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One of the thrills of being part of the children’s literature community is reading a book and then reaching out to the author and/or illustrator and actually entering into dialogue and quite often friendship with them. Even well known busy … Continue reading →

I'll share a secret with you: I hate shopping.

There, I've said it. I'm not quite normal, I know. The only time I shop, on purpose, is around Christmas, so I'm seriously thinking about it now. (and I'm breaking out in hives)

Now, some people think it's too early to be thinking about Christmas. Afterall, American Thanksgiving isn't even over yet.

But then again, I've heard of people who do their Christmas shopping on Boxing Day of the previous year. So I guess the end of November isn't too early.

And it isn't too early if you're going to consider buying gifts online. And it isn't too early if you're going to take some time to consider which organizations you're going to buy from.

Please don't get sucked into only buying from the box stores this Christmas season. I know, I know, money's tight these days and who can resist the rock-bottom prices offered by said box stores? But you know, without this coming off as a guilt trip, somewhere someone has to pay for these box stores to be able to offer these irresistible rock-bottom prices. And it certainly isn't us.

This is the main reason I hate shopping.

Now, I'm going to ask something of you. No, you don't have to start hating shopping too. I'm going to ask you to consider Buying to Make a Difference this year. At least when purchasing SOME gifts - if not all.

If this concept interests you, (or if you want to know what the heck I'm talking about) here are a few links to help get you started. I've personally bought items from these organizations - your money will be used in the way they say it will.

Ten Thousand Villages

Sari Bari

Made by Survivors

Toms Shoes

Pura Vida Coffee

Just Us!

If you have any other suggestions of proven organizations that offer fairly traded and fairly made products, please share them here.

Now this is shopping I can get excited about!

Happy shopping!

Susanne Gervay and Jennie Orchard with Room to Read

The Edmund Rice Centre brought forward the brilliant initiative of an event about the power of story to engage young people in social justice. The auditorium was full, the stands representing Fair Trading, the Pacific Islands and Room to Read bringing literacy to the children of the developing world were there.

The speakers were passionate, committed and had the audience moved and ready to act for eco justice and human rights.

Melina Marchetta, Nadia Wheatley, Maria Boyd, Libby Hathorn, Libby Gleeson advocated for human rights through their stories.

Lynette Riley a Wiradjuri & Kamilaroi woman, Deputy Director of the Koori Centre, was especially powerful in her advocacy for the indigenous. Robin Morrow spoke about the power of literature to enrich and inform.

Mark Raue is working to save the Pacific Islands from drowning with climate change , a founding member of the Pacific Calling Partnership sang for social justice and ecology. I loved his songs.

Mark Raue

I spoke about my emotional experience talking about ‘Butterflies’ at the World Burn Congress in New York. The audience responded with tears and a commitment to engagement with those who face the challange of disability.

It was wonderful. All wonderful

Susanne Gervay's Butterflies

The day the health department showed up at our little chocolate factory to ask if it was really true that we were storing chocolate off-site was right in the middle of the period our employees were making each other cry.

For the last four years, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates has been situated on the second floor of my sister-in-law Joanne Currie's bustling restaurant and bakery, Splash Cafe, in San Luis Obispo, CA. We have a pretty display case downstairs and a successful online business selling organic, fair trade chocolate in as many forms as we can invent.

My husband Tom is a truly great chocolatier, Joanne is a brilliant manager, and we have a crew of dedicated and creative employees. The reviews are great. We even won the SF Chronicle's Battle of the Bittersweets. So the orders keep coming: more big bags of bulk chocolate made to Tom's specifications, more co-packing contracts, more holiday business, more new items all the time.

All of which equals less space.

When the third employee came to Joanne's office in tears (there just wasn't enough room for that many people to do their work well) the moment she got off the phone with the health department, Joanne knew it was time to look for more space. Luckily for us, there was an empty storefront just down the street at 1445 Monterey. The economic downturn worked in our favor. We discovered we could rent a retail space for what we would have paid for warehouse space a couple years ago.

So the shop is a bonus, and I am having the best time outfitting it. This blog will mostly be about that. I'm collecting chocolate books for a library (any suggestions?) and buying old chocolate molds, pots, cups and tins to sell, designing the windows and even painting the furniture, while Tom and his crew invent new delicacies for the cases.

We're planning to be open in early July. I can't wait!