From: The Daily Collegian Online
Amidst the pumpkins and chili samples dominating Saturday's Fall Festival, a small table of handmade Peruvian crafts also attracted passers-by along Allen Street.
The Center for Amazon Community Ecology (CACE) sold crafts from belts to baskets that reflected the culture of their artisans in their very constitution -- rainforest seeds interwoven with palm fibers in intricate patterns. Photographs of the artisans were displayed alongside the crafts to establish a connection between the items and their origins.
Campbell Plowden, president and executive director of CACE, said 20 percent of the money raised from the sale of these handicrafts directly supports Amazon communities.
CACE is a non-profit organization that aims to support the livelihoods of Amazon tribes and simultaneously promote forest conservation, Plowden said.
Plowden manned the table throughout the day Saturday, offering locals information about the products, the artisans who crafted them and their respective communities.
"Jewelry is a great way to communicate a cause," said Rachel Darville (junior-arts and advertising), an intern working to launch the center's online store.
At the end of the day, 14 handicrafts were sold by the center for a total of $203. Plowden said the Fall Festival was the organization's most profitable venue to date.
In the past few years, profits from these sales were used to buy school supplies for students, to set up lighting for an entire village and to stock another village's pharmacy. The rest of the money is usually reinvested in the center, whose mission extends far beyond selling accessories. With the help of a government research institution based in Jenaro Herrera, Peru, CACE is currently trying to develop new uses and markets for indigenous people's products.
One such product is copal resin, a sap usually used for caulking boats but with potential for use in incense, candles and perfumes. Plowden said CACE is communicating with a Los Angeles fragrance company to provide Amazon artisans with a new buyer and a new source of steady income. As an advertising intern for the center, Alejandra Santamaria plans to expand the center's reach by employing Facebook, Twitter and Google ads.
"We live in a green era. Everything is about sustainability and helping our planet," Santamaria (junior-advertising) said. "Our merchandise is appealing to young people -- we have hippie-chic bags and jewelry that are in right now."
Out of all the people the center reaches out to, well-educated and well-traveled women over the age of 30 usually take the most interest in its products and its work, Plowden said. But over time, CACE hopes to spread this interest to students, Darville said.
"The cultural aspects appeal to students, and the designs aren't something you see everyday," she explained. "Today, we buy jewelry that's really cheap and not all that well-made. These people spend hours making crafts that are truly symbolic of their communities."
The center has four craft show appearances planned this year.