I've written before about fair trade: coffee, tea, chocolate, clothing, shoes, and more. (That's fair trade, folks, not free trade. There's a big difference.) Until now, my posts have been about individual products. Now, I've found several fair trade clearinghouses that enable you to support many more fair trade practices and products. Check these out:
* TransFair USA is "the home of the Fair Trade certification agency for the US." Their site allows you to "find the nearest café or grocery store near you that carries Fair Trade food products. You can also shop online at participating retailers and roasters as well as add a retailer if you don't find them on our list."
* The Fair Trade Foundation in London is home to the Fair Trade Mark which indicates that the product meets standards set by the International Fair Trade Labeling Organization (fairtrade.net).
* The Fair Trade Federation "is an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide."
* GetEthical.com "finds the best ethical, Fair Trade and environmentally friendly products and services available and brings them together in one easy-to-access place."
Learn more about fair trade and why it's important at maketradefair.com, a project of OxFam. They provide the resources you need to shop responsibly, promote fair trade, educate yourself, and more. You've got to buy stuff, so make the choice that benefits everyone. Choose fair trade.
"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." - Chinese Proverb
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Vote for your favorite health policy and ethics weblog today.
Take the fair trade pledge: www.pledgebank.com/fairtrade2006
How about buying a watch, or many other kinds of crafts, that took skill to make, talent to design, and supports individual craft families in Bali: commerce with morality . ..see what you think of these watches at http://www.balibooty.com/store/category.php?cat=21
And we aren't the only ones, if you type handmade watches into google, you'll see a lot of nonsense, and a few really interesting websites where watches, and many other kinds of craft are sold and know your money is going where can feel good about it. It never hurts to ask the vendor WHY they think they are fair trade merchants versus, just exploiting cheap labor to make a buck . . we GLADLY reveal what we pay to our smiths, as well as our health programs, to those wonderful but unfortunately very few customers who care to ask.
Post a Comment