fair trade

Fight Global Women's Organic T-Shirt

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, you’ve got to go out of your way to make sure your tees have something interesting to say. If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans girl who lives in New York City, that message should make a statement about art or politics. The Fight Global Women’s Organic T-shirt from Autonomie Project does both.

Specifically made for a female body, this soft-cotton tee lightly clings to my curves while still providing room to breathe. I'm an XL wearin' gal, so this seemingly small detail is important. I love my body and all, but I'm not trying to show my goodies to the globe, ya know?

The cap sleeves and scooped neck design breathe a smidge of femininity into this traditionally genderless top. The deep charcoal color flirts with a kind of rock 'n roll sex appeal that is enhanced by the stencils-and-spraypaint DIY-esque design. The additional length of the shirt suits my above average height; instead of creeping above my belt like other tees, the bottom seam of this one remained at my hips.

True to its own message, the Fight Global Tee is made with eco-friendly dyes through a Fair Trade and sweatshop-free business practice. The message is also an apt fit for this particular time in my life. After living in India for two years, I’ve decided to shift my grassroots organizing work toward one with a focus on international needs. Perhaps wearing this tee when I interview will give me a bit of an edge; at the very least, I’d make an impression.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, March 8th 2010

Organic Fair Trade Chocolate Mint Mill Box

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Sjaaks Organic Chocolates

I don’t consider myself a chocolate connoisseur just because I love chocolate. Although as an unabashed chocolate lover, I was only too happy to review Sjaaks’ Organic Fair Trade Chocolate Mint Mill Box. I admit to being a little late to the party when it comes to all things organic, but I thought, how can one go wrong with chocolate?

My goodies arrived in a half-green, half-transparent box with a gold bow tied around it, which attractively displayed the chocolates. A USDA organic seal proclaiming Sjaaks' chocolates are 100% certified organic (which means no pesticides, herbicides, or other toxic chemicals are used in the growing process) and the additional fair trade label reassures customers that this product not only tastes good, but makes you feel good to purchase it. Unlike some of my favorite chocolates, the Mint Mills didn't taste as creamy or chocolaty as I am used to, and the strong mint flavor seemed to overpower the chocolate itself. So I gave the rest of the chocolates to my mother, who pronounced them “very good.”

Sjaaks Organic Chocolates has a nice back story. After meeting and falling in love in Southern Spain, founders Jacques and Pam Holten returned to the U.S. and started a traditional chocolate business in Pam’s hometown of Eureka, California. Eventually their vegetarian-inspired consciousness persuaded them to produce organic chocolates that reflect their passion for healthy eating and living. Thus, love + vacation = a chocolaty happily ever after.

Written by: Gita Tewari, February 17th 2010

Winter Wonderfuls: Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Butter Snowmen

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Sjaaks Organic Chocolates

I finished the last Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Butter Snowman on the wintriest day in Atlanta. Anyone who is familiar with the city and its weather knows that snow covered roofs, cars, trees, and streets meant a snow day for hundreds of thousands of adults and kids alike. So it was one of those rare and perfect days to stay in and enjoy a chocolate-y treat!

Originally, I was a bit perplexed to find a box of nine little, white, individually wrapped, peanut butter snowmen waiting to be consumed. Crunchy peanut butter chocolate didn’t strike me as festive, and the snowmen looked like they were in costume for Halloween, but the box's homemade graphic appeal and the ease with which the snowmen could be shared won me over.

More importantly, and always exciting when it comes to edible indulgences, is that Sjaak’s chocolates are certified organic and fair trade. They also have a great selection of vegan products that would make anyone’s mouth water. It’s worth visiting Sjaak’s website, not only for its visual delight but also for its history and socially responsible mission.

As for the chocolate itself, I had mixed feelings. While the crunchy peanut butter filling delivered on the crunchiness, it wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hoped. It was also kind of slim because of the thick chocolate coating. Then again, the chocolate was the real winner, with a somewhat fudge-y, smooth taste and feel.

While the Winter Wonderfuls wouldn’t be at the top of my holiday wish list, they were a great introduction to Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates. Anyone who has a taste for organic, vegan-friendly chocolate should exploring the rest of their products. (They even have dark chocolate lavender truffles!)

Written by: Irene Wazgowska, February 1st 2010

Winter Dreidle Dress

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Mata Traders

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a number of Western counter-cultural icons traveled to India in order to broaden their knowledge of art, music, literature, and philosophy by speaking with some the country's intellectual and religious figures. Among those world travelers were musicians (The Beatles), writers (Allen Ginsberg), and academics (Joseph Campbell), who incorporated what they learned into their respective fields of influence. One area that was indirectly affected by these now-famed travels was fashion. From the Nehru Jacket to tie die to sandals, utilitarian staples of Indian attire were brought back to the United States by pop culture heroes and quickly became en vogue.

Today, Mata Traders continues this practice of global fashion exchange. Since 2003, Michelle King and Maureen Dunn have run their women's clothing and accessories business from Chicago, IL. Instead of simply co-opting the bright, offbeat colors and floral patterns seen across the Indian landscape, this woman-owned company moves past an aesthetic focus toward one of social consciousness by employing groups of Indian women worker in a well-worn model of transcontinental economic exchange. Mata Traders is an import/export business whose foundational desire is to facilitate women's financial empowerment.

Working with fair trade women's cooperatives and artisan groups that employ individual women who work either from home or in collective spaces to create handmade clothing in safe conditions while earning a living wage, Mata Traders contributes to a growing consumer trend of fighting the worldwide feminization of poverty by "giving women economic power and viable working skills [in order to] transform a community (and so the world)." According to the Nike Foundation's "The Girl Effect," women earners reinvest 90% of their income back into their families while men earners reinvest just 35%. The idea behind Mata Traders is that bringing women into the workforce will be a catalyst for positive global change.

And that is just the groundwork. Beyond the excellent crafts(wo)manship of the hand-embroidered floral appliqué on the three-quarter length sleeves and hemline of the elastic empire waist Winter Dreidle Dress is the knowledge that the garment is made of 100% fair trade certified cotton that is "grown on small family farms that...follow environmental standards that restrict the use of agrochemicals and encourage sustainability." And the beautiful color (mauve in my case, though the dress is also available in black) is gained through the use of eco-friendly vegetable dyes. All of this enviro-feminism contributes to my feeling very good about myself while wearing this trés cute dress. How many birds can you hit with just one stone?

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, December 16th 2009

Organic Dark Chocolates

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:02:00 +0000

By Shaman Chocolates

If you have a vice, you might as well indulge it responsibly. Shaman Chocolates' profits propagate Huichol communities and culture. Descendents of the Aztec, the Huichol population is approximately 18,000. They reside in the sierra of Jalisco and Nayarit, and their traditions persist despite the encroachment that ensued with the arrival of the conquistadors. Huichol ceremonies use peyote, and the people are known for vivid depictions of themes from nature utilizing beads and yarn. Shaman Chocolates—founded in 2002—offers non-Huichols an opportunity to enjoy the people's sacred food, cocoa being frequently used as an offering to the Earth.

Shaman Chocolates is not the first initiative for the Huichol organized by Brant Secunda. This adopted shaman facilitated the return of the Huichol to the Sierra Madres in the early 1990s, allowing the maintenance of their culture and crafts. His 'Dance of the Deer' foundation acquired the trucks and boats for the move, and provided the bricks and mortars for a school.

The bricks of chocolate come wrapped in attractive packaging, featuring photographs of Huichol individuals in colorful traditional attire. My favorite was the dark chocolate with raspberries, but the more innovative combinations—for example, the milk chocolate with Hawaiian pink sea salt and macadamia nuts—are also enticing. I've yet to experience the green tea and ginger varieties. Seeing that Shaman Chocolates allow me to consume with a conscience, it's clearly time to stock up on these Huichol sweets.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, October 10th 2009

Cherrystone Earrings

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:09:00 +0000

By Cherrystone Earrings

When I was a kid, my mom would stop at the same gas station every week to fill the tank. The spot was a local affair with a tiny convenience store attached that housed assorted odds and ends. I always looked forward to those trips to the pump because my mother's way of occupying my sisters and I during the seemingly endless flow was to give us a quarter each to buy ourselves a piece of candy. My favorite were the giant chewy Sweet Tarts.

Before leaving the store, I would start salivating just thinking about the taste of the round sour chews, and by the time we got home, I would have gobbled all four of them up. On the rare occasion that sweet tarts were unavailable, I moved on to my second choice: a sour apple Jolly Rancher stick. Despite the stick being second to the chew in taste, it easily won out in aesthetics. The hard candy was slick, green, and deliciously transparent—not unlike Moonrise Jewelry's Cherrystone Earrings.

Made from deep green recycled glass beads and fair trade sterling silver ear wires, the Cherrystone Earrings ($25) are a perfect accent piece for outfits both casual and dressy. Adaptability is a common theme among the stylistic and ideological vision of this progressive, eco-friendly jewelry maker. Whether rolling up your sleeves to build a habitat for humanity or hosting an art auction fundraiser for charity, this pair would be perfectly at home in your ensemble. In fact, they may well steal the show.

Handmade in Virginia, I wonder if these lightweight yet sturdy earrings aren't named after Cherrystone Campground, a nature getaway alongside the Chesapeake Bay where luxurious cabins and tent-style "roughing it" cohabit nicely. Another possibility of the moniker's origin is a throwback to a particularly small type of quahog that was used as currency by some Native Americans, but given the latter's decreased geographical relevance—and my own irrational bias against crustaceans—I'm going to bank on camping over clams.

As further demonstration of its social justice mission, Moonrise is providing Feminist Review readers a 15% Discount off anything and everything on their website. The discount code is 'FEMINIST' and there is no expiration date. Anyone up for some holiday shopping?

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, October 4th 2009

Chesapeake Necklace

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:33:00 +0000

By Moonrise Jewelry

Moonrise Jewelry had me at hello. The woman-owned and operated, Virginia-based, eco-friendly company doesn't simply produce amazing jewelry; they "design, manufacture, and sell high-quality handmade jewelry while adhering to values that contribute to a stronger and healthier global community." Are you in love yet? Because it gets better.

Meredith Restein runs her business using raw and recycled materials gained from Fair Trade and ethical vendors for whom community economic development is a priority, and whose employees work in safe and healthy conditions and are provided with fair wages and labor standards. She insists on supply chain transparency to ensure the legality of all international transactions, and to maintain an ethical and sustainable business practice. When possible, Moonrise keeps production local to stimulate the rural Virginia economy, as well. And if that weren't enough, the company courts philanthropic partnerships to whom they give monetary and in-kind donations. Head over heals now, aren't you?

Delivered in a royal purple box with a metallic pink Moonrise Jewelry logo on the lid that was wrapped with a single, sage green ribbon tied in a bow, the initial presentation of the Chesapeake Necklace was stellar. The round pendant cast in 100% recycled silver is hand carved in a way that resembles ocean waves, which gives the delicate piece a sense of movement. The sterling silver chain with a ring clasp is available in multiple lengths—16", 18", or 20"—and the pendent is attached in an unconventional fashion by looping the chain through the intentionally off-center hole in the pendant. While the price tag ($78) might be off-putting, go re-read those first two paragraphs and remember that cheap usually equals exploitative.

The Chesapeake Necklace has become my FN2 (favorite necklace for now). It's simple enough to be casual, elegant, or sexy—not that the three are mutually exclusive. The Chesapeake also has mass appeal, as both my mom, my sister, and my best friend were all keen to relieve me of the piece, and weren't shy about making this known. Good thing they're all on the other side of the world now, or I'd have to be making frequent paranoid checks of my jewelry box, especially since this necklace has since sold out! No worries, though, there are plenty more to choose from.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, September 6th 2009

Divine Chocolate

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:19:00 +0000

By Divine Chocolate

Are ethics a luxury? It seems fairly obvious that if you can spend five dollars on a fair trade chocolate bar (as opposed to one dollar), you are comfortable indulging, or at the very least are attempting to indulge, with a sense of global awareness. You may even be rationalizing your questionable vices with the thought, “Hey, I'm not losing weight, but Nyamba Momofumba's daughter gets to go to school now...” It's easier to do good if you're doing well.

Divine Chocolate’s literature introduces individual producers: Ama Kade, Rita Nimako, Elvis Okufu Boansi. The company started as a vote among the farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Cooperative in Ghana in 1997—by 1998 it had received backing from the The Body Shop, Comic Relief and Christian Aid in the UK, and has persisted for the last decade—the first fair trade chocolate company to be significantly owned by cocoa farmers. The cooperative has reinvested its profits in wells, schools, and clinics, and women hold a majority of the leadership positions. If you're going for consumption with a conscience, they appear to be a sure thing.

The chocolate is delicious. It is remarkably better than the industrially produced mass-market chocolate that has a waxy patina and chemical aftertaste. My personal preferences run to darks, particularly the fruit and nut, but their white chocolate with strawberries is buttery while not 'wussy' (to use a technical culinary term). But in the current economic climate, a good chocolate bar may not make it into as many budgets, no matter how well-intentioned the consumer. Human self-interest usually prevails. A favorite recent demonstration is the report from Harper's Index that the insecticide-doused mosquito nets shipped to Africa are being misappropriated as fishing nets, increasing individual income at the expense of community health.

Studies of Fair Trade organizations indicate that while superior to standard exploitative trade, they do not provide a panacea. Perhaps it is a matter of small, incremental changes. Then again, we could have large, abrupt changes forced upon us. Peak oil speculators would posit that without petroleum, only locally-produced hothouse cocoa would be available. Or, Matt Miller, in The Tyranny of Bad Ideas, suggests that free trade is among the tired old paradigms that must be jettisoned. My response to global financial conflagration is similar to some of my negative social ventures: I want to eat chocolate. It's nice to have the option of reaching for a narrow brick of Divine's dark… or perhaps I can track down the orange and milk chocolate, gold tinfoil hearts and spirals scattered on the wrapper design.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, March 8th 2009

3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:07:00 +0000

By Prairieland Herbs

Dry knuckles? Ashy hands and elbows? Tried every lotion on the shelf? You need Prairieland Herbs' 3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter. When I opened the little tin tub (which can be reused for multiple purposes), I was taken aback; it actually look like whipped butter! I had to resist sticking my finger in and giving it a lick. Compared to more solid shea butter, this is very gentle and airy—easy to spread and rub in.

As soon as I could, I put it to the test. My knuckles stayed moisturized throughout my daily routine much longer than conventional lotions. I didn’t notice dryness on my hands until five to six hours after I applied it. My knees and the rest of my body were smooth and moisturized until the next day. And it smells incredible. The “3 Citrus” in the name comes from lemon, tangerine and orange essential oils. As great as they smell, these and jojoba oil give it a slightly greasy feel until you rub it in, but it works so well that this doesn’t deter me in the slightest.

Prairieland Herbs has a wide assortment of shea butter products in addition to the 3 Citrus. Not only is their shea butter fair trade, but they are also committed to producing the most natural products possible. For someone who doesn’t like rubbing scary chemicals on her body, this was a major plus for me. This is perfect for dry winter days, or right out of the shower for smooth and deliciously moisturized skin!

Written by: Lillian B., July 8th 2007