A Good Lifestyle for You from The Good Trade

Are you looking forward to adopting a low or zero-waste, sustainable lifestyle? After you have reviewed your day-to-day habits and vowed to reduce the amount of stuff you waste or throw away each day, the time for you to shop has come! Of course, you know by now that you must start to shop responsibly and only choose products that will help you reduce waste and live a sustainable and eco-friendly life. Then, get to know The Good Trade PH, and consider it as your ally as you shop your way to sustainable living.

The Good Trade Fair at UP Town Center (Photo by Elle in Business)

The Good Trade organizes zero-waste and sustainability fairs and gatherings where environmentally and ethically conscious men and women can come together to converse, sell their goods, and/or shop. It is the brainchild of Jana Bunagan, who is into stock trading as her career and social entrepreneurship as her vocation, focusing on her advocacy to give back and help people achieve and enjoy a sustainable lifestyle. 

Jana began her passion projects in 2016 with Clover Hartly, now converted to Create Good, an online initiative divided into three categories: Re-Store  –  a pop-up space that gathers local brands that help various causes; Refresh – an avenue where one can donate used wedding and event flowers to hospices and shelters; and The Street Store – also a pop-up space but dedicated to giving the needy a chance to shop for free. Volunteers, especially store assistants, are welcome in these ventures. All these three are still up and running and creating positive impact in their respective cause.

Donated shoes at The Street Store (Photo from The Good Trade PH)

     The Good Trade came into Jana’s mind two years later, specifically in May 2018, when the zero-waste sustainable lifestyle became a trend. Her experiences in organizing pop-up spaces enabled her to quickly put up The Good Trade’s first fair with less than three months of preparation.

     The Good Trade’s first event was held in July 21 – 22, 2018 at the Bonifacio Global City Central Square where it was able to gather 35 merchants. 

The challenge then was how to bring merchants outside their comfort zones as most of them were only starting up, used to online selling, and consider the financing and manpower aspects in joining a bazaar a huge ordeal. But as they say, good things come to those who persevere. Fast forward to the present, The Good Trade is now having its Summer Series composed of four weekends in four locations. Recently (and successfully) concluded fairs were held in U.P. Town Center (April 13-14), and Ayala Malls The 30th (April 27-28). Next locations in the series are: 

-          Glorietta 2 (MRT/Makati), May 4 to 5

-          Alabang Town Center, May 11 to 12

(Photo from The Good Trade PH)

Some zero-waste and sustainable products being sold include organic soaps and shampoos and other personal care with minimal or no packaging or in reusable or biodegradable containers, bamboo toothbrushes and drinking straws, biodegradable cleaning materials, cloth sanitary pads, ethical fashion, fair trade food products, and many more.

https://www.facebook.com/mayumiorganics/ (Photo from The Good Trade PH)

Aside from being a venue for conscious shopping, The Good Trade Fair also hosts talks and workshops from good impact organizations. There will also be recycling stations, repair stations, and donation stations as well. Anyone can go to the Fair and shop as there is no entrance fee. Just visit The Good Trade’s website for details on future venues and partner merchants.

Information for Merchants

For interested merchants, they can visit The Good Trade website and check the dedicated page where interested merchants can apply. Only applicants that fall under at least one of the following categories will be considered:

• Bulk Food + Homemade Snacks (Package free food)
• Cause-driven (Fundraising, Provides livelihood for a community)
• Sustainable Travel (Eco-tourism)
• Ethical Fashion (Uses deadstock fabric + fair trade)
• Upcycled (Uses old materials and turns them to something useful)
• Refillables + Vegan Personal Care (Cruelty-free skin products)
• Zero-waste Tools (Alternatives to single use products)

Rates depend on the venue inclusive of taxes.

My Personal Experience

      I was able to visit the first leg of their Summer Series at UP Town Center and the merchants there were all helpful and very friendly as you can see here at my photo with Angelica, chemist and owner of Mayumi Organics, and at my short video with Trisha, proprietor of ARTEM Skincare + Apothecary. I enjoyed shopping and I will share with you my haul on my next post so you can see what items you might like. I am certain that you too will enjoy shopping and conversing with great like-minded peeps in this very, very good event of The Good Trade. 

Angelica of Mayumi Organics (Photo by Elle in Business)

Trisha of ARTEM Skincare + Apothecary (Video by Elle in Business)

Finds at National Food Fair 2019

     The National Food Fair 2019 is awesome! I finally got to visit the fair, and I can definitely say that I became PART of the fun: learning about the country’s native products and tasting them all in one venue!

       I promised some very enthusiastic participants in the fair that I will include them in the blog I will be writing about the fair tonight (in the hopes that I can promote them for the last day of the National Food Fair 2019). So I am now bringing you this short and sweet pictures post that I hope will make you decide to include visiting the fair for your Sunday.

     Here goes!

     I bought empanadas from Gem's Empanada, Ilocandia. It is the first empanada stall that you will see once you enter the Luzon area. The owner, Miss Gem, said her daughter has a stall offering the same goodies at Robinson's Galleria. Unfortunately, I missed the name, so perhaps you can ask her and then, please let me know! Haha! Special empanada is P60 each.

          Here's where I bought pili nut tarts for P50 which contains 19 pieces of tarts. They also have butterscotch, malunggay chips, and other pili nuts in jars. This is Luchie's from Daet, Camarines Norte.

     Jedidiah Food Industry is from Bulacan and I bought from them turmeric pandesal at P15 per pack and turmeric (luyang dilaw) at a very cheap price of P25.

     I also bought Sunrise Corn Coffee from Agusan del Sur, a mango from Guimaras, and latik suman also from Camarines.

     Other goodies I saw include laing, vigan longganisa on a stick (which i got to sample and ate while walking around the venue), lots of coffee varities, wines, seasonings, plants, and and one bayong stall near the entrance. 

      DTI is also promoting their pinyapel in which they source pinya (pineapple) leaves from Bukidnon to create different types of packaging like coffee sleeves.

     I got to meet the very friendly and smart DTI Junior Researcher Cindy Maldecir who explained to me about the concept and happily obliged for a twofie with me.

Coffee sleeves made of pineapple leaves

     Famous chefs also grace the event to show twists in various recipes. For today, Chef Boy Logro and Chef Sheilla gave a really fun cooking demo.

     Tomorrow is the last day of the fair so do drop-by and get to watch these live cooking demos, enjoy free samples, and take home delicious Filipino products at very affordable prices.

2019 NATIONAL FOOD FAIR

Do you miss certain delicacies from your hometown or that sumptuous meal you had from your last out of town trip? Or maybe you are a dynamic player in the food industry and want to get the feel of what’s up in the Philippine food industry in 2019?

Then go ahead and visit the 2019 NATIONAL FOOD FAIR at the SM Megamall, Mandaluyong!

Image from DTI Philippines National Food Fair 2019 Event Page

                                                                                                                    The National Food Fair Philippine Cuisine and Ingredients Show is a yearly event held by the Department of Trade and Industry every March of the year since 2012. The fair is a special event that showcases varieties of local food products from different regions in the Philippines.

The event starts March 14, 2019 (Thursday) and wraps up on March 17, 2019 (Sunday). Daily hours of the fair are from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

        If hearing speeches is your thing, here is the programme:

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM	Registration
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Opening Ceremony National Anthem Prayer Welcome Remarks and Introduction of Keynote Speaker Keynote Address Ceremonial Opening	Usec. Abdulgani M. Macatoman Trade Promotions Group Sec. Ramon M. Lopez Department of Trade and Industry DTI Sec. Ramon M. Lopez USec. Abdulgani M. Macatoman Asec. Rosvi Gaetos Assistant Director Marievic Bonoan Guests
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM	Press Conference

            

          Otherwise, just go there and enjoy learning about Philippine cuisine, and of course food shopping!

Develop a New Weekend Habit with iVolunteer Philippines

Have you ever dreamed of doing volunteer works but don’t know where to go or what to do? I suggest you visit iVolunteer.com.ph.

The iVolunteer Philippines website is made by volunteers. It is a portal containing information about various institutions in the Philippines that need volunteers – in other words, organizations that need you!

Once in the website, all you have to do is to browse among various volunteering opportunities posted in the site, click on the advocacy and activity you like, and register. That's it! You can volunteer by yourself or in groups. The important thing is you should come once you register.

Here are some of the things you will like about iVolunteer Philippines: 

1. Updated list. Every week iVolunteer updates their page with new requests and schedules for volunteers for different institutions. Available slots remaining are also updated real-time so you know if help is still needed or you should go wait for another time.
2. The orgs in the portal are legit.
3. You can join for as many times as you like. At the same time you are not obliged to join all the time unless you pledge directly with your chosen institution.
4. No money is necessarily involved except for your own transportation and or food expenses and when extra funds are requested like sponsoring a child to an educational field trip, etc.
5. They recently held a Volunteer Expo! I went to this event held in Glorietta, Makati and saw the volunteers were serious with their work but they were all having fun!

What are you waiting for? Start your volunteering journey now that it is Araw ng Kagitingan! With them, you will have more options and worthwhile activities every weekend. :)

I would not miss having a photo with Jenny, one of the officers of iVolunteer Philippines.
I met her two years ago at the Dream Expo MNL.

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Unexpected Opportunities Are Welcome

Let me tell you about January 8. I like it. It is so symbolic. And many people pretty much think that way too I suppose! People choose it as wedding date, business launch date, or a date to file important documents and make big decisions. January is the first month of the year, while the number eight is circular and thus "it never ends" as it is written like the infinity symbol, only upright. What day could appear luckier than that?

I myself have reserved that date for the launching of my education project, but the year is an open date. Nonetheless, January 8 of this year has become remarkable for me too because Shoppersguide.com.ph (SG) has been launched! But if I had been rigid, I wouldn’t have seen it launched and skyrocketing now, albeit with some bumps as it is only in its beta stage, but nevertheless! Does the success have to do with being launched on a lucky day? Perhaps, but I think it has to do with preparedness and taking a leap of faith. That’s what happened to me when I joined SG.

Shoppersguide is “the one-stop national online directory and guide for shoppers, diners, and travelers to find stores, restaurants, and resorts offering specific brands, food, or services with just a few clicks.” I work part-time at SG and have been rendering editorial services for them.

I shop often and I love dining out every now and then, but traveling hasn't really been my priority for some reasons. When I was offered the gig, for awhile, I thought I would be a misfit. And besides, what would happen to the project I am working on?

Fortunately, I had the chance to weigh things over and went on to accept the job. They wanted someone who can write and edit have knowledge and interest in shopping, dining, traveling, and web writing. I am all that except for the traveling part, but I am quite an armchair expert on that. I have explored many places in my reading and watching. And now, thanks to this project, I have already been traveling for work assignments and have gone to Bacolod and Cebu City. Closest friends say it's my luck, and they are right, but I would like to consider it more than anything else a blessing waiting to arrive when I have found my courage and the timing is right.

Take a leap of faith and fly!

Two months since it has launched, Shoppersguide has been ranking No. 1 for many of its articles. We couldn't be prouder. I have a learned a lot and have shared so much of my knowledge too. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) have been my greatest passions (with arts and sciences trailing closely behind), which I intend to focus on in my dream project. But now, with SG, I am able to do it already together with intelligent friends and colleagues. SG is a dream project by itself. I believe in its mission of giving chances for small businesses around the country, even those from the remotest of places, a chance to be heard of and reached online.

I guess the learning to be taken here is that I should be more open to opportunities that come my way. I shouldn't limit myself to my comfort zone or to what other people will say. Even money to be earned shouldn’t be my primary motivation, but the experiences to be gained: if the opportunity will be a great vehicle for learning and improving myself, even if the income isn’t very appealing, I should take it! That’s Robert Kiyosaki speaking too.

In welcoming unexpected opportunities, no matter the date or time of year, we should choose those that will make us grow. Ultimately, we’d be surprised where the experience will take us, and often it could even be beneficial in attaining our "fixed goals."