Teaching children about fair trade falls right within these lines, because it helps to shape their values and creates a more expansive lens for seeing the world. Parents and teachers often find that the more kids learn about fair trade, the more they agree it makes sense. And they start to see how their actions─even something as simple as a buying a candy bar─impact others on a larger scale.

Many organizations are helping kids learn more about fair trade and how they can be more compassionate global citizens. One example is Equal Exchange, which has created Big Change for over 25 years. Equal Exchange founders envisioned a trade model that values farmers and consumers, and has worked ever since to find new and powerful ways to build a better food system through fair trade. Part of their efforts include creating educational resources for kids.

In response to numerous requests from parents and teachers, Equal Exchange introduced one of the first comprehensive Fair Trade curricula in the U.S. “Win Win Solutions: An Introduction to Fair Trade and Cooperative Economics” is designed for grades 4 through 9 and raises awareness of core issues concerning food production and global trade, and of the role of American consumers.

Composed of four units, this interdisciplinary educational resource raises students’ awareness of the core issues surrounding food production and trade, providing a link between personal actions and community efforts that create a more just and sustainable world. Learn more here: Equal Exchange Introduces Comprehensive Fair Trade Curriculum

The Fair Trade Resource Network is another organization making great strides in teaching kids about fair trade. Find great educational tools here: http://www.fairtraderesource.org and an array of cool children’s books that make learning about fair trade fun through beautifully illustrated stories here: http://www.fairtraderesource.org/learn-up/recommended-reading/#family

The more kids learn at a young age to care about our natural environment, the better off we’ll all be. After all, it’s their planet too!

As we learn more about the concept of fair trade, there may be some potential confusion between the terms fair trade and free trade. While these are two separate business approaches, free trade and fair trade do share some common goals. Both emphasize, for example, the need to assist producers and workers in obtaining access to the global market. However, when you take a closer look, you’ll note some very significant differences. According to the Fair Trade Resource Network:

“Free trade is a market model in which trade in goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions. Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to alleviating global poverty and promoting sustainability.”

The fair trade movement promotes the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. According to Paul Rice of TransFairUSA, “Fair trade makes globalization and ‘free trade’ work for the poor” (TransFair USA, 2005 Shareholder Report).”

Free trade is a regulatory approach that seeks to open up Third World countries as potential new markets and sources of cheap labor and resources. By standardizing tariffs and other regulations related to production and trade, free trade seeks to lower the cost of doing international business on a large scale.

Fair trade, on the other hand, is a system of international commerce that respects the integrity of laborers and their environment and offers them just compensation for their efforts. Fair trade works within the existing regulatory framework as a voluntary system. Under fair trade, the highest priority is paid to sustainable practices that help protect the environment and to allow those living on the land to benefit from its natural resources.

Another difference between the two systems is in the treatment of workers. Free trade does not typically include minimum safety, human rights and wage standards, as these are not consistent with the goals of free trade. Fair trade, however, places these issues at its core, insisting on just compensation and reasonable safety, health and human standards for workers.

It could be safely stated that free trade benefits multinational corporations, while fair trade benefits people. If you believe in the principles of fair trade, it’s easier now than ever before to support this unique system with your purchasing dollar, given the plethora of stores and on-line sites now offering fair trade goods of all types. Happy (fair) shopping!

Would you believe that in some regions, women provide 70% of the agricultural labor, produce more than 90% of the food, but earn just 10% of the income and own a mere 1% of the property? In many parts of the world, women’s property rights have been controlled by social norms─and even government regulations─impeding their economic status and overall opportunities. Fair trade is an important vehicle to help women help themselves by:

Fostering their empowerment

Fair trade offers women economic and social opportunities, giving them more control of their lives and improving their social positions. Women often hold key decision-making roles within their cooperatives, despite the cultural inequality often present in rural areas.

Improving their health

Women hired on fair trade farms and plantations are guaranteed access to health care, certain job rights, and freedom from harassment so they can play a strong role in their families and coops. Some coops have elected to use part of their fair trade premiums for women’s health programs that focus on nutrition and family planning.

Protecting against sexual discrimination

While women do much of the work on small farms and plantations, they often face unequal treatment, discrimination, and harassment in many rural areas and in factories. On fair trade farms, however, sexual harassment and discrimination are strictly prohibited. Workers are taught about their rights and grievance processes are in place to address complaints.

Providing educational opportunities

Scholarship programs funded by fair trade premiums─and additional fair trade income─enable girls and women better access to education, including opportunities for leadership roles and scholarships so they can aspire to a future where they can be their own boss.

Supporting gender equality

Many cooperatives create programs to advance gender equality and encourage female participation and leadership within the organization. Some cooperatives have adopted policies that state spousal abuse is grounds for dismissal from the cooperative.

Facilitating safe maternal conditions

Female workers on fair trade farms have access to paid maternity leave, vacation and sick leave, as well as a guarantee of their job upon their return. Fair trade standards guarantee they receive regular medical examinations and free protective equipment. Very importantly, these standards ensure that these women are not exposed to agrochemicals during pregnancy.

Brightening their children’s futures

When agricultural productivity improves, more family household income can be directed towards children’s education. Once basic survival needs are covered, many women across the globe use their fair trade income to fund their children’s education.

Fair trade clearly provides a vehicle to benefit women and their families in numerous ways. Support fair trade─empower women worldwide!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, are you considering a gift for someone special? Celebrating your love for others─including sweethearts, parents, siblings, kids, and pets─is both heart expanding and wellness boosting. You can make your gift even more meaningful by choosing fair trade. In doing so, you’re not only treating your loved ones, you’re also supporting social justice, empowering communities across the globe, and encouraging healthy environmental practices. For example:

Present a fair bouquet

From the beginning of time, flowers have been a beautiful gift, imbued with romance. It might surprise you to learn that approximately 80% of cut flowers sold in the United States are grown in Latin America, South America, and Africa, where workers are often exploited to keep costs low, leading to severe abuse and mistreatment. With fair trade farms, however, employees and communities participate in global trade with sustainability and integrity. If you prefer to “bloom fair,” check out One World Flowers.

Delight with chocolate

Not only does chocolate lighten hearts and gladden spirits, it also has many health benefits. Choosing fair trade brings that sweetness full circle. Equal Exchange offers a lovely array of chocolate bars, in irresistible flavors like Organic Mint Chocolate with a Delicate Crunch, Organic Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt, and Organic Ecuador Dark Chocolate.  For sumptuous, fair trade chocolate truffles─including vegan options─visit CocoZen.

Give body pampering treats

Why not invite someone you love to drench their senses in pure, natural ingredients─like shea and cocoa butters, olive oil, honey, and sugar─with Fair Trade Certified beauty products? Imagine a Yoga & Meditation or Stress Soother Aromatherapy Gift Bag, or Damascus Rose Antioxidant Body Oil. Visit Badger Balm.  CocoZen offers fair trade, cocoa-infused body care treats too, with 14 yummy options under $10! How about some luxurious, “sustainable suds?” For every bar of soap sold, Hand in Hand donates one to impoverished countries where simple personal hygiene can save countless lives.

Dazzle with jewelry

Beautiful, unique jewelry is always a special gift. For a wide array of lovely, fair trade options priced quite reasonably─including the eye-catching Fuchsia Flow and Carmine Cascade necklaces and the Ancient Flowers earrings─visit Ten Thousand Villages. Global Girlfriend is another resource for fun, fair, and fabulous jewelry. The entire line, with a host of options under $25, benefits women worldwide. Don’t miss the fetching Amazon Harvest Coil bracelet:

Toast fair with wine

For many people, wine is a treasured offering, meant to be shared with those we love. It tastes even better when it’s fairly traded. Giving fair trade wine also enables you to educate about the importance of incorporating this socially just system into all possible arenas─well beyond the coffee cup. Delicious and fair? That’s certainly worth of toast! Check out the top 10 fair trade wines here.

These ideas should inspire and delight. Show you care while also empowering talented, deserving producers across the globe. Happy Valentine’s Day!

How will you recognize fair trade goods? All you need to do is look for the Fair Trade Certified™ label, which is now found on over 10,000 products throughout the United States. This label is more than a mere seal of approval; rather it’s the end result of a rigorous global inspection and monitoring system. When you purchase Fair Trade Certified™ items, you can rest assured that the farmers and workers producing the labeled goods were paid fair prices and wages, work in safe conditions, protect the environment, and earn community development funds to empower and improve their communities.

Third-party certification provides important credibility. According to a GlobeScan Study, 73% of consumers that are familiar with the Fair Trade Certified™ label also trust it. Please note though, that while the term “Fair Trade Certified™” will stay the same, the old graphic is being replaced with a new design─the first update since 1998. However, you’re still safe with the old label while the new one is being phased in, since the message is the same.

The good news is that while both labels represent the same rigorous standards, the new label design is a global certification mark, and as such, can be used in any country in the world. This opens up countless new possibilities for more socially just and environmentally responsible buying and selling across the globe.

Learn more about fair trade, the new logo, the “Every Purchase Matters” campaign, and find resources for numerous fair trade product categories here: http://www.fairtradeusa.org/ Here’s to a fairer world!

How is fair trade defined?

Fair trade labeling organizations generally use the definition developed by FINE, an association of four international fair trade networks including Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, World Fair Trade Organization, the Network of European Worldshops, and the European Fair Trade Association.

FINE defines fair trade as “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers. Fair trade organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising, and campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.”

How does fair trade work?

According to Green America, a base price is set for Fair Trade Certified^™ products by the international Fair Trade Labeling Organization that aims to cover the cost of production and a living wage for food, shelter, clothing, education, and medical care. Importers and retailers are then screened and certified by TransFair USA to ensure that they pay the Fair Trade price for products. The cooperative receives a set amount of money for each Fair Trade product─called the social premium─which is invested in community development projects democratically chosen by the cooperative.

How does fair trade help the environment?

A characteristic of fair trade farmers and artisans is respect for their natural habitat and sustainable production methods, such as integrated crop management and avoiding toxic agrochemicals for pest management. In fact, nearly 85% of Fair Trade Certified^™ coffee is organic. Many fair trade members work directly with producers to develop products based on the sustainable use of their natural resources. This motivates communities to preserve and maintain their environment.

In the last decade, due to greater consumer awareness, fair trade sales have increased tremendously, sparking the expansion of Fair Trade Certified^™ products. Along with coffee, these include chocolate, sugar, spices, wine, fruit, clothing and accessories, home décor, body care, toys, games, and more.

The Fair Trade Certified label helps you make choices with the confidence that your product is socially just and environmentally sustainable. Stay tuned for more information on fair trade, and how you can benefit from supporting this system with your consumer dollar.

While health-conscious individuals might purchase organic food to reduce their exposure to harmful pesticides and other chemicals, they don’t always consider personal care products. Yet, the same principle applies, since your skin absorbs up to 64% of what you put on it.

You know about the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) “Dirty Dozen” list for fruits and vegetables, right? Well, Ann Louise Gittleman, author of The Living Beauty Detox Program: The Revolutionary Diet for Each and Every Season of a Woman’s Life, created a separate “Dirty Dozen” list for beauty product ingredients, which includes:

• Methyl/propyl/butyl/ethyl parabens
• Imidazolindyl urea
• Diazolindyl urea
• Petrolatum
• Propylene glycol
• PVP/V copolymer
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Stearalkonium chloride
• Synthetic colors
• Synthetic fragrances
• Phthalates
• Triethanolamine

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. government doesn’t regulate cosmetics for safety, long-term health impact, or environmental damage. Many common cosmetics ingredients─such as those listed above─may be harmful to both people and the environment.

One way to minimize your exposure to toxic ingredients in personal care products is to target USDA certified organic items. If a personal care product meets the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may be eligible for certification under the NOP regulations.

Many─though not all─USDA certified organic personal care items exclude potentially harmful chemicals, helping to ensure a reasonable degree of safety. And it’s a safeguard we need, given that marketing can be deceptive. Words like “herbal” and “natural” on beauty products have no legal definition, and many items with questionable ingredients feature these terms on their labels.

The Organic Consumers Association’s Coming Clean Campaign has been working to stop this type of fraudulent marketing since 2004. The goal of Coming Clean is make sure that personal care products that claim to be organic are, in fact, certified to USDA organic standards. Meanwhile, perhaps the best resource to help you find safe options is the EWG “Skin Deep” database. This on-line safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products was launched in 2004 to help people find safer, less toxic alternatives─whether or not they’re certified organic.

Skin Deep combines product ingredient lists with information in more than 50 standard toxicity and regulatory databases. This comprehensive resource provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for literally tens of thousands of personal care products.

The thought of revamping your entire beauty regimen can be daunting─especially if you’ve invested in costly products. And you certainly don’t have to. But the more informed you get, the more you can access the safest, healthiest options in future. Now, that’s a beautiful concept.

Do you have an organic household? This might be defined as a home that goes beyond organic foods to include other non-toxic, organic, and/or green alternatives. These 3 keys to creating a healthier, safer living space are easy, don’t cost much, and can really make a difference:

Go BPA-free

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to make a clear, polycarbonate plastic for products like eyeglass lenses, DVDs, baby bottles, and interior lining for canned goods. BPA has been linked to various health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, obesity, and ADHD. How can you reduce your family’s BPA exposure? Scaling back on canned foods is a major step, as BPA can leach from can liners into the food itself. This link highlights 7 companies that package their foods in BPA-free cans: 7 Companies You can Trust to Use BPA free Cans.

Clean “green”

While we all want a pristine home, many cleaning products contain potentially toxic chemicals. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times─and occasionally, more than 200 times─higher than outdoor levels, with cleaning products as major culprits. Fortunately, many companies now offer non-toxic products to clean dishes, countertops, floors, bathrooms, laundry, and more. Here’s a useful guide to affordable, chemical-free cleaning supplies: Buy Green: Cleaning Supplies.

Reduce indoor air pollution

Did you know that microbial pollutants like mold, pet dander and plant pollen can combine with chemicals like radon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to pollute your home environment? Other offenders are formaldehyde and chemicals used in common home furnishings, including dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polybrominated biphenyl (PBB). While you can’t replace everything, you can minimize your exposure by keeping windows open part of every day─even in the winter.

Like organic eating, “green living” represents numerous changes that are often easier to tackle in baby steps. Are we not all entitled to healthy, safe homes? Let’s start where we can, and progress from there.

For example:

Invest where it matters most

By now you may be familiar with the “Dirty Dozen,” a list created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) targeting produce with the highest levels of pesticide residues. These include: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), red bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries (domestic), lettuce, and kale/collard greens. It’s been estimated that by going organic with these 12 items, you can reduce your pesticide exposure by up to 80%.

Save where it makes sense

Along with the Dirty Dozen, the EWG also categorized produce items with the least amount of chemical pesticide contamination. This “Clean Fifteen” consists of: onions, corn, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, peas, mango, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms. You may be glad to know that in addition, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, broccoli, and winter squash rank among the least contaminated options.

Seek sales & use coupons

A very smart way to save on organic foods is simply to zero in on sale items first, even if they weren’t on your list. Great chance to expand your horizons! Also, organic produce in season will nearly always cost less than out-of-season/specialty versions. Check your market’s weekly circular/newsletter for bargains, and maximize online coupon web sites. And definitely sign up for newsletters that will send you coupons/promotions on organic food.

Target bulk items

Buying organic items in bulk is a brilliant savings strategy and “greener” too. Many web sites offer inexpensive bulk organic items. For everything from beans and legumes, to whole grains and cereal, to nuts and seeds, flour, coffee, and more, visit: Shop Organic. Another great resource is: Bulk Nuts 4 You which offers 2000 discounted organic foods online including pasta, nuts, fruit, beans, flour, and more. For herbs, spices, seasonings, teas, and personal care items, check out: Frontier Natural Products Co-op.

Like much of life, healthy, organic eating is a journey, and it needs to fit your budget. Ideally, these tips will help you gain greater access to cleaner, safer food. You and your family deserve it!

Children tend to consume more fruits, vegetables and juices than adults do relative to their body weight. Yet, the majority of tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set acceptable risk levels for pesticide residues were done on adult males, not children. Studies suggest that many kids are over-exposed to these toxins even if their exposure is within “legal limits.”

Provides a margin of safety

Did you know that more than a million children between ages 1 and 5 ingest at least 15 pesticides daily from produce alone? Over 600,000 of these children consume doses of organophosphate insecticides considered unsafe by the federal government, and over 60,000 eat doses that exceed “benchmark levels” by 10 times or more.¹

Improves typical “kids food”

According to the Consumers Union,² pesticide residues in many kid-friendly foods often exceed safe levels─including fruits, vegetables, juices, and wheat or corn based foods such as pasta, cereal, popcorn and chips. Kids also favor many of the “Dirty Dozen” foods which contain especially high pesticide levels: apples, bell peppers, berries, celery, cherries, grapes (imported), lettuce, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, and strawberries.

Ensures safer dairy products

Though dairy alternatives like almond, rice and soy milk offer many health benefits, dairy foods are still a diet staple for many American children. Organic dairy products are safer for kids as they exclude recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH or rBST), antibiotics, and other chemicals routinely administered to conventional dairy animals.

Minimizes GMOs in daily fare

Corn, rice and soy foods─core diet items for kids of all ages─are also likely to be genetically modified, while certified organic versions are GMO-free. A growing body of evidence suggests that GMOs may pose threats to our wellness, as well as endangering our bio-diversity and natural ecosystems.

If buying organic isn’t always an option, a great alternative is to target conventional items that contain the least amount of pesticides. According to the Environmental Working Group, these include asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and peas.

Happy, healthy eating!

References
¹http://www.ewg.org/report/overexposed-organophosphate-insecticides-childrens-food
² “Update: Pesticides in Children’s Foods,” Consumers Union of United States Inc., May 2000.