Give a gift that changes the world by changing the opportunities for farming families and the environment around the world in over 60 countries.
When you give these Gifts of Fairness and Fair Trade, your recipient will receive a beautiful, personalized eCard or you can print it out to wrap up as a present!
Earlier this year Ben & Jerry's made an announcement to go Fair Trade throughout it's ever so clever and popular ice cream flavors. All of the flavors will be converted to Fair Trade Certified ingredients by the end of 2013.
In 2005 Ben & Jerry's was the first ice cream company in the world to use Fair Trade Certified ingredients. It will now be the first ice cream company to make such a significant commitment to Fair Trade across its global product line. Every ingredient that can be sourced Fair Trade, will be Fair Trade. Such ingredients include bananas, cocoa, fruits, nuts and others. Over 27,000 farmers from Fair Trade cooperatives will be involved in the transformation.
We are so excited for the changes and will be sharing a scoop of Cherry Garcia & Americone Dream to celebrate!
Yes, October is the month to celebrate Fair Trade. Do your part and spread the word if you believe in the fair trade concept. EVERY PURCHASE MATTERS.
Each time you give a fair trade gift let it be known and brag about how that item's sale is helping a community. The majority of fair trade producers are women, often mothers and sole providers in their homes. Point out the fact that buying fair trade makes a powerful difference in their lives.
Tell your family, friends and colleagues that you're buying fair trade products and giving fair trade gifts this year, and tell them how to find out more.
We wanted to touch on another important issue which Fair Trade seeks to address. That is the issue of gender inequality and it's contribution to poverty.
The fact that women are not treated as equally as men may be a more apparent and publicly discussed fact than ever before, but the extent of that inequality, and it's correlation to poverty has become much more prevalent as a focal point for anti-poverty and development organizations as an absolute must fix.
Consider the fact that 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in absolute poverty are women and you will quickly see that empowering women to be financially independent and to increase their education and skills will do a great deal to solve the world's poverty issues. It is also shown in research that every additional year of education for a women is also a 10% drop in fertility, which reflects women delaying child birth and ultimately having healthier children and being able to secure themselves first.
Once again, we have to be excited about the potential for Fair Trade to help in this area. Most artisans involved in the Fair Trade system are women, and so choosing to spend our money on Fair Trade products directly addresses and contributes to the eradication of poverty. As women artisans producing Fair Trade earn fair wages and increase their skills and education, their communities develop as well. It is shown in research that women are more likely to spend their earnings on their families and communities rather than themselves......
We wanted to say something really quickly about the environmental benefits of Fair Trade. While the Fair Trade system has a strong focus on labor standards and social and economic justice for world communities, it also places a high premium on environmental sustainability.
There are strict guidelines for Fair Trade producers that include prohibiting the use of damaging agrochemicals or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), ensuring soil fertility, water conservation, appropriate waste management, etc.
It's just one more positive change we can make in how our world operates by choosing Fair Trade products over conventional.
A great blog we love with info on various ideas for living a more sustainable lifestyle:
The Story of Cosmetics video addresses the issue of problem-toxins in our personal care products. It shows the major loopholes in US federal law that allow producers to insert any ingredient into these types of skin care products to be sold to the public.
So many of us see the myriad problems in our world and want to help in some way, but ultimately we find ourselves getting overwhelmed and feeling hopeless ....enter Fair Trade.
Fair Trade is a social movement that is seeking to address the world's most serious problems (from poverty to climate change and everywhere in between) in a way that makes it easy for each and everyone of us to contribute. It seeks to change the world with the power of our purchases.
We consume everyday, but we spend little time thinking about the effect those purchases have on other communities, people, and the environment. The current dominant international trading system allows for the free flow of capital and trade with very little in the way of protection mechanisms for those that may be harmed in the process. Because of this deficiency in the system, the big international corporations producing so many of our products are free to set up shop in whatever part of the world that offers the lowest labor costs and regulations, as well as the lowest environmental regulations. The results are not good... continue reading full post
Turn old paper bag inside out so no print is showing and wrap gift box. Then tie hemp string around box and through the message. Not only do you end up with a super cute wrapping job, but the little birdie can be re-gifted with a new message in the future!
WEBSITE LAUNCH!
We're so excited to officially announce the launch of our Fair Trade store connectedgoods.com! Thank you for checking us out and for being a conscious consumer. We have a nice assortment of merchandise available, all of which is Fair Trade and eco-friendly. We are continuing to expand our inventory so check back often as there are new products every week!
We strive to bring innovation, well designed products and a unique human experience. While shopping at Connected you will not only support the artisan that made the product, but will also connect into a small piece of their life story. We focus on each artisan's life experience as it relates to their creation.
Connected is a different type of consumer experience. It is our goal to enhance the act of consumption by creating an interactive, meaningful experience between you and the artisan.
The people are, and always will be, our inspiration throughout our endeavors.
