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Fair trade/The green consumerist

Huh?

Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South. Fair trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.
Fair trade advocates generally support the following principles and practices in trading relationships:[6]

Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
Fair trade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system.
Transparency and accountability
Fair trade involves transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners.
Capacity building
Fair trade is a means to develop producers' independence. Fair trade relationships provide continuity, during which producers and their marketing organizations can improve their management skills and their access to new markets.
Payment of a fair price
A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed through dialogue and participation. It covers not only the costs of production but enables production which is socially just and environmentally sound. It provides fair pay to the producers and takes into account the principle of equal pay for equal work by women and men. Fairtraders ensure prompt payment to their partners and, whenever possible, help producers with access to pre-harvest or pre-production financing.
Gender equity
Fair trade means that women's work is properly valued and rewarded. Women are always paid for their contribution to the production process and are empowered in their organizations.
Working conditions
Fair trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producers. The participation of children (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play and conforms to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the law and norms in the local context.
Environmental protection
Fair trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
(wikipedia)

**The information in this site alone is enough to steer you in numerous good directions.

The National Green Pages is a directory listing nearly 3,000 businesses that have made firm commitments to sustainable, socially just principles, including the support of sweatshop-free labor, organic farms, fair trade, and cruelty-free products.

How they "screen".



Fair Trade empowers low-income artisans and farmers around the globe to better their lives. It is a movement that connects us to the people who grow our food and make our clothes, changing the way we think about the things we buy. If enough people engage in Fair Trade, it can change the world.

Your ethical guide to damn near everything.

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roqlarue






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Carbon offsets demystified

Coopamerica
For an offset purchase to be meaningful, the purchase has to cause a new carbon reduction corresponding with the new emissions you caused, rather than taking credit for a reduction that would have happened anyway....

..............
Avoid offsets based on tree-planting projects. Planting trees feels good and projects that plant trees can be easier to love than projects involving something as mundane as cow methane or cement. However, there are much better offset programs than those that involve trees. It's very hard to calculate how much CO2 a given forest will "breathe in." some offset providers base their calculations for a tree planted today on the CO2 it will take in over its entire lifetime, which is decades after the emissions associated with the flight or drive being offset. Bottom line: when it comes to carbon offsets, planting trees is not the best bet. However, planting trees has other environmental benefits, and we encourage tree planting for these reasons.
hmmmm
Do some Math

Green tags from current renewable energy generation. Energy customers who wish to support wind and solar power can already do so by purchasing renewable energy certificates, also known as "RECs," or "green tags." Green tags represent the environmental benefits generated by existing green energy facilities like wind turbines or solar arrays. Consumers without green power options can purchase green tags as a way of supporting renewable energy generation. Or, utility companies that offer their customers green energy options may simply purchase green tags on their behalf from an outside green power facility, rather than building their own.

Because putting more renewable energy into the electric grid will, over time, reduce the energy that GHG-spewing coal plants need to put in, renewable energy also promises to reduce global warming emissions. Therefore, some carbon offset providers sell green tags as carbon offsets. For example carbon counter,offers green tag offsets associated with wind farms in Oregon.

Sustainable development projects. Some providers use offset purchases to fund "clean development" projects in developing countries, which both fight poverty and reduce GHG emissions.My climate(which sells offsets in the US through Sustainable Travel International) has created a small hydraulic power station in Indonesia that will generate clean, reliable energy for a Sumatran community. In Eritrea, they have installed hundreds of solar water heaters for schools.

Farm and landfill methane projects.Native energy,also uses offset purchases to install methane digester's on family farms in Pennsylvania to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by livestock. "Digester's" use the methane to generate power.
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