All posts filed under: Social Responsibility

Chocolove

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Alright, I’m back with a new time zone! We’ve finally made it to Sydney and this is the first day where things aren’t completely crazy (it’s Wednesday, we got here on Monday). So, I wanted to start my new adventure by telling you about one of my favorite chocolate brands, Chocolove. To be fair, I’ve only had their dark chocolate, but I’m assuming the milk chocolate bars are just as delicious. Right now, my favorite is their Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate. Chocolove is a chocolate bar company that takes their social responsibility seriously. They take a variety of approaches towards ethics, social issues, and sustainability (see below), because they believe that each of these approaches addresses a different need for both the customer and the farmer. Read more here.  

Alternative Apparel

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I accidentally found Alternative Apparel last night and am so happy that I did. They have a lot of clean, fresh styles. They even have a workout line! Here’s one of the tops that I like from their website. Alternative Apparel believes in supporting social change through responsible business practices that consider and respect people as well as the plant. Read more here.

Mercado Global

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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.

LA Times Reveals Disturbing Investigative Report on the Living Conditions in Mexico’s Megafarms

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One of the increasingly difficult aspects about trying to lead a socially and environmentally conscious lifestyle is discovering articles like NPR’s “Mexican Megafarms Supply U.S. Market Are Rife with Labor Abuses” and the LA times “Product of Mexico” investigative series. After a while, it starts to feel like no foods are safe. What can one person do about the living conditions of farms in a different country? Well, I don’t know if it’ll help – but I plan to write letters to all of the companies names in this report and tell them that as a customer I demand more oversight of the companies from which they receive their produce. Read more here.

Rodale’s Online Shopping Haven

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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.

People Tree

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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.

Warby Parker

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As someone who needs glasses to see almost anything, I love all of the emerging, affordable glasses brands that have been established over the past couple of years (I especially love the ones that do home try-ons). While I was in graduate school a couple of years ago, I mentioned to a friend that I needed a new pair of glasses, but couldn’t afford them. She suggested that I check out Warby Parker’s website and I’ve been hooked ever since! Here’s a picture of my most recent pair. Warby Parker not only provides affordable glasses to consumers in the US, but they have partnered with VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. According to Warby Parker’s website, almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, which means that 15% of the world’s population cannot effectively learn or work. Read more here.

Punjammies

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The first shop that I want to talk about I discovered quite recently, but already adore. The title of the shop is Punjammies and is sponsored by the International Princess Project. The goal of this project is to help women in India escape sex slavery. The project partners with local organizations to establish “micro-enterprise sewing centers” teaching women how to sew and then design and create the “loungewear” called Punjammies. Read more here.