Today’s blog post is a special entry written by guest blogger, and Chelsea Market Baskets Store Manager, Angelo. He recounts a recent visit to a New York City school to speak with the students about fair trade- and was pleasantly surprised by the sophisticated thinking and questions about fair trade and sustainability happening in the third grade classroom. Chelsea Market Baskets supports many vendors with Fair Trade certification, and we are thrilled to have our team members continue the conversation outside of our four walls.
Imagine an eight-year-old giving you a rundown of fair trade practices and sustainable agriculture in third world countries. Can’t picture it? Head over to New York City’s Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, ask Ian, Cameron, or Arya from Ms. Avena’s third grade class for a lesson on biodiversities in farming in tropical climates, and see for yourself. I sure did.
This week I had the wonderful opportunity to stop by CGPS to speak to three third grade classes about the importance of fair trading practices of Chelsea Market Baskets’s favorite indulgence: chocolate. You know that here at CMB a product must have our stamp of approval before it hits our shelves. We believe in the value of fair trade to ensure not only ethical labor practices, but also a good product that’s been well crafted and tastes great because of it.
CGPS third graders were learning all about the significance of sustainable farming and the magnitude of deforestation, and were wondering what they can do to help add their little grain of sand. I spoke to them about how some companies, like Francois Pralus Chocolatier,
are certified fair trade chocolate makers that are voluntarily assessed and reviewed to make sure of two things: that the farms from which they are sourcing their cocoa beans are following fair labor practice, and that the farmers are being paid fairly for their products. The kids learned that while fair trade may not necessarily secure cash for farmers, premium sums of sale profits go to building new schools, hospitals, and roads for farms in needy countries. [click to continue…]
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