I recently picked up two of these handy “family calendars” with the intent of gifting one. Plus, I wanted to support the organization behind it. The One World Family Calendar features beautiful photography of people from around the world, along with space for daily schedules for up to five people. It’s a beautiful calendar that will help you plan the rest of your family’s year.
This calendar comes from the New Internationalist: People, Ideas, and Action for Global Justice.
With new technologies, the whole wide world is at our fingertips, and we can help those in other countries as well as our own by shopping with a global responsibility in mind. And if you don’t think you support buying things from overseas, take a closer look around … that melon purchased in December probably came from South America, and that cell phone positively came from the other side of the globe. And wait … before venting about buying American-made, please realize that it’s an opinion typed on a computer that was most certainly made in China, Japan, or Taiwan. Sorry, Dorothy, but we’re not in Kansas anymore. We’re all part of a bigger picture, and that picture involves supporting workers around the world—not governments, but workers, people like you and me. So my stand is, I support workers, wherever they happen to live. Made in the USA, awesome. Project F.A.R.M. (First-class American Rural Made), love it. And yes, Made in the World. For me, they’re no longer mutually exclusive.
To win this beautiful calendar, tell me why you’ve decided to embrace the whole wide world and ALL the working people in it. We’ll put your name in a hat and pull out one lucky winner sometime in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Yes, MaryJane! We are all one big community here on this planet. And like you said, when we support each other, we all do better and we all have a happier life. While I am not in agreement with trade laws that directly hurt our own workers here at home, I believe we have to find ways to work together so that nobody gets left behind. It gets tricky, but when we can apply our creativity and fairness to trade, supporting others does not end up in Americans losing out. One good example that comes to mind are all of the Fair trade items, like coffee beans for example, that we can purchase and create our own products and business here in the US.
It seems over time the line between Made in.. and quality has been muddled, fueled by producers who want the most return for the smallest cost (a logical but badly abused business practice). Little care for quality, has caused such a division that it seems to bleed out into other parts of our lives and affect deeper issues. For myself, I don’t care as much about where it is made as how well it is made. It is the craft, the art and the care put into it that I crave. 🙂 You have chosen a hot topic for the day MaryJane. Good morning!
You’re right (as usual)! We need to support the worker and not the grossly-inflated, huge, profit-driven corporations that may be local but are certainly not a good bang for the buck. Thanks for reminding us that family and community businesses are the best.
These herder woman look like masai tribeswomen. I support small business people in emerging nations by donating small amounts to Kiva.com. which is a micro lending organization. They loan like $100 or so to small businesses usually run by women, and then that allows them to make huge changes in their lives. They have a 95% repayment log. I urge you to go the site and look at the people you can help make a living directly. I chose my latest person, a cobbler in Burkina Faso, the poorest nation in the world, and he paid back my loan in less than a year, that is equivalent to double his yearly salary! This is the way I think and help globally.
Lisa, I like the way you think, and I’ll check out Kiva.com
thanks Karlyne,and all you farmgirls out there, you won’t regret it, wait till you read the people’s stories on Kiva.com and how brave and hardworking they are under such adversity.
Also. meant to add , try and buy from Fair Trade partners, where the workers are paid a fair and living wage and they are protected from abuse. This is a huge way to help and support global businesses as well.
Baker’s Creek Seeds has exposed me to many beautiful images of plants and people in other countries. It is incredible what these incredible hardworking people are doing to make their life sustainable. I thank them for be willing to share their seed stores, letting us grow some of their native varieties, and investing in our food futures.
I find the diversity of the world beautiful. I think all cultures have a lot to offer and I love them all and love the art and items they have to offer.