Earth Day Auction

When I moved from India to the US over two years ago I told myself I was not choosing one over the other. My heart and my mind now had to be big enough to exist like I live in both these worlds. How could it be otherwise with all the deep relations that ran with my family, friends and hometown?

I certainly see this earth as my oyster - exquisite, small and fragile.  At the same time because of my personal situation my world-view has a new imperative.

Therefore, events like Earth Day now resound even more louder. The anthropogenic pressure on the world has grown manifold in short period of time (we are expected to hit 7 billion this October). In India I have seen tragic results of too many mouths to feed; and here in the west I witness an economy exhausted by unbridled consumption.

One can choose to ignore the signs, or one can say, you know what? I will make some changes in my life that will honor this gift of earth which we have taken so for granted. And hopefully one day our children won’t have to be ashamed of us, and more worrying, have bear the consequences of our bad karma.

On this forthcoming Earth Day, it is our privilege to join forces with Eco Etsy, a team of handcrafters committed to safeguarding the environment in their business practices and personal lives. Happy Earth Tea is among 50 odd shops on Etsy who have donated items for Handmade for Earth Day Auction 2012. Proceeds will be donated to National Park Foundation to support its on-going restoration and maintenance of national parks in America

The auction will begin Monday, April 2, 2012 and will end on Sunday, April 22th, 2012. The winners will be announced on Monday, April 9th, 16th and 23th, 2012.

We have donated our popular blends Masala Chai and Tulsi Ginger, besides a Darjeeling First Flush. Our Masala Chai follows a traditional Indian recipe. Nothing like the sugary, artificial tasting lattes offered in the cafes here. The recipe actually comes from my sister, who I think makes the best home-made masala chai.

Tulsi Ginger is a blend of holy basil (revered in India as a holy plant for its spiritual and medicinal strengths) and ginger. We always hear from our customers about how beneficial the tea has been for them in terms of helping bad stomachs, opening congestion, etc.

Our Darjeeling First Flush is from Marybong tea estate. It is a high-grown tea from Darjeeling - a region in India whose exclusive teas are often described by connoisseurs as the champagne of teas!

All our teas are organically grown or have been handmade using organic ingredients.

We invite you to come to the auction. Not just our tea but I am sure you will find a host of beautiful and inspired works by artisans from around the world. Please join in the efforts to do our bit for this small and beautiful planet we know as our home.