"Palm Out Poverty" in Africa

Tiger Lily and Encke Flowers Join All for Africa’s

“Palm Out Poverty” Campaign

with Benefit Drum Circle,

Solo Blues Salon Concert

and Fair Trade Gift Sale

Drum Circle led by Richard Reiter
Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m.
Tiger Lily by Encke
569 Cedar Lane, Teaneck
$15 donation
201-287-1800


Steve Kelman
Solo Blues Salon Concert
Saturday, September 26, 7:00 p.m.
Encke Flowers and Gifts
281 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck
$10 donation
201-836-1276

Encke Flowers and Tiger Lily by Encke, Teaneck’s Fair Trade gift and flower shops are joining with businesses, foundations and individuals around the country in “Palm Out Poverty Week,” a campaign to support sustainable development in Africa. On Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m., jazz musician/drummer Richard Reiter will host a drum circle at Tiger Lily by Encke, located at 569 Cedar Lane. All for Africa’s Director of Operations, Diane L. Burstein will be on hand to talk about the POP campaign. There is a $15 suggested donation. Then, on Saturday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m., bluesman Steve Kelman will appear in a salon concert at Encke Flowers & Gifts, located at 281 Queen Anne Road in Teaneck. There is a $10 suggested donation. Donations from both events will benefit the Palm Out Poverty campaign. To celebrate Palm Out Poverty Week, Encke and Tiger Lily will be donating 10% of the price of each gift item sold to the POP campaign.


Organized by the nonprofit foundation, All for Africa (http://www.allforafrica.org/) , the Palm Out Poverty initiative seeks to raise money for the planting of palm oil trees in Ghana within 17 Beneficiary Trusts. It is envisioned that each trust will produce $30,000 annually for a number of designated African charities that include clean water projects, education and health care initiatives and reforestation projects.

Rich Reiter, an acclaimed jazz musician and Emmy Award-winning composer has studied African drumming in Senegal, and has led drum circles around the country including New Jersey venues such as the Puffin Cultural Forum, Outpost in the Burbs, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Montclair's First Night. Rich, who is more well-known as a jazz saxophonist and composer, has performed with his ensembles internationally. He was recently acknowledged in a New York Times feature as one of the area's busiest drum circle leaders.

This is Rich Reiter’s second drum circle at Tiger Lily. No musical training is necessary. Rich brings many drums and percussion instruments for everyone to use if you don't have one yourself. Tiger Lily also carries a selection of Fair Trade drums and percussion instruments for those who would like to buy their own.

Steve Kelman performs a mix of blues, bluegrass, rock, and folk. Mostly known for his curation of folk series and festivals for Outpost in the Burbs, the Puffin Cultural Forum and other venues, Steve has also taken the stage, accompanying Hudson River storyteller Jonathan Kruk. Along with guitar, he also plays mandolin and a three-stringed instrument called a strumstick.

Green Wedding|Celebration|Alternative Weddings|Eco-wedding

Green Weddings -
Adding an element of "sustainability" to your relationship.


It doesn't have to be New Age, or involve dances before Gaia (although it could...). Making a commitment to becoming life partners is a statement of relational integrity. An engagement or wedding is or should be an affirmation of what each individual in the union has become in her/his life and for what they can become for each other, together, in the future. It makes sense that the symbols and rituals incorporate the best elements of the beliefs and values that the couple hold in common.

Many couples are foregoing diamonds as a symbol of engagement, based upon the diamond trade's roots in civil war and destabilization in Africa. Others are refusing to enter into the "gift registry" merchandizing bonanza promoted by the big department stores. Folks we know, who are concerned about the suspect pedigree (and expense) of imported cut flowers are using flowers and foliage they have grown themselves or are buying from local farms - a practice we heartily encourage.

We offer a sustainable alternative to couples who want their weddings/celebrations to reflect their beliefs: the Green Wedding. We are very happy to sit with you and discuss the amazing assortment of locally grown and/or Fair Trade organic cut flowers or plants that can be used in our designs. Our consultations become a brainstorming session on the ways that a celebration can make use of (elegant!) recycled or recyclable products - from Fair Trade certified and/or organic flowers to paper goods to the wedding dress itself.

Give us a call at either shop, Encke or Tiger Lily, and we'll be happy to talk "green".
201-836-1276 or 201-287-1800
http://www.tigerlilyflowershop.net/

Sources of Fair Trade Flowers

At the bottom of this post you'll find a list of contacts that was provided to me by Kazuko Golden of TransFairUSA. Kazuko leads TransFairUSA's group trying to develop and promote sources of Fair Trade cut flowers in the US.

As we've noted in past posts, the US is way behind Europe, where an increasing percentage of cut flowers are Fair Trade certified. (Half of the roses sold in Switzerland are FTC.) Every retail florist that begins to sell Fair Trade Certified/Organic cut flowers becomes part of a larger, crucial effort to educate the US public about sustainability - economic and environmental. This will be a transitional process that will surely gather momentum, just as the Fair Trade movement has gained traction in the coffee market. Aside from being the manifestly right thing to do, I am sure that it will also prove to be profitable for retail florists as our customers become more knowledgeable. It is an easy step to take from comprehending fair trade related to food and coffee to cut flowers.

Our experience in selling FTC gifts in our shops in Teaneck (a moderately progressive, but by no means radical town) is that our patrons have generally heard of Fair Trade, even if they cannot articulate a complete definition. They like and admire the idea, and have expressed a preference to buy fair trade when there is a choice. This can be one more reason to come to your retail florist as opposed to buying flowers at the local supermarket or Costco.

(As I write this, I am watching a woman crossing the street in front of our store, holding a ready-made bouquet she bought at the local butcher shop...) We're in a tough business.

If you're ever in the NY/NJ metro area, please visit us at our shops:

Encke Flowers
281 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck

or Tiger Lily
569 Cedar Lane, Teaneck

Anyway, here's the list:

Jessica Bergna
EcoFlowers/Organic Bouquet
http://www.ecoflowers.com/
jbergna@ecoflowers.com

Edin Maslesa
Fall River Florist Supply
Direct Line 508-742-1846
Mobile 781-956-5012
Fax 508-672-1433
http://www.fallriverfloristsupply.com/

Perez, Sharon M.
World Flowers, USA Incorporated
przshar@aol.com
(863) 214-5202

Alaina Paradise
One World Flowers, Incorporated
aparadise@oneworldflowers.org
(505) 304-7458

Mr. Diego PadronAsociación de Comercio Equitativo
0-11-593 2 2441113
drpadron@hotmail.com


Hortensia Ulvrri
InBloom Group LLC
(305) 436-0030
hortensia@inbloomgroup.com

Fair Trade and Flowers

Most of us don't associate flowers with exploitation. Or environmental degradation.

Unfortunately, the cut flower industry has a lot to answer for in this regard, having drawn its profitability from exploiting workers in Latin America and elsewhere for many years (low wages, poor working conditions, no labor organizations, toxic exposure to pesticides and herbicides...). However, the Fair Trade movement has changed the face of floral wholesale and retail in the European Union, and it is gaining a foothold stateside.

So what does Fair Trade mean? What can it mean for those of us in the US who want to design and sell cut flower arrangements without participating in the abuse of workers and the environment in the developing countries?

The Fair Trade movement was initiated by activists in Holland in 1988, responding to a plunge in international coffee prices. While European and American coffee drinkers enjoyed the benefits of cheaper coffee, small farmers in developing countries were devastated. Concerns for their welfare led to the establishment of a system of Fair Trade certification to ensure that coffee and other economically vulnerable agricultural workers were not exploited. However, Fair Trade certification is not just about paying farmers and workers fairly. It is also about promoting education and developing more sustainable trade ties with other nations. Fair Trade certification involves voluntary cooperation with a certifying organization and usually reflects an international effort between companies and their suppliers. Today, coffee and cacao are the two most commonly certified crops, because both industries traditionally exploited their workers. However, any crop or product could be Fair Trade certified.

What does Fair Trade certification mean? Is it just about prices? To be Fair Trade certified, a company must guarantee that their suppliers do not use child or slave labor, that workers are paid a fair living wage, that employment opportunities are available to all workers and that everyone has an equal opportunity for advancement, and that healthy working and living conditions are provided for workers. In addition, producers must agree to support the educational and technical needs of their workforce, while promoting active and healthy trade agreements and being open to public accountability. Fair Trade certification also often involves environmentally sustainable production and harvest practices, encouraging a stable market and a healthy Earth. Fair Trade certification also usually involves a respect for cultural heritage and encourages cultural exchange between nations rather than the smothering of traditions. Many Fair Trade products include information about the people who grow them and the world they live in, making every cup of coffee an education.

Who determines whether products meet Fair Trade standards? Most Fair Trade certification is governed by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO), a group of 20 Fair Trade labelers around the world who have set mutual standards and agree to certify and enforce them. In the United States, TransFair USA represents FLO, and numerous companies work with TransFair to achieve Fair Trade certification. Fair Trade products are sometimes more expensive on the shelf, although they probably cost less in terms of human suffering and environmental damage than conventional products. As more companies are working towards Fair Trade certification, the cost is beginning to come down, encouraging consumers to make ethical, healthy, and sustainable choices about the source of their food.