Gift Ideas!!

Hi Everyone! Long time no read (anyone? no one? okay)

 

With the holidays coming up I just wanted talk about some gift ideas or options. 

The Gift That Gives Twice

Whenever I'm unsure what to get I always try to buy something fair trade or local (usually small local business's are fair trade but are not certified). I like to consider these gifts the gift that gives twice because it is benefitting someone who treats their workers well and values their workers AND is a gift for whoever is receiving the object you bought as a gift.

Some classic easy-to-find fair trade products include 

• Soap
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Tea
• Jewelry/ accessories 

Of coarse there are many other fair trade products available these are just some reoccurring products that I've noticed are more common or more abundantly fair trade. If you look you can buy a WIDE variety of fair trade products. In the past I've bought clothes, jewelry, and tons of other products fair trade.

Giving or receiving fair trade gifts are even more special to me because I know the money spent on or by me is going to a good cause. 

With Thanksgiving around the corner I have a lot to be grateful for, especially when considering some of the situations people live in with earning a dollar a day or working in grueling conditions and abiding by unfair rules and standards. My parents both have stable jobs with workers rights, because I live in a place where workers rights are valued. Although in the US, basic worker rights are assumed in the job world, I still, I consider myself lucky; if I lived in another country where workers rights were not valued, who knows how my life would differ. It is inconceivable for me to put myself in a situation in which I have never experienced and unfair for me to imagine, so I can not say exactly how my life would be different, but it is certain my lifestyle would be drastically different than it is now.

I would like to do as much as I can to support the fair trade movement by buying my holiday gifts fair trade. I would hope you guys do too! 

Fair Trade gift giving is a great option for this years holiday shopping!!

Ginger

News News News

Have you ever stopped and thought about what life would be like without the news? Commercials? Billboards? As much as I hate to admit, we are effected by media - big time.  As I walk through the halls of my school I notice many of my classmates with band named backpacks, shoes I recognized from catalogue I flipped through last month, even short lived styles of clothes celebrities start. At first I was upset at the idea that media has such a huge control over people.

But is it such a bad thing?

I started thinking, what other things do the media control? Ideas. I found that celebrities not only start trends in music, fashion, film, and countless other things, including causes.

I found a list of celebrities for fair trade on  http://www.looktothestars.org/cause/fair-trade  including
Annie Lennox, Bono, Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt, Coldplay, Matt Damon, and U2. I applaud them for using their valuable influence for this cause.

It is so important to spread the message of Fair Trade throughout communities. Media is one thing that is growing more and more into our society. Instead of pushing it away it is far more wise to move with it to spread awareness.
I encourage all of you who hopefully are reading this to use your influence whether it is within a group of friends, or a larger community of people, to spread the message. From the first day I started this blog my mission was to spread awareness about Fair Trade. Still, few people understand the reasoning as to why they should seek Fair Trade products.

Our own economy in the U.S. is suffering due to un-level playing field in global trade. Many companies who produce products find it in their best interest to open factories over seas to lower manufacturing costs.

Lets make it in their best interest produce a product Fair Trade approved.

Media is part of us, lets utilize it raise awareness, and hopefully convince people to buy more Fair Trade products.

Thanks for listening!
Ginger