Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Social Responsibility
Who is Enter the Earth?
Enter the Earth is a North Carolina based company owned by Nader Kawar. We have a retail store and wholesale warehouse in Asheville, North Carolina, and a wholesale warehouse in Tucson, Arizona. We underwrite the operations of a factory in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and the Ocean Jasper® mines in the Sofia region of northwestern Madagascar. You can learn more about our company on the About Us section of our wholesale website.
How are workers in Madagascar treated?
Enter the Earth underwrites the operations of a factory in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.
Workers are paid a fair wage and the factory is part of the local community. Many suppliers are Madagascan owned businesses operated by the same families for generations.
The regular factory hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with a paid lunch hour and breaks. Workers are given a per diem to cover the cost of food. Additionally, many American pay practices are observed like holiday pay, overtime pay, and goal based bonuses.
Workers are provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against injury while breaking, cutting, and polishing stones. This includes but is not limited to goggles, coveralls, gloves, and steel toed boots. There is also ear protection for loud equipment.
The primary safety concern is the prevention of silicosis, a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica. Air extractors and fans help eliminate dust in the factory and stones are cut with water to reduce exposure. Finally, workers are provided with particle filtering masks. They are also shared with suppliers.
Underage workers are not employed in the factory or mines that we underwrite.
How are the workers at the Ocean Jasper® mines treated?
Enter the Earth underwrites the operations of the Ocean Jasper® mines in the Sofia region of northwestern Madagascar.
Miners work Monday through Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to avoid the heat of the day. (They do not work on Thursdays for cultural reasons.) Additionally, many American pay practices are observed there like holiday pay, overtime pay, and goal based bonuses.
Workers are provided tools and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against injury while mining and breaking or moving rough rock. This includes but is not limited to goggles, hard hats, reflective safety clothing, gloves, steel toed boots, and particle filtering masks.
What mining practices are observed?
Enter the Earth underwrites the operations of the Ocean Jasper® mines in the Sofia region of northwestern Madagascar.
Ocean Jasper® is collected by shallow surface mining, no deeper than most house foundations underground. While all mining has an environmental impact, heavy machinery, explosives, or chemicals are not used for extraction.
Standard land reclamation practices are followed. Ocean Jasper® is more technically a chalcedony, a variety of quartz. Mining chalcedony does not release dangerous byproducts into the local environment. Excavated areas are filled back in with waste rock, replicating the succession of soil layers, and the original shape of the landscape is returned. Finally, native vegetation is restored with replanting projects.
Neighboring communities are supported during the rainy season, when mining is not possible, by planting trees in the nursery used locally like mango and lemon.
What charitable giving and community projects do you do?
Enter the Earth underwrites the operations of the Ocean Jasper® mines in northwestern Madagascar and a factory in the capital city Antananarivo.
Much of our charitable giving has revolved around education. We donate to cover the schooling, books, and supplies for all of the factory workers’ children. We have also supported education-based charities working on the island.
We donated funds for the construction of a school for the remote communities near the Ocean Jasper® mines in 2000. The cost of the local children’s education, school supplies, and the salaries of the teachers are all covered by donation. Additionally, we donated funds for the construction of a health clinic in Marovato in 2017 and another one in Kabamby in 2021. The cost of the medical supplies and the salaries of the nurses, midwives, and doctors are all covered by donation. Additional wells in the area have been dug to ensure clean drinking water and the construction of bridges for safer travel.
Finally, we have donated to support the economic development of the Sofia region. For example, the local and regional government uses these funds to repair roads damaged during the rainy season and for the maintenance of governmental offices, including providing solar power and back up batteries.
What are some of your more recent donations?
Enter the Earth donated funds for the construction of a second health clinic near the village of Kabamby in 2021. The cost of the medical supplies and the salaries of the nurses, midwives, and doctors are all covered by donation. We also donated funds for the village of Marovato to update their clinic and dig new wells.
We donated a new vehicle in 2022 to help one of our charitable giving partners Gems of Madagascar assist communities in central and southeastern Madagascar impacted by tropical cyclones and the hunger crisis.
How is Enter the Earth helping with the hunger crisis in southern Madagascar?
Southern Madagascar experienced its worst drought in four decades in the fall of 2021 leading to fears of a famine. When the potential for catastrophic food insecurity first appeared, Enter the Earth partnered with Gems of Madagascar, the Acronis Cyber Foundation, the regional Vakinankaratra government, and other donors to support direct food aid there.
Our group effort was organized by Gems of Madagascar. It is a charitable organization started by a graduate gemmologist that specifically works with rural communities. To date we have delivered more than 11 metric tons of food to 450 families, including fresh fruit, greens, root vegetables, lentils and beans, rice, corn and rice flour, milk powder, salted fish, and drinking water.
These supplies were primarily purchased around Morarano, a town in central Madagascar. Gems of Madagascar sponsors a school there and buying locally had the added benefit of supporting its farmers rather than just importing goods. The relief efforts developed into a school project. Teachers, students, and their parents came together to help those facing hunger by preparing everything for transportation south.
Enter the Earth donated a new vehicle in 2022 to help Gems of Madagascar assist communities in central and southeastern Madagascar impacted by tropical cyclones and the hunger crisis.
How has your company responded to COVID-19?
Both our retail store and wholesale warehouse in Asheville, North Carolina were closed from March to May 2020 because of a stay-at-home order. All employees had their salaries paid during the shutdowns. We reopened under North Carolina and Buncombe County’s safety mandates, including limited customer capacity, social distancing, and mask or face covering requirements.
Enter the Earth underwrites the operations of a factory in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Similar safety procedures were observed there. The masks typically used for cutting and polishing stones were shared with workers, their families, and suppliers. All employees in both the mines and factory had their salaries paid during the shutdowns. Additionally, direct food aid was donated in Marovato and Kabamby to help other people in the community facing food insecurity because of COVID-19.
Contact Information
Our social responsibility manager Christopher Matthews handles inquiries about charitable giving, community outreach, and known treatments of our products.
Christopher Matthews
Wholesale Website and Social Media Manager
Office for Geological Research
Email: christopher@entertheearth.com
