Fair Trade

[Sparkysgrrrl]

Fair Trade Not Free Trade

Want to know what it's about?
This is a good place to start:

http://www.globalexchange.org/stores/

http://www.globalexchange.org/stores/fairtrade.html
*snippet*
Fair Trade Criteria include:

Paying a fair wage in the local context
Offering employees opportunities for advancement
Providing equal employment opportunities for all people
Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
Being open to public accountability
Building long-term trade relationships
Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context
Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible
Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor

Fair Trade Benefits:

Values and preserves traditonal cultures
Generates fair income for thousands of artisans around the world
Educates consumers about trade and cultures
Promotes people-to-people ties among artisans, traders, and consumers
Gender equity: 70% of craft artisans are women
Provides resources for education, health care, and community development
Promotes environmental stewardship
Supplements income in between harvest cycles, when rural communities most need income
Promotes democratic participation in cooperative group structures
Ensures that artistic technologies in indigenous cultures are passed on to the next generations

 

[Rono]

And Larry,....read this !!!!!!!!!!


www.ethicalthreads.co.uk

A tour shirt cost us about $2 more but i think it is for a good cause,.....

 

[Foxxern]

The poor workers of the world won't continue to support our excessive lifestyles forever. If we don't fix it ourselves, they'll realize what's going on, and the balance of wealth will shift, probably through violence. But you know what they say: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We're pretty damn powerful right now, and I don't see this thing ending peacefully. I'd like to believe that fair trade is possible between the developed world and the developing world, and that our leaders will really see them as equals. I just don't see any evidence that grass roots ideas will catch on with those who control the wealth.

www.maketradefair.com

 

[hotpepper]

Sparkysgrrl - Glad to see you supporting the website of Global Exchange. They are a great bay area organization. Another one, IDEX is worth taking a look at too.

http://www.idex.org/index.php

They support a model for social and economic change. They work in partnership with local organizations and low income communities.