Our Fair Trade Stores are throwing holiday parties on Dec. 15th (all are invited!) in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. The evening will bring seasonal spirits and refreshments while guests shop for Fair Trade gifts from around the world.

(Hey, pssst! Mention the secret password listed on the Facebook invite to get 20% off everything in the store during the party!)

Corinne at the GX SF fair trade store snuggling with one her faves; handstitched floral pillows from India.

Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Staff Picks
To help our socially responsible guests shop the party, I asked the San Francisco store staff to share some of their gift suggestions. Here’s what Anna, Corinne, Jocelyn and the rest of the SF Store folks came up with:


DAD: A new wallet for his back pocket, handmade to last from recycled big rig tires in El Salvador. Slip in a picture of yourself for that personal touch.
MOM: Wrap her up in a 100% cotton handloom scarf from Guatemala or colorful cruelty free silk scarf handmade in India….all artisan-made by women for women.

 

 

BROTHER: O brother where art though messenger bag? Right here, our recycled tire messenger bags from El Salvador and alpaca knit hat & gloves handmade in Bolivia are perfect for city street cruising or outdoor adventuring!

 

SISTER: Alpaca knit fingerless gloves are practical and high fashion. Match them with some cotton threaded bangle bracelets in your sister’s favorite colors.

 

 

BABY/KIDS: Alpaca knit ponchos and glittens (not a misspelling, glittens is just a fancy way to describe those hip glove/mitten combos.) They come in a wide range of sizes (including baby sizes!) to keep younguns toasty warm and ready for winter.

 

 

HOST/HOSTESS: Fair Trade Organic Olive Oil from Palestine. Tasty & practical, this gift will delight any party thrower this season. Paired with a set of Olivewood salad servers hand carved in Kenya, even better!

 

 

CO-WORKER: Fair Trade coffee & tea paired with a beautiful mug hand painted in Tunisia is a practical gift for the home or office. Tie it up with an ornament made from recycled magazine paper for that extra special touch.

 

 

BOSS: Let’s build her or him a gift basket! Lavender eye pillows handmade by a women’s cooperative in San Francisco, a beeswax candle hand dipped in Washington State, soap and soothing vetiver root sachets from Bali make a wonderful combination.

 

 

BOYFRIEND/HUSBAND/PARTNER: Picture frames handmade from tightly wound recycled magazine paper in Vietnam make for a thoughtful and unique gift.  Our frames made from sustainably harvested wood in India are also a good bet. Include a personal photo and you’ve got a smile inducing gift on your hands.

 

GIRLFRIEND/WIFE/PARTNER: Jewelry! Jewelry! Jewelry! Earrings made from found butterfly wings in Peru, traditional gemstones from Bali, and innovation in upcycled plastics turned into fine modern jewelry designs meet any woman’s style needs!

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Let’s Party!!!

Anna modeling one of her staff picks, an alpaca wrap handmade in the highlands of Bolivia

Hope to see you at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Holiday Party on December 15th in Berkeley, DC or San Francisco. Remember to check out the Facebook invite to RSVP and find out the secret password so you can get your 20% OFF!

Believe it or not, but the holiday season is finally upon us. A few years ago, Global Exchange developed the Fair Trade Holiday Gift Pledge in order to increase awareness of Fair Trade and garner commitments from consumers to buy Fair Trade during the holidays and the coming year.

Well, this year we’ve taken it a few steps further and have partnered with some incredible Fair Trade advocates nationwide to make it easier to shop Fair Trade while helping you save money along the way by offering exclusive Fair Trade discounts.

Announcing the Give Fair Trade Campaign!

Step one. Take the Fair Trade Holiday Gift Pledge and make your commitment to increase awareness about Fair Trade to your community and shop Fair Trade this holiday season.

Step two. Register your pledge, so we can keep track of how many people are taking the challenge.

Step three. Head over to the Give Fair Trade campaign blog and find out about the daily featured Fair Trade gift and special offers, as well as moving stories behind the item’s producers. These features will run from November 15th to December 20th and are available exclusively to Fair Traders like yourself.

And why should you take the Give Fair Trade pledge? Well…

  • Each gift empowers farmers and artisans with dignified work, and adequate incomes to access nutrition, health care, education, etc for their families
  • If all of us Give Fair Trade this year, our collective purchasing power will have an enormous impact on lifting families out of poverty
  • Great Fair Trade gifts are available for everyone on your list, both kids and adults (even coworker/corporate gifts, like bags of Fair Trade coffee)
  • Giving Fair Trade gifts is an easy way to shift some of your purchasing to Fair Trade.
  • You will educate the person receiving the gift about Fair Trade.
  • Make holiday shopping a breeze…walk into a Fair Trade shop (or online store) with your holiday shopping list and walk out with your holiday shopping complete (and maybe wrapped)!

Take the pledge and get involved with the Give Fair Trade campaign this year! For an easy way to get those daily deal doses, follow @GiveFairTrade on twitter. Also, spread the word of the campaign to your friends, colleagues and community by passing out flyers.

A special thanks to the Give Fair Trade campaign organizers, Equal Exchange, Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade LA, Fair Trade Resource Network, Fair Trade Towns, Fair Trade USA, Global Exchange, Green America, NY State Labor-Religion Coalition, Oasis, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church-General Board on Church and Society, United Methodist Committee on Relief and additional partners, DC Fair Trade Network & Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition.