Here’s some beautiful, empowering music from renowned Malian vocalist Oumou Sangaré to get your day started right.

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The post Oumou Sangaré’s ‘Yere Faga’ is a Hefty Dose of Groovy Girl Power [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

This group of African farmers did an amazing thing: they helped adapt their farming operation to ensure it could survive a drier climate.

“In the steep fields of Ethiopia’s highlands, when rain falls on the parched, overworked land it runs downhill, carrying soil with it. Farmers commonly lose 130 tons of soil per hectare a year, comparable to the worst erosion documented on U.S. farms in recent history. Then, because the water has all rushed downhill, instead of seeping underground, wells go dry. Without water, crops wither, and that exposes bare soil to further erosion,” Grist reports.

Watch the video about how they did it below.

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The post How African Farmers Saved Their Dying Land [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

Merging European and African influences, Adèle Dejak’s designs use reclaimed and recycled materials to create pieces that benefit local artisans.

After working as a freelance typographer and art director for an Italian music magazine, Adèle Dejak moved to Kenya and turned her attention to designing accessories from her home in Nairobi. Harboring a long-standing fascination for jewelry and the use of ‘waste’ materials to make new things, her designs incorporate reclaimed and recycled materials from the local environment, including rice sacks, cement bags, glass, wood, ostrich egg shell, aluminum, bone, brass and cow horn.

Dejak merges European and African influences, and uses locally made fabrics, such as Kuba cloth and kitenge (wax print), to create products that honor and express an appreciation for local culture.

The materials are sourced from across the African continent but mainly from the East African region. Materials often arrive at the workshop in their raw form and are transformed by Dejak’s team of eight in-house artisans and five beaders into the final products. The process can be labor intensive and requires specialist knowledge. Each piece is made by hand, with utmost care and attention can be seen in the final beauty of the products.

The highly skilled artisans come from all walks of life and from different places in Kenya. Adèle Dejak also collaborates with a network of artisans outside of the studio, working to invest in communities in East Africa and training people to learn new skills that will enhance their livelihoods and contribute positively to the local and global community. Current partners include the Dadaab Refugee Camp, home to more than 500,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Uganda and Rwanda who are not permitted to grow crops or keep livestock and have started earning wages by making bags from recycled food donation sacks, and the Wawoto Kacel Cooperative in Uganda, a social arts and crafts cooperative founded by a group of HIV positive women.

The brand recently collaborated with Salvatore Ferragamo on Bags for Africa, has been featured in Vogue Italia, and exhibited at Milan fashion week in 2012 as part of Vogue Talents. In 2011 Adèle Dejak was one of sixteen designers working in Africa chosen to join the Design Network Africa (DNA), an organization dedicated to inspiration and educating African designers and creating “good business out of good design by building a strong professional network to encourage collaboration and sharing to create new visions for business and inspiration.”

Images courtesy of Adèle Dejak

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Column Chocolate is a guilty pleasure in more ways than one.

For most people, chocolate evokes positive associations: indulgence, childhood, Valentine’s Day. But in Western Africa, the connotations are far less positive. There, an estimated 1.8 million child laborers work tirelessly to produce the cocoa that goes into our Easter bunny chocolates.

The ills of the cocoa industry first entered the public eye in the early 2000s, after a BBC documentary called “Slavery: A Global Investigation” highlighted the child labor and slavery abuses occurring on West African cocoa farms. According to the International Labor Rights Forum, child workers in the cocoa industry typically “labor for long, punishing hours, using dangerous tools and facing frequent exposure to dangerous pesticides as they travel great distances in the grueling heat.” In addition, those working as slaves “suffer frequent beatings and other cruel treatment.”

The Good

The BBC documentary sparked a loud, though short-lived, public outcry. Soon after it was released, U.S. House Representative Eliot Engel and Senator Tom Harkin sponsored the Harkin-Engel Protocol, a public-private agreement to eliminate the “worst forms of child labor” (as defined by the International Labour Organization) in the growth and processing of cocoa in the Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where nearly 75 percent of the world’s cocoa supply is grown. Signed in September 2001, the agreement, better known as the Cocoa Protocol, outlined six actions, each with specific deadlines.

• Public statement of the need for and terms of an action plan.
• Formation of multi-sectoral advisory groups. (By December 1, 2001)  
• Signed joint statement on child labor to be witnessed at the ILO. (By December 1, 2001)
• Memorandum of cooperation. (By May 1, 2002)
• Establish a joint foundation. (By July 1, 2002)
• Building toward credible standards. (By July 1, 2005)

The agreement was signed by multiple stakeholders, from the heads of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association and World Cocoa Foundation, to the coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, to the presidents of the world’s top eight chocolate manufacturers at the time. It was a significant commitment to ending child labor in the cocoa industry, from the people in positions to effect that change.

The Bad

The Cocoa Protocol was first lauded as a success, but its long-term results have been less than impressive. By the first protocol deadline in 2005, the industry had still failed to implement an industry-wide certification program. An amendment gave the stakeholders three more years, but by 2008, the objectives were still not met. In 2010, the parties signed yet another document – commonly referred to as the 2010 Joint Declaration – that reaffirmed their commitment and added the goal of reducing the worst forms of child labor by 70 percent by 2020.

It’s evident that the Cocoa Protocol still has a long way to go. A 2011 report from the Tulane University Payson Center revealed that about 1.8 million children continue to work in cocoa agriculture in the Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana alone. In the Côte d’Ivoire, about five percent work for pay, and in Ghana, about 10 percent do. In the 12 years since the Cocoa Protocol was signed, only about five percent of child laborers have been exposed to its related initiatives.

In early 2012, the issue was again brought to the public eye thanks to a CNN Freedom Project documentary called Chocolate’s Child Slaves. While exploring cocoa farms in the Côte d’Ivoire,  filmmakers found that not only were child labor and slavery still very prevalent, but many of the employers they encountered hadn’t even been informed of the need to change their practices.

So What Now?

Educate yourself further.

This column just scratches the surface of the abuses and ills of the cocoa industry. To learn more, I recommend watching Mika Mistrati and U. Roberto Romano’s 2010 documentary, “The Dark Side of Chocolate,” and checking out the “Chocolate’s Child Slaves” content from the CNN Freedom Project.

Sign the petition.

Oxfam recently launched a “Women and Chocolate” petition as part of its larger “Behind the Brands” campaign, which seeks to change the way big brands do business. The petition calls on the top three chocolate manufacturers — Nestle, Mars, and Mondelez International (formerly Kraft) — to reduce gender inequality in their industry. While a separate issue from child labor, it’s still an important one.

Indulge responsibly.

Relax — no one is asking you to boycott chocolate now that you know its darker side. But you might want to consider switching your loyalties to Fair Trade brands that work directly with certified slave-free cocoa producers. And beware of Fair Trade brands that are actually owned by troublesome corporations, like Green & Blacks, owned by Mondelez, or Dagoba, owned by Hershey. My personal Fair Trade favorites are Equal Exchange, Kopali Organics, and Divine Chocolate.

Images: Kirti Poddar, Peter DiCampo/Oxfam America, Clive Dara

The post Behind The Label: The Unsweet Dark Side of the Chocolate Industry appeared first on EcoSalon.

Win this gorgeous necklace from ethical jewelry brand 31 Bits. 

Jewelry that helps empower women, contributes to sustainable development and is 100% recycled? 31 Bits is an ethical accessory company that walks the walk. Their are more than colorful jewelry, they are an example of a business model that contributes to sustainable development and empowering women.

In 2007, Kallie Dovel traveled to Northern Uganda, while there she met women who made paper beads, but had no market to sell them. Dovel brought a box of jewelry back to the United States, and after brainstorming with friends soon came up with the concept for a new type of development organization. 31 bits was born, working directly with 6 Ugandan women, buying their jewelry and selling them in the U.S. market.

Indentity from 31 Bits on Vimeo.

The company now works with over 100 women in Uganda, giving them the necessary tools for economics and sustainable growth, while at the same time fueling their creative skills and giving them access to the international market. The women’s wage is comparable to that of a schoolteacher in Northern Uganda, and profits generated from jewelry sales are invested back into 31 bits for operations, purchasing more jewelry and developing programs for the designers such as English lessons, finance training and vocational training.

In the line, you’ll find beautiful necklaces, all with beads made from recycled paper. Fashion that gives back.

We’re happy to partner with 31 bits to offer an exclusive EcoSalon giveaway. To enter to win a 31 Bits Acorn Layers necklace, all you have to do is be subscribed to our weekly newsletter. It’s a weekly roundup of all the top stories at EcoSalon, plus a few that you may have missed, we promise you’ll like it. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe below!

We will select a winner at random on September 12, 2012. Please note that we can only ship to U.S. addresses.

Editor’s Note: This giveaway has ended.

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Tommy Hilfiger’s new capsule collection aims to bring attention to extreme poverty in Africa. But what about the poverty that exists in the third-world garment factories where he manufactures?

Tommy Hilfiger has a reputation for producing classic, casual, on-trend fashion. But with its new Promise Collection, Tommy is making a foray into the world of social enterprise. The 30-piece capsule collection features “American design classes reinterpreted with African colors, prints, and motifs,” says the release, and 100 percent of all proceeds will benefit Millennium Promise, an international nongovernmental organization co-founded by economist Jeffrey Sachs that intends to halve extreme poverty worldwide by 2015.

The Collection debuted in April, with much fanfare and a look book featuring warm-fuzzy photos of Katie Holmes, the collection’s global ambassador. But with a fashion collection benefiting global poverty, one has to ask – how does Tommy Hilfiger’s business practices support – or perpetuate – conditions of poverty in the places that he manufactures?

Tommy Hilfiger blazed on the scene in 1985 with a youthful line of classic American sportswear. The brand has grown with much the same casual but classic aesthetic, with a Hilfiger denim spin-off label that focuses on the 18-28 demographic. With distribution in over 90 countries and $4.6 billion value, Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world’s leading apparel and retail brands.

The Good

Founded by philanthropist Ray Chambers and Sachs in 2005, Millennium Promise’s main purpose is to accelerate the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, an ambitious set of aims – like reduce maternal mortality by three quarters and achieve universal primary education – that 189 member states signed on to achieve by 2015.

The MDGs reflect an understanding of the many interconnected factors that contribute to extreme poverty and include time-bound and measurable targets to address income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and exclusion—while promoting gender equality, education and environmental sustainability. Bill Gates has called them “the best idea for focusing the world on fighting global poverty that [he has] ever seen.”

Millennium Promise focuses its efforts on Africa, and through the Millennium Villages project, it attempts to fight poverty at a local level by addressing issues in agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, gender equality, and business development.

According to press materials, Tommy Hilfiger was first introduced to the work of Millennium Promise in 2009, and he made his first visit to Millennium Villages in Ruhiira, Uganda, in 2010.

When I first visited Ruhiira in 2010 I was deeply affected by the level of poverty. Millennium Promise had already started to work towards improving basic health care, food supplies and access to water, but there was still a lot to achieve. It was an eye-opening experience and I knew, after that visit, that I had to be involved even more in putting an end to poverty on this level.

Full proceeds from The Promise Collection will benefit Millennium Promise projects in Ruhiira, a cluster of six villages spread out over several hundred square kilometers of southwestern Uganda. Through a digital campaign, customers will also be able to track how purchases have a direct impact on life in Ruhiira, in areas like food, health, education, environment, and technology. As of June 1, $1,466,929 had been earmarked for projects.

The Bad

While creating a capsule collection to raise awareness and funds is one way to go about addressing extreme poverty, it takes only a little bit of probing to see that Tommy Hilfiger’s global manufacturing practices aren’t exactly the most ethical. The hourly wage for workers producing Tommy Hilfiger garments ranges from 23 cents to $1.75, according to a PBS documentary on the denim industry. And sweatshop conditions have been reported in factories everywhere from Mexico to Thailand to the tiny Pacific island commonwealth of Saipan.

But perhaps one of the most disturbing recent reports came from Bangladesh, where a 2012 garment factory fire killed 29 people. It was later found that hazardous electric wiring, lack of safety equipment, and padlocked gates were to blame for the deaths, according to an ABC News investigative report. Details of the incident were oddly reminiscent of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1911, which killed 146 garment workers, exposed sweatshop-like conditions in garment factories, and jumpstarted the American worker’s rights movement.

Confronted about the incident before his show at New York Fashion Week, Hilfiger initially said that he upheld a “gold standard” for worker safety, and that the company was no longer working with the Bangladeshi factories. However, shipping records procured by ABC News said otherwise. Later, Hilfiger and Emanuel Chirico, CEO of parent company Phillips-Van Heusen, agreed to a television interview with ABC News, in which they admitted that Tommy Hilfiger still works with factories in Bangladesh.

According to Scott Nova, executive director of the Workers Rights Consortium, Bangladesh is one of the cheapest places in the world to manufacture. “It has the lowest wages – 21 cents an hour – the weakest regulations, the weakest attention to workplace health and safety,” he told ABC News.

Hilfiger and Chirico maintain that the only way to create change in Bangladeshi worker conditions is to continue working with factories to improve their conditions. In the meantime, three other Hilfiger factory employees have died in recent safety-related accidents, one when a frayed elevator cable snapped and two others when workers rushed to open padlocked gates after a boiler explosion.

The Questionable

In press materials for the Promise Collection, Tommy Hilfiger said that he was “moved” by the challenges facing impoverished people in Africa and inspired to do something about it.

It was a lifechanging experience. The trip inspired me to raise even more awareness–as well as funds–in order to help this cause. As a designer the best way to do that was, naturally, to design a collection and donate 100% of all proceeds to the important work that is being done to eradicate extreme poverty.

As a designer, that may be one way to address poverty. But as the head of one of the world’s leading apparel brands, Hilfiger also has the power to address global poverty by simply doing better business – paying fair wages, insisting on improved conditions, and contributing to the communities in which they manufacture. While Bangladesh’s garment industry has provided that necessary first step out of extreme poverty, it is still a place where 50 percent of the population lives under the international poverty line of $1.25 per day. Before Hilfiger attempts to combat conditions in Africa, he needs to first look at the poverty that exists right under his nose, in the communities that produce his polo shirts, cabana shorts, and beach towels.

SEE ALSO:

Behind the Label: H&M’s Conscious Collection

Behind the Label: Levi Strauss’ E-Valuate Program

Behind the Label: TOMS’ One for One Campaign

Behind the Label: Puma’s Vision and Clever Little Bag

Behind the Label: Anthropologie’s Made In Kind

Behind the Label: Is Stella McCartney A Sustainable Brand?

Read more Behind the Label here.

The post Behind the Label: Tommy Hilfiger’s Promise Collection appeared first on EcoSalon.

Changing Ethiopia one school at a time.

Access to education is something we often take for granted. In some parts of the world, a physical space for a school is a luxury. Such is the case in Ethiopia, where nonprofit imagine1day works to empower the next generation of African leaders by building schools, with a goal of all Ethiopians having access to quality education funded free of foreign aid by 2030.

Since launching in 2007 they have funded 87 primary schools and trained 1,183 teachers. But as with any nonprofit, raising funds to support their work is key, and the organization has come up with several creative ways to activate its circle of supporters, both by putting donors on the ground in Ethiopia to work with children firsthand and to encourage supporters to be “Creatributors,” harnessing the power of individual talents to fundraise in a new way

2012 marks the third year of Imagine Ethiopia, a hands on philanthropic effort that combines the talents of devoted individuals and puts them on the ground in Ethiopia to see their work through. Anyone with a passion for development and philanthropy can apply, and the organization is still taking applications for Imagine Ethiopia 2012.

We caught up with imagine1day’s Digital and Brand Leader Michelle Lazar to learn more about the organization and Imagine Ethiopia 2012.

Describe the mission and work of imagine1day.

imagine1day is a charitable organization committed to our mission of developing leaders to elevate the world. We pride ourselves in taking a unique approach to our work, both locally and on the ground in Ethiopia, and we make sure to have fun at every step of the way. In Ethiopia, we are direct implementers of educations projects, and we work hand in hand with communities who are committed and invested in education as a priority. Building a school is easy. Building a school that lasts requires vision, commitment and partnership. Through trial and error, failure and learning, we’ve developed a thoughtful and disciplined program approach with one key objective: to complete each project confident that our partners have the human and financial capacity, and the desire and drive to lead their education systems with success in perpetuity. Ultimately, our goal is that all Ethiopians have access to quality education funded free of foreign aid by 2030.

What inspired the launch of the organization?

It began as an idea…We imagined helping a nation educate its children, one by one, into a country full of promise. In 2007, imagine1day came to life, and it was decided by the Board to focus on primary education in Ethiopia. This decision was motivated by an obvious need within Ethiopia, where more than 3 million children were not in school, and the government had voiced commitment to Education, taking on the UN Millennium Development Goal of universal access to education by 2015. When Chip and Shannon Wilson endowed imagine1day, they imagined an organization that directly educated impoverished communities without corruption or loss of funds. They imagined an organization that focused on developing people and elevating communities around the world. They imagined a new generation of African leaders and a new era of prosperity. They created imagine1day with fun as its most important core value.

Imagine Ethiopia started in 2010. How did you come up with this idea for voluntourism as a key part of your organization?

Credit goes to our Executive Director, Sapna Dayal, for conceptualizing the Imagine Ethiopia program. Sapna recognized how powerful it would be for people to experience first-hand the impact of their contribution to imagine1day, and the promise and potential of Ethiopia on the whole. Each Imagine Ethiopia trip is designed around an overall objective of introducing participants to the Ethiopia that we’ve come to know and love such that they experience their own shift in perception of the country, its possibilities and themselves. We want people to come back feeling like Ambassadors to Ethiopia, imagine1day and the importance of contribution.

What benefits of this program have you seen so far?

The benefits have truly been countless. We’ve attracted incredibly loyal supporters in the form of trip participants from all across North America, and the imagine1day and Ethiopia’s story has been shared through to each of their networks. We’ve also connected to some extraordinary partners, including program sponsors and trip leaders. We feel like our family has grown by leaps and bounds since we built Imagine Ethiopia into our organization.

What are you looking forward to with Imagine Ethiopia 2012?

2012 is a big year for imagine1day, as we’re scaling our impact within Ethiopia by expanding into a new region called Oromiya. The money raised by this year’s Imagine Ethiopia Dream Team will fund one of our very first school projects in this new region, and it’s going to be a very special moment when we arrive to witness the ground breaking alongside the people who made it possible. We’re excited to venture into new territory on this trip, and it’s going to make for an incredible itinerary. We’ll be visiting the Bale Mountains, where we’ll experience a new landscape and new adventures including horseback riding, and hanging out with warthogs, nayalas, and more! We’re also thrilled to welcome Christian Santelices as a new addition to our Leader Team. Christian is a fully certified mountain guide, professional photographer, public speaker, writer, community activist, and an all around joy to be around. He will be infusing adventure and fun into the trip itinerary at every turn.

Why do you think hands on experience and philanthropic efforts go hand in hand?

We’re all about inspiring people to make passionate contributions that elevate themselves, their local community, and communities in Ethiopia. For us, we understand that it’s not always easy for people to feel connected to the impact of their contribution when so much magic is happening on the other side world. The more we can facilitate that connection, through experiences like Imagine Ethiopia, and our communications with supporters, the smaller the gap becomes. So often philanthropy/international development is positioned as “us helping them”, whereas this trip is truly a unifying experience. It is one that provides participants an opportunity to receive more than they give through a journey of personal growth.

Tell us more about your Creatributon™ program. What is it and how does it work?

imagine1day distinguishes itself as a community that expands through shared experiences and inspiring connections. We believe that charity can have a greater impact on the world by being an impetus for abundance, locally and globally. Our unconventional charitable model, which we call CREATRIBUTION™, invites people to contribute to the world by exploring their passions and their talents. On the part of imagine1day, it requires a commitment to supporting each Creatributor in being rigorously selfish about how their Creatribution will serve their life. Through Creatribution, people are discovering how their unique contribution can become their own business venture. Creatribution is a training ground for entrepreneurs to take risks, to fail, to succeed and ultimately to develop as leaders in their community. In practice, Creatributions can look like just about anything – from an unconventional art showcase, to a campaign that inspires people to choose donating in lieu of buying coffee or eating out, to an intimate house concert series where artists perform in a living room setting. It’s amazing to see how people can channel their passions and talents to create extraordinary contributions to the world.

If people can’t apply to Imagine Ethiopia, how can they support your efforts?

For those who can’t join us as part of this year’s journey, but are interested in supporting the team’s goal of raising $100,000, they can follow this link to donate to the trip goal. People can also consider taking on Creatribution™ in support of our goal. Finally, we’re always welcoming new friends and supporters with open arms, and encourage people to connect with us by way of our website, Facebook & Twitter communities.

Learn more about imagine1day and apply for Ethiopia 2012 here. 

The post Hands On Philanthropic Action: Building Schools in Ethiopia with imagine1day appeared first on EcoSalon.

Every day is better with a new track.

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – Mother In Law by Cumbancha

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars

The post Daily Track: Mother In Law – Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars appeared first on EcoSalon.

Amadou & Mariam “Je pense a toi” by lamofo

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Amadou & Mariam

The post Daily Track: Je Pense à Toi – Amadou & Mariam appeared first on EcoSalon.

The top stories of the week at EcoSalon.

This week, we’re fascinated by big, big furniture and the attraction of simple, hearty, unfussy one-pot meals. All we really want to be doing is warming our feet by the fire with a good book (maybe one of these). Oh, and reminding people that just because it’s cold it doesn’t mean global warming is nonsense. That, too.

We admired the beauty of the 11.6 million square miles of our planet called Africa, in 40 gorgeous photos.

We pondered some of history’s most famous quotes on living small.

Finally, since those posts probably kept you so busy that your Facebook Wall went to hell in a digital handbasket, our editor has a handy and completely sincere guide for turning your unacceptably messy real life into a cascade of Facebook likes. Tell your friends.

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