Spread your holiday joy around the world.

During this season of giving you might be asking yourself, “What can I do to make all of the giving and gifting even more meaningful?”

This is the perfect time to pause and think about how your everyday choices can positively influence the people and world around you. It is a time to reflect on the power that each of us has as a consumer to shop our values. When you buy Fair Trade, you’re supporting a system of trade that promotes better prices and wages, safe working conditions, community development, and environmental protection. You can feel good knowing that the fair trade certified products you choose are helping: farmers improve their communities, children stay in school and families put food on their tables.

Giving the gift of fair trade is easier than you might think. Here are five simple ways to make a big difference:

1.     Give a Fair Trade gift

The best gifts are ones that tell a story. This year, you can tell the story of helping farmers improve their communities when you give Fair Trade certified gifts. Fair Trade USA has put together a holiday gift guide that is full of festive gift ideas and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list. From chocolate, coffee, spices, clothing or body scrubs, you can spread your holiday joy by choosing a gift that truly keeps on giving!

For gift inspiration, check out the Fair Trade Holiday Gift Guide!

2.   Bake with Fair Trade

Baking during the holidays is one of the tastiest traditions there is and with Fair Trade ingredients, it can also be one of the most fulfilling. Whether you’re using sugar, chocolate, spices or a baking mix, it’s easy to swap out the basic ingredients with their Fair Trade Certified alternatives. Invite friends and family over for a baking party, or put together a gift basket that includes all the ingredients needed to whip up your favorite goodies.

Click here for several delightful recipes featuring multiple Fair Trade Certified ingredients.

3.  Send well wishes to a Fair Trade community

‘Tis the season to tell the people in your life that you value and are grateful for them. While you’re writing your holiday greeting cards this year, why not send some well wishes to the farmers and workers that grow and sew the products you love?  Many of the Fair Trade communities we work with have Facebook profiles, and we know they would love to hear from you!

Send these Fair Trade communities a short message and help deliver some holiday cheer around the world! Below are a few examples of producers with Facebook profiles that you can directly message or write on their wall. You can also look at our complete list of producers here.

• Send Season’s Greetings to Cafe Anei Organico, a Colombian coffee cooperative, here.
• Send Season’s Greetings to Cooperativa Naranjillo, a Peruvian cocoa and coffee cooperative, here.
• Send Season’s Greetings to Bananeras de Urabá, a Colombian banana farm here.
• Send Season’s Greetings to Makaibari Tea Estates, an Indian tea estate, here.
• Send Season’s Greetings to Esteam Apparel Services, an Indian apparel and linens factory, here.
• Send Season’s Greetings to Akoma Cooperative, an African shea butter cooperative, here.

4.  Ask for Fair Trade

Having trouble finding Fair Trade products where you shop? Sometimes all you have to do is ask! Requesting more Fair Trade products is as easy as filling out a comment card or speaking directly with the manager. Explain that you want to make every purchase matter by buying Fair Trade.  It helps to name specific products or product categories and to direct the manager to the Fair Trade USA website www.FairTradeUSA.org to learn more.

You can also ask for Fair Trade to be served at your school or office. Encouraging a large organization to go Fair Trade is a very effective way to increase the impact for farmers and workers in more than 58 countries.

5. Make a donation to expand Fair Trade

Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations in order to expand the reach and impact of Fair Trade.  Your gift supports life-changing work to improve the lives of farming families in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Make a donation today. Every dollar matters.

“American consumers have so much power. Every time we go to the store we can vote with our dollars for a better world.”

~ Paul Rice, President & CEO of Fair Trade USA

“Fair Trade” helps “free trade” work for the poor.

A 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Fair Trade USA is the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. We enable you, the consumer, to make a difference with your dollar. We help people and the planet work in tandem so both are healthy and sustained. We provide farmers in developing nations the tools to thrive as international business people. Instead of creating dependency on aid, we use a market-based approach that gives farmers fair prices, workers safe conditions, and entire communities resources for fair, healthy and sustainable lives. We seek to inspire the rise of the Conscious Consumer and eliminate exploitation.

~

Ed. Karla Rodas

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