Trade As One

This year we’ve been fascinated by the idea of Just One. We’ve been digging into some numbers and brainstorming with our producers about new ways to express how important Just One Fair Trade purchase can be, and we’ve come up with some startling numbers and stories that we’ll be sharing here on our blog every day for the next week or so. We’ll be talking about how our Christmas purchases here in America can provide health care, education, food, and other necessities for the hardworking women and men making the products that Trade as One sells. We’ll be uploading new products and stories every day, so make sure to check back, and please share these posts with your friends!

Just One Journal - Health Care for an artisan and his family for four months.

The purchase of this Bound in Leather journal gives an artisan in India the income to provide basic healthcare for his/her family for 4 months. By purchasing this Fair Trade, eco-friendly (details below) journal, not only do you receive a handmade journal of the highest quality, you also get the chance to let your purchase bring dignity, stability, hope, and health care to a family in India who desperately needs it. That’s the beauty of Fair Trade, we get things we need, they get a hope and a future.

Trade as One has a wide selection of journals, made by our partners in India by artisans struggling under the weight of poverty and the caste system. These journals are made from cruelty-free leather (harvested from animals that die naturally), and tree-free paper (made from recycled cotton rags). They are deeply proud of the intricate work they do, and the Fair Trade income they receive allows them the simple things, like food, education for their children, a place to live, and the ability to think about and plan for the future. Purchases from people of conviction here in America make it possible. Please share this post and let others know that their Cyber Monday purchases can bring hope to people living in some of the darkest corners of the world.

Click here to see the Bound in Leather Journal from Trade as One.

This is a guest post from one of our stalwarts, Lisa Mazur. Lisa is a leader at Manchester Christian Church in Manchester, New Hampshire. She and MCC have been pioneering new ways to use Fair Trade to subvert the mindless excess of Black Friday. We’re really proud to call her a friend and partner.

Black Friday. For years I was one of the throngs of people that woke up at 4am to brave hours of congested mall traffic, only to then wait in long purchasing lines of aggravated shoppers. I, like everyone around me, would do anything to find that perfect gift, but more importantly, that perfect deal. Little did I know that that $5 scarf for my sister and that $10 dollar pair of earrings for my mom were both made by women and children working in disgusting and deplorable conditions. All that mattered was that I had just found two gifts that didn’t cost much money.

Then I heard about Trade As One. After awakening to the fact that my spending habits were actually causing harm to the people that made the gifts, things had to change.

So, last year I brought an idea to my church. On Black Friday, why not provide a venue for our community to do their holiday shopping and use their spending power for good? We then spent the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving encouraging our members to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all. We asked them to spend less on gifts that people wouldn’t remember next year and to give more to those in the developing world that live on less that $2 a day. They could do this by purchasing beautiful, handmade and quality items at the Trade As One Trading Post on our campus. We connected them with the stories of the men, women and children who made the items and also put this message out to our community in the greater Manchester area. The response rocked our world.

In just two days, on Black Friday, we are doing it again… and this time even bigger. Now that we have heard that JUST ONE Fair Trade purchase from every churchgoer in America this holiday season would lift one million families out of abusive poverty for one whole year, it’s on! On the ‘day of all shopping days’ we are blatantly choosing to subvert commercialism as a kick-off to this holiday season by opening the doors of our Trade As One Fair Trade World Market. Instead of stressing out in long lines at the mall, men and women will be sleeping in and then hanging out with their friends in our café (where the World Market is set up). All while getting their holiday shopping done…and with no stress!

Here at Manchester Christian Church, Black Friday has become one of our favorite days of the year! We love seeing people who have never stepped through the doors of a church before come with their friends and comment on how cool it is to see a church providing a way for people to shop with a conscience. We make sure they leave knowing that their purchase has provided hope for someone’s future. They leave with beautiful gifts. Then some of them come back to check out this whole ‘church’ thing. Now that’s cool.

In a letter to our supporters, Nathan built on the ideas he’s been exploring here on our blog, and talked specifically about how they relate to the week we have in front of us, which contains both beauty and ugliness. I’m including it here so that those of you not on our newsletter list (sign up in the box on the upper right) get a chance to read it, and so that you can easily share it with others.

In our materialist culture with its deep sense of personal entitlement, gratitude is a simple and subversive force. That’s why Thanksgiving is so good for us. Through gratitude and generosity we can step outside of our own little world where we are the center of attention. In doing so, we step out of the firing line of all of the messaging, advertising, and fear-inducing hype that is aimed at us each day. As we allow the clamor and din to diminish, we start to hear and appreciate all sorts of quieter, gentler things that we often miss - our names, our purpose, our friends and family, and the simple joys of living.

This Thanksgiving holiday starts out so beautifully when, as a nation, we gather with our friends and family to give thanks and step back from the day to day. The danger is that we can then fall back into the ugliness of gratuitous consumerism on Black Friday and Cyber Monday - the official kick-offs to a season of material excess. 

Trade as One is seeing people all over the country choose to subvert consumerism by deciding to spend less, to spend thoughtfully, and to ensure that the gifts they give are those that tell stories of the sort of world that our beliefs and hopes point us to. They are choosing to buy, give, and use items that are making a positive contribution to sustainable livelihoods for those trapped in poverty.

We have just produced another version of our Trade as One video that encourages people to use their spending power in positive and constructive ways. We hope you find it food for thought and maybe something you’d like to share with friends. Click on the link below to see the video on our homepage.

Watch the Video

So, from all the team at Trade as One, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for partnering with us to make the world a fairer place.

Nathan George
Founder, Trade as One

We spent a good part of 2009 gathering stories, dates, and photos that we could share with you in our Trade as One 2010 Calendar. These calendars are a great way to both learn more about the producers your purchases support, and to share these stories with friends and family. We love them.

So…....

We’re giving one Trade as One 2010 Calendar to each person that comes to our Warehouse sale on Monday, November the 30th. Come join us! We’ll be sharing these stories, sampling coffee, chocolate, and olive oil, highlighting products that aren’t available here on the website, touring the warehouse, and just generally having a good time. Here are the event details:

Trade as One
Monday, November 30 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
41829 Albrae Street -  Suite 102, Fremont

Hope to see you there.

We like to do things a little differently at Trade as One, so we are inviting you to a Warehouse Sale on Cyber Monday, what most people think of as the kick-off to the online shopping season. Come enjoy chocolate, coffee and olive oil sampling, some special deals and make your holidays Fair Trade!

Warehouse Sale Details

Trade as One
Monday, November 30 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
41829 Albrae Street -  Suite 102, Fremont

Or, if you prefer – attend an event hosted by a local church – details below!

Vintage Faith Church
Sunday, November 15 | 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
350 Mission Street, Santa Cruz

Open Door Church Mountain View
Saturday, November 21 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, November 22 | 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
1667 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View

Hillside Covenant Church
Sunday, December 6 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
2060 Magnolia Way, Walnut Creek

Cornerstone Fellowship
Sunday, December 6 | 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
348 N. Canyons Pkwy Livermore

Faith Community Church
Sunday, December 13 & 20 | 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz

We’d love to see you at any of these events, so come see us!