misplaced mama

I got a box in the mail and it contained the most beautiful sweater, soft wool and hand knit from Nepal. It was an early birthday gift from a really generous and sweet friend. The sweater is from a company called People Tree. They are an environmentally friendly fashion label who work with very small scale producers in the developing world. They use fair trade, paying them more than a living wage to escape severe poverty. People Tree set up a tech school called Kumbeshwar Technical school in Kathmandu and hired 500 people from the “pode” or street sweeping community and trained them in vocational skills so they can earn a much needed income as well as create gorgeous pieces of clothing. Tree People’s tech school also provides daycare for their students, adult literacy classes, and a saving and loan program for it’s workers. It provides education for over 250 kids and they also built a hostel for homeless children. of the area.

I come from an economic bracket and mindset that ‘more is better’. I have been trained in the art of shopping that 10 shirts for $30 is much better than 1 shirt for $30. But here is the thing, when those 10 shirts have been sprayed with chemicals, mass produced so the uniqueness is stripped and made by people of all ages who make so much less than a living wage it constitutes working slavery in my book, is that really better deal? Hell no. Wouldn’t I or shouldn’t I buy the one simple shirt for the price of ten? Of course I should. I don’t need 10 shirts that cost so little it’s a wonder if the production even got paid at all. Re-training the mind in this way is hard to do, I have tried for a while now. It’s like that World War mentality. Better stock up, might be a T-Shirt shortage. And there would be, especially in my house where I rarely do laundry and more clothes seems like a good choice. When I fall short and tell myself it is so hard to organize and streamline our closets in this way, I also have to ask myself, isn’t it hard on those people, my world brothers and sisters, the people i consider myself at one with to live in utter poverty making freight-loads of stuff for my culture to consume? I bet there lives are hard. And that puts a fire under my ass.

I visualize a world where beautiful clothes are made while people get paid what they deserve so they can live, feed their kids, eat clean food and get decent medical care. I visualize a world where more and more people choose to buy organic clothing and our natural resources become plentiful and vibrant. I visualize a drop in cancer and an elimination in factory pollutants. I visualize a world where we support each other’s unique social endeavors , even if it may cost us a little more it seems like a small price to pay in the big picture. I visualize a world where my kids wear chemical free clothing and my choice to purchase does not harm another person.

Anyway, my super-positive-idealist self is going to try to do this as much as I possibly can. I know I can’t be perfect, but I do have will power and passion. And if I can do it, and others can do it, and then more and more people can do it…it will cause a demand and the fair production fire will just spread!

What I have decided I must do is ask myself these questions before I buy something: Do I need it? Do I REALLY need it? Who makes it? How can it be so cheap? (i.e how much is it getting produced for if it can only cost $5?) Will my purchase create a positive impact on my world community?

I bet in the long run I will save more money and look much snazzier and for sure more unique.

I have mentioned some of these companies before but I will do it again. The following are awesome places to get stuff. People Tree (and my new sweater) http://www.americanapparelstore.com/ www.worldofgood.com hug pangaya fair-trade, chic, chemicial-free fair indigo Lanka Kade (toys) Smile Child (kids, mama stuff) world gallery (everything home)

*All these links are to clothes that are cute. I am a fashion whore. Granted, I am a raggamuffin, but I don’t like dumpy, frumpy or not-so-cute clothing.

Also, after a little investigating, I was told that Nordstoms has made a promise to include over 20% fair-trade clothing in 2007.

Here is interesting article: http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1117-14.htm

Anyway. That’s what I have been thinking about today. That and how I can’t wait to be in the cold so I can put on my new sweater. What a rad gift.