http://tradeasone.com Using Fair Trade and business as a means to address issues of extreme poverty. en leo@tradeasone.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-02T15:03:25+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/quick_and_easy_chocolate_cookies/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/quick_and_easy_chocolate_cookies/#When:15:03:25Z Public information announcement: You may need to stock pile our delicious fair trade chocolate now because a) Mother’s Day is coming and b) since we don’t like you to receive melted chocolate in your orders, we cease to sell chocolate over the summer months. We start to ship again in September. Here’s a recipe for What to Eat? Wednesday to encourage you to try these delicious cookies using several fair trade ingredients that we sell. The Georges tested this recipe last night and the lack of any cookies left this morning is all the evidence you should need. Really quick and easy chocolate cookies Recipe from Linda Collister’s Divine: Heavenly Chocolate Recipes with a Heart The items marked by * are available from Trade as One. Makes 24 cookies Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C 3.5oz bar of fair trade Divine chocolate (milk or dark chocolate, or your best flavor)* 1/2 cup walnut pieces (or chopped pecans or hazelnuts) 9 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup fair trade mascobado sugar* 1/2 cup fair trade cane sugar* 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 2/3 cup rolled oats 1 cup plain flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Prepare two lightly greased baking trays. Chop the chocolate into small pieces, mix with the chopped nuts and set aside until needed. Put the butter in a medium pan and melt gently. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugars using a wooden spoon. When thoroughly mixed, beat in the egg. Add the oats and mix in, followed by the flour, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and nuts and mix thoroughly. Scoop the mixture onto the trays, using a heaped tablespoon of the mixture for each cookie, spacing them well apart to allow for expansion. Bake in the heated oven for about 15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool the cookies on the trays for a minute then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Store in an airtight container and eat within a week. 2012-05-02T15:03:25+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_pt3/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_pt3/#When:20:00:32Z Yesterday we posted about the shea butter co-operative in Togo. Inevitably, however, demand for employment is higher than Alaffia can meet. Everyday there are a dozen women waiting at the cooperative door, asking to be added to the cooperative. This is emotional and frustrating, and even elderly women beg for a chance to work there. These fair trade jobs are so valuable to the women and their communities. Everyday, the staff have to explain that the cooperative has a recruitment process, and that the cooperative can only add what it can afford. Early in 2012, a registration day was held for women interested in joining the cooperative. This day was heartbreaking; while several hundred women expressed interest in joining, they will only be able to add 47 women this year. But, year on year, this number has been growing- and it’s all because people like you are becoming more aware and choosing to buy great products that benefit both people and planet. Remember to check out Trade as One’s Alaffia products here and tell us what you think of them! 2012-03-15T20:00:32+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_pt2/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_pt2/#When:04:00:20Z During March we are updating you about the work of Alaffia who make the body-care products that we sell at Trade as One. These stories are a strong reminder that our everyday choices have big consequences in parts of the world we may never see. Click ‘like’ to show your support for buying products that are a force for good in the world, and read on to hear more of what Alaffia are up to in Togo, West Africa. Most Alaffia products use shea butter which comes from the oil extracted from shea nuts. This is a traditional crop and skill, and is a sustainable, indigenous practice that allows women to stay in their local communities while passing the skills onto the next generation. The Alaffia Shea Butter Co-operative members earn fair wages for their skills and knowledge. With growing world demand for shea butter, the traditional knowledge and culture of shea butter and the involvement of women is threatened. First, nuts are being exported and oil extraction is taking place outside West Africa. Second, where oil extraction is happening in West Africa, there is increasing pressure to replace traditional techniques with mechanization. In both cases, traditional knowledge is not valued, and women are losing control of their resource. It was in direct response to these changes that Alaffia started a Shea Butter Cooperative in Sokodé, Togo in 2003. The group creates economic opportunity for women who are denied access to education and whose skills and knowledge are undervalued. The work maintains centuries of West African knowledge by the traditionally handcrafting of shea butter. Since women hold the historical, traditional knowledge of this craft, they make up 99% of the members. The funds generated through the sale of the natural, unrefined and handcrafted shea butter support stable, fair salaries and go towards alleviating poverty and fostering gender equality in these communities. More news coming tomorrow! 2012-03-15T04:00:20+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_part1/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/alaffia_update_part1/#When:03:41:10Z At Trade as One we work with several outstanding producers doing great work on the front-lines of poverty. Buying products from these producers enables them to carry on making a difference and an impact. Alaffia is a producer of ours based in Togo, West Africa who source and supply unrefined shea butter for a wide range of delectable, all-natural body care products. Alaffia was founded as a way to alleviate poverty in West Africa and help communities remain self sustainable through the fair trade of indigenous resources. We’re excited to share some of the story of Alaffia with you and to encourage you to check out our Alaffia body-care products. Right now, in the first week of March, Alaffia are opening a brand new coconut co-operative in Togo which will start out employing around 130 women. This co-operative will be harvesting fair trade coconut oil and providing much needed dignified jobs to disadvantaged women in a very poor area of Togo. These are body-care and beauty products that you can be proud to use- ones that treat you, while also specifically helping the poor and marginalized in Togo, and doing that in a way that is sustainable and empowers and improves both local communities and the natural environment. It’s hard not to be impressed with what they do! Follow these stories on Facebook: Alaffia has lots of exciting projects going on and we are going to be telling these stories throughout March on FaceBook so please like us on Facebook so that you can follow the stories, and benefit from some exclusive Alaffia offers and give-aways! What’s not to ‘like’?! We’ll be talking about Alaffia’s co-operatives, a new secondary school that Alaffia has just built in the town of Kouloumi, a women’s health project relating to female circumcision, a pre-natal care project, a bicycle and desk distribution scheme, and a plan to plant 8000 trees this year in Togo. And all because people like you choose to buy and use their great products. There is so much to tell, and a huge amount of impact and positive change that is possible, because of dignified, sustainable jobs for those who need them most. What can you do to help projects like these? It’s not a tough assignment! Treat yourself to some Alaffia products, and consider switching your regular body lotion or soap to Alaffia to do some good to others while treating your skin at the same time. Remember to like us on Facebook to see all of the upcoming Alaffia stories! 2012-03-08T03:41:10+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/national_human_trafficking_awareness_day_2012/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/national_human_trafficking_awareness_day_2012/#When:18:44:15Z Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. If you do one thing, watch a simple one minute video that tells the story of Sany in Cambodia – sold as a young girl where she suffered unspeakable abuse, eventually freed and given a new dignified life with a meaningful job. If you have seen the documentary Nefarious you will know the sort of abuse behind Sany’s statement “When I was young I was sold.” As she slightly chokes in saying those words you get a half-second glimpse into a world of pain that no one should ever endure. We are not all called to be fiery-eyed campaigners and activists. We can’t all travel the world fighting injustice. Of course we can and should give to organizations that do that, but at Trade as One we believe that justice and compassion is best exercised when it invades us close to home and gets built into our daily lives - when the bag we carry our laptop in gives a job to Sany (http://tradeasone.com/producers/stopstart/), when the rice we eat keeps families together in rural Thailand and prevents migration to the urban slums (http://tradeasone.com/producers/alter_eco/), when the jewelry we give as a gift tells the story of a woman rescued from forced prostitution (http://tradeasone.com/producers/nightlight/). Whatever it is that you can do in this movement to set people free, let’s do it. 2012-01-11T18:44:15+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/baatc_holiday_celebration/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/baatc_holiday_celebration/#When:23:26:51Z Hey, Bay Area: Trade as One and the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition invite you to use your holiday spending this year to combat human trafficking. Visit us on Sunday, December 18th at our retail store in Santa Cruz, or the brand new Fair Trade Marketplace in Menlo Park (a joint venture between Trade as One, Heavenly Treasures, and Menlo Park Presbyterian Church). Come see us between 4 pm and 7 pm, mention “freedom” when checking out, and we will pay your sales tax. Store Details Trade as One Boutique 332 Ingalls Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Open daily through December 24 Every Day: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Christmas Eve: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Fair Trade Marketplace 846 Santa Cruz Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 Open daily through December 24 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 2011-12-15T23:26:51+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/where_in_the_world_is_trade_as_one/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/where_in_the_world_is_trade_as_one/#When:17:54:01Z Throughout the holiday season Trade as One collaborates with churches across the United States! We’re incredibly thankful for churches and their members who have a heart for fair trade- without all of you we wouldn’t be able to help radically change the lives of people living on less than $2 a day. So here’s a peek of where Trade as One is during their travels! This was our event at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz California:   And here was our Fair is the New Black (Friday) event at our botique:   Last but not least, here’s a video Christ Presbyterian Church made featuring Trade as One!   2011-12-12T17:54:01+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/fair_trade_marketplace_at_menlo_park/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/fair_trade_marketplace_at_menlo_park/#When:17:47:38Z We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for the Fair Trade Marketplace!  This is an exciting 3 week venture in a retail unit on the main shopping street in the heart of downtown Menlo Park, CA.  They have a great range of beautiful products for all ages and budgets - including house-wares and jewelry from- including houseware and jewelry from Handmade Expressions, Noah’s Ark, and ASHA as well as our unique recycled products from Vietnam. If you’re within reach of Menlo Park, plan a visit and take the time to see our products face-to-face and snag some great gifts.  Remember, every gift you purchase both shares the importance of buying fair trade with your family and supports people in the developing world who live on less than $2 a day. Fair Trade Marketplace 846 Santa Cruz Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 Open daily through December 24 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 2011-12-08T17:47:38+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/fair_is_the_new_black_friday/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/fair_is_the_new_black_friday/#When:17:22:03Z Trade as One’s boutique is hosting it’s first “Fair is the New Black (Friday)” event this November 25th from 11am-6pm at 332 Ingalls Street in Santa Cruz (between Swift Street Courtyard and Westside New Leaf).  “Fair is the New Black (Friday)” invites the Santa Cruz community to shop fair trade products, while also celebrating Santa Cruz artists and musicians. Come enjoy local art, live music and delicious food samples while shopping in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. “Fair is the New Black (Friday)” will feature live music from local musicians Jesse West, Shamina Khangaldy and Katie Ekin. We will also feature art from Santa Cruz based artists Lisa Hochstein, Justin Angelos, Cheryl Isaacson and Jeremy Klaniecki. All of the artwork has been created with post-consumer or recycled materials to draw attention to the role we have as consumers in environmental sustainability. These products will be showcased next to the many products that we offer that are also created from repurposed materials. For more information about the event, please visit www.fairisthenewblack.com. To learn more about Trade as One, visit www.tradeasone.com 2011-11-17T17:22:03+00:00 http://tradeasone.com/blog/advent_conspiracy/ http://tradeasone.com/blog/advent_conspiracy/#When:22:18:29Z Trade as One has partnered with Advent Conspiracy for the last three years. We love what they do in calling us all to make Christmas simpler, more meaningful and an opportunity to remember the poor. As a movement it has spread incredibly fast from starting with just three churches to now thousands of churches and tens of thousands of individuals across the world. They recently did an interview with our founder, Nathan George. Take a look at the page here or read it below! Q: What do you see as Trade as One’s role in redeeming Christmas? A: When we do give gifts at Christmas, I want them in some powerful way to point to the sort of world that Jesus came to introduce us to - a world where the poor and marginalized are included. A world here the poor receive the dignity that the image of God entitles them to. To me that means the provision of dignified jobs, not just the recipients of our pity and charity. The way Trade as One tries to do that is by sourcing products that can be given as unique gifts that have stories of lives transformed through dignified work. Q: When you say that the products have such stories, what do you mean exactly? A:  I mean that messenger bag made by a woman rescued from sex trafficking in Cambodia, given aftercare and trained to make a product that we see value in. I mean a piece of jewelry that is made by someone taken from the brothels in Bangkok. It’s a rug made by a woman living alone in a slum in Nairobi, shunned by her family and community because she contracted HIV from her now dead husband who passed it on to her. It is a bar of chocolate made from the cocoa harvested by people in Ghana who own shares in the chocolate company and who re-invest the dividends in drilling wells in their community. If you drive demand for products like this, you have a model for eliminating grinding poverty through the use of our spending rather than just our giving, and as a business guy that excites me. Q: Now I know that Trade as One’s focus is on partnering with churches in America, why chose to focus on that rather than just go to the general public? A: Well we do sell to anyone through our website of course, but I believe that the church is God’s plan for the redemption of this very fractured world. Is there a plan B? Never say never, but what I do know is that if the church in North America rose to this challenge of engaging their spending power in the fight against extreme poverty it would have an unprecedented influence. Estimates vary, but we are told that over 100m people attend church and who consider their faith very important to them in America. Together they spend an estimated $2.5 Trillion. Imagine how many dignified jobs among the poorest of the poor that could be created if a fraction of that spending was on products that we need and they can supply? So theologically I am passionately persuaded that the church needs to take a lead in this area that is loosely termed Fair Trade, but I am also pragmatically convinced of the enormous opportunity we have as believers to proclaim good news to the poor and freedom to the captive. Q: When most people think of Fair Trade they think either of coffee or of souvenir type products that people don’t really need, or clothes made in co-operatives. Do we really need more of that? A: You’re right. In some ways the fair trade movement has earned itself a bad reputation in that way. We work really hard at Trade as One to source products that people buy and use every day, and of a quality that would put them on a par with things you would find in good stores on main street -coffee yes, but also chocolate, T Shirts, hats, kids stuff, practical bags, olive oil, shampoo, rugs, Christmas cards, journals. Q: If there was a word you would like to leave the AC subscribers with, what would it be? A: Let’s use Christmas as an opportunity to move the dial closer to a more biblical way to look at using the resources we have been entrusted with - let’s live more simply, give more generously, and buy more ethically. 2011-11-16T22:18:29+00:00