So, how did the fair trade Christmas go? I would say about 30% of the gifts we gave were fair trade. I would like to have done better, but then I don't think it's a bad start either. I tried to keep in mind who I was giving the gift to, and sometimes it didn't work out. When possible, I went with made in the USA or by a local craftsman too. Clothing and toys are the hardest areas I found to meet the criteria.
What DID I find? The easiest areas by far were chocolate, coffee, jewelry and soap. Green & Black Organic Chocolate, Newman's Own chocolates & coffee, Green Mountain coffee, Fair Trade Exchange Coffee and Dr. Bronner's soap were all easily found in major chain stores and grocery stores (I found them at Target, Hyvee, Schnucks, Fresh Market & Kroger in Peoria.) Even more brands were at natural food stores and specialty grocery stores. In Peoria, I easily found fair trade items at: Forest Park Nature Center (some beautiful Christmas ornaments, jewelry, fiber arts, decorative objects, chocolate, cleaners--really neat selection there!); Global Village (a small store dedicated exclusively to fair trade and run by volunteers to keep prices down); RE- (a new store at the Metro Centre where everything is made from recycled or environmentally sustainable goods); Naturally Yours (lots of coffees, chocolate, soaps). I am sure that this is not an exhaustive list, but it is what I've found. If you know of others, please let me know!
Another really cool thing I should mention is that I actually received some fair trade gifts too, which was really neat. I got a bread basket with cloth in it (both fair trade) and a loaf of homemade bread in it--very clever, I thought! Please share any great gift ideas you have too!
Nice blog :) I do love fair trade chocolate, or any chocolate, really, but knowing it's fair trade is a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say.
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