Education & Outreach

An important component of the "Education" aspect of the Plowshare Center is the Learning Peace Center (LPC). Providing educational resources since Plowshare's inception, it has been expanded over the years to offer not only an array of books which encourage all forms of non-violent action -- human, animal, and environmental -- but more recently, T-shirts, bumper stickers, flags/banners, & more, which, through creative messaging, help us, as "global citizens", to express publicly our individual commitment to peace & justice.

One of the windows at the shop entrance -- designated the "Education" window -- uses items from the LPC to create a particular theme, or express a quote, with an invitation to visit the LPC in the back corner of the shop, where a bulletin board often expands on that theme, and where info about upcoming educational events can also be found. Unlike in the rest of the shop, items here are not necessarily "fair trade", though every effort is made to find the most socially- and environmentally-responsible products available for resale. Also, while the shop proper is run by paid staff, the LPC is stocked and maintained primarily by volunteers, under the coordination of Plowshare's Education Committee (EC). 

Proceeds from the sale of all EC-coded items are used to fund the educational programs/forums/events which the EC plans and offers to the public throughout the year -- most held at sites in the community that Plowshare networks and co-sponsors with, such as the catholic Worker House, Carroll University, or LaCasa de Esperanza. A sign in the LPC says it all: "Learning & Living Peace & Social Justice"! Be sure to visit this part of the shop soon!

Making your shopping choices count

The average household spends more than $9000* each year on food, clothing, furnishings and gifts. You have a choice about how you will spend this money. This year, challenge yourself to shift just 5% of that $9000 (about $450) to products from Fair Trade businesses. This will make a big difference in the lives of artisans and farmers in developing parts of the world.
 

(* Average expenditure for households earning $36,684 after taxes, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)