By Jeannie E. Javelosa
Reprinted from the author's column "A Spirited Soul" that appeared in the Philippine Star on September 28, 2008 (edited version).
Each of us defines the kind of lifestyle we want. Sometimes, we define it quite unconsciously as we allow trends, traditions, and friendships to define how we live or what "we should want and have." Our food choices, clothing style, what we enjoy, and how we spend our free time all add up to the definition of our individual personalities. I have always defined my own lifestyle consciously, even as family and friends thought me weird. So mine was always a trip to the organic market (I was one of the very first regulars when Mara Pardo de Tavera first opened her Organic Market decades back), and then to a healthy food shop, off to qigong (now yoga, meditation, and prayer), and the thrill of climbing or enjoying the serenity of Mount Banahaw while helping the local community with attempts at livelihood projects. And, in the course of it all, I found many kindred souls, many who, like me, embrace a more conscious way of life attuning to the planet. Whenever I would meet up with such people, there was always a similarity in our desire to help in the growing awareness of developing the inner Self as we moved through the transitions of our life journey, embracing community by wanting to help others, and the urgent desire to nurture our sadly ailing planet.
So it came as no surprise that during one casual dinner a month and a half ago, I sat with two friends, Reena Francisco, my groupmate since Grade 5 through high school, and our other friend, Chit Juan. Throwing ideas around with no thought but to share what we wanted to do in our work and lives, we came upon a concept that was just waiting to be born: We were fired up to put up a one-stop shop that would offer alternatives helping everyone live a sustainable lifestyle. And, like magic, the store was up. And the business, which is a social enterprise, was set in motion. A social enterprise is a business for profit, but with an added twist—the profits consider the triple bottom line, where there are environmental and social gains as well. We call it EchoStore Sustainable Lifestyle. ECHO is the acronym for Environment & Community Hope Organization.
It was a novel idea, revolutionary even, to try to be the umbrella or the home for sharing ideas for sustainable living. And we could feel the energy mount as we spoke to people about it. We rallied our network of social enterprises, communities, foundations, and charitable groups who badly needed a retail space to sell their goods as varied as home décor, fashionable accessories, gift items, and many more. Most of these products are made by marginalized groups, women prisoners, the urban poor, foundations that support abused children, and even the creative industries. We invited producers of organic, natural, and nontoxic goods to bring in their products which ranged from personal care and home cleaning products to staples like organic rice, sugar, and other produce. Many of these small producers do not have a main outlet in a high-traffic mall area. Also, many community groups need help with marketing, branding, and strategically positioning their products in a local market that is overloaded with nothing but global brands. We want to say we are Pinoy and proud of it. We want to show the creativity and excellence of which we know our race is capable of. We are idealists and we walk purposefully to make this idealism practical.
Because we wanted to start small, we chose to share space with another social enterprise called Kape Isla: Home of Philippine Coffee. We asked if we could manage the café so we could have a place to bring people together and discuss, exchange, and define all aspects of sustainable living, environmental advocacies, and the wholeness of the Self so relationships with the community can be deeper and more relevant. We've already had a Café Scientifique session, and future Kapihans will find their home here, too.
It has been barely a month and a half, and the concept is real, born, and alive through EchoStore. We've been receiving inquiries from abroad asking about and wanting to connect with EchoStore, barely a week after its opening. In our fast awakening world where, daily, people are going through internal processes of awakening to their roles in this Earth, reaching out to like-minded people all over the world is but a step away. And the mission: to help push forward the emerging trend of the conscious and caring consumer.
Sometimes, there are moments when blessings and graces of wonderful ideas come and root, and are born. And we, who are the recipients, are mindful of this gift, this responsibility even to make the seed grow and flourish. We often tell people that we want everyone to follow our concept, and echo it over and over again. People have to purchase products and goods anyway—why not buy a double gift where you get something you need and, at the same time, help a community? And we would look to the communities and ask them whether their own processes are sustainable for the environment, too. Wouldn't it be a great high to see such stores carry the best of the Filipino, or carry the spirit of care for and nurturing of our planet, become as common as a 7-Eleven in every corner? Where organic brown, violet, and red rice by farmers from Nueva Ecija are sold, where muscovado sugar from Negros is plentiful, where seaweed pancit from the far south is made available, where recycled items are beautiful and functional once more, and poor, marginalized people have steadier sources of income, because of fair trade? Now wouldn't that vision of an EchoStore in every corner be an exciting goal to go after?
