Enviro Mentality

Times are tough today.  We’re all looking to save a buck and get the best deal.  However, shopping at your local mega discount store isn’t always the best choice.

Large corporations such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s and others are not in the business of fair trade.  They want to make money - lots of it.  Their goal is to sell cheaply manufactured goods, which hopefully will wear out fast and you’ll come back for more.  Buyers for these companies go to the cheapest source:  China, Thailand, Indonesia - wherever they can make the best deal for their company…, where their bottom line will show the most profit.

There is absolutely no concern for the workers who make these products, either. A blind eye is turned toward any situations where workers are subjected to dangerous and toxic conditions, long hours or menial wages.  Human rights abuses, too, are not a concern for the buyers of Wal-Mart and others. They just want their goods and they’re on the way.

Fair trade products, however, lift people out of the mire of subservience, disrespect and hopelessness.  Fair trade also preserves ancient crafts which are fast disappearing in this modern world.  It promotes respect for the crafts person because of what they know and the artistry of their craft. They are treated as human beings, as business people, not as a slave.

You can make a difference in the world by choosing Fair Trade products whenever possible. Many companies carry both fair trade and organic products. That means you are helping twice:  promoting and strengthening fair trade and choosing organic, which helps the environment.  By shopping this way - YOU - make a statement to the big box retailers.  YOU are taking a stand.

This is such a simple way to help those far less fortunate than yourself. Whether your purchase is fair trade quilts or crafts, fair trade organic body care, fair trade coffee or any of the hundreds of goods,   fair trade is good for everybody and the planet, too!

When most people think of ‘Fair Trade’ they usually think of Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.  The Canaan Fair Trade Association benefits rural Palestinian communities. This is an empowering chance for Palestinian farmers in a war torn region.

Dr. Nasser Abufarha, of the Canaan Fair Trade Association, says that the empowerment of these rural areas caught in the conflict is enabling them to sustain themselves with respect and dignity.  There is a direct working relationship with these communities using fair trade concepts.

The crop they produce is olive oil.  There is no current Fair Trade Labeling Organization certification (FLO) for olive oil, so they have developed their own using those guidelines.  After adoption by the Palestinian Fair Trade Association, their co-ops, processors and exporters, they have been certified Fair Trade by the institute of Marketology in Switzerland.

This provides access to a fair trade product that is produced across the largest sector of Palestinian society (Rural Palestine).  The farmers receive sustainable prices for their products and fair wages for all the workers along the supply chain.  Fair trade Palestinian farmers receive a 10% fair trade premium above the market price and another 10% organic premium, again above the market price.

What does this accomplish?  It provides a place for Palestinians in the Fair Trade market and benefits rural Palestinian farmers.  It promotes cross-cultural, multi-faith and multi-ethnic connections for all sectors of the fair trade process.  From farmers to workers, processors, traders, exporters, importers, distributors and consumers - one community is created based on fair exchange.

The Canaan Fair Trade Associaton hopes to establish traditional sustainable farming and to build an alternate cultural expression with connections to the outside world.

These fair trade Palestinian products are available in the US:  sun-dried tomotoes, couscous, olive oil, organic tahini, honey, almonds are available at:  http://www.canaanfairtrade.com