Global Fayre and the Missouri Prairie Foundation

One of the core elements that we sign up to as Fair Traders is  to cultivate environmental stewardship.  “Fair Trade seeks to offer current generations the ability to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Members actively consider the implications of their decisions on the environment and promote the responsible stewardship of resources. Members reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials wherever possible. They encourage environmentally sustainable practices throughout the entire trading chain.” (Fair Trade Federation)

Environmental stewardship is just as important to us at home, and we are always keen to support the many local groups that work so hard to protect what we have and/or restore what we have lost.

So we are excited this month to be working with the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

The mission of the Missouri Prairie Foundation is to protect and restore prairie and other native grassland communities through acquisition, management, education, and research. For 44 years, this nonprofit organization has advocated for prairie conservation. Its advocacy has played a significant role in the purchase of prairie by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the 1970s to the present, as well as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ purchase of Prairie State Parks.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation currently owns 2,400 acres of high quality native grassland throughout the state and manages an additional 1,500 acres in cooperation with public partners and private landowners. It also participates in conservation decision-making with other state leaders. At least 15 million acres of Missouri, covering more than a third of the state, were prairie at the time of European settlement. Fewer than 90,000 acres remain. Tallgrass prairie is one of the Earth’s most biologically diverse and now rare ecosystems, and we have it right here in Missouri. It is ours to conserve for the benefit of future generations.

So here’s what we have planned with the Missouri Prairie Foundation for August:

August 6 to 31: An exhibition featuring the photographs of Glenn Chambers (more about Glenn in a future post).

August 6th: First Friday Art Walk – showcasing Glenn’s photography and raising funds for the MPF at the same time. 10% of all sales on the night will go to the MPF!

August 1 to 31: Fund raising with MPF members – all members purchasing in the store during August (or in our online store) will do so knowing that 10% of their purchases will go directly back to the Foundation.