Recently my longtime friend sent me some articles explaining another side of Fair Trade and what “good” it actually has on the coffee growers, crafters, etc. He cited several articles from Forbes and cracked.com but what do those articles actually mean? The first thing that comes to mind when being confronted with an opposing view point is that we all have our own agenda. Here at Red Thread World, our agenda is to provide honest, truthful, and fair products that support both the crafter and the consumer. The agenda of Forbes or cracked.com is to appease their base audience so they can make money. Whichever side of the isle you may sit on, facts are facts and must be compared equally with the thought of persons winning not corporations or counties. I’ve spent years traveling around meeting artisans, growers, laborers, professionals etc. talking about their place in the world. I find it interesting to see where people come from and how they contribute to the "greater good." I once had dinner with a man and his family who owns an umbrella factory in China. They make about 90% of all the umbrellas in the world. He told me that the only way he does business with people is if they have a yacht. He was convinced that creating a factory in the providences of China and improving living conditions of the villages was moral and responsible. When asked, “Improved from what conditions?” His response was, “from not having money.” This opened up more questions but dinner was not the time or place to drill him with questions but that dinner is why I wanted to explore Fair Trade. I did a quick google search to dispute my friend’s argument because today has been a hectic day at my Conservation job. I found a site called equalexchange.coop. This blog posting disputes the Forbes and cracked.com articles. As mentioned before, everyone has an agenda and everyone caters to their base. This article I found had some good information, take it for what it is. I challenge everyone to explore where their own food and clothing choices. The following is from equalexchange.coop: It does not have to. For example, when compared to other organic and specialty grade coffees, Equal Exchange's shelf price is usually the same or less. Most supermarkets price our non-organic coffees from $6.99 to $8.39, and our organic coffees from $7.99 to $9.99 per pound. Yet, price is often an issue as coffee companies on average charge retailers an extra 65 cents per pound for fair trade coffee. (See "Sustainable Coffee Survey of the North American Specialty Coffee Industry", p. 11, www.scaa.org, homepage) 4 Reasons Not To be Cynical and To Give Fair Trade a Chance If you've landed on this page after following the link from Cracked.com you were probably expecting to find some tidbit of information that would support Gregory Myers' article "4 Reasons Why Fair Trade Coffee Is a Scam." Sorry, but we don't have anything like that for you. However, we can do better - we have four* reasons why Fair Trade Coffee (& Fair Trade tea & chocolate & bananas, etc) is, in fact, something that even the most disillusioned cynic amongst us can support. Reason #1 You know it works because the hundreds of thousands of farmers already selling to the Fair Trade market can't get enough of it, and more farmer cooperatives contact us, and other Fair Traders, every month seeking the opportunity to sell us their coffee, cacao, cashews and you-name-it. Just think about it for a second - Fair Trade has been around for more than 25 years (50 if you count handicraft products) and the number of farmers selling to the Fair Trade market has grown every year. Would they do that if it wasn't working for them and others they knew? You make smart choices, so why wouldn't they? Remember these farmers live in economic straights that you could hardly imagine you own the computer you're using right now. As a result these farmers have no margin for error and they act cautiously. After starting with just 1 co-op of few hundred farmers in 1988 there are now 827 farmer co-ops in 58 countries exporting to the international Fair Trade market. Would they be flocking to Fair Trade if they were getting better terms in the conventional marketplace? Reason #2 Not everything is too good to be true. Good initiatives that promote a modicum of decency, like fair trade or volunteerism or disaster relief efforts, do and can happen all the time. Mr. Myers, and some Cracked readers, assert that Fair Trade is just a clever, insidious ploy - or vast conspiracy even - to hoodwink gullible, guilt-ridden folks out of an extra buck, all while actually exploiting - not helping - small scale farmers. While all of us have seen some things that make us lower our expectations only a fool would dismiss every example of idealism. And many people, professionals actually, who live to serve others in need, like those at Lutheran World Relief, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, American Jewish World Service and so on, have consistently embraced Fair Trade as a real tool that works for farming communities around the world and they have advocated for it for over a decade. Reason #3 Plenty of people who actually know the coffee industry and international economic development, and just plain 'ole business have consistently endorsed Fair Trade as an innovation that does what it says it does. Here are some of the others that have spoken up for Fair Trade: •Fast Company magazine •The Stanford (University) Social Innovation Review •Prof. Daniel Jaffee, Washington State Univ. - author of Brewing Justice •The Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy •The International Labor Rights Forum Reason #4 Mr. Myers article is so full of errors and sloppy reasoning that one cannot take it seriously. For example, it states that the Fair Trade "floor price" for coffee is only $1.40/lb when it is actually $1.60/lb OR the current market price plus $0.20, which today is about $1.80/lb. And, in fact, most Fair Trade coffee is also organic, which means the farmer co-ops must be paid at least another $0.30/lb, so call it $2.10/lb in the end. He repeatedly refers to "FLO" when we in the industry know he must mean a totally different organization call Fair Trade USA. And, of course, he mixes up Finland with the Netherlands, and 'free trade' with 'fair trade', and so on. Even the Finish study that he cites (but which he attributes to the Dutch) does not in fact support his argument because the Finnish context is so unlike the US marketplace, or because in places it often actually validates the case for Fair Trade. In pt. #3 Mr. Myers confuses apples with oranges. In other words, in some places he's comparing the prices paid for a raw material (the unroasted green coffee exported by the farmer cooperatives) with the wholesale price charged by a Fair Trade firm like Equal Exchange for a finished packaged product. But elsewhere he's referencing the retail price charged by a grocery store. Then he further mixes it all up by alluding to the price charged for a cup of brewed coffee by a cafe. It's a sense-less hodge-podge. We could try to disentangle his tortured math but it is not worth your time nor ours. Pt. #2 is unfounded attack on the various Fair Trade certification agencies and the fees they collect to pay for their work. These agencies (like Fair Trade USA, IMO, Fair Trade International) and the people who certify organic farms or certify manufacturers for various levels of quality control (the ISO system) provide a service and this costs money, often up to 1% of the retail price - which seems reasonable. And this external auditing, or verification service provides value to the all parties involved (to consumers - so they know that a product claim is valid; to the manufacturer or food company - so that their claims will be believed; and to the farmers - so that there will be a market for this different kind of product). In my experiences being involved in movements that have the greater good in mind, the people involved are passionate, caring people that want to make real difference. But for every person that wants to see "good" there is an equal person that wants to profit off of the hard work of the less fortunate. I actually battled with this when starting Red Thread. I couldn't get out of my mind that we are using cheaper labor from impoverished areas to subsidize the wage that I earn from Conservation work. Then I think about all the great people I have met along the way that are helped because of Fair Trade and know that any help is better than no help. Not to mention the schools, hospitals, fair pay, housing, and just a hope that the crafters get when the are involved with Fair Trade. I invite everyone to explore Fair Trade and share your experiences, thoughts, or ideas on how to improve the movement.

Howell Living History Farm

Friday I had the opportunity to visit the Howell Living History Farm as part of the Soil and Water Conservation Association member. This farm located in Mercer County, New Jersey preserves and educates the public on subjects such as historical farming, ice cultivation, livestock management of the 1900's and so on. I would like to share with everyone our day in picture form.

The day started off with typical meeting agendas and such before we were met by the man in charge of the place, Pete. After a brief history lesson and video on how the historical barn was recreated with the help of volunteers of all ages, we had a walking tour of the farm.

 

As we came to the end of the path, we were greeted by a couple of horses pulling a sleigh. Now, I never been on a sleigh before but I would never pass up an opportunity to try something new. We had a quick ride through the snowed covered meadow where we saw a few hawks, an ice pond, and crisp blue sky.

After the sleigh ride, we walked across the road to meet a few friendly sheep. These guys where very nice hosts. I even made a friend who I got to feed and this made us both very happy.

 

As we continued the tour, we met a couple of oxen laying in a field while their home were being worked on. These oxen weighed about a ton each but we were told they are gentle giants. I don’t think these two were up to making haste.

Onto the next barn, where we were waiting for the horses to come back from the sliegh ride. The horses that work on the farm are the same breed of horses that our ancestors used more than a 100 years ago. They are smaller in size than the horses that are used now in farming but they are still friends with the local barn cats.

The next stop on this walking tour was the ice house. The ice house was located next to the pond where the farm would demonstrate how ice was made 100 years ago. Although the pond was not completely frozen, Pete still took out his ice saw to show everyone how they would use it back in the day. Pretty big saw, if you ask me.

That was the conclusion of our field trip and meeting. It is nice to hear about the history of farming and how far farming has come over the years. Although my interest is not so much the history of farming but more modern day urban farming, it’s nice to know the evolution of farming. Just thinking, we now can have an urban farm in the middle of a city providing more and better quality vegetables without the space all through trial and error.  

We like to provide promotions for small business owners that are involved in vocations that are for the greater good. If urban farming is something that interests you, Mircrogreen Farming is worth checking out. The website lacks thrills, however, the information is worth signing up for.

And if you are in the Mercer County area anytime, check out the Howell Living History Farm. It is well worth the trip!

• Live Your Passion

  One of the best parts about having your own blog/store is that you can live your passion.  For the past eight years I have been working and still currently work with a conservation service but my motivation has started to lack as of recent.  I can give many examples of why my motivation lacks; money, appreciation, public appreciation, and so on but what does that do?  The bottom line is that we are in a time where we have to wait for the oldest working generations to retire.
  
  So…what do we do while we wait?  My passion is contributing to the greater good.  I firmly believe that if we all work together and put others before ourselves, always, than our environment will be the greatest benefactor.  This passion has led me to work as a natural resource specialist and start a Fair Trade blog/store.   I have noticed one main theme about my passions: it just does not pay.  Go figure, someone who dedicates their life for the greater good has to watch a banker earn millions off of scams. 
  
  From my experience, working with conservation and government, I have noticed that those who work in public service really do not care about the environment or other people.  They care only about themselves and their public appearance.  That’s why I wanted to get involved in Fair Trade.  It is sad that young, hardworking, passionate people get turned off of conservation because of money and greed.  Seriously, we are the richest country in the world and we can’t even provide healthcare and a decent living wage to all persons in our country?  What is wrong with us?
  
  Many of us who continue to work in natural resources have seen the trend of no new employees coming into conservation work.  Why?  Some say they had an intern with a conservation service and it is just not what they thought.  Just because the organization has conservation in it, does not necessarily mean that organization is concerned about conservation Many times, we are regulators sent out to punish people for doing something wrong.  This is just not appealing to me and many of my coworkers who have left conservation and started working in other nonprofit organizations.  We are now seeing a gap of trained employees which management refuses to recognized and acknowledge.   
  
  I have vowed to start and continue this blog to promote everything good.  Will I make a few dollars here and there from ads and selling Fair Trade items – sure – but it is a small attempt to live beyond the 9 to 5 and contribute back to society.  Why shouldn’t we be able to earn a living wage based off of our passion?  Why should banks and insurers tax environmentalist because they assure clean air and water or educators for teaching young minds to think beyond the classroom and explore their own minds?
  
  I'll leave with this: Whatever you do, take care of your shoes.
  
  The Red Thread Experience is living your passion everyday

Fish and Veggies? What a great idea!

This winter’s cold spell is not doing much for the homesteader in me.  Last year I created several small “greenhouse” areas around our house using old windows I found in the basement as my insulators.  They work great at extended the growing season in the Northeast a few months but it does not help on days like today.  Today the high will only be in the low 30’s and tomorrow even colder.  But how can I grow my own fresh veggies if I can’t grow them in my gardens outside?

There are actually a lot of different techniques you could use to grow your own veggies that don’t require a ton of outdoor space or a greenhouse.  My current favorite is aquaponic!  I was shown aquaponics a few years ago when my lifelong friend invited me to his tech education classroom.  His classroom project was creating a sustainable aquaponics system that could grow vegetables and herbs.  Their goal was to have a bbq at the end of the year.  And they did just that and it was impressive!  The system consisted of one 1,000 gallon tilapia tank, pump, old gutters, and a bunch of know how.  But how does having a warehouse size aquaponic system help a homesteader with not much room?  Well, I did some research on my own and I found that I can use the same techniques as my friend and his class but scale it to use a normal size, at home, fish tank, a small pump, and a few extras.

There is actually a lot of great information out there to get you started on your own aquaponics system and I would like to share a few sites and essentials with you.  The first place I went to when I started was a website called Aquaponics4You.  They provide great assistance during the building of your system and deciding what system will be the best for you.  I also orderd a  book called “Auqponic Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together” which is a tremendous wealth of great information.   With those two tools, a at-home aquaponic system is possible.

I can sit here and preach to everyone how important it is for us to grow our own vegetables and eat healthy but what’s the point.  I will say, if you have children at home and you want to bring them the joy of having a winter project then this might be something worth your time.  Not only is it a fun at-home project but it also demonstrates what a complete agricultural system is and how cool it is to be able to grow and produce your own vegetables and/or herbs.  If you do decide that this might be worth your time, I would like to invite you to use our amazon affiliation to purchase your amazon goods.  Half of all proceeds go to environmental education in New Jersey.  Simply click the amazon banner at the bottom of the home page or the blog page and it will it take you to the amazon affiliation link.  

How to Become a Vegetarian - made easy

A few years ago my health had turned for the worst. I wasn’t extremely overweight, I didn’t smoke or drink to excess and I exercised nearly every day. What kept me from reaching my goals were not mental or lack of effort; it was simply a bad stomach causing chronic acid reflux. Who would have thought that having acid reflux could be so awful (I guess the people who suffer from reflux, that’s who).

It became so bad that I had to go to the doctors. Knowing what it was but not knowing the extreme effects, I never really thought about it. I knew my limitation and I lived by those limits. If I went overboard with living, my body would let me know. My doctor referred me to get an endoscope done to see first tube what the severity of my esophagus damage and good thing he did. To put it simple, it did not look like how a 28 year old’s inners should look. I knew I had to make life changes.

What could I do since I was already exercising, not drinking, and trying to live a more peaceful life? The only other option was to cut out all the foods that were making me ill. I cut out foods high in citric acid, soda, and then finally meat. The thought of not having a hamburger was daunting but so were my alternative actions – cancer.

The hardest part of becoming a vegetarian is not knowing what vegetarians eat. We go to school for many subjects but food and nutrition are not the most popular courses. I wanted to be successful at this change so I went to the internet. Not the best place to go but what did I have to lose. After a few days, I finally decided I would get a meal plan of recipes - something that could bring great meals to my dinner table every night.  Once I determined the best diet for me and easiest, I stuck with it.

It is now almost 3 years later and my health has made a turn for the best. Since learning how to eat right, I don’t miss meat, I’ve lost weight, and I can actually sleep at night without being prompt up on a wedge pillow. I’ve always said, not eating meat is easier than you would think if you knew how good vegetarian food actually is. This eBook, How to Become a Vegetarian, is a great place to start if you are serious about losing weight and becoming healthy for the New Year!

Every night, I'm impressed that I'm eat so well.  But the greatest thing about becoming vegetarian - my meals have actual COLOR!