Fair Trade on the High Seas

by Zarah Patriana

Published December 09, 2008 @ 07:02AM PT

If you've been paying any sort of attention to the news lately, you might have heard about Somali pirates that have been hi-jacking ships left and right. Well, while some are using ships for evil, the guys over at the Greenheart Project are looking to use sailing for nothing but good. I stumbled across this project a few hours ago and I am completely fascinated.

Has anyone else heard about it? Because I really want to know more, beyond the website. Here is what I gathered so far. They are planning on establishing a trade vessel that will run solely on sun and wind.

By using trade winds and traditional sailing routes in addition to electric motors powered by the sun, S/V Greenheart will be able to deliver her cargo without burning petroleum products for propulsion.

One of the main goals of the project is to "publicize international cooperation, clean energy, fair trade and sustainable industry". They will zig zag around the world between the Global North and the Global South. They will have charitable missions, such as aid and relief.

Greenheart will coordinate with local and international charities, NGO's, relief organizations and ministries of the relevant governments in order to load aid supplies, medical and educational donations, and development project support. These cargoes will be delivered free of charge to countries in the developing world.

AAaand they will participate in Fair Trade commerce.

As the charitable supplies are delivered, Greenheart will buy environmentally sound and sustainability sourced products from small producers and cooperatives at better-than-market prices to support their efforts. Because of her extremely shallow draught, S/V Greenheart will be able to load at small ports and up rivers presently unable to accommodate ocean-going vessels, thus providing new access to international markets for small producers.

They will then sail to other countries and sell the Fair Trade wares that they found along the way.

By combining both charitable and profitable aspects while embracing the principles of environmental protection, sustainability and fair trade, Greenheart will offer a very public model of a self-funding, respectable institution. We hope to inspire people and organizations around the world to re-think the boundries of business and of international aid. In time, we intend to build a fleet of non-polluting sailing cargo ships for use in poverty abatement programs around the world.

Their official mission statement:

We at Greenheart are striving to create a new model of a clean, cooperative and sustainable enterprise. We commit to supporting equally the environmental, the social, and the economic viability of our world by adhering to the principles of fairness and accountability in trade, respect and stewardship for the environment, and a charitable, global disposition. By operating a solar-power assisted sailing trading ship around a global route with complementary loads of development aid and fair trade goods, we intend to function as a self-funding charitable merchantman. Our goal is to forge connections, both physical and institutional, among societies, environments and economies the world around. We propose using our unique platform to bring together organizations, institutions, governments and corporations with sincere desires to further sustainability for our planet. Both our ship and her crew are dedicated to promoting, by example, the practice of environmental protection, fair & equitable trade relations, and the responsible use of renewable resources.

Friends. I ask again. Has anyone heard of this project? I want to know more. All about it basically. I will do more sniffing around and report back. It sounds too good to be true. But I want it to be true! Developing!