Sustainability For All

One of my goals in 2021 is to start moving my family towards a path of sustainability. In my mind, I envisioned this as taking steps towards minimizing our need for the super market. I planned to do this through the growth of our own garden started from seed and preserving our harvest. I also saw this come to life in the reusing of items from the home renovation to go towards other projects at the farm. This decision would enable us to avoid purchasing wood in excessive amounts as well as build character into the farm. Even the move towards building our herds and flocks to provide for our family were on my bucket list to create a more sustainable future for my family. But recently I was turned on to the idea of sustainability for our world and not just for my world; sustainability for all.

Within the last week I have been fortunate enough to meet someone that has reshaped how I look at my impact on sustainability. While my goals still remain that I want my family to be self sustaining. I now have a better understanding of how my every day choices, including where I shop, impacts the sustainability of our environment and other peoples lives.

It was not that I didn’t know these things before, but more along the lines that they were not in the front of my mind. I was focused on my immediate family and our goals and failed to factor in how our buying choices could either help or hinder families across the world in their goals towards being self sustaining. The purpose of this post today is to hopefully shed some light on how men and woman across the world are moving towards creating a more sustainable life for themselves and their families in a way that also promotes sustainability of our world. I want to introduce you to one of the companies that is helping these families do this as part of their mission. I would like to introduce you to Noonday.

About Noonday

Noonday was founded by Jessica Honegger in 2010, with the first trunk show used to fund the adoption of her son from Kenya. She quickly realized that the potential impact of this business to help others was far greater than she had originally anticipated. She began growing her business through the utilization of ambassadors and her reach of artisans throughout the world to provide sustainable employment for those living in vulnerable communities. Noonday has allowed these men and women to learn new skills and sell their handcrafted fashion far beyond their borders which has given them the ability to create better lives for them and their families.

Noonday has been a member of the Fair Trade Federation since 2014 and works to ensure fair wages and a better life for their artisans. The company develops strong relationships and partnerships with their artisans from all over the world. They work to lift them up and create a sustainable solution to poverty through entrepreneurship.

What is Fair Trade?

Fair trade is just that! Fair! It is a concept that ensures fair wages are paid to the producers of the products. Have you ever purchased a super cheap top from a company thinking it was such a steal? Likely it was a steal because it was made with labor that was not fairly compensated.

Fair trade allows families to have a stabilized income from dignified jobs which results in healthier communities and families being able to stay together. Fair trade also takes the environment into consideration by requiring healthier living conditions through the management of waste and greenhouse emissions. Fair for workers and the environment!

I will be honest, I really never thought about where my clothes came from, or the people that made them. The only thing I was worried about was the cost and how cute or functional I thought it was. That is until I met Natalie, an ambassador for Noonday. As an ambassador for Noonday, Natalie is the link from the artisan to the consumer. She tells their stories through the fashion she wears and brings to her trunk shows, but more than that, she is their voice. Many of the men and women that she represents could not make it in their vulnerable communities without the help of a network of ambassadors like Natalie. There are so many out there, much like me, that view sustainability through a singular lens of self and family. But the world is much greater than that, and sustainability for all lives is the ultimate goal.

The People of Noonday

Noonday builds partnerships in vulnerable communities throughout the world. The people of these communities are vulnerable to things like human trafficking, poverty, and gender violence. Families are often forced to put their children up for adoption in these areas because they do not have the means to care for them. Noonday helps to correct that in these communities by providing dignified jobs at fair wages. On the Noonday blog, Flourish you can learn more about the artisans behind the beautifully created pieces of Noonday.

Sustainability for the Environment

One of the cool things about Noonday is that it is focused on sustainability for the environment as well as the lives in it. I fell in love with the fact that these women and men are creating jewelry made from renewable resources. They create beautify handcrafted pieces from seeds, paper, and even harvested used ammunitions! I love this concept of using things within their environment to create a better and more beautiful life.

One of my favorite ways the artisans bring this to life is in Vietnam. Families utilize water buffalo to plow in the rice fields. With years spent with one another, these buffalo become like one of the family. A long standing tradition is to honor those buffalo that have passed by creating works of art from their horns. Noonday has helped artisans spread the beauty of the water buffalo’s life while creating fair wages for the families of artisans that create the beautiful horn jewelry. These pieces are made from ethically gathered water buffalo horns and honors the life of the animal in a beautiful and sustainable way.

Another way that struck me as wonderful was the use of spent ammunitions from Ethiopia. Much like the jewelry they design, the women behind the art have been remade and given new life. These women once had to work in the streets of Ethiopia to make ends meet for their families. Given no other choice, they made money the only way they knew how. But now over 600 women have been given new hope through dignified work. The ammunitions found are melted down and made into beautiful beads and metal jewelry that funds their new lives with the fair wages they now receive. SIX HUNDRED! That is amazing to me.

There are so many other stories just like these that give new hope and a more sustainable future for families and the environment. The making of this jewelry not only reuses sustainable materials like these ammunitions and ethically harvested water buffalo horns, but it also rebuilds a new life for women and men throughout the world.

How to Make More Sustainable Choices

_{Please know that this post may contain affiliate links that I may receive promotions or commissions from if you decide to support. As always Hackett Hill Farm appreciates the support of all of its partners!}

Noonday is just one of many fair trade companies out there. Choosing to shop with businesses like Noonday, Fade Market, and Mango & Main not only give you great products, but also the warm and fuzzies. Natalie the Noonday Ambassador that changed my perception of sustainability has a few other favorite fair trade businesses for you to check out! Check out Natalie’s top choices and you can find her on instagram at https://instagram.com/penniesandpaperdolls.

• https://www.fademarket.com – Beautiful clothing and accessories that you will fall in love with! Shop with Natalie’s code for 15% off!!! NATALIE15
• https://www.tenthousandvillages.com – Shop for a beautiful selection of home, holiday, and more
• https://www.westelm.com – Shop for that new fair trade furniture. This will be a must for the farmhouse!
• https://www.beautycounter.com– This is hands down one of my personal favorites for cosmetics and self care
• https://norwex.com– Shop for sustainable fair trade cleaning products

I hope that this post has inspired you to look at your world a little differently and challenge you to check out some of these fair trade businesses. If you are interested in shopping Noonday, Hackett Hill Farm will be hosting one through April 30, 2021 bit.ly/kimberlynoonday Do you have any favorite fair trade business to shop with? Comment below!

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