One of my friends interned one summer in Guatemala for an organization that works to empower women by introducing them to the global market with the production of bags. Mercado Global empowers indigenous women in Guatemala to become their own agents of change in their communities. According to their website, 75% of indigenous Guatemalans live below the poverty line and 58% live in extreme poverty. Read more here.
If you’ve never heard of the website Rodale’s, take the time to do a quick online search. It’s incredible, they have clothing, fitness accessories, beauty products, food stuffs, and items for the home and garden. Personally, I’m tempted to buy the garland pictured below, hang it against our huge window and hang all of our holiday cards from it with clothes pins. According to this part of the website, Rodale’s is a place for people who care about their health, the environment, and their family, but don’t feel that they should have to sacrifice style, comfort, or quality to live in “harmony with nature.” Rodale’s is also for people who “believe that the people who make your products are valuable human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity.” Read more here.
Since we’re getting closer to the gift-giving holidays, I thought I would post some information on a couple of different shops that offer fair trade items that could make wonderful presents. I’m currently working on this, and it will be posted under Responsible Shopping soon (hopefully next week). When I started looking at all of these shops, I realized that while I knew some aspects of what defined fair trade, I didn’t feel confident that I could accurately explain it to someone else. So I decided to do some research to teach myself. Read More.
For over twenty years, People Tree has worked with fair trade artisans and farmers in developing countries to make “ethical and eco fashion.” Here’s one of their shirts that I adore. The People Tree website introduced me to the concept of “slow fashion”. It’s defined as “standing up against exploitation, family separation, slum cities and pollution.” Their slow fashion garments are “hand crafted in organic cotton and sustainable materials, using traditional skills that support rural communities.” In addition to labeling itself as slow fashion, People Tree also identifies itself as fair trade and sustainable fashion. Read more here.
one-quarter vegan 