Afghan Entrepreneur Enjoys 1st Trip to US

On July 16-19, the California Gift Show played host to respected social entrepreneur and leader in the Afghan Fair Trade Industry Dr. Ghulam Ullah Muradi.  An entrepreneur who works with Afghanistan's most under served and remote ethnic minorities, Dr. Muradi is a new kind of soldier fighting the war in Afghanistan - an individual who has bravely chosen to return home to a country still torn by violence to provide Afghanistan's poorest citizens with an opportunity for an education and economic opportunity.

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OWP got the chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Muradi during his time in the States.

OWP: Is this your first trip to the US?
Dr. Muradi: Yes, this is my first time in the US. It is also my first flight and my first time outside of the Middle East. The travel time to get here was 24 hours in total: Dubai to London, London to Dallas, and Dallas to L.A.

OWP: How has your trip been so far?

Dr. Muradi: So far the trip has been wonderful. At the exhibition we had good sales of Afghan traditional jewelry. We sold almost all of the product I brought. Next year, I am going to bring my wife, if we can get sponsorship. That would be the first time that my wife will have traveled outside of the Middle East, and also the first time she will fly on a plane.

OWP: Tell us a little bit about your career...
 Dr. Muradi: I am the first Turkman doctor in Afghan History. Out of 3 million Turkman in Afghanistan, I am the first doctor. I started my medical education in Kabul, Pakistan, then moved to Islamabad, where I met my wife. We married, and finished our last year of medical school together.

Answers For the Socially Responsible Shopper: Organic

One World Projects Organic Chocolate

If you're anything like most people, you love the idea of organic food, but don't actually have any idea what... it... means...  You know it has something to do with reducing pesticides and that it's good for the environment, but the details of organic certification are not something you can rattle off at a moment's notice.

So, to clear up the confusion, let's take a look at the story of organic foods, and how the word "organic" is defined in the marketplace.

For modern food stores, organic food is hot, hot, hot.  Sales of organic foods and beverages in the US alone have grown 250% over the past 20 years, from $1 billion in 1990 to $24.8 billion in 2009.  Sales in 2009 grew 5.1 percent over 2008, and that was with the "Great Recession."  Fruits and Vegetables experienced the highest rate of grown at 11.4% from 2008 to 2009.  And, as of 2008, 4.8 million acres of US land were certified organic.

So what makes food "organic"?

Carved from the Mine

For most of us, coal is nothing more than a (sometimes controversial) form of fuel, mined under questionable conditions and guilty of producing chemical by-products that environmentalists tell us are melting glaciers at an alarming rate.  A group of young entrepreneurs in the small mining town of Morca in Columbia (four hours south of Bogota) saw an opportunity in this homely mineral, however, and have started a small business carving coal into beautiful fair trade jewelry pieces that are then sold abroad to international consumers.

Young Entrepreneurs Carve Fair Trade Jewelry

Constant mining in the small town of Morca has made farming the land impossible, but inadequate safety supports and unsafe conditions make professional mining a dangerous alternative for young boys that need incremental income to support large families. Thanks to their budding fair trade jewelry enterprise, the boys of Morca are able to spend mornings at school, and afternoons working on the jewelry pieces.

Government support has been key in the development of this business.  Starting in 1995, the Columbian government began pouring resources into this sort of enterprise in the hopes that it would keep young boys out of the mines and reduce mining-related incidents.  The market for these elegant pieces is still expanding, and students with the National Pedagogical University Bogota are getting in on the project, to offer consulting and ideas for increasing demand!

Coal is nothing less then a young diamond, waiting for the rush of pressure and heat to crystallize.  Although it may not have a diamond's fire (or price tag!), carved and polish coal boasts a luminescence and mystery all it's own.  Either way, the rich coloring, organic shape, and fair trade label make these pieces a fit for the warm colors and textures of this fall's trendiest looks.

Learn more about Columbian Jewelry here.

Answers for the Socially Responsible Shopper: Bio-Degradable

Plastic is Evil.

That, at least, is the message we get when, as impressionable 6-year-olds, we are shown a variation on the following tramatizing image:

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In addition to shocking images of animal's being mauled by plastic, young minds are taught that plastic takes about a thousand years to decompose in land fills, where 93% of it ends up (Please see "How Long Does Our Garbage Last" for more details).  These delightful nougats of information, and others like them, turn plastic into a menacing predator with its sights set on world domination.

To try and skirt the bad taste plastic has left in the mouths of consumers, major corporations have begun using bio-degradable packaging in their products, and then stamping it all over with "green" messaging. 

What does "Bio-Degradable" mean? It is any substance made of plant or animal origins, which can be broken down by living organisms. This is great for the environment because it means the waste won't sit in a landfill for the next 1,000 years.  Natural processes can get rid of the materials!  Love, Peace, Hope for everyone!

Thanks to the Huffington Post

Unfortunately, if bio-degradable materials end up inside large plastic bags, it has no access to those organisms and therefore will not break down until the plastic does.  Soooo, approximately July 2, 3010 for the garbage you took out this morning.

Answers for the Socially Responsible Shopper: Fair Trade

So, you want to save the environment (and bring World Peace) one organic, fair trade t-shirt at a time.  Good for you! But if you're spending $25 bucks on a t-shirt, instead of the 5 for $5 Wal-Mart variety, then you want to know that your extra dollars are DEFINITELY bringing World Peace.

Sustainable Salad Servers from One World Projects

The profits from "socially responsible" products are mostly used as advertised (to build schools/supply medical aid/pay fair wages/etc.), but sometimes they just get funneled off to pay for fancy marketing campaigns and PR ("Greenwashing").

A recent study found that 60% of consumers fail to purchase green products because they can't find what they want or are unaware of where to find those products while only 11% think green products are too expensive ("Capturing the Green Consumer" See Below).  You want to make the right choice, but you just haven't heard the right information.

That thought inspired the first installment of our new series:

"What does that mean?  Answers for the Socially Responsible Shopper"  

First up: Fair Trade

Fair Trade labels are based on a set of standards that require companies to pay producers their fair share of the profits from their goods and forbids social injustices, like child labor, in the production process.  For agricultural products, fair trade wages must also cover the cost of environmentally sustainable practice.