Erika Wilson ~ elwilson13 ~ [email protected] ~ Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Day 13: Fair Trade: Green
Mabraat Kabadda:
ThisisMabraatKabadda,acoffeefarmerfromtheOromiaregionofEthiopia:thebirthplaceofcoffee.There,theOromiaCoffeeFarmer’sCooperativeUnion(OCFCU)hasbecomealeaderincertifyingFairtradecoffeegrowersintheregion.Farmers,likeMabraat,produceorganiccoffeebeansbutunfortunatelythesensitiveplantsaresusceptibletotheimpactsofclimatechange.
Becauseofthesethreats,OromiawasoneofthefirstplacestoutilizetheFairtradeClimateStandard.Mabraatwasapartofthisplan.Sheliveswithherchildreninabeautifulmountainousareawhereshewouldtypicallyhavetocollectwoodeverydayforcooking,whichwastimeconsuming.WiththeFairtradeClimateStandard,40,000energyefficientstovesweredeliveredtocoffeegrowinghouseholdsintheregiontoreducethegreenhousegasemissionsfromtraditionalcookingmethods.
Mabraatreceivedoneofthesestovesandalongwithitgivinghermoretimetospendwithfriendsandfamily.SheisnowalegibletosellFairtradeCarbonCredits,aswell.Thereductionofgreenhousegasesfromthesenewstovescouldbeupto70%!Becausesomanyfarmerswereabletoreceivethesestoves,thewholecommunityisimprovedandmorepreparedtotakeonclimatechangetogether.
IwascompelledbyMabraat’sstoryformultiplereasons.Thissummer,Ispent5weekslivinginEthiopiawithmydearfriend,Lulandherfamily,andweputonayouthconferencetodiscussideas,projects,andthedevelopmentofEthiopia.Thatshortamount
oftimeIspentthere,allowedmetogrowadeepconnectiontotheplace,cultureandpeopleandIfinditsoinspiringandencouragingthatWOMENlikeMabraatarereceivingthesekindsofopportunitiesthroughFairTradepractices.
IlovethewayFairTradeactsasachangeagentamongcommunitiesandishelpingto“unitethehumanrace”asBronnersays.LearningaboutfairtradehasmademethinkalotabouthowmuchIappreciatehumanityandthewayfairbusinesspracticescanseriouslyworktowardsimprovingpeople’slives.IcaresomuchaboutthisworldandthepeopleinitandFairTradeencompassesthiscompassionforpeople,theenvironment,safetyandhealthallinone.CheckoutthisvideoofMabraathere:https://vimeo.com/147814862 Andjustforfun:here’sapictureofthewayIwoulddrinkcoffeeeverydayinEthiopia.Theyhaveaveryspecificcoffeeceremonywhentheymakecoffeeandit’ssuchanintegralpartoftheculture.ItmakesmesohappythatFairTradepracticesarebeingputintoplacewithincoffeegrowingregionsbecausenotonlywillitkeepEthiopianculturealive,itwillhelpthepeopleandensurethisdelicious,richcoffeenevergoesaway!J
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