Turning Tears into Laughter – the book is here!

Turning Tears into Laughter – the book is here!

I haven't even designed this blog yet, but I need to express why it is so urgent for me to communicate in this manner! Since our beginnings in 2004, so many children's stores have employed the term "Fair trade" toys to toys that are made in factories in China and Vietnam! A fair trade product is NOT an "ethically made" (ie in a factory that adheres to basic standards of human rights) product and it certain is not just any old "wooden toy"!!!! The fact that this is being claimed by businesses in Australia is just astounding and in the pages to come we will debunk this greenwash as well as share our inspirations and stories. Glad I've got that off my chest and now to a well earned nap...

OK, let's begin this blog...I've been threatening to do so for many years now, but without really understanding how to create it, it has remained on the shelf. Perhaps if I just start writing this can go somewhere and somewhere it needs to go, because it has dawned on me that it is so important to do so. My name is Robyn Adler, a sculptor, curator, teacher, mother of one very fine young man, Willum, and two fair trade, organic and sustainable children's stores called Fairground Child. Willum and Fairground Child were born in 2004. At the time it was difficult to find quality natural products for Willum to play with or wear, so I thought I'd start sourcing them myself and selling them at St Andrews' market, a short tumble down the hill from the sustainable house in which we lived. I had experience working with women artisans in India and I thought somehow I could find a market for their handmade, biodegradable products and simultaneously fulfill my own need for my child to play with natural products, at the same time fostering the ideas of multicultural understanding and respect for the environment. That's the extremely abridged version and a lot has happened since then, but that's a start and most things begin at the beginning...