Jeff Geipel
Jeff Geipel – Age 26
|
|
What We Buy Makes a Big Impact
“I want people to realize that coffee doesn’t come from the coffee shop but from a farmer in Latin America or Africa, that their cell phone is made from minerals extracted in the Congo, that everything comes from somewhere. I want people to start asking these questions about every product: where does it come from, how is it made, and is it ethical?”
Jeff Geipel has a very strong work ethic. He works as a volunteer for 40-45 hours per week building up the non-profit organization he founded called Fair Trade Vancouver, and then puts in another 25 hours a week at White Spot to pay the bills. “It’s amazing how much time goes into everything, like designing a pamphlet or organizing an event. The detail is staggering.” Still, he feels that this doesn’t even compare to the hard work of Ghanaians building a school in the hot sun on nothing but some rice. It is those people that he thinks of, and is inspired by, to keep himself going.
Through his own travels (he has visited over 38 countries) and volunteer work overseas with Oxfam, Jeff has witnessed how hard people work in various parts of the world, and how little they get paid for that work.
“Canadians are good people, and it’s not that they don’t care about making good choices. It’s that they’re busy and they often don’t have the time to do the research themselves,” states Jeff. The challenge therefore is to do the work for them; to make the products accessible, and to educate. Jeff is confident that if the information and fair trade products are readily available, people will indeed make the right choices.
Although overall awareness of fair trade issues in Canada is low, people are starting to realize that they need to do something about it. “Even large corporations are becoming aware that they need to at least pay lip service to ethical issues,” says Jeff. “It is up to us, the consumers, to keep the corporations accountable.”
“What really drives me,” he continues, “is when I meet someone, tell them what I do, and I see it click. I find that people here often feel helpless. If they donate money, they’re not sure where it goes, but once they see that there’s something they can do in their daily lives, such as make certain choices, they really respond. It’s amazing to see people realize their power.”
There are of course many obstacles to Jeff’s work. He’s concerned that some young people in Canada don’t know how to work for things – they grow up with Nintendo and the iPod just given to them at a very young age.
Jeff is also cautious about the sheer amount of information available on international development issues, as it can become overwhelming. For Jeff, it all depends on how we use that information. “Social media, again, is a mixed thing. Amazing things are being done through Facebook, such as garnering support for a protest. But then so much time is being wasted. We can do a lot here at home to make sure our actions are not harming those people we most want to help.”
