Check out new Fair Trade blogs

Thanks for visiting this blog! But for the moment I am focused on being guest blogger over at the Fair Trade Resource Network. I got my professional start in Fair Trade with FTRN, so I'm always happy to help those good folks out.

Along with Tex Dworkin and Zarah Patriana of Global Exchange, I will be posting weekly on topics of interest to the Fair Trade community. In particular, given my Quaker community and current day job with Catholic Relief Services, I'll be focused on faith and spirituality. Jeff Goldman, FTRN's Director, takes on the key issues of the Fair Trade movement. Be sure to click around and see if any of the news and views interest you!

Prepping for Fair Trade month

I know it is still summer time but fall is coming at us fast. Here's how I am gearing up for Fair Trade month, which is October. I hope you will start your planning and participating too!

Some things I am involved in:

* Reverse trick or treating: Check out Global Exchange's initiative where kids give the adults Fair Trade chocolate and a message of fairness. There are free organizing kits available, so order soon!

* Organizing a Fair Trade Town Steering Committee: There are almost a dozen communities in the United States who have declared themselves supportive of Fair Trade. An updated website can help you and your neighbors become a Fair Trade Town.

* Making the White House a Fair Trade Home: A coalition of fair trade vendors and organizations and individuals like you and me are inviting the First Lady to join the fair trade movement and make the White House a “Fair Trade Home. It is an effort of justice and celebration. Check out DJs for Fair Trade for some inspiration.

*Learning, Reflecting, Acting: I will post a list of my upcoming speaking engagements in Los Angeles, Washington, DC and beyond soon. Even if you don't have a guest speaker, you and your community group can host a book discussion about what Fair Trade is, why it is relevant to your community and your world in theses challenging time. Use this blog and Fair Trade: A Beginner's guide to give you some ideas for conversation starters.

It's not QUICK being green: Furniture Update

First off, a hearty thanks to all those who commented via Facebook about ways to locate an environmentally friendly dining room table. I wanted to report out that my partner and I have ordered a table that will be made of reclaimed maple from (most likely) a barn in Pennsylvania Amish country. That’s the short version of my tale.

The longer story is that we learned a lot in this process. Some of the tips were encouraging—we discovered that Maryland has charming little towns that feature consignment and antique shops. We were reminded of funky stores in the Baltimore neighborhood of Hamden (think John Waters, Hon). We also learned that yes, the source of wood is important, but the stains potentially do damage to the planet too. I will be honest that we didn’t dig too deeply into that element, declaring victory that we had hired a local carpenter in our new hometown of Kensington, Maryland. Being that he is a smart sort of fellow we assumed he probably didn’t expose himself to too many toxic materials.

No, it wasn't about the making of the furniture that we gained the most knowledge. The biggest lesson we learned was to wait.

Instant gratification is a feature of mainstream U.S. culture. This is especially true these days as nanosecond technologies begin to dominate our lives. I was in a meeting recently where someone called the US, a “microwave society: we want everything quick and easy.” Given these cultural pressures, I can forgive myself for feeling a bit crestfallen when Carol, the lady who sold us the table, predicted six to eight weeks for delivery. Eight weeks? Come on, that’s really two months! Fortunately memories of time in Chiapas, Mexico did an allegorical shake of my shoulders.

The highlands of Chiapas is where I first encountered Fair Trade through a visit to the survivors of a 1997 massacre in the community of Acteal. (Thanks to Chelsea Bay for the photo above, which I downloaded from Picasa). I also learned a little about the philosophy of the indigeneous people in southern Mexico. Generally speaking, these cultures respect the sweep of history, not just the demands of their immediate realities, even when those involve hunger and political repression. They seem to have a deep sense of acceptance of what is true and steadfast optimism about reality. After a short time in that region, I got a sense of the need for perspective. Deep in their bones they seemed to believe that to get the right results against a dominant and different military power might take a while, but the results would be worth it.

My disappointment over a two-month wait for a functional piece of craftsmanship is somewhat insignificant in comparison to Chiapas communities struggling for autonomy and justice. But I don’t make the connection to belittle my desire or to aggrandize anonymous farmers. I offer it because by buying a reclaimed, handmade piece of furniture I can do one small, slow action to preserve the ecosystem that makes survival of both the highlands and the rainforests of Chiapas possible. My inconvenience serves as a reminder of the values I aspire to—patience, respect, gratitude. I invite you to make your own discoveries of the connections between our lifestyle choices and the the lives of the majority world.