Your New Year’s Resolution and Fair Trade

The New Year is a fun and vibrant time.  It is overflowing with new possibilities, and each year most of us resolve to better ourselves, often through a new system of organization or through a new, healthier exercise and diet regime.  Fair Trade San Diego would like to propose another way to both better us and better our world at the same time.

Fair trade is a relationship between consumers and producers. By purchasing fair trade the consumer supports farmers and artisans in the developing world and contributes to their livelihood, which is sustainable and which allows them to better their lives and the lives of those in their community. And the fair trade items that producers sell are high quality, often organic, created with natural materials and comes with a story - the story of the producer who harvested or created the item. Fair trade creates a closer link between the producer and consumer; it encourages the human spirit.  Through the human spirit we are called to reinvent ourselves in positive ways, we are called to re-envision our communities in positive ways, and while it may seem the New Year is the best time to do this, we are, in fact, challenged to embrace this renaissance spirit everyday throughout our lives. 

Tips on supporting and incorporating fair trade in your life this year:

• Buy fair trade goods from local vendors; check out our vendor list and past newsletters to learn about local fair trade vendors.

• Ask your supermarket to sell more fair trade; write a letter to the manager or have a conversation with him or her.

• Host a fair trade event at your congregation or with your community groups; host a movie showing with discussion, sell fair trade goods through SERRV after congregational services, offer fair trade coffee at events.

• Attend Fair Trade San Diego’s monthly meetings to learn more about the fair trade movement in San Diego; see our blog and Facebook page for date and time.

• Sign up for FTSD’s e-newsletter; follow us on Twitter and 'like' us on Facebook to participate in contests and learn about fair trade both locally and nationally.

• Visit Fair Trade USA, Fair Trade Federation and the Fair Trade Resource Network’s web pages to learn more about fair trade.