Archive for the ‘Fair Earth Artisans’ Category


Discarded Flip-Flops turned into Art

Monday, January 26th, 2009

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Looks like junk?
Think again.

These discarded flip-flops that wash up onto the shores of Kenya are turned into beautiful works of art, jewelry, and sculpture by skilled artists in Nairobi.

Don’t believe me? Come see for yourself!

In accordance with Fair Earth’s focus in 2009 to bring you products that are not only fair trade but also green and friendly to our earth, we are proud to introduce Uniqueco Designs, a sustainable income-generating project turning discarded flip-flops into products you’ll love!

How does it work? Every year, thousands of flip-flops wash up on the shores of Africa. Accumulating from as far as Asia, the discarded flip-flops create an environmental disaster for the natural marine ecosystems. The rubber is mistakenly swallowed by marine life, and it prevents hatching turtles from safely reaching the sea. Being indestructible, the flip-flop rubber continues to accumulate causing the problems to exacerbate.

Instead of allowing these non-biodegradable materials to clog the beaches or contribute to ever-growing landfills, Uniqueco Designs is turning the flip-flops inro building blocks for a beautiful line of jewelry and accessories.

The sandals are already beautifully colored, so no extra dyes need to be added. They are sanded and glued together to create color patterns, and then infused with people’s creativity to form a diverse product line: sculptures, lampshades, beads, jewelry, tablemats, rugs, key chains – you name it!

The products are inspired by local ingenuity and employ a broad range of workers, from unskilled beach-combers to bead makers to talented artists and designers. Items are priced generously so all of the workers earn a living wage, allowing them to maintain their way of life and provide a better future for themselves and their families.

This same group also makes beautiful handbags out of discarded rubber tire tubes as well as a selection of products woven together from recycled plastic bags.

Let them be an inspiration. Next time you think about throwing something in the trash to contribute to our earth’s massive landfills, put your creative mind to work and turn it into something useful and beautiful!

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Wamunyu Wood Carvers

Friday, January 16th, 2009

When you look at a tree, what do you see?

Do you see an acacia spreading out its branches to provide shade for the dessert and food for the giraffes?
Do you see strong limbs extended as cool resting places for leopards, or a perching place for storks?
Do you see healing in the leaves and barks of medicinal trees?
Do you see firewood and warmth and food?
Do you see building supplies and houses and kiosks?
Do you see eating utensils and toothpicks and pencils and paper?

When you look at a branch or log, what shapes can you imagine?

Can you imagine turning it into a circle, a bowl, a vase? What about a giraffe or a lion?  Can you imagine visualizing a shape inside of a rectangular block of wood and making it appear by chipping away, little by little, until gradually the final form emerges?

I watched an amazing group of workers do so today.   They skillfully whittled away blocks of rosewood, ebony, olivewood, and jacaranda with hands that intrinsically understood the particular behavior of each of these raw grains.  Slowly figures of giraffes and elephants began to emerge, and I stood entranced at the vision and meticulous skill of the carvers.

Wamunyu wood carvers cooperative in Machakos region, Kenya was founded in 1918 by the Late Mr. Mutisya Munge.  He was greatly inspired by the artistic skills of the Makonde people in woodcarving, and worked to spread their knowledge and craft to his sons and neighbors.  Out of these efforts the Wamunyu cooperative was formed, and has become an art form and way of life for about 2000 carvers who are members of the coop.

The artists start with a block of wood.  The initial raw carving can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the size and intricacy of the design.  The piece is then refined with smaller knives and sand paper to smooth the edges and add detail.  After this, leather dyes are used on ebony to preserve the blackness of the wood, the mahogany wood is stained to enhance its luster, and then the pieces are coated with wax to give them patina and shine.

Any of the members may use the coop’s common space to create their artistry.  On-site is a showroom where their goods are sold.  Artists receive 90% profit from every sale, and 10% goes to the coop to pay sales employees and grounds upkeep.    The coop also pays government taxes so each individual isn’t responsible for income tax.

Fair Earth is delighted to bring you a wonderful selection of carvings from the Wamunyu cooperative.  These pieces will be available on www.ourfairearth.com, and in the Andersonville Galleria at 5247 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL in March 2009.    I hope you enjoy the finished product as much as we’ve enjoyed watching the artists create them!

Warmest Regards,

Holly Elzinga

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