Fair Trade Artisan Advocate to Visit Fair Trade Winds on October 4
Springfield, OH (PRWEB) September 30, 2013 -- In celebration of Fair Trade Month, Fair Trade Winds welcomes Meera Viswanathan, founder of Mira Fair Trade, to the store’s inaugural "Tea and Talk" event on Friday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. Viswanathan will speak about her work with artisan groups and community organizers in rural India, and share stories about how fair trade purchases impact women and families in India.
The event is free and open to the public and will take place at Fair Trade Winds during Springfield's monthly First Friday festivities at 36 N. Fountain Ave. Tea and refreshments will be served.
This is a unique opportunity for the Springfield community to make a personal connection to their purchases. Viswanathan is excited to share stories about the women who create each product, face-to-face. "As the famous quotation goes, 'if you educate a women you educate the entire family,'" Viswanathan said. "We at Mira Fair Trade empower women artists by helping them attain long term sustainability and economic independence." Products from Mira Fair Trade will be 15% off that day.
Mira Fair Trade (http://www.ShopMira.com) was founded in 2008 by Meera Viswanathan after a visit to rural parts of India with her family. She met many talented artisans who had no control over their products or wages, because they were lacking the education and resources to help them. She realized that she could make a big difference in the artisan’s lives, and brought their products into the U.S. marketplace. Her work at the grassroots level helps the artisans design beautiful traditional products suitable for the western world. Viswanathan is also involved with groups in India who work on community improvement projects, such as building schools, digging wells, and irrigation/water systems. She regularly meets with the community organizers, non-profits, and the artisans who make Mira Fair Trade a successful fair trade model. Thanks to these efforts, ancient arts and crafts were preserved.
As members of the Fair Trade Federation of North America (http://www.fairtradefederation.org), Fair Trade Winds and Mira Fair Trade are fully committed to fair trade and seek to build long-term relationships with the people who make their products. This commitment assures stability, full transparency in the supply chain, that workers are paid promptly and fairly, and that their rights are valued. Members also promote cultural identity and encourage environmentally sustainable practices. Mira Fair Trade and Fair Trade Winds are also members of Green America.
The store will be open on Friday, October 4 from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Regular business hours are Monday-Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. For more information, email info(at)fairtradewinds(dot)net.
Paul Culler, Fair Trade Winds, http://www.fairtradewinds.net, +1 (703) 606-5776, [email protected]
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