Caffe-Society Fairtrade Organic Store "Sponsor A Square for £19 ($30)". Please support Julian in raising 1 Million Euros in a 90 day project. Funds raised will go to Charities working in the Third World and a new state of the Art Eco-Green Organic Store here in the UK. Buy a space for your business website and be part of this worthwhile project.
As I progress through this project I am learning a lot about the issues I aim to cover over the 90 days. I just wanted to create a store that used sustanable energy, I thought if this could be done, which it can, It will save money on energy bills in the long term, thus improving profitability for the store, while at the same time improve the enviroment around us. Its this last point that seems to be a bit cloudy in my mind. What am I really trying to do ?. Well having only this week discovered that the Earth Temperature for the last 10,000 years has been around 14oC, however since the industrial revolution and our use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil the temperature has risen by half a degree.They say that we could reach another 1.5 degrees before things get too bad, and if it rises a further amount up to 19oC then things will be disastrous.So we need to use other sources of energy, which brings me back to my project. I will be filming the progress of the store as we install energy alternatives. Keep reading and watching.
More great news about fair trade, and this is that Cadburys which is a famous UK confectionary company has switched its production of Dairy Milk Chocolate bars to 100% Fair trade. Now this is one of the UKs best selling choc bars, and this will hopefully inspire other famous choc bar brands to do the same. According to a recent survey, 70% of UK households bought at least 1 Fairtrade Product last year. While this is great news, it falls well short of what it should be. Projects like mine will, I hope make more people aware of Fairtrade not just in Tea, Chocolate and Coffee, but in many more products.
As you may know I am filming this whole project, and when I have raised the money, I intend to film how the funds are used. I would like to go to some of the developing countries to see how money raised through this project, is spent and how it is helping make a real difference in the long term. To film this project from begining to end would I think make it very interesting and maybe encourage others to come up with simular ideas.
I thought I would add this great picture of my outside my present Fairtrade Store - Caffe -Society. Part of this project is to take all the latest enviromental technology and design and build a new eco freindly Fairtrader Store. Again all this will be included in the film and book and provide great ideas for other stores to adopt.
I am so pleased by the positive response I have had to this project.I know that as an individual I can not pretend to make a huge difference to all the different issues that I raise in these blogs but I feel that I can't do any harm, and you should not underestermate the power of the internet and films on TV.
There is a charity in South Africa that focuses on Aids called Starfish. There is a parable which sums up this project perfectly, It goes
" A girl walks along a beach, throwing Starfish back into the sea, when she meets an old man. The man asks the girl why she is throwing starfish into the ocean. She says, The sun is up and the tide is going out, if I don't throw them back they will die. But theres a whole beach and it runs on for miles, You can't possibly make a difference says the man. The girls picks up a starfish and throws it back in the sea, " It made a difference to that one" she says
One of the charities working in developing countries is Find Your Feet (FYF)
Dickson Sakala is one of 36 people who FYF has chosen to be a lead farmer in their community in northern Malawi. Trained in enviromentally friendly farming practices and teaching skills at a cost of £ 110 each, ( $165 ) lead farmers like Dickson are sharing their knowledge with over 3,500 of their fellow farmers. Dickson Sakala started working with FYF in 2002 when they launched an organic composting competition. "I'd never used compost before but I was actually the most successful farmer that year. I produced 172 compost heaps. I used the compost on my land and it made a real difference". She goes on, " Because of Compost-making success, FYF invited me to become a lead farmer and train other farmers in sustainable farming practices. I now have 84 follower farmers who I train in composting, crop diversification and water conservation."
I recently visited San Francisco (USA) and Hawaii, which was great. There was a plentiful supply of enviromental and fairtrade on show. One area that was particularly interesting was Haight Ashbury.
I have had another 20 boxes reserved, including a company based in Boston, USA. Thats, $720 to add to the total. I hope you have had a chance to view the promotional video, which was filmed here on the Isle of Wight, an Island off the South Coast of the UK, about 70 miles south of London, England.
Another 2 boxes sold so steady progress in these early stages. I have just finished making my film update. This whole project is being made into a film, to help promote Fairtrade and Enviromental issues. Its a bank holiday is the States, 4th july celebrations so I will have to start contact the US tomorrow.
Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream, which I sell at my Fairtrade Store, here in the UK have a great idea. Create your own ice cream flavour and win a trip to a Fair Trade Cocoa Farm in the Dominican Republic. See www.transfairusa.com for details. Only applies to the US.
Raised £ 140.00 / $210.00 todays in sponsorship from companies to put their websites on my homepage. I must admit that these small sums were from companies that I had mentioned about the project before the start, however it gives me the confidence to continue as all these who I did not know before the project started all said what a great idea this was.
DAY 2
As I enter the second day, it was a shock to hear an announcement that the second largest killer in developing countries especially amoungst children is DIARRHOEA. Clearly not the most talked about subject, never the less a major problem. Sanitation, something we take for granted, using something as simple as a toilet prevents so much infection. I want to donate monies to charities working in this area as I think Water and Sanitation are key to helping people get on with their lives. Please help me achieve this goal I have set. As you may know at least half the money I raise will be donated to charities working in developing countries, also I plan to film how this money is spent, as part of the film project running alongside this internet project.
Its 4pm (BST) Britsih Summer Time, Its Thursday 12th August, -2010, and after much preparation which has taken many months, this project finally gets started. Based on the fact that this project will run for 90 days, I calculate that the final day will be 4pm on Tuesday 9th November 2010. This period will exclude Saturdays and Sundays as it will be unlikely that I will be able to deal with businesses during these weekend breaks, So wish me luck, and more importantly, why not join me, see you at the finish.
As I prepare for the start of this ambitious project I have entered some Charity websites on the homepage, to help promote them while I contact companies about including them in the project. You may notice a large number of entries so far These are made up of some companies we are showing as examples of what their site will look like , but I am looking to fill all the spaces so join me now.
Part of this project is the way it is promoted through the media. By keeping the Media informed, we can reach a far greater number of people telling them about this great project and the fantastic companies taking part. Below is a piece from a local Radio Station.
As you may be aware, at least half the money I raise will go to charities working in the developing countries, Like Africa, South America and India.. One of those Charities is Find Your Feet.
Welcome to my first blog of this fantastic, worthwhile project, Millioneurosin90days.com. This project is designed to bring awareness about Fairtrade and the link with the Enviroment. Please watch my promotional video below and read my blogs as I progress over the next few months. This whole project is being made into a film and a book for added promotion to the benefit of all the companies who join me. Thanks to 360 Red TV and FilmProductions and Studio 9 Film Productions for their assistance in this project.
