Enactus students at The University of Western Australia are teaming up with Oxfam, the WA Fair Trade Collective and Fair Trade suppliers to launch the Fair Trade Pop Up Shop 2013.

Coinciding with Fair Trade Fortnight, the Pop Up Shop, located on the corner of Hay and King streets, will run from 4-19 May 2013.
Selling Fair Trade tea, coffee, chocolate, jewellery, beauty products, homewares and more, the Pop Up Shop will offer the perfect solution for people looking to buy ethical presents for Mother’s Day.

Enactus UWA’s Fair Trade Pop Up Shop co-ordinator Lauren Ziegelaar said the project would provide an opportunity for students to raise awareness of the global Fair Trade movement while gaining management practice and retail experience.

“We aim to raise awareness of Fair Trade products, and to make it easier for consumers to purchase them,” Lauren said.
“By creating a mainstream market and raising awareness for Fair Trade products, the Fair Trade Pop Up Shop can help producers and disadvantaged workers in developing nations to tackle poverty and seek greater equity in international trade.

“We will be running weekly events that promote Fair Trade and allow consumers to gain a better understanding of Fair Trade and how they can incorporate Fair Trade and ethical products into their daily lives.

“The generous support of all contributors-Enactus UWA, the Fair Trade Collective, UWA Business School is what has given the Fair Trade Pop Up Shop team the zeal to bring this idea to life.”

“We would also like to extend our gratitude to The Bontempo Family for very kindly sponsoring us the prime location within Hay Street at zero cost.”

The Fair Trade Pop Up Shop’s suppliers will include Absolutely Organic WA, Anjel MS, Carpets for Communities, Fair Go Trading, Khmer Creations, Lajacoba Fairtrade Coffee, Oxfam Perth, The Hidden Pantry, and U-Chus.

Come and visit the Fair Trade Pop Up Shop on the corner of Hay and King Streets from Saturday, 4 May.
For more information, visit fairtradepopupshop.org or email thefairtradeproject@enactusuwa.org

( Adapted from UWA Business School News)
29 April 2013.

The two day camp was held in Fairbridge Village,Pinjarra.

On the morning of the 16^th of February, the participants gathered eagerly at the Bell Tower. Transport was arranged to drive them to Pinjarra.  Before driving off, participants had the opportunity to interact with co campers via ice breaker activities.

As it was also the day of the State Elections, we pulled over at the voting facility at Pinjarra to cast our votes. It was a virgin process for many of us.

Upon reaching Fairbridge Village, we decided to jazz up the venue for Empower Camp. Posters were pinned up, warm fuzzies envelopes were made and a cozy corner was set up.

After that, we were treated to an awesome deli lunch specially created by camp chefs Luan, Caroline, Matt and Chris. We devoured the self-made rolls and wraps before moving onto the first activity of the camp.

Participants could choose between the Enactus or EWB activities organised for the camp. Some of which include Creating Projects, Aboriginal Culture, PCs for Refugees, Public Speaking and Measuring Impact.

We had roo and beef bolognaise with spaghetti for dinner.  Tiramisu and Chocolate fudge were on the dessert menu for that night too. After dinner, it was mostly free and easy. Most participants either gathered together to play games or ‘jam’ at the cozy corner. Some took an active role to design the Empower banner, a banner created from the back of a used Guild banner.

On Sunday morning, we attended a yogo session which compelled us to not just stretch our torso but also calm our mind.

After breakfast, we gathered for another round of activities. By this time, all of us were actively participating in meaningful discussions pertaining to the activities we attended.

After lunch, the warm fuzzies were distributed. Many of us were amazed and even moved by some of the messages written to us by fellow participants. Some of us even hugged our new friends to express our appreciation.  It was definitely a solemn moment, at least for some.

I believe I am speaking on behalf of all participants when I say it was an unforgettable experience.

To view more pictures taken at the camp, go to https://www.facebook.com/enactusuwa?fref=ts

The Fair Trade Pop Up shop played a pivotal role in this process from the student body’s point of view, both in terms of fostering fair trade values amongst students and gaining support for the accreditation from students and staff, alongside the UWA Sustainable Development Unit, during UWA’s social justice week.

Check out the UWA Fair Trade Journey below (starring our very own co-president at 1:38)!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Video<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In recognition of our role, Enactus UWA was presented with a certificate from the Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnston on 19th March at EnviroFest.

The Fair Trade Pop UP Shop also “popped up” on Campus on that day and turned over $350.00.

The Fair Traded Pop Up Shop team is currently in the final stages of finalising a location for The Pop Up Shop during Fair Trade Fortnight. Details will be released soon. =)

The Enactus UWA team along with faculty advisors Doina and Brett gathered in the morning to brainstorm ideas for the next half of the year and find solutions to our current problems.

The morning session focused on whole team approach. Together, we reviewed our progress in the past 6 months and also came up with an exciting yet realistic plan for the next half of the annum. All of us were of the consensus that the plan should create an amazing and enriching experience for the Enactus UWA members.

In the afternoon, we turned our attention to identifying the shortcomings in our current approach in each of our projects. We decided on what needs to be fixed to enable our projects to reach their objectives. Furthermore, we let our creative juices overflow when it was about time to think of new and innovative projects to implement.

Special thanks to Nancy who brought along a chocolate mousse cake and Lauren for her raspberry and white chocolate friands. The overdose of sugar kept us both full and alert.

Action items and roles were assigned before we wrapped up Enactus UWA Day 2013 at about 3’ o clock.

We are pretty sure even the new faces who attended the session found it to be a memorable one.

The first couple of weeks of 2013 here at Enactus UWA have been really exciting. We’re organising more shoe collection events, getting ready for yet another Fair Trade Pop Up Shop and consolidating our brand to create an online fair trade store, and screen printing THINKbags.

Today, we celebrate a substantial order for our projectTHINK jute bags, a whole 1500 of them! The University of Western Australia is hosting the UWA Alumni Weekend from the 8th to the 10th of February to celebrate UWA’s landmark centenary. We are stoked to celebrate our university’s rich history and exciting future, as well as seeing our bags in action!

And of course, we’re looking forward to finalising the employment of Western Australians with disabilities to screen print our jute bags over the next couple of months. Our factory space is being fit out, the equipment has been purchased, and we’re also working out our HR systems. The projectTHINK team can’t wait to welcome our new screen printers into the Enactus UWA family!

To find out more about projectTHINK, click https://www.facebook.com/projectTHINK.sifeuwa

Yesterday marked yet another busy but fruitful day for some Enactus UWA members. We gathered in the wee hours of the morning to consolidate, pack and move the shoes collected thus far from the THINK factory to our proper storage venue, Rand Transports.

As soon as we arrived at the factory after collecting the pallet bins sponsored by Integrated Packaging, we started transferring the donated bags of shoes into them. Whilst it was a physically taxing task, the team carried on till lunch time making sure we could fill all 6 of the pallet bins.

Unfortunately, 6 pallet bins weren’t enough to occupy all the shoes, causing us to bring the packing process to a halt.

We then loaded the filled bins into the truck and moved them to Rand Transports.

The team will resume the same process in a few days’ time till we have successfully shifted all the shoes. That would probably give us ample time to relax those worked muscles.

]]> http://enactusuwa.org/?feed=rss2&p=1165 0 http://enactusuwa.org/?p=1084 http://enactusuwa.org/?p=1084#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:05:53 +0000 Webmaster http://sifeuwa.org/?p=1084 We don’t even know where to begin. It’s been a crazy few months but things are definitely shaping up for ReSHOE. Boxes ordered, bins donated, and thousands upon thousands of shoes collected. The team is also in the process of organising a formal relationship with an Enactus team in Ghana to establish the distribution channels for the microfinance element of the project.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our various sponsors and supporters.

Big thanks to the Box Man for sponsoring us the boxes for shoe collection;

Integrated Packaging for providing us with the bins we’re shipping the shoes in;

Silverlocks for helping us store the shoes;

And of course the countless individuals, organisations, businesses, schools and community groups who have been so generous with their donations. ReSHOE’s reception in the community has been overwhelming. We can’t thank you all enough for your unending support and encouragement.

Gave this Church 1 bin. Got 5 bins worth of shoes back. Awesome!

First collection bins in PwC!

Shoe collection for SIFE UWA’s reSHOE project began earlier this week, with our first collection bins being distributed to the PwC office! The reSHOE team aims to have 15,000 pairs of shoes collected by early October, and collects from offices, universities, sports clubs and schools.

Shoes collected by reSHOE will be sorted and packed by Western Australians with disabilities with help from student volunteers from UWA, providing them with a source of income and a forum for positive social interaction.
Once sorted, the shoes will be shipped to Ghana to be distributed in conjunction with a SIFE partner to impoverished locals on credit, who can set up their own shoe vending businesses. This will create not only a source of income for those vendors, but also a supply of affordable footwear for those who may not otherwise have the resources to buy shoes for their children and themselves.

If you have any questions, or are interested in getting your office/school/club/university involved in this project, you can contact us at reshoe@sifeuwa.org.

At the SIFE Australia National Championships in July, SIFE UWA was chosen as Australia’s National Champion from 24 teams by business executives, university representatives, and community leaders from around the country.

We would like to thank all of our partners, sponsors, our BAB and our Faculty Advisor, Doina Olaru, for all their support, guidance and encouragement.

Hot off the press – a sample jute bag

projectthink, an initiative by Enactus UWA (originally called SIFE), is introducing a new product into the packaging industry; the jute bag. Jute bags are unique in that they are 100% biodegradable and have zero environmental burden. It removes women from the sex trade in India by engaging them in the business of producing these environmentally friendly bags.  The project also seeks to empower disabled people in our community by engaging them in the final production stages of the Jute bag.

To many, the prevalence of “green” bags at grocery retailers and at home may represent our society working towards a greener, more sustainable future. However, the hard truth is that these “green” bags are almost only as green as their color.  Being made out of polypropylene, a plastic made from the refinement of fossil fuels, these bags will have to be re-used at least 24 times to offset their intensive carbon manufacturing process. On average, these green bags are reused just 12 times before ending up in landfill.

Jute bags offer an environmentally friendly solution to this problem. The jute material is a 100% biodegradable, non pollutant, which produces no toxic gases or harmful by-products. In addition, a hectare of Jute plants consumes over 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This student-driven initiative strives to not only achieve environmental objectives but to also maximize its social and economic impact at every stage of production . The jute bags are sourced from an India-based social enterprise which exists primarily to provide freedom for the women from the sex trade, women who were driven into prostitution by poverty or trafficking. These women are not just employed in the production of the jute bags but are also actively engaged in the management of the business. All the profits benefit the women (wages, health insurance and retirement plans) and the rest is re-invested in the social enterprise.

Locally, projectthink plans to engage disabled people in our community to screen-print the bags for customization purposes. Research has shown that Australia has the lowest average income for people with disabilities compared to other OECD countries. Through the employment of disabled individuals, this project hopes to break down social stigmas and to reintegrate these individuals into society.

The long-term plans for this project include supplying these jute bags to supermarkets and businesses for large-scale corporate events. The SIFE UWA team would like to see this project eventually evolve into its own independent self-sustaining social enterprise that continues to grow and have a positive impact both in India and in Australia.

For any retail or corporate orders, please contact Bowen Tan at projectthink@enactusuwa.org