Local Profiles in Global Justice
Compiled by Grace Potts of the Globalization Task Force of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice.  This article is taken from the ICPJ Newsletter, September-October 2004,  Page 8, a pdf file.

There are many pithy aphorisms about the subject: Think Globally, Act Locally; A butterfly cannot flap its wings without
jangling a star... and so on.  However, the reality of the injustice that surrounds us is that it is a direct function of the small everyday decisions we all make.  Where we buy our food, our clothing, our coffee, our gifts, our personal care products, along with so many other choices we make in a given day, directly shape our communities, our economy, and our world.  For all the manipulation that 'Mall Wart' is guilty of, they wouldn't bother selling products made cheaply under questionable labor practices if no one showed up to buy it.  Many of us already know this.  The challenging hurdle however, is knowing how to get out of the economic mainstream.  The ICPJ is here to help you get started over the hurdle.

What follows is a short list of local initiatives that engage in fair and responsible trade. Please patronize these folks, keep them in business, it would be an act of justice. Warning: the products from these companies may cost more than they would at a chain store (many times, though the price is equivalent or less). However, I've found that the sticker price is misleading. The full price of a conventional cup of coffee (or blouse, or household item, or whatever) including the environmental degradation caused, the wages not paid to the worker, and the shipping, and the marketing, and the health costs of pesticides is the same, if not more, than the price of a cup of fair-trade organic coffee. The only difference is who pays the price. I suspect that many of us are willing to pay a small premium for justice.  If you want to take a step further, there is an excellent book I can recommend - The Better World Handbook. It really lays out the measures needed for individuals to participate in making a systemic
change in the world around us. My only criticism is that all the authors are men, and so the finished product lacks a female perspective.  Outside of that caveat, it is outstanding. ISBN: 0865714428 or look for it on the web here: http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/   This is not advertising, they are free listings of efforts we support.

Brewing Hope Fair Trade Coffee - Brewing Hope is a new project created by Ann Arbor residents who
want to create a direct relationship with farmers from Chiapas, Mexico.  Their goal is to bring Fair Trade coffee directly from one cooperative in Chiapas—Yachil—to local cafes and grocery stores in Ann Arbor, while educating consumers about the social and environmental benefits of fair trade coffee. Brewing Hope has already been in contact with several area
coffee shops that have expressed enthusiasm for this project. Brewing Hope has also partnered with Higher Grounds Trading Co., Michigan’s only 100% fair trade gourmet coffee company. Higher Grounds will be contracting a local Ann Arbor roaster, Perk and Brew, to roast, package, and distribute the coffee.  In August Brewing Hope and Higher Grounds Trading Co. led a delegation to Chiapas to investigate the effects of the coffee crisis in Chiapas and the important role of fair trade and organic agriculture in providing Ann Arbor’s partner cooperative, Yachil, with livable wages and a healthy environment. The delegation met with the fair trade coffee co-op to request a formal partnership with the community of Santa Catarina, one of the central villages within Yachil Xojobal Chulchan (“The New Light in the Sky”) cooperative. The Yachil cooperative represents about 850 coffee producing families who have been outspoken in their goals of obtaining sustainability and peace.  The cooperative, which produces gourmet fair trade and organicallygrown coffee, has had difficulty selling at fair prices due to the global
coffee crisis and instability in the region. Chiapas has been the scene of an on-going low intensity war waged against Mayan peoples striving for indigenous rights and autonomy. While the on-going threat of further violence remains, the coffee farmers are faced with the worst coffee crisis in history.  International coffee prices currently hover around 50 cents a pound, down more than 80 percent from their peak in 1997 and about 30 cents below the cost of production. Over 2/3 of Mexico’s
coffee producers are indigenous campesinos holding less than 5 acres of land. These small farmers are the most vulnerable to the world market, and the hardest hit by the coffee crisis. At the same time as record lows occur in the price of coffee on the global market, conventional coffee companies are making record profits.  The fair trade certification system corrects market imbalances by guaranteeing at least US $1.26 per pound for small farmers’ harvests, and encouraging organic and sustainable growing methods. With a fair and stable income, coffee growers can invest in their families’ health care and education. The new Brewing Hope project in Ann Arbor hopes to go a step beyond fair trade certification by creating a direct relationship between two communities thousands of miles apart. Through activities such as the student delegation in August, and future reciprocal visits by Chiapas farmers to Ann Arbor, Higher Grounds and Brewing Hope put profit back into coffee producing communities in Chiapas while building awareness in Ann Arbor. To learn more about Brewing Hope contact Chris Treter at 231-256-
9687.

Sleeping Lion - Sleeping Lion Products, LLC. is a local handmade soap and toiletries company located in Ann Arbor, MI.
Our products are made by hand with natural ingredients and essential oils.  Currently we are transitioning our ingredient list to a mostly organic and fair trade suppliers so that your dollars will support a sustainable economy.  We here at Sleeping Lion Products, LLC believe, as Gandhi did, that you must “be the change you wish to see in the world.” To that end we research and purchase ingredients and accompaniments to our products (such as packaging) that reflect our values- recycled glass
containers, fair trade baskets for our gift sets, natural ingredients that use little to no chemical refinement process in their production, and in the future we look forward to instituting a recycling program where you can purchase a refill of our product and re-use our packaging.  Our products include natural handmade soaps, talc-free body and baby powders, natural beauty treatments, handmade natural lotions that are delightful on your skin, and natural insect repellents safe for kids and pets. For a full list of our products visit us on the web at www.sleeping-lion.net or contact us and we will send you a catalogue of our products and our philosophy. E-mail: info@sleeping-lion.net ... Phone: 734-971-2464

Maggie's Functional Organics - Here at Clean Clothes, makers of Maggie’s brand, we feel pretty lucky.  Since 1992, we’ve found a way to make a living doing what we love; providing comfy, basic, durable clothing and accessories, making them
affordable, and all the while supporting our beliefs and values in integrity, social responsibility, humility, sustainability and fun.
Our name says a lot about us, and our clothes, and how we want you to feel when you put them on; comfortable, soothed, warm and wonderful— Clean. Not hyped, or sold, or like you had better hurry up and wear them.. before they go out of style. We want our clothes to be the ones you choose to put on time, after time… after time.  That’s why we’re dedicated to seeking out:
• Raw materials that are grown organically and sustainably
• Processors that provide livable working conditions, and workers who have control of their lives
• Processing standards that assure quality with the minimum of “additives”
• Pricing and business policies that support partnership
• Customers that believe all of the above matters

It hasn’t always been easy, and we haven’t always succeeded (we remember scoop neck tops that fell off peoples shoulders… and naturally dyed socks that dyed feet as well). But we have managed to keep it going, and to make it better… and today, we're quite proud of what we have to offer— our quality, our consistency, and our adherence to those same beliefs and values that started us out.  We’ve also managed to find and keep some pretty amazing partners in the effort… from the farmers that grow our cotton while treating the soil with dignity and respect, to the folks who sew and print our tees, to the customers who always manage to grab our socks first out of the sock drawer.  If you have any questions about our company please contact us at  Maggie’s Functional Organics, 306 W. Cross Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197; Phone: (800) 609-8593; Fax: (734) 482-4175; www.maggiesorganics.com

Community Farm - This is more than just an organic farm: It is a well-established model of Community Supported Agriculture, with 110 members who share both the risks and the bounty of farming by purchasing equal shares at the beginning of the growing season, in return for which they receive weekly baskets of produce throughout the farm’s 25-week season and, at the end of the harvest in November, a mound of winter root vegetables to see them through the cold months. Advertised by word of mouth and fliers in natural-food stores and co-ops in Ann Arbor, the shareholder program is tailored to make it accessible to poor people as well as the affluent. The annual share (enough to provide all the vegetables that two adults and two children need) may be varied on a voluntary sliding scale in which participants themselves decide whether to give more or less than the standard amount depending on their own evaluation of their financial capacity and need — and it may also be paid, in full or in
part, with food stamps.  Further, an additional $100 fee may be paid in any of three optional forms: In cash, by volunteering 15 hours in the fields or the farm office, or by selling one’s own produce, such as home-baked bread, to other participants. To find out more about this tasty opportunity, contact Community Farm of Ann Arbor 734-433-0261.

Ten Thousand Villages - Ten Thousand Villages invites shoppers, in the Ann Arbor area, to discover beautiful gift and home decor items hand-crafted by skilled artisans in over 30 developing countries around the world.  Our new store, coming to 303
South Main this Fall, will feature musical instruments, pottery, baskets, toys, jewelry, creches and much more. Ten Thousand Villages is a non profit alternative organization.  For over 50 years, Ten Thousand Villages has been working with talented artisans around the world to promote dignity, hope and a living wage by marketing their items, telling their stories and educating
locally about fair trade.  The store will be staffed by a paid manager and an assistant manager. The rest of the staffing will be volunteers. We are still in need of volunteers to help us. If you would like to help in the store, serve on a committee or work on a special project, contact Merle Taylor at taylorme@worldnet.att.net or 734-662-5971 for more information. We are sure that you will find many items that will peak your interest in our unique gift-giving and life-giving store. Be sure and watch for further updates coming soon.

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This article is taken from the ICPJ Newsletter, September-October 2004,  Page 8, a pdf file.  Compiled by Grace Potts of the Globalization Task Force of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice.