - Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (0) An Ode to Keeping Your Dreams Alive January 28, 2010
"You need to do what it takes to be privileged enough to do what you love" ~Shelby Fetterolf Hmm...why so moving you might ask? Well, for me, it made me not only feel better about a personal frustrating situation, but it also brought to light an easily overlooked commonality that I've found among many people I have met in this journey we call life...we ALL have dreams. Of course the dreams we all have are different in that they reflect our individual personal aspirations. They are also alike in that they are generally thought of as a "later in life" aspiration, often even a "someday" or "that will be the day" type of attitude is evident toward our dreams. Later. Later. Later. Why always later? I have found some reassuring information that may help "later" be okay for realizing my dreams, and I hope it helps you be o.k. with "later" as well. Basically, I believe that we ALL can achieve our dreams, no matter how unattainable they may seem, if we simply set goals along the way. Achieve one, feel good about it, then move on to the next. Did you know that only 3% of Americans actively set goals and attain them? Research shows that if you wake up and accomplish something right away, you will not only feel better about yourself, you will want to do it again. I found a great site by Arthur Gueli called successmethods.org, that really helps to put some of this into a workable format, at least for me anyway. Here is an excerpt, then you should check out the site for yourself. "We each have a number of different roles in our lives - different areas of responsibility. I may have a role as a husband, father, counselor, and businessman. Each of these roles is important (we should learn how to set goals in each area of our lives). But remembering the "big picture" is also an important part of how to set goals. One of the problems that comes up when people work to become more effective in life is that they don't think broadly enough. They lose the sense of balance between their roles. For example, they may get consumed by work and neglect personal health. Or for the sake of success, they may sacrifice the most precious relationships in their lives. Many of us forget that work is a means to an end, not the end in itself. Learning how to set goals can be very helpful in avoiding these pitfalls." This is pretty good stuff. The challenge for all of us is putting it into action. Good luck! "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream of things that never were and say, why not?" ~Robert F. Kennedy Nicely said Bobby! My wife and I have new dreams all the time. Many of them have to do with travel, businesses we want to start, helping people on a larger scale, and a more simplified lifestyle we want for our family. Now, more than ever, I am confident that we can achieve all of these dreams, all in good time, one goal at a time. Here's to keeping your dreams alive folks! -Drew Warner Unity-Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (1) Healing Haiti - Are You in for the Long Haul? January 14, 2010
Although the scenes of suffering, death and destruction happening in Haiti in the aftermath of the recent earthquake are difficult to see, our ability to witness the devastation and tragedy, even from the comfort of our living rooms, will spark compassion in our hearts and in turn inspire us to act. Compassion is a powerful motivator if we allow ourselves to truly feel it. I know I am not alone in my feeling of helplessness as we watch events unfold. The immediate need is so great, yet only those well-trained to deal with this magnitude of disaster can really be of help right now. So we sit on our hands, donate money if we can, and hope and pray for the best. As weeks and months pass, and the disturbing images are seen less and less in the news, will Haiti still be on your mind? Or will you send your donation and consider the work done? As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with almost 80% of their population living below the poverty line, Haiti is going to need some long-term help in getting back on their feet; if you can consider that level of poverty as ever "being on their feet" to begin with. A neighbor as close to us as Haiti, living in such poverty should have been a little more on the radar anyway it seems, but this tragedy has certainly put them there. The trick will be keeping them there so that people can see the needs and feel compelled to address them. Obviously basic needs will need to come first - clean water, food, shelter, clothing, and medical supplies. Once these needs are fulfulled, however, there will be much more work to be done. As the country struggles to rebuild, the need to find alternative ways to fight poverty will be of utmost importance. As the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." The aid to Haiti needs to go beyond traditional aid and truly give the Haitians what they need to lift themselves from poverty. The Fair Trade community will certainly mobilize, helping Haitian artisans and farmers to bring their goods to market and make a sustainable living. If we can work together to create a greater market for Haitian goods, then we can work on the other end to increase the number of Fair Trade artisans and farmers in Haiti. The Fair Trade premiums these people get for their goods can then be used to help rebuild their communities. Education, sustainable farming techniques, renewable energy, and microloans and training for small business ownership are all areas that could help the Haitians to improve their livelihoods. The key will be keeping people interested, aware, and compelled to get involved and stay involved. The people of Haiti are part of our global community and their suffering is our suffering. Let's make a commitment to do what we can to help, even after the story has faded from the limelight. We look forward to doing our part by working with Haitian artisans and bringing their goods, and their stories, to you. In addition, we are donating ALL PROCEEDS from the sale of our Organic Cotton Unity T's to disaster relief efforts and aid to Fair Trade artisans and farmers in Haiti. We also look forward to hearing how you are doing your part - share your stories with us as well. Maybe together we can come up with some innovative ideas to make some change. As we always like to say, "TOGETHER we can make a better world." Now is the time folks, let's get to work! Nichole Warner Unity - Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (1) Out with the Old, In with the New December 30, 2009
For most of us, it is also a time of personal reflection. What has happened in our own lives this past year? What have we done well, what have we done not so well, and what do we need to change to make this next year better? Cue the New Year's Resolutions! I personally love the tradition of celebrating the New Year - out with the old, in with the new. Clean out that proverbial closet. Say a quick thank you to all those mistakes hiding in the back for teaching you such valuable lessons, then get rid of them - no room for old mistakes and regrets in this closet. Shine up those happy memories and put them in a box - you'll want to keep these forever. There, now you have a clean slate and a clear head to envision what you want for yourself and our world in this new year. Envision is the key word here. Much has been written about the power of thought and our ability to control our reality with our thoughts. This is not a new idea, but is newly being proven by science and quickly being embraced as truth. A truly thought provoking article about this theory was written in Ode Magazine in November 2003 - check it out. So this new year, give it a try. What do you have to lose? Envision all the good things you want for yourself and your family and make them happen. Get rid of any negative thought patterns. No more saying, "I'm broke" or guess what - you are! No more thinking, "I just can't make this marriage work" or guess what - it won't. No more "I'm never going to find a job in this economy" or guess what - you won't! You get where I'm going with this. Maybe if we applied this principle to our collective reality, we could really change things. How about we start talking about how amazing it is that the economy is rebounding so quickly, instead of how awful and hopeless it is. Or maybe we could stop concentrating on the gloom and doom problems with climate change and put all of our energy into positive solutions. Picture every child being fed, going to school, living free from abuse and neglect. Imagine ALL of our soldiers coming home to their families and our world leaders diplomatically solving the tough issues. Picture the hearts of religious extremists softening and their ears hearing the true words of their God, who is trying to tell them that taking the lives of others is wrong and can never be done in His/Her name. Envision us all putting our positive thoughts and energy toward healing our world and it's people. Whatever change you wish to see in the world, envision it. Be it. Out with the old, in with the new. Peace to you all, Nichole Warner Unity - Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (1) Holiday Gratitude December 08, 2009
One thing I recommend no matter who you are, what losses you have suffered, what financial stresses may be present, what you do or don't have, or what you think you have been shorted in life or unfairly dealt. Find some things to be grateful for this holdiday season, and focus on them. There are so many people in our country & around the world that always have less, need more, and still put a smile on their face. Be grateful...you have a lot. Love every day, and don't be shy about it...show it, because it will rub off on others. Be positive, work hard, help others, and by god have fun! You and everyone in your life deserve it! Happy Holidays & a Very Merry Christmas! -Drew Warner Unity-Fair Trade Marketplace view and post comments (3) Blog archives by page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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