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Why buying local matters

10/25/2017

 
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Earlier this evening, I went to a lovely networking event hosted by TIAPEI (Tourism Industry Association of PEI) and Meetings & Conventions PEI at the beautiful PEI Preserve Company in New Glasgow. I had a great time chatting with some folks I know well and others that I met for the first time. 

Of course, at events like this, the conversation will turn to the question of what you do for a living. Tonight, someone wondered why they should learn to knit or purchase locally made knitwear given the higher price point when there are so many cheap knitwear options on the market. Here are my thoughts...

1. Learning to knit has so many benefits. It keeps your mind active, helping to ward off what I'll call "aging brain syndrome". If you don't continue to learn and keep those brain cells active, they simply won't continue to work as well! It also helps to alleviate arthritis - keeping your hands in motion. It has been proven to reduce stress. Yes, you certainly can purchase a sweater for less than you can purchase the wool needed to make a lovely sweater. It's all about diving in and enjoying the creative process.

2. When you buy a locally-made sweater, you can learn about its "heritage". All of my knitwear and tartans are made from 100% Canadian wool. Why? Well, first and foremost, I want to support our hard-working Canadian farmers. I also can be assured of the welfare of the sheep who graciously provide us their wool. There are certain sheep farming practices that have been banned in North America that are still prevalent in other countries. I firmly believe that healthy and well-cared-for sheep will provide you with a much better quality of wool. And they are just so darned cute - how can you not want to make sure they lead a great life?

3. There are also serious environmental considerations. I choose to purchase wool that is dyed with environmentally friendly dyes and where wastewater from processing the wool is handled in a manner that is healthy for our water's ecosystem. I choose wool over man-made fibres which shed microfibres at each washing. These man-made microfibres are too small to be captured at water filtration plants and end up in our rivers and oceans, ultimately making their way into our food chain as they are discovered in our fish and other aquatic creatures. Another environmental consideration is one of logistics. What is the impact on our environment when we consume vast amounts of fuel shipping cheap sweaters made in factories in Bangladesh or Thailand? These clothes are not meant to be quality items - they are not made for longevity. The end result is that we find mounds and mounds of one-season clothing fabricated from man-made fibres in our landfills. This clothing is not biodegradable. It will still be in those landfills for future generations to "enjoy".

4. When you shop for locally made goods, you are supporting your local economy. You purchase a sweater from me. I purchase more wool from a local mill who sources their wool from local farmers. I'll celebrate a good month perhaps with an evening out, taking in a local theatre production and enjoying a lovely meal at a restaurant that sources its menu items from our local farmers and fishers. Local business owners - both small and large - contribute in so many ways: donations of items for fundraisers, volunteering time for local causes, donations of money to support food banks, cancer research,  Anderson House....the list is endless.

5. Last but not least is the issue of human rights. Here in Canada, we fight for higher minimum wage, public safety, health care, comprehensive education. We have safety nets such as employment insurance, workers' compensation benefits for workplace injuries, child benefits. Granted, you will not be living a grand lifestyle but programs such as these provide some level of financial security when needed. What is offered to those workers in factories churning out our cheap garments? An unlivable wage, unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. Oftentimes, child labour is the norm. They have no human rights - those workers are barely even considered human.

Is that inexpensive garment - bought on an impulse because it was such a good deal even if you only wear it a couple of times - really worth the price?

(Photo credit - Fleece and Harmony Woolen Mill, Belfast PEI)



Harvey Weinstein - I call balderdash!

10/20/2017

 
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"I came of age in the 60's and 70's, when all the rules about behavior (sic) and workplaces were different. That was the culture then…" - thus quotes Henry Weinstein.  And I say that excuse is plain balderdash!  Weinstein is all of 4 years older than I am so we experienced the same "coming of age". I was disgusted, dismayed and appalled when I was sexually harassed at work in my teens and twenties. Sexual harassment was not the cultural norm, nor was it an accepted mode of behaviour.  Weinstein believed he was entitled to behave in this manner because he was in a position of power and authority, not that it was the right or accepted thing to do.

Let me be perfectly clear - this is not a male-bashing post. I find it equally offensive when women, especially women in a position of power, treat men like a piece of meat. If it is not acceptable for men to treat women in such a fashion, in what universe does it become OK for women to treat men that way? To use the excuse that "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander" is no excuse. If one is treated with bigotry, you do not in turn treat others with bigotry. If we do so, the problem will just continue to compound.

I was raised by parents who "came of age" in the 1940's.  I was raised by a father who taught his daughters that we were capable of achieving anything that we put our minds to. That we were equally as intelligent and strong as any man. As a man who lost his father at the age of three, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both bright and strong women. He taught us that we must learn to rely on our own abilities as one never knows that life has in store for you. He impressed upon us the importance of education and a career. He showed us by example that women are to be treated with respect. Both of our parents demonstrated that they were equal partners in their marriage and in life.

​How lucky am I to have had such role models.





Me Too

10/16/2017

 

    Author

    Live life luxuriously!  Classic simplicity is what I enjoy the most - in clothing design, home decor and in life! 

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