planetaryartisans
planetaryartisans
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Jul 15, 2015 (10 years) |
- | 1 | 1 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Jul 15, 2015 (10 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
- 1
Bio
One of my most important memories as a child was going with my father to deliver food to people in our community who were less fortunate than us. His employers gave him the funds to do so and he went out in the community to help others. I remember that he would go to the homes and ask them if they would kindly accept what he had to offer. He would bring in boxes of food and household supplies. Some of these people had nothing but four walls and a dirt floor, and this was in Maine in the winter. He never forced himself on anyone and at times he would just leave the boxes at the door so they could discover it for themselves.
This concept has guided me for five decades in how I approach life. I have worked in the mental health addiction field for twenty five plus years and so has my wife. Helping the homeless, the disenfranchised, the lost, and those suffering from addiction and mental health challenges seems to have been the path we both have traveled.
However, as many people do in the vocation I had chosen, I became tired and burnt out. That did not damper my desire to help others and make a positive change in this world. My wife and I spoke to each other of what other needs there were in this world, what other ways could we fulfill this calling of helping people to help themselves. I looked at the poverty and the lost in the United States and thought my path may lie in that direction. Then she reminded me of a conversation I had had with her about when I traveled through Asia and how I saw the sweatshops, and slavery, the poor who were unable to live any type of healthy life. How, at that time I wanted to do something but didn't know what.
We began to search for ways to make this dream a reality. I ran across several articles about ‘Fair Trade’ and how it is helping people around the world to obtain a healthier life by changing their economic status. The more we studied Fair Trade practices, the more it seemed that this was the answer. We found that there were many ‘fair Trade’ goods. Many of the large conglomerates such as Starbucks, Walmart and even McDonalds jumped on the ‘Fair Trade’ coffee band wagon. It seemed so over saturated. We decided to help other people who were producing ‘Fair Trade’ goods. I searched for ‘Fair Trade’ producers and found many were artisans. This polarized my thoughts. I can help them to give voice to their creations by bringing their art to the United States.
The thought of helping others in the world while at the same time bringing unique and artistic crafts to the people in the United States became my focus. My wife and I discussed the concept of Fair Trade practices and how it could be our guidance for our online store Planetary Artisans. It seemed a perfect fit. We could develop an online business in the United States that could support small-scale artisans from other countries. By purchasing ethnic jewelry, crafts and garment products from artisans in impoverished countries at a price high enough for the artisan to earn her/his way out of poverty. I knew that we would need to start small. So I contacted several of the artisan ‘Fair Trade’ communities and contracted to begin importing their jewelry to the United States for sale online.
Our objective solidified to become a supportive force in changing disparate economic systems. We empowers artisans, so that they may work towards economic, social, and environmentally sustainable self-sufficiency. We do this by raising awareness of and expanding demand for ‘Fair Trade’ alternatives, both on-line and in communities in the United States and abroad. Through this process, we will refine relationships between artisans and consumers, and engage in the ongoing challenge of assisting others to build their personal economic power, all which leads to a better healthier life for themselves and those around them.
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