2nd Annual African Tourism Forum

Today I attended the 2nd Annual African Tourism Association (ATA) presidential forum at the NYU Law School's Africa House in New York City. There was a distinguished collection of Ministers, Excellencies, Heads of State and the like, who came together to promote tourism to many of the 53 countries of the African continent. From Ancient Egypt to Zanzibar and everything in between, there are tremendous vacation places throughout Africa. ATA not only showcases these wonders of the continent, it also worked in partnership with the recently launched African Channel that creates programming for USA Networks and The Discovery Channel. For those of in the UK you can watch the Africa Channel on Sky Digital ch 281.

The content of the forum itself seemed less important than delivering the main message that Africa can be an incredible destination for tourism whether you want to shoot a photo safari, climb to the peak of Kilimanjaro, trek with Gorillas or simply lay on beach. As a person who only needs to hit the famed sands of Zanzibar to check off all the items on that list, I can say it's well worth the trip!

Something From The Lighter Side

Sometimes the whole "green thing" can go a bit to far!

Enjoy this comic from the Wall Street Journal.

Good weekend to all!

A Vivid Example of How Fair Trade Changes Lives

Special thanks to my friend Adam Black at DoubleWide Media who posted our company video on his YouTube site. He has a number of great examples of how fair trade and other sustainability practices can both make a difference in the world and be viable business models. We hope you enjoy our video and feel free to post your comments or suggestions.

Flow Matching Grant - Deadline is Thursday

For those of you not familiar with a website called Flow it is the home for "an emerging movement dedicated to liberating the entrepreneurial spirit and focusing it on the goals of sustainable peace, prosperity, and happiness for all, in the next 50 years." If you're a business person like me that may sound a little flowery but who can argue with entrepreneurship leading to peace, prosperity and happiness - sounds almost like the definition of capitalism! The site is worth checking out and there are just a few days left to donate to their challenge grant (if they raise $75K they get a matching donation in the same amount) to support peace through commerce. Also featured on their website today is one of our customers, the Amber Chand Collection, which will soon be selling some wonderful mohair scarves from Rwanda. This is another way to support peace through commerce.

It's About More Than Fair Wages

Often when people ask me about Fair Trade I tell them that in simple terms it means that the artisan or producer who makes a good is paid a fair wage for his or her work. Like most things in life, however, it is not that simple. Fair Trade means a lot more than just fair wages and can include such factors as paying 50% upfront when placing an order, engaging in long term relationships, ensuring the health and safety of the workers, preserving or even improving the environment, and the like. (See the Fair Trade Federation for more specific information.)

This is an important distinction because when you speak only about wages, people start asking questions like: "How much to the artisans or producers get?" or "What percentage of the sale price do they get?" This is not at all where the focus should be. If I import a product for $5 and sell it wholesale for $15 then I could say that the artisan got it 1/3 and you might think that doesn't sound fair because I got 2/3. What this doesn't tell you though is anything about the additional costs to get the item here like shipping, duties/fees, etc. or anything about the relative amount the artisan got based on her cost of living or market conditions. Five dollars in a village in Africa is no doubt more valuable than $10 (less shipping, duties etc.) in New York City. Further, this number can also be misleading because I might sell the item at retail for $30 in which case I would get 5/6 and the artisan would get only 1/6 or I might not be able to sell it at all in which case the artisan got 100%! The bottom line is that it's not about what percentage the artisan gets, it's about the relationship between the artisan and the buyer and whether the terms of that relationship are fair and respectful.

Next time you see something with a fair trade logo think about the fact that the person was paid upfront, that they likely have a long term relationship with the buyer, that their working conditions are safe and don't exploit children, that production was not damaging to the environment, and feel good about supporting both that artisan and the company that is taking the time--and spending the extra money--to source goods in a way that truly is fair to all.

Pangea Day

For those of you who are not familiar with the TED Conferences it's worth spending some time at their site (and don't forget to visit the TED Global site which has great highlights from the conference held this year in Arusha, Tanzania). Right now one of their undertakings is to promote a film called "Pangea Day" whose theme is about getting ones news and information about the world from the people themselves rather than the established news media and they are calling for filmmakers to create content. You can watch the video below.

Growth of Fair Trade

After four years of building a fair trade business it's great to see that people are really starting to think about the source of the products they purchase. I'd love to hear from those of you who are new to the concept of fair trade and get your opinions about the concept and how easy or hard it is to find products -- whether consumables like coffee and chocolate or items that we sell like gifts and home accessories -- in your community.