 |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
December
11, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 22Oakland,
CA
Consider the
Fair Trade option
when buying holiday gifts
Has
shopping at the big-box stores left your body weary, your credit card
in danger of meltdown and your Christmas wishes less than fulfilled? If
so, it may be time to consider supporting Fair Trade as an option for
Christmas gift giving.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of a growing number of organizations
that is promoting Fair Trade, an alternative system of international trade
that helps low-income farmers and artisans around the world to earn a
fair price for their labor. This trade program helps to develop a direct
relationship between conscience-driven consumers and the people who create
the products like coffee and chocolate.
CRS does not sell Fair Trade items directly. But through its Fair Trade
Program the development and relief organization works with more than a
dozen Fair Trade organizations across the U.S.
These organizations uphold Fair Trade principles: paying producers a fair
price for the items they create, purchasing directly from democratically
run cooperatives, offering technical assistance and credit on fair terms
to producers whenever possible, supporting environmental sustainability,
making long-term commitments to the farmers and artisans they work with,
respecting cultural identity and committing to public accountability.
In the Oakland Diocese, several parishes have promoted the sale of Fair
Trade chocolate and coffee as well as gifts and handicrafts from CRS Work
of Human Hands.
Discerning consumers can find Fair Trade products at a number of businesses
in the East Bay such as all Trader Joe’s stores. Fair Trade coffee
is sold at Costco Stores. Such products are usually marked with the Fair
Trade logo.
For more information on Fair Trade products and where to buy them visit
Catholic Relief Services website at www.crs.org;
TransFair USA at www.transfairusa.org;
and Global Exchange at www.globalexchange.org.
