Can sipping tea help create a vision of world peace? The International Tea Sippers Society is hosting a virtual tour of 31 tea lands and using Kickstarter to finance a month-of-tea celebration beginning in January.
Babette Donaldson, founder of the International Tea Sippers Society, is asking tea lovers around the world to envision a time of global peace.
"No one alive has experienced global peace. There is no shared vision or language,” says Donaldson, a Nevada-based tea educator and author. “I believe that tea has the potential to empower individuals to reclaim a personal sense of peace and inspire a vision of what could be. We can share a simple practice – Sip for Peace,” she says.
Donaldson has invited tea lovers to take part in a virtual tea festival to experience teas as they are enjoyed in many cultures and, while doing so, to imagine a world without war.
“Tea has played an important role in the cultural, spiritual and economic history of our world. I believe there is a new role for tea in these times,” she said. “What we’re doing in January is opening a global conversation, using tea to facilitate and help us create a common language beyond the divisiveness of politics. The tea experience can remind us of our common sense of humanity and the importance of imagining a world where this becomes our priority."
Babette Donaldson, center right, holds up a Sip for Peace poster. Left, Tekeste Mehreteab, manager at Chado and, to her right, Reena Shah, owner of ITI/Chado Tea. Photo taken at Northwest Tea Festival.
Donors to the Kickstarter campaign receive a 2-oz packet of tea blended from leaves grown in 31 tea lands. Donations begin at $10 and rewards include tea, t-shirts, and ITSS membership.
See the video.
“We are calling this the flavor of peace,” said Donaldson, who is working with sponsors ITI in Los Angeles to produce the sample. When brewed you will enjoy a coalescence of flavors that symbolizes a world blend, she explains (the blend is primarily green and compatible teas, such as oolong).
Global Tea Blend made with tea leaves from 31 growing regions. The infusion of all these regions is “The Flavor of Peace”.
During the month of January ITSS will present daily personal meditations for peace along with a tour of 31 tea growing regions. Daily offerings by writers, teachers and philosophers in the worldwide tea community will be part of each daily email.
The tour introduces people around the world who grow and craft your tea. “Discover places in the world you never knew existed. Learn what life in remote tea growing regions is like. Take this opportunity to experience the entire planet as your own neighborhood,” writes ITSS.
Donaldson has developed several opportunities for tea businesses to take part. The link provides downloadable resources such as posters, coloring pages and activities and access to buttons, decals and table tents, for a small fee.
Donaldson includes suggestions for events that will save retailers time in developing a plan and organizing their own celebrations.
Sponsors include G.S. Haley, Nepali Tea Traders, Australian Tea Masters, Young Mountain Tea, The Tea Spot and The Tea House.
Learn more: Sip for Peace
hosting a virtual tour of 31 tea lands and using Kickstarter to finance a month-of-tea celebration beginning in January.
Babette Donaldson, founder of the International Tea Sippers Society, is asking tea lovers around the world to envision a time of global peace.
"No one alive has experienced global peace. There is no shared vision or language,” says Donaldson, a Nevada-based tea educator and author. “I believe that tea has the potential to empower individuals to reclaim a personal sense of peace and inspire a vision of what could be. We can share a simple practice – Sip for Peace,” she says.
Donaldson has invited tea lovers to take part in a virtual tea festival to experience teas as they are enjoyed in many cultures and, while doing so, to imagine a world without war.
“Tea has played an important role in the cultural, spiritual and economic history of our world. I believe there is a new role for tea in these times,” she said. “What we’re doing in January is opening a global conversation, using tea to facilitate and help us create a common language beyond the divisiveness of politics. The tea experience can remind us of our common sense of humanity and the importance of imagining a world where this becomes our priority."
