Trade as One Stalwarts: Steve Conrad
July 20, 2009 @ 08:51 AM
Trade as One has been blessed with so many people who have given so much of their time and talent to support what we do. They’ve worked tirelessly to help us accomplish our goals, and we can honestly say that our success has hinged on their efforts. We call these people our stalwarts, and we’re going to profile them here on our blog so that you can see what they’ve done and why they do it. Next on the list: Steve Conrad. He posted on our blog a while back, but he’s given much more of his time and energy to create our Trade as One curriculum, which will be available this fall. He and his wife Emily live in Minnesota. If you’d like to volunteer with us, please send us an email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
What sparked your interest in fair trade?
I lived in Eastern Congo for 3 months in 2006, working with a Congolese-run development organization. One of the programs that they ran was for women who had been victims of sexual violence. They taught these women how to sew and make dresses and purses that they could sell. I saw how these opportunities transformed their lives. Most of these women were afraid to return to their home villages, but as they began to understand that they could support themselves, their self-esteem increased and I saw smiles return to their faces. I realized that the best thing that I could do to help these women was to tell their stories and find ways to get their products in front of people.
The more time I spend in developing countries, the more I became convinced that economic development and providing opportunities for people is at least as important as giving aid money. The poorest people…
Eat Chocolate, Do Good: A guest post
July 13, 2009 @ 10:12 AM
Lucinda Kemp-Erisman stumbled across our website and offered to contribute her considerable writing talents to what we do. She both passionate and experienced in the world of fair trade, having launched her own fair trade fabrics business a while back. She offers a unique perspective on chocolate and its potential. Read on to discover her thoughts on how chocolate can affect us, and how it affects those in the developing world. If you’re interested in guest posting on our blog, email us at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
We all know chocolate is a delicious and indulgent treat. But it turns out chocolate can be good for you too. Dark chocolate contains flavanoids, the heart healthy substances found in fruits, vegetables and beverages such as tea, red wine and grapes. Flavanoids from plant derived foods have powerful antioxidant effects and protect the body from free radicals and oxidative damage. Dark chocolate contains an array of minerals and a large number of antioxidants - nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries!
Several clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of dark chocolate in lowering blood pressure, reducing oxidation of bad ‘LDL’ cholesterol and favorably effecting blood clotting.
Dark chocolate also releases endorphins , the feel good hormones, lifting mood and increasing a sense of well being. (I can personally attest to this.) One drawback…
Trade as One Stalwarts: Sherri Meyer
July 06, 2009 @ 08:47 AM
Trade as One has been blessed with so many people who have given so much of their time and talent to support what we do. They’ve worked tirelessly to help us accomplish our goals, and we can honestly say that our success has hinged on their efforts. We call these people our stalwarts, and we’re going to profile them here on our blog so that you can see what they’ve done and why they do it. Next on the list: Sherri Meyer. She’s been a steady ally of ours in Chicago, and helped us immensely in pulling off huge and complicated events with Willow Creek Community Church. We’ve posted excerpts from an interview we did with her below. If you’d like to volunteer with us, please send us an email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
What motivates you to give your time to fair trade/trade as one?
I live in Chicago, and almost every time I’m on the exit ramp near my home, there is a homeless person asking for money. And from time to time, I’ll place money in the person’s cup and hope that he/she will use it to buy food or to provide for some other need. But I have almost no hope that the little cash I give will really turn the person’s life around. To some extent, I think we all have a heart to help and serve the poor. And so we give to various charities or to individuals and hope that the money we give will make a difference. Sometimes we can see the direct results of our giving. But I often wonder if my giving is helping…
Friday Guest Post: Steve Conrad
July 03, 2009 @ 07:21 AM
Steve Conrad is a friend of ours from Minnesota. He is married to the wonderful Emily, and they both attend Upper Room. Steve is a really talented writer, and he made the mistake of offering his considerable skills to Trade as One. He is currently putting the finishing touches on our Trade as One curriculum, which will be available this fall. You’ll also see him profiled in the coming weeks as a Trade as One Stalwart. Long story short: we like him.
In 2006, I traveled to Africa for the first time. The 2 weeks I spent in Eastern Congo impacted my life deeply. I describe that trip as one of the most challenging and painful but also one of the most hopeful experiences of my life. I saw poverty and suffering that I couldn’t comprehend. But I also saw incredibly talented, smart, and dedicated Congolese people working to improve their lives and their communities.
I returned home, committed to helping my new friends in Congo. I spent the next 3 years studying international development and aid programs, working with different aid organizations, and helping to build partnerships between my church community and the people of Congo. I learned many lessons along the way.
One of the most important lessons I learned came from a group of widows that had lost their husbands in the fighting…
We need your help!
July 01, 2009 @ 08:43 AM
This week we’re beginning our partnership with Green Sahara Furniture in Morocco. Over the next few weeks, we’re featuring their products on our site. The twist is that we’re not asking for you to buy these products (yet), right now we need your feedback. We’re partnering with them to help them design and refine their products and designs for the fall. Your feedback will help them determine which products their fair trade artisans will be producing, and in what quantities. It’s a really unique opportunity for everyone to be involved in the feedback, design, and testing process that is an essential element of production. So click here to begin browsing through some of their products and giving us your thoughts. Read on to hear a bit more of their story and their values.
Their story started when David Bult, a Michigan native and furniture maker, decided that he believed that furniture and woodwork could make the world a better, fairer place to live. He says:
