Got Spammed.
Worth Gettin Wrapped Up In July 30, 2010
Sseko Sandals Black photo by Teresa Harmon
Thanks to Mustard Seed Fair Trade, my first fair trade love, I discovered Sseko Designs and have been wrapped up ever since.
Sseko Designs offers a uniquely elegant sandal with a lotta love.
The way it works-Sseko Sandals come in two pieces: the sandal and the strap. The sandal is hand-made from genuine leather with five anchor points for looping. The straps-the personality of the sandals-come in different colors depending on market availability.
The process-Once you have chosen your sandal size and strap color, it is time to get wrapping. The sandals can be tied and looped in a variety of ways. The idea is to get creative and cultivate your own Sseko Designs style. For inspiration on wrapping and looping check out www.youtube.com/ssekodesigns.
Beyond fashionating, Sseko Designs offers consumers the opportunity to transform their purchasing power, as Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit enterprise. Their goal is to provide university tuition for young Ugandan women, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.
In the words of Sseko Designs Co-founder Liz Bohannon-”Although consumerism makes many empty promises, responsible and proactive consumerism has the ability to change lives.” Right there with you Liz!
Support Liz and the Sseko Designs Team in their mission to change the lives of women in Uganda by purchasing a pair of Sseko Designs Sandals and spreading the word. I also heard Sseko Designs is hitting the road soon…
Sseko Sandals Blackphoto by Teresa Harmon
Sustainability Hits Close to Home July 14, 2010
Almost 20 years ago,179 Heads of States and Governments came together to adopt a plan for attaining sustainable development. While the 1992 Earth Summit adopted Agenda 21, which some say was ineffective and immeasuraable, there was one grand guiding statement…
“Nothing less than a transformation of our attitudes and behavior would bring about the necessary changes…for addressing the problems that face us.”-Agenda 21
It's a personal change first.
Transforming attitudes and behaviors is easier to command than to demonstrate, but I believe without a core transformation of ourselves sustainable development will remain out of reach. “The problems that face us”…poverty, desertification, resource depletion, health care, food security-one could go one-will continue to tackle us.
Personal change is the foundation for sustainable development. Citizens voluntarily transforming their attitudes and behaviours will be the connected change that brings about a sustainable society.
I recognize that this change will look different for different people, as we all do not live in the same economic classes, land masses and social conscience, but we do all live on the same earth, breathe the same air and share the time. Therefore, it is pertinent that we view our world as a system of sustainability, a connected global community in both space and time, as we begin to create our pesonal agenda for change.
Now, how do I begin to live more sustainably? Please, let me know what you are doing to change your personal agenda to be more reflective of the connected world we live in? What do you want to be doing? What can we do together?
I look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Suburbia Wasteland June 30, 2010
Concrete Repetition
Suburbia Wasteland is how my dear friend, Mr. Kornegay, describes our home town, one of the many sub-cities surrounding North Dallas. Typically, I would agree, as suburbia tends to suck the unique and innovative right out of you, but this time I disagree.
I believe there is hope for my concreted tree minimalist hometown.
Upon my return to Garland, Texas, I discovered sparks of a reviving downtown. Not only were there new apartments, a college and weekly farmers’ market, there was an 100% Fair Trade Coffee House called The Generator. Last time I checked, the only option of buying Fair Trade coffee in Garland was from one of the many local Starbucks’ very-very-very small collection. Did I mention that a mere 4% represents Starbucks’ commitment to buying and selling Fair Trade coffee.
The Generator rests quietly by the square in downtown Garland. It offers freshly brewed coffee, large tables for spreading out and digging into your studies, free-wifi and a small stage for local bands. The Generator also supports homegrown artists, showcasing an array of paintings and photographs on their brick walls. I know where I’ll be stopping when visiting the parentals.
Fair Trade Coffee House in Garland, Texas
Goes to show, we all can change-even the most mundane. Congrats to you Garland, Texas and to the Consumer Citizens who brought this coffee-house to life. I can’t wait to see what changes next.
How is your burb? Is it dying with the revival of downtowns as civic centers or is it evolving?
-Consume With Thought
Know Your Why or be ELIMINATED June 9, 2010
Know your WHY or you’ll end up in the elimination circle on the Next Food Network’s Star like Doreen, a good chef with a great smile, but no personal spark. With each challenge, Doreen struggled to make dishes that represented her and her cooking skills; thereby, seeming quite bland and directionless to the Judges.
I believe a lot of us are like Doreen. We get busy doing what we know from day-to-day or what we think we should be doing, but forget to ask why we do it or even know why we started. It is important to take the time to slow down and discover your passions-your why. When you know this, direction for your life will evolve, motivation will surface, and success is sure to follow. If you don’t trust me or Bobby Flay and fellow Next Food Network’s Star judges, then check out this clip from Christine Kane’s Blog at http://christinekane.com/blog/people-dont-want-your-what-they-want-your-why/#respond
And hey, no worries in rushing to find your why it will come to you. Passions aren’t manufactured. I know I am still uncovering mine and I know Doreen will find her food defining passion too. And speaking of foodie whys here is one of mine:
Organic, Fair Trade, and Farm Fresh Foods
If you love food and silly reality TV show drama like me, you can watch the Next Food Network Star on Monday nights at 8pm central on the Food Network Channel. The Food Network Channel is one of my weaknesses.
-Consume with thought
Sam
Resurrecting the Consumer-Producer Relationship June 1, 2010
One of the perks of job searching is the introduction to new companies, brands, social enterprises, NGOs and movements. One of the organizations, I discovered, while perusing the job market, and had to share is Invisible Children (IC).
Invisible Children is a non-profit organization working to restore peace and prosperity in Northern Uganda. Through the use of creative storytelling and social action, Invisible Children is bringing change to Northern Uganda and surrounding territories. Recently, IC reached a milestone in their efforts to disarm Northern Uganda as President Obama signed the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. The bill represents America’s public acknowledgement and committment to conflict resolution in areas devastated by the Lord’s Resistance Army.
To read more about President Obama’s signing and IC’s mission and programs in Northern Uganda visit IC’s blog at //blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/05/obama-speaks-the-president-declares-his-commitment-to-the-lra-bill/
It wasn’t just IC’s creative passion and social action that attracted me to their organization. It was also their new innovative brand called MEND. MEND, a for-profit subdivision of IC, is working to reconstruct the consumer-producer relationship through a unique combination of style, functionality and storytelling. Each MEND bag is handmade by one of MEND’s 13 artists using 100% organic cotton. When the bag is completed, it is tagged with a link to the artist who crafted the bag, so the consumer can go online and watch a video about the maker of his or her new bag. MEND brings life back to a lack luster relationship. As a social consumer, I couldn’t wait to get mine.
Visit MEND at http://www.invisiblechildren.com/mend to learn more about MEND and the women who created the bags or watch the video below.
MEND Explanation Video from MEND on Vimeo.
-Consume with thought
Veja Project May 20, 2010
Reduced CO2 emissions. Zero paid advertising. Transparency. Fair trade organic cotton and rubber. Job Creation.
This is the Veja Project. Check it out at http://www.veja.fr/#/projets/VISION-26 or watch this video.
Waste Not May 20, 2010
While working at Humanitaire, a vegan boutique on Main and Hill in Santa Monica, CA, I was introduced to a new company called LOOPTWORKS. As an avid and active fan of re-purposing pre- and post-consumer waste, I had to share!
LOOPTWORKS is an apparel production company located in Portland, Oregan that transforms pre-consumer waste into fashion forward basics. A process LOOPTWORKS coins upcycling. With upcycling, LOOPTWORKS takes high quality never before been used textile waste and reconstructs it into a limited edition line, i.e. shirts, jackets bags, etc.
The Conversion of Matter Tee and Weilong Travel Bag are my favorites. Check out this truly “eco-friendly” company at www.looptworks.com
-Consume With Thought
Brewing Justice May 20, 2010
Curious as to the intricacies of Fair Trade, I read Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability and Survival by Daniel Jaffee. The book, a case study of small coffee producers in Oaxaca, Mexico, delivers an easy to follow breakdown of the structure and players within the Fair Trade Market. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to kick-start his or her fair trade knowledge.
Currently pondering…
Certifications
Floor Prices
Market Fluctuation
Profit-Risk Sharing
Labor
Consumer-Citizen
Doing What I know
Advertising
Distribution Channels
-Consume With Thought
Consumer Purchasing Power May 12, 2010
Blogger: Ten months out of college, one internship down, one current part-time job, six new books and one endless search for life, for me this is living post-grad in 2010. Taking advantage of my partially employed status, I have chosen to pursue the realms of consumer purchasing power, a topic, which has always fascinated me.
I want to explore the choices we have as consumers. Do we support the mass merchandisers, the local community or the small producers throughout the world? Do I buy a product because it is organic or because it is cheap? What really is fair trade and what are all these labels?
I hope, as readers and fellow consumers, you will join me in this conversation sharing topics to discuss, products to highlight and experiences you have had. This is an open source community welcoming interaction and critiques.
It is my hope that through this exploration we become educated consumers who consciously decide how to spend our dollar.
Consume With Thought.
-Samantha Harmon
