By taking this pledge, you are taking a stand to consciously and actively change your current shopping habits. This may seem like a burdensome and overwhelming task. You may be wondering, where do I start or how can I be this proactive about everything I buy? In time, we hope that living a “conscious consumer” lifestyle will become second nature, and you will create new ways to support the humanity of others through your purchasing habits. This pledge is a learning process and will develop over time as you tailor the pledge to your own buying preferences.
Here are a few suggestions to get you on your way to a "conscious consumer" lifestyle. Please let us know all the ways you are living and supporting fair treatment of workers, farmers and those who make the things you enjoy everyday.
- Find your local Farmers Market and buy your produce, and other items, from local organic farmers who plant, grow and harvest their own crops.
- Look for items at the grocery store that are labeled Fair Trade. (example: Look for fair trade chocolate such as Alter-Eco, Divine and Rapunzel.)
- For gifts, household items, coffee, tea, chocolate and many more items check out http://tradeasone.com or http://greenheartshop.com.
- Ask for fair trade coffee at your favorite coffee shop. (example: Starbucks now has “Café Estima” which is fair trade.)
- Play fair and check out http://fairtradesports.com. The next time you play soccer or catch in the yard you will be helping people across the globe provide for their family.
- Research the brands and/or stores you like, and see how they treat the people which make up their supply chain. Check out http://chainstorereaction.com and send an email to your favorite brand to let them know you want them to treat people fairly.
- Be conscious of the positive aspects of “direct trade.” Take a little time to research organizations that operate this way. While not technically fair trade, smaller operations "do good" for artisans who make beautiful items. (example: http://hilltribers.org)
- Of course when you are in the market for some stylish undies and tee shirts, Good & Fair Clothing has you covered!
For more in depth research please check out the following organizations:
- Fair Trade USA: http://fairtradeusa.org
- Fair Trade Federation: http://fairtradefederation.org
- Fair Trade Foundation: http://fairtrade.org.uk