tagged w/ Fair Trade
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In the run-up to Christmas, many charities are encouraging us to shop ethically. By making moral choices about what you put in your shopping trolley, these charities say, you will not only have a guilt-free shopping experience but you will be helping millions to escape the worst excesses of poverty. But what exactly are these ethical principles which underlie the fair trade label and what do we really know about it? In this revealing report, we ask the public if they buy into fair trade and the response is a mixed bag. Many base their purchasing decisions on price and need and plenty of people who know the score in the developing world see it as far from fair.In the run-up to Christmas, many charities are encouraging us to shop ethically. By... more
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Honduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important producer in Central America. 90% of its coffee is cultivated by coffee farmers. Among these, is the cooperative Montaña Verde, situated in the province of Santa Barbara, a partner of Van Houtte's since 2002. Following an action plan established by CARE Canada, the Montaña Verde co-op has come a long way. Generating profits, increasing orders, expanding its workforce, attracting international recognition for its high quality coffee, and improving the status of women and the well-being of communities, are all goals that the Montaña Verde co-op and its members were able to achieve through hard work, solidarity, courage, and concern for the environment. They have maintained their privileged relationship with Van Houtte for almost a decade.Honduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important... more
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Honduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important producer in Central America. 90% of its coffee is cultivated by coffee farmers. Among these, is the cooperative Montaña Verde, situated in the province of Santa Barbara, a partner of Van Houtte’s since 2002. Following an action plan established by CARE Canada, the Montaña Verde co-op has come a long way. Generating profits, increasing orders, expanding its workforce, attracting international recognition for its high quality coffee, and improving the status of women and the well-being of communities, are all goals that the Montaña Verde co-op and its members were able to achieve through hard work, solidarity, courage, and concern for the environment. They have maintained their privileged relationship with Van Houtte for almost a decade.
Please visit: www.committedtocaring.caHonduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important... more
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Demonstrators staged an event showing “Obama” cutting cotton subsidies. They also delivered a letter asking Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to raise the issue with the President. It marks the start of Traidcraft’s campaign to end the US subsidies which are crippling the livelihoods of farmers in developing countries. In the past nine years alone the US government has given its farmers over $24 billion in subsidies, which has been shared between just 3,500 farmers. These payments lower the price of cotton on the world market and make it almost impossible for farmers from developing countries to compete with their rich American counterparts.
Traidcraft spokesperson, Jayde Bradley says; "I am delighted by the support we have received today. I hope President Obama listens to the voice of the people and acts immediately to end these illegal subsidies. These payments continue to devastate the lives of African farmers who can produce cotton more efficiently and more cheaply than US cotton farmers. However, due to US cotton subsidies, they are unable to get a fair price for their crops. Removing US subsidies could increase the price they get by 12 percent."
Visit www.traidcraft.co.uk/cottonsubsidies to find out more and support the campaign.Demonstrators staged an event showing “Obama” cutting cotton subsidies.... more
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I soci del Consorzio Ctm altromercato sono 130 cooperative e associazioni che gestiscono 350 Botteghe del Mondo in tutta Italia: i punti vendita del commercio equo e solidale. Altromercato è una rete in continuo movimento. Visualizza questa preziosa risorsa sulle google maps.
130 cooperatives and associations members of the Consortium Ctm Altromercato manage 350 fair trade World Shops all over Italy. Altromercato is a network is in constant evolution. Find this valuable resource on google maps.I soci del Consorzio Ctm altromercato sono 130 cooperative e associazioni che... more
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At 30% off here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/1147-greener-teether-3-ring-ecofriendly-crochet-in-organic-cotton-earth-tones
Is your baby teething? Will he or she begin teething sometime soon? Make sure to get something that you don't have to worry about when they put it in their mouth! This is an organic teether made with 100% organic cotton. Others may contain chemicals such as BPA or other ingredients that are related to developmental toxicity, Here are some quick facts from Wikipedia on BPA
Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.[27][28][29][30] Early development appears to be the period of greatest sensitivity to its effects,[31] and some studies have linked prenatal exposure to later neurological difficulties.
Scary hugh? Well now you know! So let's move forward with this colorful and handmade teether, made with 100% organic cotton. If you have a friend who's having a baby this is also a great gift shower idea, and for only $7!At 30% off here:... more
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Right here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/1145-after-sun-shea
This organic shea butter is 100% pure unrefined and fair trade.
The founder, Missy Robers, says that the company is founded on the belief that God gave us perfectly managed pure and natural resources to care for our body, mind and spirit (which is something we fully agree on!). Throughout her life as a mom and wife, she has always preferred to buy and use natural ingredients versus over-marketed products in which we can't even spell the ingredients names.
We have reviewed a few products: After Sun Shea which is great to nourish and treat your skin, it has coconut oil, aloe vera and essential oils and is perfect just as a body lotion or for treating sun damaged skin after you go to the beach and forget about the world. We also got to try the pure and unrefined organic shea butter which was to die for. Raw shea is the only ingredient and you can feel the quality just by using in your face. Little did we know that we could use this product for so many things (see list at the bottom of the post).
Other products that Blends for Life Organics offer are: citrus fresh shea, sweet lavender shea, fresh mint shea, eye cream and even shea for men.
Blends for Life Organics only uses 100% pure and nautral ingredients and only 100% pure essential oils in its products. Believe it or not, they were the first company to receive an importer's and manufacturer's license to import Fair Trade Certified Organic Shea Butter into the US.
Here's a small history about shea: shea butter comes from the shea tree which is also known as the "shea of life" and grows naturally in West Africa. Did you know that shea butter is also called women's gold? That's because extracting the butter from the nuts gives income to hundreds of thousands of rural African women.
So what are the benefits and why should you think of getting pure, organic and natural skincare products? Because several other "options" have many ingredients that have been related to causing cancer, one especially called paraben. Paraben comes with several other name tags and is a group of chemicals that is used as preservatives in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. The US EPA has reported that parabens have displayed estrogenic activity in several tests, so since its known that estrogen stimulates breast cancer, do you really want to put something with parabens in your body?
Pure and unrefined shea butter contains the maximum amount of healing and moisturizing properties, it can also be used for many different things: wrinkles, dry skin, psoriasis, burns, arthritis, chapped lips, sun damage, stretech marks, diaper rash (prevention and relief), cracked and dry heels and elbows, insect bites and stings, small wounds and scrapes, muscle fatigue, aches and tention, massage and even for pets (skin infections, dry skn and coats!).
Coupon code is in the discount price above. All of their products are made in the USA. Enjoy this fantastic organic shea butter in your skin.Right here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/1145-after-sun-shea
This organic shea... more
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In honour of World Fair Trade Day, this May 14th, coffee roaster Van Houtte has sponsored this video explaining the history and impact of the Fair Trade movement. Have a look and pass it on so others may be inspired to support Fair Trade!In honour of World Fair Trade Day, this May 14th, coffee roaster Van Houtte has... more
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There is a great editorial from the April 11th edition of the New York Times on the virtues of being a B Corp, especially vis a vis preserving the mission of the organization in the face of takeovers by profit-focused incumbents. However, there is an implication, perhaps unintended, that being a B Corp would protect mission-driven businesses even when dominant industry players want a piece of the responsible, sustainable action that the B Corps are in. There are few examples of B Corps that have avoided takeover bids and were able to continue their responsible business practices in the face of incumbent competition, or of B Corps that were acquired but were able to preserve their missions. Why?
First, the B Corp is a new invention (the first B Corp was certified in 2007) so there are relatively few B Corps to use as examples (there are 407 as of this writing, vs. several million other incorporated entities in the US). But more instructively, B Corps focus on responsibility as a source of differentiation and competitive advantage. This is a huge step forward from the idea that corporate responsibility is something corporations do only to “give back” or comply with laws or reduce risk associated with negative perceptions or stakeholder relations. It aligns responsibility with the business’ means of existence – creating distinct value for customers and employees.
That said, the responsibility and sustainability that qualify organizations for B Corp status is typically manifested in a particular form of innovation. It’s the kind that takes an existing, generic, profit-oriented offering and improves it (often at increased cost) in order to capture a part of the market that has higher standards than the generic, price-conscious customer. Think organic, fair trade, or local. Differentiators like these are known to people who study innovation as ‘sustaining innovations,’ not because of their environmental benefits, but because they help businesses sustain their profits and their relationships with their most profitable and demanding customers. This is in contrast to ‘disruptive innovations’ which allow businesses to serve new markets or serve segments of the existing market much more cheaply.
Incumbent, profit-focused businesses are constantly seeking sustaining innovations: More horsepower at the same fuel economy, more nutritional benefits for the same calories, or more exclusive designs of the same style. These innovations allow them to make a greater profit by selling a superior product to a more demanding, and therefor valuable, segment of their existing customers.
The following paragraph from the editorial illustrates this convergence:
The organic brands Cascadian Farms and Muir Glen are now part of General Mills. The natural toothpaste-maker Tom’s of Maine was bought in 2006 by Colgate-Palmolive. The juice-maker Odwalla’s Web site advertises it as “earth-friendly” and as “a business with a heart” but nowhere on the site will you find the information that it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola. Stonyfield Farms yogurt company is owned by Dannon. The Body Shop was bought by L’Oreal in 2006. The cereal maker Kashi was bought in 2000 by Kellogg, Naked Juice is owned by Pepsico and granola-maker Back to Nature and Boca Burger are subsidiaries of Kraft.
Big industry leaders and little responsible companies have been looking for the same things. It just took the big corps a while to figure out that responsibility wasn’t just a source of increased costs. For some customers it was a reason to pay more for a product, so much more that responsible products can actually be more profitable than generics. Once they figured this out, they got in the game, and wisely, they chose to buy their way in, garnering the customers, credibility, and culture of the established responsible brands.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/corp-status-protects/There is a great editorial from the April 11th edition of the New York Times on the... more
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World Fair Trade Day is May 14. How does food connect us to the global community? Author Anna Lappé and chef Bryant Terry discuss how choosing Fair Trade products helps farmers around the world. Learn more at http://www.nourishlife.org/blog/video-fair-trade/World Fair Trade Day is May 14. How does food connect us to the global community?... more
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Do you ever feel a bit guilty when going to your local supermarket stuffing your trolly full of goodies only to be reminded of people in the developing world living on peanuts (not literally, well not most of the time anyway)?No? Yes? Maybe? Well now a UK organisation called Global Ethics is making it easy for you to be a good person even when buying your favourite treats. They are called Global Ethics and they have just launched a bunch of products for their "One" series. The idea is simple: Every one product funds a like-for-like equivalent, for example, their One Supersofty toilet tissue funds hygiene and sanitation projects in Africa. Their free-range eggs buys chickens and their water bottles help build water pumps. So you don’t even need to change your habits, just the products in your shopping basket. Perfect!
Do you ever feel a bit guilty when going to your local supermarket stuffing... more
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Get it here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/88-raw-chocolate-variety-box
This tasty organic dark raw chocolate by Lulu's Chocolate is not only healthy and sustainable, but it's also fair trade and sourced from small family farms. Chocolate comes from the cacao trees, which give the cacao beans, and in order to get raw chocolate, they sun dry the beans instead of toasting them. Did you know that raw chocolate is healthy for you? It is full of antioxidants, minerals and magnesium. Magnesium helps lower blood pressure and increase brain activity. And I forgot to mention, chocolate is one of the oldest aphrodisiacs known to man! If this Valentine's Day you've someone special to spend time with, I highly recommend getting one of them. It would also help to know that Lulu's Chocolate goes even further in terms of helping our environment, their inner packaging is made out of biodegradable materials and the outer packaging is made with recycled paper and printed on soy based ink. Also, all their marketing materials are printed on recycled paper and soy ink.
They are anywhere from 50% to 78% dark chocolate. And they also are sweetened with low glycemic coconut sugar, I don't think there are better alternatives out there). There are six flavors to choose from (or you can get a box with all of them, it's what they wisely call the love pack): Aztec Crunch, Chocolate Maca Chunk, Coconut Cin, Maca Green, Maca Love Bar, Rare Heirloom and the Raw Love Bar.
All of the ingredients are on the product page here.
Lulu's Chocolate also have two things that are decadent: an edible body butter and a pure cacao essence (also edible) that you can either spread a drop in your body or in a meal, dessert or drink you make, this is a chocolate lovers be ware zone! Enjoy the coupon code that's already included in the discount price.
*USDA organic.Get it here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/88-raw-chocolate-variety-box
This... more
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We're excited to announce that the 2011 Sustainable Foods Summit will be held this January 18th and 19th at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco. OrganicNation.tv is a proud media sponsor of the Summit and we plan to bring you the best moments via our filming, photography and live-tweeting of the events.
The Sustainable Foods Summit focuses on the leading issues the food industry faces and aims to explore new horizons in sustainability for eco-labels. Issues to be addressed include: How do organic, fair trade and other eco-labels contribute to sustainability? What role should they play in a food industry that is increasingly looking at the triple bottom line? Do they address the sustainability needs of consumers and food companies?
This special North American Summit will hone in on some of the major eco-labeling issues in the food industry, including offsetting carbon emissions, water footprints, buying local and biodiversity. For example, one session will be devoted to ethical sourcing and sustainable ingredients, assessing the ecological and social impacts of raw materials in the food industry. Another session called "The Organic Plus" will provide case studies of organic food companies who are going beyond organic agricultural practices and pioneering sustainability initiatives.
Like previous events organized by Organic Monitor, the Summit will bring together key stake-holders in the food industry and debate these major issues in a high-level forum. We hope to see you there.
Twitter users: We will be using the hashtag #SFS2011 when tweeting about the Summit.
For more info visit: http://www.sustainablefoodssummit.com/We're excited to announce that the 2011 Sustainable Foods Summit will be held... more
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Tuesday, December 7th
7:00 pm doors open/chocolate tasting; 7:30 pm program begins
Chocolate Dividends and World Centric invite you to a screening of the 2010 documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate. Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel will introduce the film.
The Dark Side of Chocolate, "Is the chocolate we eat produced with the use of child labour and trafficked children? The award winning Danish journalist Miki Mistrati decides to investigate the rumours."
World Centric Community Space Wheelchair Accessible
2121 Staunton Court, Palo Alto, CA 94306Tuesday, December 7th
7:00 pm doors open/chocolate tasting; 7:30 pm program begins... more
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asherp
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More info and links here: http://www.ecobold.com/green-halloween/
This year we'll be having a green Halloween with a bunch of eco-friendly, cool companies and things to make this day very fun and different!
1. Recycled Capri Sun bag by Terracycle. Terracycle is an amazing company that takes trash and makes things out of it. They have 186 different products, all made from trash. And they also have a program where you can send trash to them and they will donate a couple of cents per piece to a charity. So far they have donated over $1.3 million dollars and have taken almost 2 billion pieces of trash from landfills. Talk about a company that's making a difference in a trashy way!
2. Thredup.com is a website where you can exchange kids clothes and costumes with other moms! It's an amazing idea that's very affordable. It doesn't cost you anything to list your product and it just costs you $5 plus shipping for picking up any box you'd like. You can select boxes from all ages, sizes, colors and type of clothing. Brilliant and very green idea.
3. Equal Exchange organic and fair trade chocolate. Equal Exchange is a very good company that only sells organic and fair trade products. They really care for the farmers that they buy from and they most certainly care about our environment.
4. Stretch Island Fruit Co. is a company that makes fruit rolls that are 100% natural. Each roll equals 1/2 serving of a fruit and they have 7 different flavors, absolutely no artificial flavors, no artificial additives and no added sugar. I don't think any fruit roll could be better than this for trick or treating. And even if your kid doesn't like fruits, this is probably one of the few that they will happily eat!
5. Organic Shaken and Stirred book by Paul Abercrombie: while the kids are having fun trick or treating, the adults can indulge a super fun night with organic drinks. This book has several different recipes that were tested over and over again and many of them given by great bar tenders from reputable restaurants.
Here's a quick info about Organic Shaken and Stirred:
This collection features 100 eco-friendly, organic cocktails from the trendiest bars and nightclubs across the country, along with a few new creations by the author. Enjoy the Voluptuous (culled from the Grand Pu Bah restaurant in San Francisco), organic strawberry muddled with organic gin, agave nectar, organic egg white, and a splash of absinthe. The Lunacy (from the Royalton in New York City) gets two green thumbs up for its mixture of organic blackberries, lemon juice, organic simple syrup, organic reposado tequila, Lillet Blanc, and açai spirit. And then there’s the sublime yet simple Au Provence (from Eastern Standard in Boston), made with tarragon-infused organic simple syrup, organic vodka, and lime juice.
This collection features 100 eco-friendly, organic cocktails from the trendiest bars and nightclubs across the country, along with a few new creations by the author. Enjoy the Voluptuous (culled from the Grand Pu Bah restaurant in San Francisco), organic strawberry muddled with organic gin, agave nectar, organic egg white, and a splash of absinthe. The Lunacy (from the Royalton in New York City) gets two green thumbs up for its mixture of organic blackberries, lemon juice, organic simple syrup, organic reposado tequila, Lillet Blanc, and açai spirit. And then there’s the sublime yet simple Au Provence (from Eastern Standard in Boston), made with tarragon-infused organic simple syrup, organic vodka, and lime juice.
I hope you enjoyed our Green Halloween Guide and hopefully get at least one product so you can start to make a difference at this fun and sweet day!More info and links here: http://www.ecobold.com/green-halloween/
This year... more
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Do you ever stop to think about where your food comes from? This World Food Day, FairFood International's new video campaign ‘Face Your Food’ brings together a global online community to fight for a more sustainable food industry. Be sure to visit the campaign on Facebook and share info on Twitter using the hashtag: #FaceYourFood.Do you ever stop to think about where your food comes from? This World Food Day,... more
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