Fair Trade

I recently attended the Design 4 Living women's conference and posts in the coming weeks will cover some of the material and insights I received from that event.

There were several vendor booths, and I was attracted to TradeAsOne.com. To quote the mission of the organization, By purchasing Trade As One products, you bring jobs to the poor. You give them the power to build a future. In return you get something beautiful. That's what it means to trade as one.

TradeAsOne.com has partnered with dozens of businesses in poorer nations and created a website of their handmade items, including jewelry, handbags, woven baskets, body lotions, coffee and olive oil, The premise is that we all shop anyway for ourselves or for gifts, so why not shop with companies that offer a fair wage and a promise of a better life? We are talking about women such as those who were sold into sexual slavery and are now living a life of dignity, or single moms who previously had no hope of a better future for their children.

I make jewelry but I still bought the cutest "people pin" with body cut from soda cans. Not only will it look great on the lapel of my bluejean jacket, but it will give me an opportunity to promote TradeAsOne.com when people comment on it --- because I just know I'm going to get asked where I got it.