We announce the Awaz Fair Trade Buying Club for events and office buildings for the Portland-metro featuring coffee, tea, food, kids toys, eco-clothing, stationery and gifts

For four years, we’ve been bringing the fair trade message to Portlanders and I’m excited to announce yet another way we want to help you bring fair trade into your life.

We are proud to announce the Awaz Fair Trade Buying Club for the Portland-metro that delivers high quality, ethically sourced food and everyday-use products at affordable rates, right to your door. With over ten years of experience working in the fair trade industry, we bring to you a variety of socially conscious, high quality goods that are available for your consumption direct from small producers around the world.

Awaz Fair Trade Buying Club

Natural, socially responsible and environmentally conscious goods brought to your door!

affordable ~ convenient ~ fair

Support small producers. Keep business small.

The buying club aims to help more people access the wide variety of fairly traded products available today by providing the added convenience of ordering direct from us and custom ordering. We specialize in affordable coffee, tea, food, kids toys, eco-clothing , stationery and gifts for your events, home-use , office building, daycare center, faith organization and community group.

In the 80 years of fair trade history, there has been an evolution of certified raw materials and products which are fairly traded that companies can source and offer, such as oils for cosmetics and clothing made from hemp and cotton. 

We’ve handpicked some of the best natural skin care, clothing, kids toys and more we think you should know about and are now pleased to offer them to you!

Equal Exchange Chocolate Bars - order individually or per case!

featuring:

Equal Exchange Organic Coffee, Chocolate, Tea and Snacks
 including Olive Oil, Breakfast Bars and Baking Cocoa

peace making Olive Oil from Palestine only $14

assorted herbals, greens and blacks - $3.50 for 20 tea bags in a box or $20 for 6 boxes

Ojoba Collective 100% Pure Unrefined Shea Butter from Ghana
all around skin moisturizer rich in Vitamin A and E
great for healing dry skin, wrinkles and eczema

Just $12 for 4 oz tin - your purchase supports the 400 women of Ojoba Shea Cooperative

Mr. Ellie Pooh Greeting Cards and Stationery from Elephant Dung from Sri Lanka
cards and notebooks from 100% recycled paper and elephant dung.
assorted themes and designs available
 Save elephants, save the environment.

Holiday Collection of cards and notebooks

Awaz Natural Kids Collection
kids soft toys, mobiles, baby quilts and room decor from natural fibers

Eco Clothing and Fashion for Men and Women

men's pants, traditional tops, women's skirts and tops, bags, belts, wallets from cotton and hemp 

HOW TO ORDER: 
Does your break room currently buy Folgers coffee from a big box store? Do you have an event coming up and need 60 fair trade chocolate bars? Do you sometimes buy fair trade products, but need someone to help you keep it stocked? Let us bring fair trade to you!
Send us an email and we'll send you the order form today!
sarah@voiceforempowerment.com
503-970-5847

Submit your orders by Wednesday each week for Friday delivery.
Minimum order $30.
Delivery location negotiable.
Free delivery on Portland-metro orders over $50.
Payment: cost on delivery. Cash, check or credit card.

Your consumption choices do make a difference. By supporting the Awaz Fair Trade Buying Club, you choose to create a new economic model that:

• honors producers, consumers and the environment
• promotes transparency and respect in trade
• values the human connection
• sustains cultural traditions around the globe
•  fuels just livelihoods and ethical business in your community

Awaz is a local Portland sustainable business dedicated to providing high quality, ethical products that consumers can feel good about. We trade direct with small producers and represent a network of farmer and artisan groups who make every day products for every day living.

Awaz brings Raasta Ethical Fashion Women's Clothing Line to Portland Fashion scene

          

Eco-friendly. Ethical fashion. Conscious living. 

These words are part of a sustainable lifestyle that has become part of our everyday lives. As we realize the importance of protecting our earth and its people, our everyday purchases can make a big impact. What we buy, where we buy, and who we buy from are key elements of creating positive karmic energy for that lifestyle. We are excited to begin offering a new line of ethical clothing for your everyday life.

        We are proud to announce a new partnership with Raasta, an ethical clothing brand designed by Indian Textile Designer Sonica Kapur crafted by fair trade artisan groups in India. We are now a Wholesale Representative for Raasta on the West Coast with distribution from Portland, Oregon. The line features high quality, boho chic clothes and accessories including dresses, tunics, skirts, pants and jackets for the modern woman. Sonica has years of experience working in the fashion industry in the U.S. and India and has created a beautiful clothing line merging fair trade with mainstream fashion.
The clothing is made from all natural fibers, 100% cotton and silk and features hand-embroidery, appliqué, hand woven textiles, natural dyes and various other traditional craft work. We’re excited to offer more upscale fair trade fashion in align with our commitment to conscious living and natural fibers. We wouldn’t offer anything less!

To see Raasta products and learn more visit www.raastaonline.com. 

ORDER NOW

The Spring and Fall Collections represent contemporary silhouette designs and trendy colors fit for everyday living and work.

If you are a boutique that is interested in carrying the line, email us at sarah@voiceforempowerment for more information and a wholesale order form. We'd love to work with you! Do keep in mind there is a 3-month lead time for production.

For those who like what you see today, we’ve got some great classic pieces for your Summer wardrobe in stock now that will only last a few more weeks. They're going fast! Email sarah@voiceforempowerment.com to place your order.

Check out some of the fashions that could be in your closet this year!

Embroidered Cotton Summer Tunic

Colors: Lilac and Peach

Sizes: S-XL

Details: 100% Cotton, lightweight

Price: $44.00 plus $2.95 shipping or delivery

Email sarah@voiceforempowerment.com to place your order.

Classic Embroidered White Sundress

Sizes: S-XL

Details: 100% cotton, ruffles at bottom, lined, zipper

Price: $64.00 plus $2.95 shipping or delivery

Email sarah@voiceforempowerment.com to place your order.

Awaz Intern talks about her experience with Awaz Ethical Fashion and the Slow Fashion movement

Hello! My name is Melissa Wilke. I am currently the Marketing Intern at Awaz. I am originally from Columbus, Nebraska and presently a student at Kansas State University. Over the past three years, I have been studying Apparel and Textile Marketing where I’ve learned about the slow fashion movement and seen how more businesses are offering for ethical and sustainable goods. Through this short but fast pace journey, I have found my passion for sustainability and fair trade. I think that it is important to understand where your products are coming from, as well as what had to happen to get them there. This includes the producer and the environment as well as the consumer. I have had the privilege of learning these aspects of the fashion industry through my professors and through K-State grad, Sarah Mitts. Sarah went to KSU where she founded  the Fair Trade Advocates student organization. All of this inspired me to take part in the fair trade movement. When the opportunity to come out to Portland and work with Sarah came up, I didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.

The Slow Fashion movement is a growing part of our modern world that focuses on making fashionable products from eco-friendly and recycled materials. It goes hand-in-hand with the fair trade movement. Both emphasize the importance of fair wages, safe environmental practices, and healthy working conditions, all while producing a high quality product that the consumer will love. Awaz was featured in an article by the Portland Slow Fashioned team. Read it here!

 More companies are moving towards sustainability and fair trade. Businesses such as Maggie’s Organics, focus on the importance of fair wages as well as what materials are used to make products. They offer natural fibers all around in their socks and apparel. They also hold high the value of connection between the producer and the consumer. Like Awaz, our products are sourced direct from the producer and delivered to you, cutting out the middlemen's cut and ensuring more money goes back to the producer. There are small businesses in almost every community where fair trade and sustainability come first. Enjoy ethically sourced goods, natural products and support a small business economic model that builds local economies through green business and social change. Awaz is proud to take part in this revolution.

            Over the four weeks I have been on the Awaz team, I have obtained more knowledge on the subject of fair trade than I ever have in the classroom. I believe it is important to get out in the field and see what is happening around the world, rather than just reading about it. We can all make an impact through our individual actions. I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to work with Awaz and talk to people face to face about our products and share our story.

Awaz currently launched their wholesale program and a new partnership with Raasta, a high-end ethical women's clothing line. I have been taking part in outreach to stores to get our products seen by more people, help expand sales, and share each products story so that we can be a voice for the women in India. Every purchase helps further their empowerment and the growth of a fair trade business model.

            Here are a couple inspiring and useful links I like to use to stay up to date with sustainable fashion and economic change:

                        http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/

                        http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/

                       

Keep Nestle Out of the Gorge: Water Privatization in Oregon at risk

Portland’s activist community is joining for a rally this Tuesday, the 26^th to oppose Nestle from taking over Oregon’s water resources and building a water bottling plant in Cascade Locks, located on Oregon’s most prized river, the Columbia River Gorge.

Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition including Food & Water Watch, Bark, Sierra Club, Oregon AFSCME, Occupy Portland, Sisters of the Holy Names, Resources for Health, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Environment Oregon, Oregon Wild and thousands of Oregonians have been leading a two-year campaign raising awareness and putting pressure on Oregon Governor Kitzhaber to deny Nestle permits to build the facility.

Water is a public resource shared by all Oregonians and should not be made into a commodity, privatized and made out of reach by the majority. Furthermore, building a large bottle water facility in the scenic Columbia River would destroy the local ecosystem and further allow corporations to profit off of depleting natural resources, exacerbating climate change. 

It’s kind of amazing that this is even happening and it’s pretty important that individuals take a stand to protect our environment from corporate take over. They’re not going to stop unless we take action. Oregon is slowly at risk of losing its natural resource base with proposals like this and other current developments like transporting coal exports from Montana through the Gorge too. Read up on this too and get behind Portland’s community organizations fighting against coal.

As a native Oregonian, I am proud of the Pacific Northwest’s leadership in environmental stewardship and conservation. However, I am more and more appalled at the contradiction of the ongoing development I see inside the city limits, struggling public education system over 50% dropout rate, excessive corporate interests in public entities and support for a facility that will flood our communities with plastic water bottles! 

We’ve got a long way to go for Oregon to be a leader in social, economic and environmental equality - our policies and institutions need to be challenged and held accountable.

NESTLE GORGE TAKEOVER 101

The people at Reddit.com/ Portland explained the situation quite well, need I not rephrase the debate: 

 “Nestle has proposed to build a water bottling plant in the city of Cascade Locks, tapping over 150 million gallons of water each year out of Oxbow Spring. The spring currently feeds a fish hatchery and is also a critical habitat for threatened steelhead. They would then replace the spring with municipal well water which would involve another new infrastructure to treat and cool the replacement water. Nestle would be paying less than 1/5 of a cent per gallon for the water, making a 1500% profit to sell it back to local communities. In addition, the corporation has already stated they will not be responsible for the local infrastructure and will require a 10 year tax break. Local taxpayers will be footing the bill for pipes, not to mention the roads that will be destroyed by 200+ trucks in and out of the Gorge each day. Nestle is the largest food and beverage corporation in the world, with a long list of corporate crimes and they want to take advantage of a community that is down on it's luck. They promise to bring 48 jobs to the area, but the average water bottling plant employs only 24 people in low wage, dangerous jobs.”

My comments:

Just like with Free Trade Agreements, tax breaks for corporations deplete the state’s tax base for social and public services. This is why governments are cutting funding for education, art and everything else they’re suppose to provide to the people. The 1% who profit so much off of the 99% are continuously reaping benefits and not paying for it and the common good suffer. I believe incentives to corporations like this are unjust and should not exist.

Just like the Army and our defense programs, corporations prey on rural communities and struggling cities to set up shop and use their power and prestige to lure, exploit and take over. I lived in a small town in Southeast Kansas in which Wal-Mart built and moved three times, each time building a larger Supercenter and cutting out local business. This small Midwestern town is pretty much a manufacturing hub and distribution center with workers for Amazon.com and Boeing. Now most people just work for the Chemical Plant and Refinery that bought out half the town and built up alongside the African-American communities across the railroad tracks on the east side of town.

It’s sad how communities and ethnic groups are marginalized, divided and preyed upon by those with power. I believe that it is these attitudes and values reflected in actions by corporations and our government bodies which perpetuate classism, racism and division amongst people today. This division continues to lead to violence, war fare and crimes against women, people and the environment. These themes are relevant to many global issues we are facing today.

You can see similar linkages in Portland Central America Solidarity Committee Awaz supported campaign to get Wells Fargo to divest from funding the corporate prison system, which perpetuates racism and creates profits off of immigrants and people of color. READ MORE.

PERMITS AND APPEALS

According to the Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition website, in 2010, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) filed an application with Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) to exchange its spring water with the City of Cascade Locks so that the city could sell their water to Nestlé.

On February 29^th, 2012 the OWRD approved two of the three necessary OWRD permits for the Nestlé Water Bottling Plant and initiated a 30-day protest period for public appeal of the permits.

Bark and the Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition took action and appealed the approval of permit applications. While any member of the public can protest the permit, many individuals have identified that the fees for filing such appeals are prohibitive, with each of the two permits requiring a $600 filing fee and additional hidden costs associated with seeing the protest through.

Governor Kitzhaber has the power to advise the OWRD to deny the water exchange application

that would give away Oregon’s water so that Nestlé can bottle it.

Read more details here for further explanation.

It is the State’s job to safeguard Oregon’s public resources, especially our precious water resources for the benefit of all Oregonians, not multinational corporations. Allowing the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to move forward with this water rights exchange would permit a state-owned resource to be used for a private business model that is unsustainable,” said, Jackie Dingfelder, Oregon State Senator for District 23. 

Food and Water Watch Oregon organizers have been actively involved in spearheading this campaign in Oregon. As an advocate for safe and healthy food and water policy, the national organization works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. They currently are working on reforming the Farm Bill, which is in charge of agricultural subsidies to farmers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

My favorite is this pdf they developed titled:

Water=Life: How Privatization Undermines the Human Right toWater

Water Privatization is not a new issues – it’s happening and has been happening worldwide.

Click here to learn about Bolivia's water take over.

Blue Gold - an excellent film about the world water wars in the U.S. and around the globe.

Nestle's long list of unethical behavior on Corporate Watch, from chocolate to breast milk.

Keep Nestle Out of the Gorge Rally!

Tuesday, June 26th at 4pm

Terry Schrunk Plaza
Southwest Madison Street and 3rd Ave
Portland, OR

We need to tell Governor Kitzhaber: Either you stand with Oregonians or you stand with Nestlé!

Beautiful New Products at Awaz Shop!

Awaz is proud to offer some beautiful new products this spring!  Make sure to visit our Shop or come down to the Market every weekend to see it for yourself! The booth at the Market is open every weekend, 10-5:30 on Saturdays and 11-5 on Sundays. We look forward to seeing you there!

Some of these items are only available at the market, so be sure to stop by! At the very least, come by to sample the

Jewelry

All through the month of June, we are having a SALE! To showcase the great new jewelry we have in stock, we're offering a 10% discount on ALL jewelry, both online and at the market! Come by and see great pieces like these earrings, the perfect addition to any wardrobe. for work or a night on the town:

These wonderful earrings are only $8! We have several colors to choose from.

These rings are only $6! These are funky and sure to add a unique sense of style to any outfit!

Headbands

Headbands are all the rage these days, so why not buy Fair Trade when you can? We have lots of great colors and patterns to choose from, and the're only $6!

Show off your style and your commitment to fair trade! These are perfect for the warmer weather.

Bags

We have some lovely new bags in from MESH. These are 100% cotton, hand-woven bags that showcase the extraordinary traditional craftsmanship of working a loom! These gorgeous bags are only $26. The sunburst style bags come in a lovely orange or green, and the blue bag features great large buttons on the side; the perfect accent to such a gorgeous bag! The bag is wonderful for a night on the town! It is sophisticated, and showcases wonderful, beautiful hand-embroidery work!

$26 MARKET ONLY

$26 MARKET ONLY

$26 MARKET ONLY

A detail of the embroidery work. Amazing, and remember, it's ALL done by HAND!

See more of the lovely things we sell at the market on our facebook page!

WTO Seeks to Change Labels to "Made in the World"

I recently came across an article on The Huffington post about proposed changes to WTO regulations about how a product is labeled. If the changes are made, country of origin will no longer be printed on tags, but will instead say "Made in the World".  It is really disturbing how much unregulated power the WTO has to change trade/labeling rules. According to the WTO, "This new database allows trade analysts to have a better view of the global value chains created by world trade. These added-value chains have become an essential feature of our economic reality as trade is becoming increasingly globalized and today’s traded products are not produced in a single location but are the end-result of a series of steps carried out in many countries around the world."

If the new labeling changes took place, there would be even fewer barriers to companies putting exploitative factories in place. There would also be less accountability for companies, who could easily skirt certain regulations and rules. By not placing a country of origin, and no other explanatory labeling or oversight, we open ourselves up to harmful products. "This Initiative could have dire consequences for America's manufacturers and consumers. For manufacturers, it could eliminate one of the options allowed by the WTO -- filing a charge for product "dumping" against another country to have countervailing duties applied against that country. For consumers, "Made in the World" labels wouldn't allow you to protect your family from the tainted, harmful, and even life threatening products coming from China. You wouldn't be able to support saving and creating jobs for other Americans by buying 'Made in the USA'. "

I would be most concerned about the lack of oversight about products made harmfully, either for the producers, the consumer, or the planet. If a product has a "Made in the World" label, we can have no way of knowing if a product was hammered together outside of a nuclear waste factory then painted with lead paints in China. I am exaggerating, but I fear the reality might not be far off. If certain modes of production are cheaper from one country to the next, companies will gladly and quickly move them accordingly. And these are concerns for consumers in the US and other countries.

The Huffington Post article focuses on the harms this new system would have on Americans, but what about the artisans and producers we rely on for our commodities? They are the most vulnerable population, and should be considered. Americans have more freedom and opportunity than most to educate themselves about their products, where they come from, and to make decisions on which product to buy -- for example, purchasing a fair trade scarf rather than one from Walmart.

Globalization is changing business models and increasing fragmentation of production. Companies divide their operations around the world, from product design, manufacturing, to assembly and marketing, creating global production chains. More and more products are "made in the world" rather than in any particular country. Today's traded products are not produced in a single location but are the end-result of a series of steps carried out in many countries around the world. For example, cars and trucks produced by General Motors or Ford may have parts and assemblies coming from several other countries, including China.

 The above quote is absolutely true. Most products that you buy in stores are made in several different countries, so the company can maximize profit by moving the production line across country borders for the cheapest mode of production. The new label would encourage this even more, since companies would not be hindered by customs labels or rules.

However there are organizations that aim to preserve the production chain and keep things transparent, which is a solid tenant of Fair Trade organizations and agencies. One in particular is called The Fair Tracing Project, which aims to "support Ethical Trade by implementing IT Tracking and Tracing Technologies in supply chains to provide consumers and producers with enhanced information. Digital tracing technology enables each individual product to be both given a unique identity and tracked throughout the value chain from producer to consumer. The information that may be attached to such a “tagged” product is virtually limitless, beginning with details of the product’s date and cost of creation, as well as its individual creator and his/her working environment and pay, through the various steps of its transport to the eventual point-of-sale to the consumer."

Fair Trade Proof Index is another organization committed to a transparent production line, and have set a up a system for every consumer to trace their coffee!

Keeping oneself educated is one of the most important things we can do, especially if that education informs our shopping decisions. The power of the almighty dollar is strong! Continue to support those companies whose values align with yours, and who keep producers in mind when creating new products.

This is an interesting topic, and we welcome your opinion! Drop us a comment here, or on our facebook page!

Also, make sure to support the Northwest Fair Trade Coalition's Fair Trade Directory, to make sure that supporting fair trade in Portland is as easy as can be! Our goal is for fair trade to be as accessible as possible for all members of our community!