United by Coffee

Saturday is World Fair Trade Day and Ten Thousand Villages (TTV) has several ways to celebrate.

As a barista at Starbucks and new volunteer at TTV, it seems like fate that we’ll close the day out with Handmade Expressions to co-host a free outdoor movie showing at Jo’s Coffee about…fair trade coffee!

Delicious Peace is a movie about Jewish, Christian and Muslim coffee farmers who decided “social justice, environmental justice, and economic justice is not enough…what’s needed is peace.” It serves as a model of not just successful organic and kosher fair trade coffee distributors helping the economically disadvantaged, but also interfaith cooperation.

I have not seen the movie, as I’m going to see it at Jo’s on Saturday, but as someone new to the fair trade world, I’m intrigued by the premise of the movie and fair trade coffee.

So what makes coffee “fair trade?” Fair Trade USA takes some of the guesswork out by serving as an intermediary that reviews and certifies products like coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and more to make sure they meet fair trade standards that are established FTUSA. Basically, those standards are the same ones that make jewelry and novelty items fair trade: 1) farmers are compensated for their labor and products so they can maintain a reasonable standard of living; 2) they have safe working environments; and 3) they sell their products directly. This allows for transparency and empowers the communities to set their own prices and build up business skills.

Another cornerstone in fair trade is that the focus is on building up the community through projects designed to bolster education, health care, and basic social needs. Since FTUSA deals with mainly agricultural products, there is the added standard of “environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations,” although environmentally friendly practices are common in other areas of the fair trade world beyond food.

The movie description makes sure to mention the coffee is kosher, so on a related note (and in the interfaith spirit of the movie), what makes coffee kosher? I mean, isn’t all coffee basically kosher? Generally, yes. This website from an organization that investigates and certifies kosher products is an excellent resource for not only explaining kosher as it applies to coffee, but also explaining how coffee is grown and processed.

Kosher concerns only really come into play with flavored coffee and the process of decaffeinating the coffee beans, as the chemical compound ethanol used to decaffeinate the beans is originally from a grain and therefore not kosher. Those are the main issues inherent to the coffee, but there is also the issue of the establishment selling the coffee.

“This problem stems from the halacha of marris ayin, the appearance of wrongdoing,” Star-K says. “This din states that a Jew is prohibited from doing things that others might interpret as violations of halacha.”

This is where things get tricky and it becomes a judgment call, but Star-K’s rabbis apply the standard that if the business is primarily concerned with non-kosher items, then it’s not kosher to get coffee there. If the business deals in just coffee or a mixture of kosher and non-kosher items, then it’s kosher to get coffee there.

Be sure to stop by Ten Thousand Villages on World Fair Trade Day to try some Fair Trade Certified coffee. It’s a dark, full-bodied French roast. Try it with a little bit of cream to bring out the smokiness in the flavor.

Photo Entry from 2013 Fair Trade Challenge:

Becca Ruiz poses with the fair trade
coffee section at Ten Thousand Villages

Also, don’t forget to show off your fair trade items in our World Fair Trade Day social media challenge for a chance to win a $50 gift card to the store!

- Kathryn
(Find me on twitter)

Ten Thousand Villages Featured in CultureMap

Extra! Extra! Read all about it…

Announcing the Finalists in Austin’s 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards

Ten Thousand Villages celebrates women locally and globally with our 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards on Friday, March 8th, 6-8pm at our fair trade store (1317 S. Congress). The Ceremony will be hosted by 2010 IWD honoree Sara Hickman, who will present awards to three finalists and a winner from each category. “Through actions and influence these women are distinguishing Austin as a city that’s leading in social change,” Store Manager Kitty Bird said. The Finalists are:

 Humanitarian

   • Leslie Beasley – Founder, Open Arms 

   • Kay Firth-Butterfield – Consortium for Street Children

   • Christy Pipkin – Executive Director, The Nobelity Project

Environmentalist
   • Paige Hill – Founder, Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms
   • Elisabeth Welsh – Program Director, Austin Youth River Watch
   • Sarah Young – Youth Director, Discover Green – YEL

Animal Advocate
   • Karen Cole – Founder, Lizzy’s Hospice
   • Liz Parker – Emancipet Board & Austin Pets Directory Publisher
   • Sheila Smith – President, Shadow Cats Rescue

Finalists were chosen by a judges panel comprised of previous IWD winners and leaders in Austin’s nonprofit community: Brandi Clark Burton, Founder of Austin EcoNetwork; Meg Goodman Erskine, Executive Director of Multicultural Refugee Coalition; and Abigail Smith, Chief Animal Services Officer for the City of Austin.

“The judges had incredibly tough decisions to make,” Kitty said. “At the same time, it’s inspiring to learn about so many amazing women in our community who are making meaningful social impacts. This event is about celebrating all of them.”

For five years, Ten Thousand Villages has been celebrating and honoring women at this time of year. One day isn’t enough, so Ten Thousand Villages celebrates International Women’s Day for a week with cultural events and benefit shopping nights that support other nonprofits, culminating in the IWD Awards Ceremony on March 8th.

All events are free:

Monday 3/4
5-9 pm: Out of Africa
See Nobelity Project’s Building Hope documentary, enjoy traditional African food, and get 10% off all fair trade products handmade in Africa. A portion of all purchases supports local nonprofit Well Aware, which brings clean drinking water to rural villages in Kenya.

Tuesday 3/5
10:30-11:30 am: FREE Yoga Class! Courtesy of Mimi Curry at beradiantbliss.com
5-9 pm: South Asian Bazaar: Mehndi, Mandalas & More
Sari wrapping, henna art, music, food and 10% off all fair trade products handmade in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. A portion of all purchases supports Austin-based Tender Heart Foundation, which helps bring education and socioeconomic development to rural communities in Northern India.

Wednesday 3/6
5-9 pm: Latin America Romance
Come hear Latin American music performed live and get a 10% discount on all fair trade products handmade in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras or Colombia.

Thursday 3/7
5-9 pm: 1st Thursday on South Congress
Ten Thousand Villages stays open late for this popular monthly block party that lets Austin fly its weird flag. This event is about as Austin as it gets — don’t miss it!

Friday 3/8
6-8 pm: 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards – Hosted by Sara Hickman! This night is all about celebrating women who have made exceptional contributions in our community and who make a difference in the lives of those around them. Limited seating; RSVP required: Facebook or email.

It’s going to be a week about social change and powerful women. Hope you will come and celebrate with us — and share this news with your friends!

Howdy Y’all! It’s me, Chief Becca!

Greetings, Fair Traders!

Just me being excited about fair trade and elephants!

It’s me, Becca! I’m brand spankin’ new to blog world, so allow me to briefly introduce myself:

I began volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin (TTVoA) in March 2010, shortly after attending a mandatory “fair trade vs. free trade” workshop at St. Edward’s University. About a year after that, I happily accepted a lead volunteer position and took on some outreach and education roles for TTVoA and for Fair Trade Towns USA, Austin. I’ve taken part in several TTVoA events, such as the first and second film festivals, the first and third One Reason Why events, this last year’s World Fair Trade Day celebration, and a handful of other small projects. I began my interim position at the store as “Chief Storyteller” in September, and have since collected information on various artisan groups from around the world that I will be sharing with you here. (We’ve got some catching up to do!)

I’m so excited to share what I’ve learned with you here! For me, the most wonderful thing about fair trade is developing a connection between the producer and the consumer. The holidays are coming up, so it’s important to remember when we give our loved ones a fair trade gift, you’re not only giving a product, you’re giving a story of growth, triumph and empowerment.

With Love,

Chief Becca

Many Reasons Why…

By Barbara-Anne Mansfield

 

October is Fair Trade Month and Ten Thousand Villages of Austin kicked the celebration off with its 4th annual fundraiser, One Reason Why: A Fair Trade Art Show, Oct. 5, 2012, at the Heller Building. Staff, volunteers, friends, sponsors, donors and social changemakers gathered in a beautiful private space overlooking Congress Avenue and downtown Austin to experience one-of-a-kind fair trade art from around the world, as well as stories, live music, a silent auction, food, drinks and good karma.

Photo by Julia Totten

There are many reasons why this year’s event was our biggest and most successful fundraiser yet. Lots of guests came to meet Ten Thousand Villages’ national CEO Doug Dirks. Other people were curious to visit the beautiful private event space owned by Andrew and Mary Ann Heller. Many customers came to admire the exclusive artwork that our Store Manager Kitty Bird discovered on her learning tours in India and Bangladesh, items that couldn’t be found in the store on online. Some people wanted the chance to bid on experiential prizes in the silent auction.

For all these reasons and more, we ended up selling more artwork and tickets and generating more auction revenue than any of our events in previous years! Hearing the touching stories about the remarkable people who make our crafts — such as Kitty’s friend from Keya Palm and Bella, a former beggar and now manager at Bonoful Paper Products — positively inspired guests to rally around our fair trade mission and feel good doing so.

Photo by Bernie Castillo

The evening began with a private champagne reception with CEO Doug Dirks. He and volunteer docents Stacy Gauthier and Christa Young led sponsors and Board directors through a private gallery tour of the featured art, explaining who made each piece, where it came from and its unique cultural significance. Pianist Eddy Maine played a magnificent Steinway piano throughout the reception, setting a classy mood for the special guests, which included individual donors and representatives from sponsors Climb On! Products, Fresh Chefs Society, Handmade Expressions, and The Groove Realty and Investments. Word of Mouth Catering provided delectable gourmet appetizers, which were graciously served by store volunteers CeCe Cembalest, Joanie Cooksey, Taylor Foody, Rebekah Krych and Baillee Perkins.

Photo by Bernie Castillo

When the doors opened to the public, the room filled quickly with about 150 guests who were eager to view the art and bid on auction items such as a framed “Henna Hands” photograph by Turk Pipkin (courtesy of The Nobelity Project); overnight stays at Hotel Saint Cecilia, Papa’s House in Wimberley, and Travaasa; tours from Austin Duck Adventures, Austin Ghost Tours, Austin Zipline Adventures, and Live Love Paddle; spa services from Embellish Nails and Myo Massage; gift baskets from Peligroso and Republic Tequila; services from Her Side Project and TLC Lawncare; gift certificates from Alamo Drafthouse, Goorin Bros. Hat Shop and Schroeder Carpet; and tickets for the legendary Texas Rollergirl games. The funds raised from the silent auction go toward Ten Thousand Villages’ Artisan Special Needs Fund, which supports training and education, disaster recovery, technology, and general funds for our artisan groups.

Kitty and Anne Olson, Board Chair, welcomed guests and explained how their support of Ten Thousand Villages and One Reason Why directly helps provide a sustainable fair trade marketplace in central Texas, expands opportunities for artisans in developing countries, and increases our outreach locally. Anne also showed off the swag for guests to take home: gorgeous boxes handmade from sari fabrics, each one filled with gifts such as a Go Local Austin card, Putumayo World Music CD, Climb On! lip balm, Sustainable Food Center seed packet, Healthy Hound dog biscuits, Geobar, Hey Cupcake! BOGO coupon, stickers and more.

Photo by Bernie Castillo

When Doug took the stage, he prompted tears, smiles and hope from guests as he told a moving story about Bella, a woman in Bangladesh who had been a beggar on the street with her young son. Bella was illiterate, homeless and had never worked for pay — which amazingly qualified her to join a group of women making fair trade paper products for Bonoful. Today Bella owns a home, manages 12 other women, and her son is in college studying to be an engineer because of orders from Ten Thousand Villages. The fabric gift boxes that guests took home from One Reason Why were handmade by Bella and the women employed at Bonoful. Doug’s story drove home the message that buying Ten Thousand Villages products helps pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans — many of them women — who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. Our nonprofit store, volunteers and customers keep women like Bella employed now and in the future. These are the reasons why fair trade is so critical.

Photo by Julia Totten

The rest of the evening was festive and alive with music by international fusion trio Atlas Maior. We would also like to thank our photographers, Bernie Castillo and Julia Totten, for capturing the fun and vibrancy of this amazing event, as well as event volunteers Linda Deason, Becky Garcia, Catherine Givens, Claire Lewis, Margaret Marchant, Varsha Raj, Becca Ruiz, Margaret Valenti, plus Green Gate Farms, ID Soda and Brooke McCombs of Austin Event Logistics. One Reason Why 2012 was a success due to the generous time and investments by all of our volunteers, sponsors, donors and customers. Thank you for supporting fair trade!

Were you at One Reason Why 2012? Tell us about it in comments below and share your photos on Facebook and Twitter (@AustinVillages, #ORW12)!

What’s YOUR One Reason Why?

Over the course of one day, everyone is involved in their own personal and pre-determined routine. Waking up, showering, eating breakfast, going to work, etc… Whatever these actions may consist of, we go through the motions with either emotion or apathy. Have you ever truly stopped to ask yourself why? Why do we have running water, electricity, or even Netflix at our disposal when numerous other countries around the world are struggling? More importantly, when do we ask about what we can do for those in need in our own neighborhood, let alone complete strangers in developing countries?

This is why One Reason Why: A Fair Trade Art Show is so near and dear to my heart. Working at Ten Thousand Villages has tremendously broadened my horizons on the true and often heartbreaking injustices that artisans in developing countries face when selling their products to companies who do not participate in Fair Trade. I’ll never forget one of the stories that a staff member who corresponds with one of our artisans told me. She explained with the brightest twinkle of passion in her eyes that with the help of Fair Trade one of the women who makes baskets for the store was able to pay for her daughter’s college tuition and finally had a house made from adobe bricks that the artisan herself helped build. I found myself getting misty-eyed at the tale because you can’t get that kind of personal connection from many stores. The mall doesn’t provide artisan stories for all of my clothing. Many grocery stores don’t have pictures of those who baked my bread or canned my Nutella. Stories like that give me an entirely different perspective on Fair Trade each and every time so that more and more pieces of the larger picture of Fair Trade are revealed.

Another piece of the Fair Trade picture is One Reason Why: A Fair Trade Art Show (ORW). ORW gives us the opportunity to share with you some of the most spectacular one-of-a-kind pieces of art that we’ve seen all around the world. All of us at the store spend countless hours researching the different artisan groups and their techniques to educate you on each and every piece of artwork at the event. Why, you might ask? It’s all for the artisans. We are trying to gain as much support for Fair Trade as possible.

This is where you come in. With your support, we can help ensure the Austin community learns about the global fair trade movement and continues to improve the livelihood of artisans around the world by purchasing fair trade crafts. You could be one of the customers who provides a college education or safety to a young family in a developing country. You could be the reason that an artisan group can receive the supplies needed to continue making products for Ten Thousand Villages so that they can continue providing for their families.

That’s my One Reason Why. What is yours? We hope that you’ll join us for this inspiring event!

One Reason Why: A Fair Trade Art Show

Friday, October 5, 2012  7-10pm

805 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701

Drop by our website (http://austin.tenthousandvillages.com) for ticket and sponsorship information!

Who Are Austin’s Outstanding Women Changemakers?

Ten Thousand Villages Announces Winners of 2012 International Women’s Day Awards

AUSTIN, TX — Despite heavy rain and SXSW, Ten Thousand Villages (1317 S. Congress), Austin’s only 100-percent fair trade store, was filled to capacity for its 4th Annual International Women’s Day Awards, which recognize outstanding women changemakers in three categories: Humanitarian, Environment, and Animal Welfare. The 2012 Winners are:

• HUMANITARIAN: Diana Claitor, Cofounder and Director of Texas Jail Project
• ENVIRONMENT: Brandi Clark Burton, Founder of Austin EcoNetwork, Austin CarShare, and Citizen Gardener
• ANIMAL WELFARE: Abigail Smith, Chief Animal Services Officer, City of Austin

“Humanitarianism, respecting the environment and animals are all integral to our mission as a nonprofit fair trade organization,” said Ten Thousand Villages Store Manager Kitty Bird. “Women in particular benefit from fair trade because it gives them opportunities to handcraft goods and earn sustainable living wages to support their families. So International Women’s Day is the perfect time to recognize and honor local women who are making significant social impacts in our community and around the world,” she said.

The Awards Ceremony was hosted by Austin Eavesdropper Tolly Moseley, and Finalists and Winners were selected by a panel of judges who work in the nonprofit sector: Meg Goodman Erskine, Cofounder and Executive Director of Multicultural Refugee Coalition; Carol Thomas, Director of Development at Caritas of Austin; and Monica Williams, GivingCity Founding Editor and Austin Community Foundation Communications Manager.

“The judges had a tough job selecting finalists because we received so many nominations of ‘ordinary’ women doing extraordinary things,” said Bird. “After a lot of soul-searching, the judges agreed that more people need to know about Diana Claitor’s humanitarian accomplishments and what’s happening to pregnant women in Texas prisons,” she said.

Claitor was the force behind getting Texas legislature to pass HB 3653, which restricts the practice of shackling incarcerated pregnant women during labor and delivery. She continues fighting for a complete ban on such barbaric practices, which still happen in prisons in Texas as well as other states.

Abigail Smith stood out in the Animal Welfare category because in just one year with the largest municipal animal shelter she has led Austin to become the first major urban city in Texas to officially reach No-Kill status. Smith reorganized and led 90 staff members into a new way of thinking about how they treat more than 20,000 animals that enter Austin Animal Center each year, and achieved what no other major Texas city has done: a 91-percent live animal outcome rate for 2011.

Judges chose Brandi Clark Burton as the Environment winner because she is Austin’s most influential force in building and empowering the sustainability community. Through Austin EcoNetwork, Earth Day festivals, and events such as It’s My Park! Day, Austin Moving Forward, and the Green Festival, she has been leading and raising awareness of socially and environmentally responsible practices for residents and businesses since 1996. The Austin Chronicle dubbed Clark Burton “a human switchboard for all things sustainable.”

For more information about Ten Thousand Villages’ 2012 International Women’s Day Awards, including bios of all Awards Finalists, go to bit.ly/xfkxRy (pdf). Photos of the event are available for download and reproduction at Flickr (bit.ly/yOTv4d) and Facebook (http://on.fb.me/wZ6uhr).

– By Barbara-Anne Mansfield