Sustainable Fair Trade Market

We at St. Joan’s are familiar with the mantra ‘We welcome you wherever you are on your journey’. These sentiments can also be applied to the idea of living with more social and environmental responsibility, which is the focus of the upcoming Sustainable Fair Trade Market [Details] to be held at St. Joan’s on Sunday, November 25. In fact, say its organizers, we are all learning what it means to live our day-to-day lives in ways that are considerate of the earth and in line with our values of social justice. We are doing so one small step at a time and often think we could be doing so much more. But it is those small steps, they say, that lead to big changes in our own lives, our communities and in the world at large.

Janet Brown and Ann Mongoven, longtime parishioners of St. Joan’s and fellow parents and home-schoolers, were first impressed with the possibilities of promoting Fair Trade principles when their kids were involved in a youth group at St. Joan's that focused on sweatshops around the world. Called the Sweat Free SJA Youth group, it was initiated by youth who had been on an SJA delegation to St. Joan’s sister parish in Guatemala, Tierra Nueva Dos (TN2).

As a result of their children’s involvement in with Sweat Free SJA Youth, Janet and Ann became more interested and aware of the issues around fair trade and sustainability. After a couple years of considering ideas about environmental responsibility, social justice and the strong connection of these ideas to the core values of St. Joan’s, they came up with the idea of putting on a market at St. Joan’s to promote these ideas and broaden awareness of fair trade within the congregation.

The woman who guided Sweat Free SJA Youth became instrumental in moving this vision forward. Mindy Ahler Olmstead, longtime SJA parishioner and an assistant manager at Ten Thousand Villages, a shop that sells and promotes fair trade products and policies had also been long involved with TN2. She went on her first of four SJA delegations to Guatemala in 1996, and has been involved with all delegations both coming and going since that time. In her work with TN2, she has heard from workers about the conditions in sweatshops and met women's cooperatives that make handicrafts for the fair trade market in the US. Mindy is excited about the upcoming market at St. Joan’s. “I think the market is a great way for us to move from just telling SJA about Fair Trade to showing them,” she says.

Besides Mindy, Ann and Janet tapped the talents of Marti Markus, another longtime parishioner and co-owner of Birch Clothing, to help shape the Market. Birch has as its mission to provide consumers with fair trade, fair made, eco-friendly clothing. Both Mindy and Marti provided invaluable expertise on how to put together a Fair Trade event and who to include.

As often happens with inspired ideas, the event has generated much interest and grown into a significant event with the support of many organizations. Ann and Janet found a lot of support within St. Joan's, particularly from the Eco-Spirituality Group. Since the focus was on community building and education they also invited the Ministries International and Youth Groups to co-sponsor the event. Many organizations [link to list of organizations here] in the growing fair trade community also signed on enthusiastically.

Along with an afternoon market featuring fair trade goods and services for sale, there will be great information available starting right after services promoting ways we can all move toward living more sustainably and with social responsibility. Come early to browse the vendors, eat local, organic food prepared by a local chef and get a start on your holiday shopping.

Connie Lanphear has been attending SJA since 1990 – first as a single person, then married with kids, now single with kids. She lives near the river in Minneapolis with her two grade-school aged daughters and two cats. Most recently, she has worked in communications for two environmental organizations and has just launched a freelance business offering writing, editing and graphic design. Her hobbies include yoga, rowing, reading, stained glass, knitting and working (endlessly) on her house.

Janet and Ann emphasize that the journey of becoming a responsible consumer and citizen is a learning process, taken one step at a time. The market is a great way to take one step, along with the SJA community, and to also get connected to the bigger fair trade and environmental movements. None of us can expect to do it all at once, they stress, or to do it perfectly. The movement itself is evolving, learning, struggling to become a more cohesive whole.

As we approach the holiday season, a time of ramped up consumerism, we can be a little more thoughtful about the effects our choices have on the earth and its inhabitants. Make it a more intentional time, giving yourself permission to take just one step. Come, learn, enjoy!