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Get Groovy Online
Get Groovy Online
Published 03-13-06
Submitted by www.thegroovymind.com
thegroovymind's worldwide search produced the best that organic, Fair Trade has to offer while talented farmers and artisans are paid a fair wage for their work. Fair Trade co-ops offer housing, healthcare, child care, low interest loans and education, breaking the cycle of poverty in developing nations while protecting the biodiversity where they live. Determined to spread these movements at a time when social and economic justice have been ignored, Mitzner and Gorney were encouraged by a Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability study that reported 63 million Americans make purchasing decisions based on how it affects the world around them. An exploding market already exists for buyers with a conscience but given the opportunity wouldn't the average American prefer higher quality at a comparable price while their dollars help make the world a better place?
Their first order came from a noted psychiatrist--organic, Fair Trade Groovy Mondo Gift Boxes for the psych ward and emergency room staff at Stonybrook and ELIH hospitals. The second, a bulk order for organic spicy pepitas at the highly rated Frisky Oyster, on the 2004 Hot List in Conde Nast Traveler. Then the fashion trade launched the organic Fair Trade challenge to convert coffee/tea consumption in their New York offices and thegroovymind won hands down! Business gift giving followed because like-minded professionals, investment firms, film companies, ad agencies, environmental groups and law firms understood that sustainable, socially responsible gifts are...groovy!
Who wouldn't want a delicious organic, Fair Trade gift box of fresh Ethiopian coffee, slow roasted to order, fragrant seasonally harvested organic Fair Trade tea from the first biodynamic tea garden in Darjeeling and luscious organic Fair Trade chocolate made in a factory run by renewable energy instead of a gourmet basket filled with stale pesticide- and preservative-laden food? And to know you're a part of a socially responsible network that furthers human rights, environmental protection and fair labor practices. By forging a new business model, trading in higher consciousness, Mitzner said, "we could do something we believe in and keep our standards high. You know. Live our politics. Make a difference with our groovy minds!"
ABOUT US
Over the years, partners Melanie Mitzner and Nicke Gorney worked for social and economic justice at home and abroad. Mitzner grew up in Atlanta, GA, attending high school with Yolanda King, inspired by her father's activism during the Civil Rights era. Gorney who grew up in Montreal met Mitzner in New York City where they practiced their politics as social activists during the turbulent '80s.
An Edward Albee Foundation award-winning screenwriter and finalist in the Writers Guild East Foundation Fellowships, Mitzner's latest project is "Anonymous," a novel about a shell-shocked architect who disappears after 9/11. For two decades, she freelanced as a journalist and writer.
Gorney has had critically acclaimed shows of abstract art and photography in New York museums and galleries, most recently "21st Century Blues." She spent 16 years growing and distributing organic greens and sprouts to fine restaurants, health food stores and gourmet markets in New York City.
Together they launched thegroovymind to further environmental sustainability and social and economic justice through buying, promoting and selling organic, Fair Trade and eco-friendly products. "By being a part of these movements, we hope to help break the cycle of poverty in developing nations while preserving our natural resources," explains Gorney.
