Be the Change

So since I've come back from Haiti I've tried to be as careful as I can about where I make my purchases. It's not so easy, is it? NO! But with a little research, it's pretty helpful to find out where you can start making more ethical shopping decisions. It's hard when you're a lover of Gap, J. Crew, and Banana Republic. I know, I know...they're so perfectly tailored, the fabrics are out of this world...I just could go on and on. But if I were to take a step back and do as much research as I do with the food I eat, I'd probably find some things that have been stuffed under the rug.

All evening I've been not only job searching, but looking at fair trade stores and lists of the most ethical companies in the US. For example, Ethisphere has made a LIST of the top 100 most ethical companies in the US that not only "proclaim" to be ethical, but put ethics into action. I was surprised at some of the famous companies I've heard of. Gap? Target? STARBUCKS? Really? It's quite unbelievable. But now I can give these companies more credit. We really don't think about how bad materialism is in the first place, but to top it with unethical practices and misused child labor laws and poor regulations on imports and yadda yadda......Fair Trade doesn't have to be complicated. Not at all. All it is is giving people the chance to boost their economic systems; these people happen to come from poor countries, but not always. Fair Trade allows direct market access, which means that all those people "in between" the makers and takers (the ones who get most of the profit) are eliminated. Sounds mean, right? Well, this system also ensures high quality products that utilize strict rules to ensure customers that, in the process of making goods, the environment remains safe, the economic system is sustainable, people are empowered, and other systems like healthcare, education, and so on, are fostered.

With that in mind, I started to look for places that sell things that we buy everyday: clothes, purses, accessories, whatever. Here's a list of stores that made it on the fair trade search:

Global Mamas
Ten Thousand Villages

Ethical Goods
Free People Clothing
Fair Indigo
Patagonia
Handcrafting Justice

Aside from petroleum, coffee is the second highest commodity on the hot-shot list. Call it whatever you want. Everyone in every country around the world is involved with coffee! How can people say coffee doesn't affect the global economy? HA. As an avid coffee lover, that's just ridiculous. With SO many people around the world being involved in the coffee business--think of how many of those "middle men" are making profits off these families? They pay the coffee growers below market prices and keep most of the money for themselves. It's hard to believe that a hard-working family who grows coffee may only make between $500 and $1000 per YEAR. PER YEAR! That means they're only receiving between thirty and fifty cents per pound of coffee. They are being paid HALF of today's typical market price. In countries around the world, a typical coffee "quota" for the day is about 100 pounds, but maybe more. And the pickers make maybe $2 per day for that. There are no employee benefits, time off, whatever...and aren't those problem-causing things LUXURIES to us here in America? ---> This is why child labor is bad.

Stepping away from the politics...look at this crazy list of fair trade/co-op grocery stores in Minnesota! Hooray for Whole Foods and Valley Natural!

• City Center Market
• Cook County Whole Foods Co-op
• Eastside Food Cooperative
• Hampden Park Co-op
• Harmony Natural Foods Co-op
• Harvest Moon
• Just Food Co-op
• Lakewinds Natural Foods (Chanhassen)
• Lakewinds Natural Foods (Minnetonka)
• Linden Hills Co-op
• Mississippi Market (Selby)
• Mississippi Market (West 7th Street)
• Natural Harvest Co-op
• People's Food Co-op - Rochester
• River Market Community Co-op
• Seward Community Cooperative
• St. Peter Food Co-op & Deli
• Valley Natural Foods
• Wedge Community Co-op
• Whole Foods Co-op 

ALSO, I just have to add that I love being vegan. It's wonderful. I'm learning so much about SUPERFOODS and detoxing the body and being able to find my nutrients from new sources. I'm completely obsessed with my almond milk and my coconut chia seed granola, which I eat for breakfast each morning!

Why I Love Chia (and you should, too!):
1. Chia seeds reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed.
2. They can also help your diet by making you feel full. This is because they absorb 10 times their weight in water, forming a bulky gel. (HENCE they are great in smoothies and making yogurt!!!!)
3. "Chia gel" can hydrate the body. You can make it yourself.
4. The richest plant source of Omega 3's (EVEN OVER SALMON---beat that, fish eaters!)
5. Control of blood sugar because they regulate how fast our bodies convert CHO's into simple sugars. 

And okay, that's my post for the day. Ciao!!!