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Hello and Welcome!
We intend to be your one-stop-shop on My Space for Fair Trade and Organic products.
More than that, however, we want to provide information and lend support to other alternatives to the global market system. Get the details below:
- What Is Fairganic?
- The Fairganic Mission.
- Other Great My Space Profiles
Ethical Business
"Before you've finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world"
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
There's been a lot of movement in the private sector toward more Fair Trade Certified, Organic Certified (see graph below), Green and overall just and sustainable products. I will outline below what the terms mean, where you can find more information, and what products carry the terms and certification.
Global Organic Cotton Demand
Graph courtesy of Organic Exchange
"Organic" in the United States refers to standards set by the USDA. As you will read, Organic will usually carry a different meaning depending upon the product but usually maintains stronger protection over animals and the environment than the laws that ordinary producers are subject to especially if their production is moved overseas. Not only are Organic products easier on the earth there a lot of evidence that they are healthier. Among other things, it's been proven to lower harmful pesticides in the body.
"Fair Trade" in the United States refers to groups like TransFair's independent, third-party certification of products which uses standards established by the Fairtrade Labelling Organization. The FLO is one of the biggest international social economic certification bodies worldwide.
"Green" is more or less a phrase thrown around by environmentalists and manufacturers to describe products and services which are ecologically sustainable. However, organizations like Green Seal try to set the "Green" standard.
More Information for Concerned Consumers
- Organic Consumers Association
- - Organic Bytes - Environmental, Consumer and Health News Tidbits With an Edge!
- Organic Exchange
- - Organic Exchange Quarterly Newsletter
- - Organic Exchange Confrence Summaries
- - Business and Product Search
- Fair Trade Resource Network
- - List of Books and Learning Materials
- Fair Trade Federation
- - FTF Fair Trade Standards
- - 2005 FTF Conference
- Sweatshop Watch
- - The Modern Sweatshop - A Brief History
- - Important Information for Fair Trade Shoppers
- - What Is a Labor Union?
- - What Is A Worker-Owned Cooperative?
- - Sweatshop Watch Free Online Newsletter
- Clean Clothes Campaign
- - Urgent Appeals for Action
- - Join Urgent Appeals Network
- - Specific Practices of Fair Trade Companies
- Sustainable Style Foundation
- - SASS Online Magazine
- - Top 10 Things You Can Do To Look Fab, Live Well and Do Good
- Downbound
- - Free-Range (and info on other certifications)
- - Factory Farming
- - Green Economics
- - Veganism
- - Vegan Nutrition
- Ideal Bite
- - How Small Things Add Up to Make a Big Difference
- - Ideal Bite Marketplace (O, FT, R, G, U)
- The Forest Stewardship Council
- - What Is FSC Certification?
- - Where Can I Find FSC-Certified Products?
- Sustainable Cotton
- Organic Cotton Directory
- Alternative Medicine Direct
Email-Direct Newsletters- Green Festival Email Alerts
- Grist Magazine Email Newsletters
- Ideal Bite Daily Eco-Tips
- Transfair's Email Newsletter
- Global Exchange Newsletter
Ethical Products and Companies
*One should do a bit of investigation before purchasing because I have not investigated ALL of them extensively. I have provided convienient specifications for the products below. They were all labeled to the best of my knowledge.*
Key:
O = Organic (meaning certified)
FT = Fair Trade (meaning at least sweatshop-free)
R = Recycled (meaning they have specific recycling methods)
V = Vegan or Vegetarian (meaning they have specific Vegan/Vegetarian options)
G = Green (strong evidence of other highly sustainable methods of production)
L = Local (either sells or buys locally - [province / country])
M = Male Products
F = Female Products
K = Kids' Products
B = Baby Products
U = Unisex (meaning they have both men and women's products)
Fashion and Apparel
Clothing, Shoes, Accessories and/or Fabrics
- Alternative Outfitters(V, U)
- Bamboo Textiles (O, U)
- Cush Life (FT, R, B, U)
- Dan.K. Forest(O, FT, V, G, U)
- Deborah Lindquist (FT, R, F)
- Decent Exposures (O, FT, F)
- Ecolution (FT, G, U)
- Ekologic Accessories (FT, R, U, B)
- Jade Planet (O, FT, U)
- Komodo (R, G, U)
- Livity (G, U)
- Made-By (O)
- Market Place India (FT, F)
- Nature's Mistress (FT, G)
- No Enemy (O, FT, U)
- No Sweat Apparel (FT, U)
- Of The Earth Clothing (FT, G, U)
- People Tree Fair Trade Fashion (O, FT, R, G, U, B)
- Pickering International Fabrics (O, FT, G, U)
- Prana Clothing (O, U)
- Reware Store - (FT, O, G, U)
- Romp (FT, O, G, U)
- Slingfings (FT, R, G, F)
- Smartwool (G, U)
- Tdama (O, FT, R, G, F)
Clothing Only
- American Apparel (O, FT, B, U)
- Another World Is Possible Clothing (FT, R, U)
- Bamboosa (O, FT, R, B, U)
- Beneficial T's by Patagonia (O, U)
- Better For Babies (O, G, B)
- Bishopston Trading Company (O, FT, F)
- Blue Canoe Bodywear (O, F, B)
- Boll Men's Dress Shirts (O, M)
- Certified Jeans (O, FT, U)
- Clothworks (O, F)
- Comrade Clothing (O, FT, U)
- Cool Not Cruel Clothing (O, FT, U)
- Diety Aton (O, U)
- Earth Bitch (FT, G, F)
- Earth Creations (O, FT, U)
- Earth Speaks Clothing (O, FT, F)
- Ecoganik Clothing (O, F)
- Ecounique Clothing (FT, O, F)
- Edun Clothing (FT, U)
- Enamore Clothing (O, FT, F)
- Equop (O, FT, U)
- Ethical Threads (FT, U)
- Gossypium Eco-Cotton (O, FT, B, U)
- Green Apple Tree Clothing (FT, U)
- Green Babies Clothing (O, B)
- Greenknickers (F)
- Grembo Organics Baby Products (O, B)
- Indigenous Designs (O, FT, U)
- Justice Clothing (FT, U)
- Kate Quinn Organics (O, K)
- Kuyichi (O, FT, U)
- Lauren Celeste Children's Clothing (O, FT, B, U)
- Loomstate Clothing (O, U)
- Loyale Clothing (O, FT, R, G, F)
- Luxury Eco by Linda Loudermilk (FT, G, F)
- Machja (O, FT, U)
- Maggie's Functional Organics (O, FT, U)
- Nature vs Future Clothing (O)
- NAU, Inc. (G, U)
- On & On (R, F)
- OQOQO: Style Into Nature (FT, O, R, G)
- Patagonia (O, R, U)
- Postively Organic Baby Clothes & Gifts (O, FT, B)
- Project Alabama (FT, R, U)
- Sage by Delano Collection (O, FT, F)
- Sansegal Sportswear (R, U)
- Solidarity Clothing (FT, U)
- Speak Women's & Children's Clothing (FT, O, F)
- Stella McCartney, Stella McCarthy For ADIDAS (O, FT, V, F)
- Stewart+Brown Clothing (O, G, F)
- sweetgrass natural fibers clothing (O, G, U, B)
- Sweet Skins Clothing (O, G, F)
- Tarsian & Blinkley Clothing (FT, F)
- Teko Socks (O, G)
- Tender Care Diapers (FT, G, B)
- Tonic T-Shirts (O, FT, U)
- T.S. Designs (O, FT, G)
- Twice Shy (O, U)
- Two Star Dog (G, U)
- Under The Canopy (O, FT, G, U)
- Unicorn Designs (FT, O, F)
- Union Jeans Company (FT, U)
- Wildlife Works (O, G, U)
Shoes Only
- Beyond Skin Ethical Footwear (FT, V, F)
- Chaco Footwear (FT, R, U)
- El Naturalista Footwear (R, U)
- Ecosandals (FT, R, U)
- Moo Shoes (V, U)
- Novacas Vegan Footwear (FT, V, U)
- Shoes With Souls (FT, V, G, U)
- Terra Plana (G, U)
- The Unswoosher (O, FT, G, U)
- Vegetarian Shoes @ Zappo.com (V, U)
- Worn Again Shoes (FT, R, U)
Fabrics / Materials Only
- Agrocel Cotton (O, FT)
- Ambatalia Fabrics (O, FT)
- Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton Yarn (O)
- Mango Moon Recycled Silk Yarn (R)
- Purl Soho(O, G)
Accessories/Other
- Aid Through Trade (FT)
- Alchemy Goods Bags (R)
- Coll. Part. Fair Production (O, FT, R)
- Earthpak (FT, R, U)
- Ecoist Handbags (R, F)
- English Retreads Recycled Innertube Accessories (R, U)
- Flat Bags (R, U)
- Greenkarat Recycled Jewelry (FT, R)
- Kim White Handbags (FT, R)
- Little Earth (FT, R, U)
- Lucky Crow Fabric Gift Bags (FT, R, G)
- Moonrise Jewelry (FT)
- Passchal Bags (R)
- Salvation Sacks (FT, R, F)
- Sonic Fabric (R, U)
- Used Rubber USA (FT, G, R, V, U)
- Voltaic Solar Bags (G, U)
- Vulcana Bags (FT, R, V, U)
- Vy & Elle Bags (R, U)
- World of Good Fair Trade Shop (FT, U)
- Yous Bags (R, U)
*Thanks to Sustainable Style for the majority of links compiled in this list.*
Fair Trade or Organic Food
- Bean Trees Fine Organic Coffee (O, FT, G) - Buy the special BioGems Blend which donates a dollar per purchase to the Natural Resources Defense Council!!
- BuyWell International Coffee">BuyWell International (O, FT)
- Caffe Ibis (O, FT)
- Caffe Rebellion (O, FT, G)
- Dagoba Organic Chocolate (O, FT, G)
- Dean's Beans Coffee (O, FT)
- Alpsnack (O, FT, G)
- Eden Foods (O)
- Equal Exchange Coffee (O, FT, V)
- Four Seasons Hydroponics (FT, O)
- Global Exchange Fair Trade Food Directory (O, FT)
- Green Mountain Coffee (FT)
- Grounds For Change Coffee (O, FT, G)
- Gypsy Tea (O, FT)
- Higher Ground Roasters (O, FT)
- Ithaca Fine Chocolate (O, FT)
- Just Us Coffee (O, FT)
- Mother Earth Coffee (O, FT)
- Natural Farms (O)
- Newman's Own Organics (O, V) - Pet food and literature can also be found at website.
- Organic Valley Family of Farms (O)
- Peace Coffee (O, FT, G)
- Stony Field Yogurt (O)
- Terroir Coffee Company (FT)
- Tierra Farm (O)
- Tropical Forest Honeys (O, FT)
Mutual Funds and Financial Options
- Calvert Investments (G)
- Defenders of Wildlife Credit Card
- Domini Social Investments
- Green Century Forms(G)
- Humane Society Credit Card
- Pax World Mutual Funds - Socially responsible mutual funds.
- RSF Social Finance (G)
- ShoreBank (G)
- Sierra Club Mutual Funds (G)
- Working Asssets (G) - This company ACTUALLY offers ethical choices in many services including Credit Cards. A percentage of all business you do with Working Assets goes to groups like Africa Action, Human Rights Watch, Union of Concerned Scientists, American Progress Fund, Democracy Now!, GLESN, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oxfam America, National Coalition For The Homeless, the ACLU, Feminist Majority Foundation, to name a few. The full list can be found here.
Other
Online General Stores (WIDE SELECTION!)
- Abundant Earth (O, FT, R, V, U)
- Colores del Pueblo (FT, U)
- Downbound (O, FT, V, G, U)
- Ecochoices (O, G, U, B)
- Environgentle (O, G, R, U, B)
- Eyezotica (O, V, G, R)
- Fair World Gallery (FT)
- Global Exchange Online Store (FT, R)
- Good Humans (O, G, U)
- Green Feet Eco Products (R, G)
- Green For Good (O, R, V, G, U, B)
- Fauna Free (O, V, G, U)
- Gaiam Lifestyle Store (O, G, U)
- Global Hemp Store (O, G, U)
- Green Loop Online Store (O, FT, U)
- Hempest (G, U)
- Heyotsu (FT, V, R)
- Hip & Zen Online Store (O, FT, R, U)
- OMGallery (FT)
- Organic Avenue (O, V, G, U)
- Pangaya Online Store (O, G, F)
- Rawganique (mainly clothing) (O, FT, G, U)
- Shop Natural (O)
- Taraluna (FT, O, G, B)
- Tibet Collection (FT, R)
- Vegan Unlimited (O, FT, V)
- World of Good (FT, R, G)
Body / Personal Care Products
- Arbonne International (R, V) - Botanical skin care, cosmetics, health, nutrition, and wellness products.
- Aubrey Organics (O, R, G) - Hair, skin, and body care products made with many organic ingredients and no harsh detergents, paraben preservatives, or petrochemicals of any kind.
- Clean George (G) - Natural hand purifier.
- Crush Groove Cosmetics (V) - Natrual mineral makeup with no animal by-products.
- Dr. Bronner's & Sun Dog's Magic (O) - Organic lotions, lip balms, & body/tattoo balms made without synthetic ingredients or preservatives.
- Eagle Peak Herbals (O, G) - Organically grown and "respectfully harvested" herbs the proceeds of which supports injured and orphaned wildlife. Herbs, liquid extracts, oils, salves, and poultices.
- Firefly Natural Personal Lubricant (G, V) - All-natural lubricant.
- Glad Rags (O, R, F) - Menstrual alternatives designed to protect women's body's & the environment. Sea sponge and organic cotton tampons without chemicals or plastics.
- Miessence- (O) - world's first comprehensive range of certified organic skin care, personal care, cosmetics and nutritional products. All ingredients that can be certified organic are certified organic.
- Trillium Organics (O) - Organic skin and body care products.
- Tweezerman Personal Care Tools (G, R) - Nail and hair removal, personal grooming, and maitenance products with an environmental twist.
Misc.
- A Greater Gift (O, FT) - Fair Trade handcrafts, food, home decor, jewelry, & instruments with a strong focus on women and worker rights.
- Aquasana Water Filtration (G) - Help fight water privatization at a fraction of the cost of bottled water with in-home water filtration!
- Baltix Sustainable Furniture (O, G, R) - Office furniture and materials made using organic materials, recycled materials, all free of heavy metals, and emitting no VOCs. No explicit fair labor stance.
- Bio Shield Paint (G) - Environmentally sound water-based paints, wall paints, color washes, pigments, wood stains, floor finishes, healthy cleaners, and more made from natural and biodegradable materials.
- Botanical Brothers (G) - Sub-irrigation system which increases the efficiency of growing plants.
- Clean Air Gardening (O, G, R) - Gasless, organic, recycled and all around GREEN gardening and lawn care products.
- Cobrahead (FT, G) - Precision weeder and cultivator made in Wisconsin.
- Couch Guitar Straps (FT, V) - Ethical guitar straps. Rock on!
- Dolphin Blue Office Supplies (R, G) - Sustainable office supplies including recycled paper products, remanufactured toner cartridges, and refurbished printers with a portion of the profits going to charity. No explicit fair labor stance.
- Earth Animal (O) - Organic Pet food, ointment, treatments, and products.
- Earth Tones (G) - A non-profit environmental internet and phone company that gives 100% of profits to environmental groups. They offer high-quality wireless service, internet dial-up access, and long-distance telephone service.
- Eco Friendly Flooring (R, G) - Flooring made from recycled and sustainable materials - service and supplies.
- Ecos - Earth Friendly Products (G, V) - Cleaning products with out toxins, petrochemicals, bleach, ammonia, or animal ingredients and were not tested on animals. They condense plant-based forumlas which came from replenishable sources.
- Eco Windchimes (FT, R, G)
- gDiapers (G) - Diapers that are certainly green but with reading a rather weak stance on labor (which are apparently "fairly" made in China), I can only be sure that they're green. Socially responsible? I need more evidence.
- Global Crafts (O, FT, R, U) - Fair Trade recycled jewelry and gift items.
- Goods That Give (FT, G, U) - Gifts and goods which ensure that your purchase supports social change and socially responsible business practices.
- Green Home Environmental Products (O, G, B, U) - Products for the home which go through very tough and extensive approval process. Site includes abundant information on approval process.
- Lagniappe Gift Wrap (R, G) - Reusable fabric gift bags.
- Mercado Global (FT) - Fair Trade candles, jewelry, cups, beads, fabric, and clay from India.
- Neuton Cordless Electric Mower (G) - From what I can tell, this is the greenest modern way to mow the lawn. You can order a catalog and more information from the website.
- New Leaf Paper (G, R) - Environmentally responsible and economically sound paper. They have been certified by The Forest Stewardship Council.
- Natural High Lifestyle Clothing (G, U) - Clothing, accessories, and home decor made from natural hemp.
- Naturepedic (O, FT, B) - Organic baby matresses and bedding made in the U.S.
- Pet Guard Organics (O, G) - Pet food made from 95% organic ingredients.
- Pacifica (G, V) - Pillar, soy, and votive candles, natural soaps, and gift sets that are all biodegradable, hand-made, and animal product-free.
- Polestar Calendars (R) - Planner made of Recycled paper.
- Resource Revival (FT, R) - Gifts, clocks, accessories, and other assorted products made from recycled bicycle materials.
- Reusable Bags Store (O, R, G, U) - Reusable sandwitch bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, and more.
- Suite Sleep (O, FT) - Organic luxury matresses and linens.
- Ten Thousand Villages (FT) - One of the longest running Fair Trade efforts in history. They make home decor accessories, handmade jewelry, woven baskets and more!
- Worldwide Child (O, FT) - Fairly Traded, non-violent, all natural toys, instruments, dress-ups, craft kits, art supplies, books, wood toys, herbal remedies, gift sets, and more.
Banners and Buying Campaigns
*Here I have some banners that go to webpages of official buying campaigns or specific informational websites. If you want the code for any of these banners, just ask. Feel free to change the link or picture to any of the banners for your own personal use.*
Support Citgo!
Transfair Certification Logo
Fairtrade Foundation Logo
Fair Trade Federation
1% For The Planet
USDA Organic Certified
Make Trade Fair
Global Exchange Online Store
Contributors
Much of what you see above could not have been possible without the following, ever-growing list of groups and individuals:
Utne Magazine
Mother Jones Magazine
Sustainable Style
Gus
House
HippyKid
If you a.) would like to get the HTML code for anything above, b.) would like to contribute information or data to anything above or, c.) would like to correct any of the information above, just send me a message and I will be obliged to add you to my list of contributers. I give credit where credit is due.
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Who I'd like to meet:
Anyone and everyone who wants to be part of the solution.
We also encourage people who are outspoken and opinionated. We like the idea of the Fairganic Network becoming a bastion of democracy on My Space.
Are you outspoken? Are you opinionated? Make your voice heard on our Fairganic Democratic Network forum!
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