This shop is run by a NPO and all the items sold there are fair-traded from countries around the world. I first stopped by at the shop, thinking it's a nice shop. When I knew the philosophy of the shop, I liked it even better!
The shop reminded me of a vacation trip in Langkawi Islands I made years ago. My friend and I took a little mangrove tour and stopped in a very small island. Local people living there prepared a very tasty meal. We were explained that those people made their living by selling mangrove trees and the wood was sold in Japan as BBQ charcoal.
It was a really tiny island with only two shacks. There's no electricity or water system, no TV, no school. I saw some kids in dirty clothes. I was pretty shocked. Of course nobody wants to pay much to buy things, but I never thought about the life of local producers.
After shopping at Ten Thousand Villages, I had lunch at Four Burgers.
As I'm a Pesco-vegetarian, I got a veggie (black beans) burger and a mix of potato and sweet potato fries. My 3-year-old daughter got a hot dog and my husband a turkey burger.
This restaurant uses fresh and safe (antibiotics and growth hormone free) meat from local farms. We felt good to know we were having safe food and supporting local farms at the same time.
Almost everyday we buy things and there are a wide variety of goods in the market. When we buy something, we choose it for some reason. You might like it better than other products because it looks better than others, or cheaper or tastier. When I make my shopping decision, Id like to choose products that are better for the society, health, environment and the future of the globe.
For the same reasons, we started Ibuki Wellness business. We deal with household cleaning products and supplements that are better for the environment and our health. If you anyway have to buy some laundry detergent, it's better to use co-friendly ones!
Junko
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