As a college student, I found out quickly that it's ok to have several passions.  Obviously, feminism is a passion of mine.  I'm in full support of gender equality and reproductive rights.  But last year another socio-economic movement struck a chord of passion in my heart: fair trade.

For those of you who don't know, Fair Trade is a movement to provide farmers, workers, and artisans with fair wages rather than minimum wages.  It is targeted more toward third-world countries, but can also be found in industrialized nations as well, such as the U.S. and Canada.  Fair Trade items can be as trivial as artwork and jewelry and as practical as food and clothing.  In Europe, the movement has taken hold in the economy for the past decade now, but in the U.S. it's just now starting to emerge.

But Fair Trade is more than just fair wages.  It's about building communities and improving living conditions.  Coffee farmers can organize co-ops and through Fair Trade can raise the village out of the slums and provide them with running water and electricity, something I think we all take for granted.  It's also about improving the environment.  Artisans in Africa will used recycled goods if there is a need.  I've seen purses made out of tires and baskets from telephone wires (pardon the rhyme).  There is even paper from Southeast Asia made out of elephant poo.  Amazing!

But why should feminists take interest?  Why should I make that specification?  It is because Fair Trade is left of center?  No.  To be honest, Fair Trade is quite moderate.  Perhaps its the whole "Save the World" stance that we tend to take on as activists. It's not that either.  Frankly is simply gender equality.  Yeah I know, pretty anti-climactic.  "Oh Ariel, you could've said that at the get-go." True.  Won't deny it.  But this simple fact of gender equality in the workforce may be something we're trying to work the kinks out (and there are a lot of sexist kinks), in some countries it's an entirely new concept. 

I don't  deny sexism in the workforce in the U.S..  I've been subject to it.  And I know that feminists take an active stance in women's issues across the globe.  Let this just be another way.  My sermon today is: be an ethical consumer.  Buy Fair Trade.  It could be something as simple as coffee or tea, or as elaborate as a embroidered silk scarf.  You don't always have to protest to make a difference.  Sometimes all it takes is a trip to your local grocery store.

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September 5, 2008 1:04 PM

[0+|0-]  closet librarian said:

There is a specific grassroots movement to try to buy foodstuffs from local growers and producers. For example: buy homemade bread from a local bakery. Get your veggies at the farmer's market. Find some artisan cheese or locally made salsa. There's a website devited to it:

http://www.locavores.com/

If you read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser, it states that 4 meatpacking companies control 80% of meat production in the United States, and post record profits every year, while keeping local farmers in poverty. So. . . this is also a subject near and dear to my heart. Thank you aas711 for posting it.

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