Women's Bean Project Featured on T.V.

Today there was a PBS MacNeil/Lehrer segment on the Women's Bean Project. We've been selling their beans for years, at least as long as I've been at Global Exchange (6+ years!), so I'm pretty familiar with their company. But I have to say, watching their story made me appreciative that Global Exchange sells their product, and inspired by what they do. They are the real deal, changing womens' lives through business enterprise. Don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself!

The founder Jossy Eyre got chocked up when talking about her original vision and how 20 years later, her vision is a reality, and a thriving one no less! I too got choked up, so here I am, sharing my thoughts with you. Needless to say, if you're still looking for holiday gifts connected to a truly terrific project, the Women's Bean Project products are where it's at!

By: Tex Dworkin

5 Really Last Minute Gift Ideas for Ethical Shoppers

You’re a socially conscious shopper, there are just a handful of days left till Christmas, and like many people, you’ve still got some names left on your shopping list. If your gift recipients live farther than a stone’s throw away, getting packages mailed out in time for the holidays is no longer an option, unless you want to pay exorbitant expedited shipping costs. So what’s a socially conscious procrastinator to do? I went on an online adventure to find out, and discovered some great last minute gift ideas that don’t require checking your values at the door.

Idea #1: Give the Gift of Choice. If you’re unsure what to give someone, instant Online Gift Certificates are a great last minute gift idea. To stay true to your values, target Online Stores offering Fair Trade products. Fair Trade is an economic model where producers work in healthy, safe conditions, are paid fairly, and employ environmentally sustainable practices. Make sure that the store you choose sends gift certificates automatically, so they arrive via email just moments after you order them. That way, when you order a gift certificate ON Christmas day, it will arrive ON Christmas day. For those who prefer to have something physical to give your gift recipients, many sites have a nice gift certificate graphic you can print out. In lieu of that, just paste the logo and gift certificate details onto an eco-friendly card. You’ll find plenty Online Stores offering Fair Trade products listed on the Fair Trade Federation website. Choose “Online Shopping” in their “Find Products” drop down menu. Also, Coop America's Green Pages lists some Online Fair Trade Stores. http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/, www.fairtradefederation.org

Idea #2: Invest IN Others FOR Others. For those who are not familiar, Kiva is all about loans that change lives. On their website, individuals can invest in a specific entrepreneur in the developing world, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. Kiva has figured out how to get everyday folks to invest in the hopes and dreams of others with less opportunities and resources at their disposal. You don’t have to be rich to be a Kiva investor, and while one US dollar may not seem like much to you and I, it sure does go a long way in some other parts of the world. For last minute shoppers, Kiva offers gift certificates so you can invest in someone’s name. www.kiva.org

Idea #3: Open up a Can of Worms. What do a crocodile, school supplies and a can of worms have in common? Well, they are just three of the many ‘symbolic’ gifts you can purchase from Oxfam America Unwrapped. Here’s how it works: You purchase an item from their website, the card goes to your gift recipient, and the gift goes to those who need it. In case you’re wondering, when you buy gifts here, an email is sent to your gift recipients automatically, making this a solid last minute gift solution. Their offerings include treated mosquito nets and school uniforms, bicycles and veterinarian field kits, and that’s a mere sampling of what they offer. Just remember, the items you select represent a contribution toward Oxfam America's many programs and not an actual physical item. www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com

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Radio Show: Holiday Gift-Giving that Will Save Your Money and Your Soul

Lots of radio time this year! Here's another radio show with Global Exchange's Tex Dworkin along with others speaking more about ethical shopping and all that jazz!

What: City Visions Radio presents “Holiday Gift-Giving that Will Save Your Money and Your Soul”
When: Listen to it anytime from the City Visions website! Originally aired Monday, December 15, 2008
Where: City Visions Radio, 91.7 FM, KALW or online at www.cityvisionsradio.com

Details: Just in time for the holiday season, the nation’s economic recession is official, and dismal Black Friday returns have spoken. Retail sales are the weakest they’ve been in 35 years as we close in on the end of the fourth quarter of 2008.

The holidays are a crucial time for all kinds of businesses, especially retail, whose financial health depends on end-of-the-year earnings. Large and small businesses in the Bay Area and beyond are being forced to scale back or shut down altogether as a result of tightening credit markets and massive debt.

At the same time, consumers are slowing down their spending and looking for ways to save. Yet despite the new emphasis on trimming our budgets, we have been groomed to be a nation of shoppers, and the impulse lingers even if the funds don’t. The holidays, however, weren’t originally about purchases, and many Bay Area shoppers want to give and receive in the spirit of the season by buying gifts with a socially conscious message.

If we don’t spend, do we hurt the economy? How can we give in a way that’s still socially conscious? Can holiday shoppers really help the economy and the world?
Joining host Joseph Pace to discuss the holiday economy alternative gift-giving are:
Tex Dworkin, director of marketing, Global Excahnge
Fiona Ramsey, public relations director, Kiva.org
Mike Duffy, dean, School of Business and Management at the University of San Francisco

Radio Show: Conscious Buying Thoughtful Giving

"Conscious Buying and Thoughtful Giving" is the topic for today's Joan Kenley Radio Show. Joan has a conversation with Priya Haji from World of Good and Tex Dworkin from Global Exchange.

Originally, giving a gift meant sharing something special that was reflective of your personal talents. Today, giving something special can mean selecting a gift as an expression of your personal commitments or philosophy. Over the past decade, there has been a surge in companies and products that are better for the environment and more advantageous for those who create the gifts. In this program you’ll hear about:

* environmentally responsible gifts and where to get them

* charitable giving to help those in need

* the causes of holiday angst

* websites you need to know about

* how customers can find fair trade products

* what it means to vote with your gift dollars all year

Listen Now or Download Now by going to the Joan Kenley Show website.

Shop and Meet Us at Eco Holiday SF this Sunday

It's a rare occasion when the GX Online Store gals step out into the public, but this weekend it's happening! Eco Holiday SF is a local shopping experience with 80+ booths and a 4 Story Atrium, happening one day only in San Francisco, to steer holiday shoppers to local stores and socially conscious products, and away from big box stores.

Global Exchange will have a booth located just through the main entrance and to your right a bit, selling some of our best sellers from the Online Store. So if you're shopping for holiday gifts please stop on by our booth. Even if you're not shopping for gifts, just pop by to say hi. Abby, Zarah and Tex will all be there, color coordinated and all!

When: Sunday, Dec 14 from 11:11am (make a wish!) to 8:08pm
Where: @ Galleria SF Design Center - 101 Henry Adams St (SOMA/Potrero)
Get Directions
Cost: $5/$3 Bicyclists/FREE Kids <12

CLEVER CARDS CONTEST-WIN CHOCOLATE LOVER'S GIFT BASKET!

Are you good at coming up with clever notes to put into your holiday cards? PNN, Personal News Network, has a holiday benefit card thing going on where they donate money to a couple of great charities when their members send out free cards, and they are rewarding winning writers with a Fair Trade Chocolate Gift Basket from the Global Exchange Online Store!

So, here’s the deal, put on your old clever writing cap and churn out some witty, humorous, heartfelt, or touching notes and send them out on a PNN holiday card (they’re free). Send them along to your friends and family, then enter your witty phrase in the PNN Clever Card Contest. Result? Chance to win the Chocolate Lover's Gift Basket. Visit PNN for contest details.

Berkeley Store Features Bolivian Accessories

This just in. Our Berkeley Store has a great collection of hats, scarves and gloves from Bolivia to keep your loved ones warm this winter. We rarely do blatant plugs for products on here, but hey, these items are too awesome not to share! We swear, they're hip and modern, practical and stylish. In our Berkeley store, you'll find a wide variety of styles for all ages. Ponchos for kids, fingerless gloves for college hipsters, cozy scarves for Mom. You get the idea.

They're from Andes Gifts which supports a collective of mostly middle age women. Because of the Fair Trade standard the women make at least 3 times the regional average in wages. They work at their own pace in cooperatives, in clean, spacious and safe environments. Most of the accessories are made from an alpaca blend. The alpacas are treated humanely by their shepherds for their wool is very important to their livelihood.

So yeah, stop by our Berkeley Store to check out the Andes Gifts collection, and the other unique gifts you'll find all under one roof.

Global Exchange Berkeley Store - 2840 College Avenue (at Russell)

Fair Trade Caroling 2008

What is Fair Trade Holiday Caroling? Walking door to door or performing in any public place...congregation, school play, holiday party, subway station, etc, etc.:

• Sing a few carols
• Read a brief Fair Trade Public Education Script to your audience
• Ask your audience to make a Fair Trade New Year's Resolution or pledge to buy Fair Trade holiday gifts...together, the thousands of Resolutions we collect in the US and around the world will make a big impact on expanding the market for Fair Trade farmers and artisans.

What songs will we sing? Both traditional carols and the clever, amusing, fabulous Fair Trade carols submitted to Global Exchange's Fair Trade Holiday Song Contest during the Summer of 2008. A Songbook is included in the Toolkit and there are additional songs you can print out from the website. Congratulations to the winners of the contest!

Interested in getting in on the fun? Visit Fair Trade Caroling for details about how to get involved, and to download your FREE Fair Trade Caroling Toolkit.

Have fun making a difference this holiday!

FAIR TRADE VS. BUY LOCAL DEBATE: An Ethical Shopper's Dilemma

Another gift giving season is upon us and it's time to decide on a shopping strategy. In one ear you're encouraged to shop locally, in the other ear you hear about the benefits of choosing Fair Trade gifts. So now it's time to decide…buy local or Fair Trade?

It's important to note that choosing Fair Trade products can actually help your local merchants survive in this sluggish economy. Prices for cheap imports made in sweatshop factories outside of the US are usually so low that local merchants have difficulty competing on price. So during a time when consumers are looking to cut costs wherever possible, cheap knock offs made in sweatshops often outsell locally made products, even though the quality is drastically lower.

Back to the question at hand...which strategy is best, and is one better than the other? To answer a question with a question, who says you have to choose? The Buy Local and Fair Trade movements both have their benefits and share similar values.
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