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Laos Essential Artistry Posting Page
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
  We don’t often stop at Starbucks, but when we were in one of our local Starbuck’s the other day we saw a sign that said that the espresso coffee used in espresso drinks, like lattés, was “Ethically Traded and Responsibly Grown.” We’re all pretty aware of “fair traded” items and some of the coffee sold at Starbucks states that it is “Fair Trade Coffee,” or at least was. So, we asked ourselves, what is the difference between “ethically traded and responsibly grown” and “fair trade?” Somehow I thought something marketed as being “fair trade” would imply that it was ethically traded, and if it was a product that could be grown, responsibly grown. And being curious minded we asked a barista at our local Starbucks and this was her reply: And please understand, we don't blame the barista for not knowing anything about what “ethically traded and responsibly grown” means. And isn't it interesting that we didn't seem to be the first ones to ask the question? So with all this new signage, is that just what it is, words only... just a marketing ploy? Another spin on Fair Trade. If it was meaningful you would think Starbucks would take the time to teach their employees about this new marketing campaign. But the big question is, what do YOU think? Really, we would like to know what people think and thought maybe this blog would lead to some online conversations through the commenting feature. But we think we've had a total of only two comments in over 50 posts! But we know a lot of people read the blog, so hopefully we're a catalyst for something... But what it does do is give us the opportunity to champion our business and the textiles and handicrafts we sell as embracing similar concepts. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! We love talking about out textiles, the weavers and galleries we know, the people of Laos, its history, etc. And about the money we donate towards Big Brother Mouse to fund book parties at rural schools and buy books to give to teachers and children we encounter on our travels. At Laos Essential Artistry we agree that fair trade is a partnership based on dialogue, mutual understanding, respect and direct contact between ourselves and our artisan partners and it only seems natural though, that if there are strong connections and friendships, fair trade would be a given. But how do you know if Fair Trade (and ethically traded) principles are really the guiding light in a business endeavor such as ours? We think that the proof is in our website, reading what we've written, seeing what we're selling, and looking at the totality of what we've done, what we're doing and what we're planning to do in the future, and how we've communicated this in our website. It’s all about character and it’s interesting when you look at the etymology of the word ethical: which comes from the Middle English etik, from Latin ethicus, from Greek ēthikos, from ēthos, that the essence of its meaning is character. And we would combine the importance of character with the need to develop empathy, and we like the derivation of the Lao word for empathy which is made up of two words, (hen)( jhai), to (see) into the (heart), which fits in perfectly with the Buddhist term "metta" - which most translate as "loving kindness" but which, in the texts, really means empathy. And through our website, photos, and the textiles and handicrafts we sell, we hope you can see into the heart of Laos Essential Artistry and the Lao artisans and weavers we represent. by: Laos Essential Artistry 
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1 Comments:
Great Laos product and textile.
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