News & Events
February 27th, 2011 |
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Hollywood Free Clinic Rose Giveaway
Silverlake’s Hollywood Sunet Free Clinic received Fair Trade Certified roses from One World Flowers to participate in the Valentine Peace Project by giving out poems on love and peace from individuals around the world as a community themed Valentine expression. The clinic’s mission is to provide quality health care, mental health services and required ancillary services to the homeless, poverty level and low-income residents of Silver Lake, Echo Park, East Hollywood and neighboring communities of Los Angeles. These communities are in most desperate need; the majority is at the 200% or below Federal Poverty Level. Each rose that was given away came with a poem from the Valentine’s Peace Project. Staff at the clinic celebrated the holiday by giving these out to fellow staff members, visiting patients and close neighbors from February 14-18.
Teresa Padua, director of the clinic said they had “loads of fun” sharing the beautiful roses and moving poems, noting people’s surprised expressions, cheering up work colleagues and individuals who might even have forgotten that it was that time of year!
The Valentine Peace Project works on community activities on love and positive peace in February and in September around the United Nations Peace Day and is working with ethical trade merchants to assist with the developmet of post-conflict region agricultural products as well as peace education, awareness and global community celebration.
Tags: Fair Trade Certified Flowers, fair trade certified roses, fair trade certified valentine's day, hollywood sunset free clinic, One World Flowers
December 29th, 2010 |
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As 2010 comes to a close, we would like to share this great report with you from the Ecuador Fair Trade Association about the positive impacts that Fair Trade Certified flowers have made for workers, their families, and the community. The EFTA is made up of seven flower farms from across the country that together employ more than 1,500 workers. One World Flowers looks forward to working with this group in 2011 to continue growing and expanding the Fair Trade flowers program.
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Tags: benefits of fair trade, Ecuador Fair Trade Association, Fair Trade Certified Flowers, fair trade certified roses, Fair Trade Flowers, fair trade roses, wholesale fair trade flowers
October 15th, 2010 |
No Comments The following post was submitted by Alaina Paradise, owner of One World Flowers, as part of Fair Trade USA’s Fair Trade Month awareness campaign. Click here to see the original post on Fair Trade USA’s blog.
A woman collects roses at a farm in Ethiopia, Africa's second-largest flower exporter after Kenya. Photographer: Jose Cendon/Bloomberg News
Fair Trade CertifiedTM flowers were first introduced to the US market in 2007 when TransFair USA (now Fair Trade USA) began licensing importers for the program. The addition of Fair Trade flowers to the US market was an incredible accomplishment for the producers and licensees who chose to participate in the program. It presented a great opportunity to grow sustainable sales in a new market and make an even bigger impact for floral workers worldwide. The Fair Trade flowers program has seen a good amount of success since its beginnings, but has not yet been able to win the wide-scale market awareness and producer participation as other products such as Fair Trade coffee, fruit, and tea.
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Tags: benefits of fair trade, challenges of fair trade, Fair Trade Certified Flowers, fair trade certified roses, Fair Trade Flowers, fair trade roses, flower logistics, flower shipping, insecticides on roses, One World Flowers, wholesale fair trade flowers
November 16th, 2009 |
4 Comments By Alaina Paradise
“Now listen you rich oppressors, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you… Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the Lord Almighty. “ ~ James 5:1,4
The Bible is clear that God detests injustice and oppression. This verse from the book of James speaks of unfair treatment of workers who have earned their wages through hard work but are not paid. Unfortunately, this is an injustice that is happening all over the world, even today. Agricultural workers are not paid for their hours, they are forced into unpaid overtime, or required to reach outrageous harvest quotas before getting minimum pay. In many cases, women suffer physical or sexual harassment and abuse. The environment is polluted with harsh chemicals and fertilizers, and workers are not given proper protection from these harmful agents.
In contrast, Fair Trade is a powerful and practical model to help build economic justice, promote human rights, and support responsible stewardship of the earth. Fair Trade ensures that workers are paid a living wage, which is far beyond the minimum wage in most countries. Human rights are protected and guaranteed. Workers are able to report abuses and receive remediation through an overseeing human rights organization. In addition, the most harmful agrochemicals are banned from use and replaced with integrated pest management. In the event that a chemical or pesticide must be used, workers are provided with protective gear to prevent chemical poisoning, and proper precautions are taken to close the fields until it is safe to enter.
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Tags: Fair Trade Certified Flowers, fair trade certified roses, Fair Trade Flowers, fair Trade in the U.S., fair trade in the United States, Faith and fair trade, green flowers, wholesale fair trade flowers, wholesale fair trade roses, Wholesale Flowers, wholesale roses
October 26th, 2009 |
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One World Flowers is pleased to announce the opening of the Fleurish Florist floral design studio in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, specializing in sustainable floral design and “green” weddings. Fleurish Florist will be the first florist in Philadelphia to use Fair Trade Certified flowers, which will be supplied by One World Flowers. The company is a wholly woman-owned business founded by two sisters, Jane Cespuglio, owner and design director, and Susan Cespuglio-Bigler, owner and business manager. Fleurish Florists’ mission is to make the decision of going green a simple choice for clients hosting fair trade, eco-friendly events or fundraisers. Cespuglio commented, “As an architect, I have developed an in-depth awareness of issues of sustainability.”
Sustainable Design Principals
Fleurish Florists‘ design principles are based on the belief that customers do not need to sacrifice creativity, drama or excitement in exchange for choosing sustainable floral arrangements for weddings, events or corporate needs. Fleurish Florists employs eco-friendly techniques, ranging from the company’s choice of flowers and floral supplies, to its business structure and marketing strategy. Said Cespuglio, “I started Fleurish because I wanted to have a job that was a more hands-on approach to design, while having an outlet of self-expression that was both useful and ethical.” To this end, Fleurish Florists purchases only certified Fair Trade Certified, USDA organic, VeriFlora and local flowers to offset the impact the cut-floral industry has on the environment and people in third-world countries. Cespuglio-Bigler commented, “First and foremost, we feel it is the right thing to do to reduce our environmental impact and support a healthier and safer flower industry, but we also believe it makes good business sense.” In addition, Fleurish Florists never uses floral foam, which can be very harmful to the environment, and uses recycled-glass vases and ceramic containers created by local Philadelphia artists.
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Tags: Fair Trade Certified Flowers, fair trade certified roses, fair trade events, fair trade florist, fair trade florist in philadelphia, Fair Trade Flowers, fair Trade in the U.S., fair trade in the United States, green events, green florist in philadelphia, green flowers, green weddings, philadelphia florist, Veriflora, veriflora vs. fair trade
September 25th, 2008 |
2 Comments About 80% of the cut flowers sold in the U.S. are grown outside of the country. Workers on these farms are often cheated out of salaries, abused, and taken advantage of by their employers to keep costs low. Fair Trade Certification is a guarantee that the farms will receive a fair price for their flowers, workers are paid and treated properly, and the environment is cared for. Because of Fair Trade, communities can reap the benefits of global trade while building sustainable social, economic, and environmental business practices.
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