Beaumont offers students fair-trade school uniform option

Lupe, the sewing cooperative's head seamstress, holds a skirt that will be worn by a Beaumont student.

Beaumont School has partnered with One Seed Heritage to offer its students the option of purchasing uniform skirts that are made by fair-trade workers and ethically sourced.

The skirts are handmade by women of the Mayan community of San Juan La Laguna in Guatemala. These women are paid fairly and create the skirts using organic cotton grown on family farms and dye created from plants. Five percent of purchases will fund scholarships for Guatemalan children, whose literacy and school enrollment rates are among the lowest in the world.

“Our women-owned cooperatives are inspired by the Beaumont community's commitment to fair trade and social justice,” said Hilary Dell, founder of One Seed Heritage. “This is just the beginning of our journey to strengthen woman-owned businesses and introduce the next generation of women leaders to global entrepreneurship.”

Beaumont began exploring the option of fair-trade skirts with One Seed Heritage during the 2014–15 school year, with two students testing out prototypes for several months. The skirts will be offered at a price that is competive to that offered by Beaumont’s existing uniform provider, which families will still be able to order from. Skirts from both providers cost around $50.

Beaumont is supported by the Ursuline Sisters, who have a continued tradition of social justice work. A partnership with One Seed Heritage enforces Beaumont’s mission by educating students about the importance of creating social and economic mobility within communities of need, inspiring human empowerment, and creating sustainable products.

Beaumont is a Catholic, all-girls high school founded in the Ursuline tradition. Visit www.beaumontschool.org to learn more about the school. To learn more about One Seed Heritage, visit www.oneseedheritage.com

Anna Beyerle

Anna Beyerle is the public relations and marketing manager at the Beaumont School in Cleveland Heights.

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Volume 8, Issue 9, Posted 9:07 AM, 08.10.2015