I was first exposed to Fair Trade before I had even heard the term. While living on Leguan Island in Guyana, South America my husband and I did all our shopping in a traditional open-air market. At the market tomatos were picked fresh from the garden of the Auntie selling them to you. It was this interaction that drove home a simple fact I had not, in 25 years, stopped to consider: trade is fundamentally a human interaction. To me then 'fair trade' was not a list of criteria but a desire to pay the worth of the goods grown by the sweet woman before me.
Returning to the States my husband Brady and I set out to spread this idea in our hometown. In November 2006 we launched twohandsworldshop.com, an online retail store which sells hand-made items following fair trade practices. We are in the process of opening a physical store in downtown Lawrence, KS soon!
We launched our blog in Feburary 2007 and it became my diving board into the green waters. What once was a simple toe dip has become a full fledged immersion into the green world. Since we are starting a business funds are limited and I enjoy finding simple and affordable ways to green-ify our lives and sharing them with our readers.
Several contests launched this month in honor of Fair Trade month. From free chocolate to trips, there’s a chance for everyone to win.
Divine, a delicious Fair Trade chocolate company, has a tasty deal for all the top chefs out there. They’re looking for recipes that have "heaps of creativity, Divine appeal, and powerful statements about why contestants are hungry to change the world through Fair Trade." The sweetest [...]
Fair Trade Towns USA is "a campaign organized by local and national Fair Trade advocates whose aim is to encourage and support the Fair Trade Movement
in the U.S. Following the example of the Fair Trade movement in Europe, the campaign strives to support local, grassroots groups by offering tools and resources to become a Fair Trade town or city through successful local campaigns."
This campaign makes it even easier for your town [...]
Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart, annouced that they have converted their "private label Member’s Mark premium ground coffee" to Fair Trade Certified. The process from bean begins with 3678 small scale, independent farmers who then sell their beans to "democratically-run cooperatives for a set, guaranteed minimum price." This pool of beans from thousands of independent farmers is what composes the Member’s Mark brand. In conjunction with this announcement, Sam’s Club is offering a [...]
You can now enjoy your ethical brew is the sky.
Virgin Atlantic announced earlier this week that they are now offering Fair Trade coffee and tea to all passengers. The selection will consist of "organic green and white teas from QI teas, a range of fresh and instant coffees by Costa Coffee and specialist supplier FFI UK and a range of organic and Fairtrade teas from Clipper." This will be a significant impact, as [...]
You’ve heard about how to introduce your friends and family to Fair Trade, and how to build the movement within your community. Now let’s look at how to bring this important education into your school.
Fair Trade fundraising. With many different options and rewards, it’s easy to make the switch to selling a sweeter chocolate.
Raise awareness and funds with a Fair Trade bake sale. Check out the many delicious recipes at [...]
October is Fair Trade month and a great chance to introduce the movement to your friends and families! If your plans are grand but you need a bit of help to get them up and moving, then check out the mini-grants offered by TransFair. They average $500 and are to help promote Fair Trade in anyway you like. "From house parties and café crawls, to fashion shows and festivals, advocates have [...]
You’ve heard about Fair Trade. You believe in the idea and look for it when you shop. Now it’s time to let others know. From the passing comment to the big party, here are some ways to introduce your friends and familys to the benefits of Fair Trade:
1. Grab a cup of Fair Trade coffee, tea, hot cocoa or wine with a friend and start a discussion.
2. Give a Fair Trade [...]
As schools and fall activities start their momentum, so too does the need for funding. I spent many fall afternoons in my school days hauling a box of chocolates door to door in the name of a field trip or project, all while resisting the urge to eat them… sometimes successfully.
It is not common to think of where our chocolate bars come from. I did not even know what a cacao pod looked [...]
How do we celebrate the "labor" in next weekend’s holiday? Labor Day typically brings to mind BBQ’s, three-day sales and the last celebrations of summer. Yet this holiday was created for the working man, a day to celebrate camaraderie and spirit within trade and labor organizations, and a day of rest and respect for those who labor through the remaining year. These organizations helped to bring labor rights to working people such as the [...]
On Sept. 9th in Randall’s Island, NY, many artists, including board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, will take the stage to help bring awareness to and raise funds for Farm Aid. Farm Aid began with the first 3 musicians in 1985 as an effort to bring awareness and assistance to family farms, and to help them compete in an aggressive corporate environment. Farm Aid achieves this through [...]
