Good Market celebrates 5th birthday

Friday, 8 December 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Good Market Festival and Annual Vendor Awards tomorrow

Good Market is celebrating five years of weekly events with a special one-day festival at the Colombo Racecourse tomorrow, 9 December, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The fifth annual vendor awards ceremony will start at 4 p.m.

Good Market is a curated community of social enterprises and responsible businesses that are “good for people and good for the planet”. It started in December 2012 with 33 vendors. There are now nearly 500 Good Market approved enterprises on the www.goodmarket.global platform.

“If you visit the Saturday Good Market event in Colombo, you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” explains Achala Samaradivakara, a Good Market co-founder. “Good Market is a platform for people who want to create a better world. There is space for everyone: conscious consumers, artists, performers, home gardeners, voluntary organisations, university start-ups, rural producers, and established businesses.”

“The majority of Good Market community members are outside of Colombo. The online platform makes it easier for everyone to find and connect with each other. In the last year, Good Market community members have started organising festivals and meet-ups in other districts so people have the opportunity to come together in person.”

“Good Market is based on the idea that we create the world we live in. We make decisions every day that affect our health, our loved ones, our community, and our environment. If we stop and think about the consequences of our actions, we have the opportunity to make better choices and create a better world,” Samaradivakara continued.

The Good Market online platform is currently available in English, Sinhala, and Tamil, but it is being translated into other languages in preparation for an international roll-out in 2018.

“People around the world are starting to realise that ‘business as usual’ is not an option, and they are looking for alternatives,” says Dr. Amanda Kiessel, a Good Market co-founder who is helping with international outreach. “We are excited to be able to highlight the great initiatives happening in Sri Lanka.”

“Sri Lanka is building a reputation for wellness, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability. There are excellent examples in almost every sector: ethical fashion, organic agriculture, Ayurveda, renewable energy, responsible travel, green building, impact investment, and more. The annual vendor awards are a celebration of this emerging new economy.”

The Saturday Good Market happens every week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Colombo Racecourse. The Good Market organic and natural food shop is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the street from the Racecourse at 14 Reid Avenue, Colombo 7. The Good Market community platform is a web app with a mobile friendly design. It can be accessed from any browser at www.goodmarket.global.