Nightly Indulgence

So, as you probably know, I've been on a healthy kick since the start of the year - all in anticipation of the BIG.WHITE.DRESS.

But one thing I have not - and will not - give up is my nightly dark chocolate fix. Won't do it. I've decided that chocolate affects my quality of life too much to go without it. So, Matt and I share a bar of Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate (sometimes with hazelnuts - yum) after dinner and that's our cheat. Absolutely no guilt about that.

Except ... I know well and keep getting reminded that chocolate is one of the worst products when it comes to child labor, slavery and unsafe working conditions.

Today I stumbled across better world shopper, a website that advocates changing shopping habits in order to honor concerns about fair trade, child labor, environmental preservation, etc. See how it lists chocolate as one of the top 10 things to change in order to make a contribution to these causes?

here

Yep, so as much chocolate as we eat, I think we need to look into some alternatives. Below, the site provides a list of chocolate makers with grades based on their labor practices, sustainability, and social responsibility.

here

My beloved Ghirardelli scores a disappointing C+, which is a grade I'd never accept for myself so why should I let my chocolate perform so poorly?

Goal for this weekend: hit up the local fair trade shops to sample some chocolate. Then, hopefully, I can find a bulk supply online to cut costs a bit. But I don't think my pleasure should come at such a high cost to others, even if it is my one indulgence.

Fashion Moment

I don't post that often about high fashion, because - let's be honest here- the Gap sale rack is about as far as I go in the fashion world. But this was just too too beautiful not to share. 

As I may have mentioned a thousand times or so, I love India and one of the things I love most is the beautiful art the country produces. Textile-making is one of the oldest and most world-renowned of the Indian arts and designers and stylists in India are constantly searching for ways to utilize this traditional artistry in modern fashion. This video, produced by Vogue India, shows that when top design houses collaborate with Indian textile artists, the results are AMAZING.

While there are a lot of issues with this type of promotion - the incredible contrast between high-fashion and the lifestyles of the villagers in the video, the gross income disparity between the textile producers and the high-fashion designers, etc. etc. - I think the goal is a good one. Utilizing traditional art forms in contemporary fashion is one powerful way to preserve these traditions AND give opportunities to the artisans who make these products. It's exactly the same goal as fair trade workshops and cooperatives - using traditional skills to make new products that will attract consumers and keep artisans employed. So while there may be some serious issues inherent in the production of this video and these clothes, I think the effort of integrating high fashion and traditional crafts is a great step forward. Let's just hope it's not a passing trend.

And back to the fluffy: I would wear just about any garment in this video. Those shoes? I die. And I think I spotted my dream wedding dress, too -in case anyone can track it down on sale for me!  I'm also loving that they used Indian models - too often, I saw white girls all over the pages of Indian fashion mags.  So, overall, bravo Vogue India! Keep it coming.

Thanks to The Jade Bangle for the link!

Can we trade fair?



Love those colors! From here.

Brand loyalty is a dangerous thing. Take Apple, for example. I've loved Apple ever since they came

out with those candy-colored desktops ages ago. Who would have known then that innovations like the iPod and iPhone would entrench Apple even further into our daily existence. But on top of its amazingly intuitive products, it has always felt like Apple is selling something more - a lifestyle - that so many people identify with. Maybe it's their great taste in music or their great design asthetic, but Apple is seen as smart, modern, cool and visionary -- pretty much what everyone aspires to be.

The dangerous part? When you find out the company you identify with has some shady skeletons in the closet. The Times was the first to blow Apple's cover (I preferred the watered down Daily Beast version, here) on their exploitative labor practices in China where factory workers live crammed in company dormitories, work 12-14 hour days on their feet and are kept from talking or taking bathroom breaks. Their hands grow useless after repeating the same tiny motions day, after countless day. No heathcare to help that problem, of course. And to top it all of, many of the workers are 12-14 years old.

Young Chinese workers, from here.

According to reports, the speed, efficiency and sheer manpower of the Chinese workforce is one of the major factors for Apple's meteoric profit margins. So, in order to make an extra $10 billion dollars, and save U.S. consumers around $65 dollars per iPhone, one of our favorite companies, the brainchild of our beloved Steve Jobs, makes product in cramped factories staffed by children who may never get the chance to actually use an Apple product.

Now, to be fair, Apple is far from the only company following these practices. And likely they are far from the worst. I think the shock is that we like this company, and expect more from them. But how can we, really? As Americans, we treat bargain hunting like a sport - myself included - and our collective bargaining power as consumers drives companies to pound down production costs in any way possible, or risk complete failure. Would we ever stand for an American 8th grader working in conditions like these? No, never. But a Chinese kid a word a way? Apparently so.

What's the solution? Fair trade shopping is a good option. When I was in India, I saw first hand how responsible business practices could transform the lives of workers -- mainly women who otherwise had no means to earn income, save for prostitution or back-breaking manual labor. The Village Experience, a fair trade business in Indianapolis where I worked for two years, offers  products that are certified fair trade and made by workers who recieve fair compensation for their labor. Nowadays, you can buy many products fair trade - clothes, jewelry, paper products, home goods, coffee, tea, olive oil, etc. Fairtradeusa.org is a good resource to get started.

Mata Traders has really cute items, all Fair Trade.

 But while many of the products are available at reasonable prices, it is also understood that consumers pay a higher price to ensure these products are certified fair trade. And the fact that you can get a similar item (earrings or a scarf, say) at Walmart for a third of the price makes the whole idea hard to implement on a large scale. People just don't want to stomach paying more than they have to for something -- and in times like these, many Americans can't afford to. I fall into the same category -- as much as I support fair trade in theory, it's hard to take the additional effort, and spend the extra money, to make it part of my daily life.

I think it's really a political decision - putting pressure on countries like China to reform their laws for worker's rights. And we all know how long that could take. But the good thing about brand loyaly is that it gives you some modicum of power - we can collectively influence the companies that rely upon that loyalty to enact change. So, if you're up for it, here's the email for concerns at Apple: supplierresponsibility@apple.com.

And, thank goodness, Goodwill is always there as a shopping option - green, guilt-free bargain hunting!