Hey earth muffins! May 14th is World Fair Trade Day! If you aren’t familiar with this event, it is an annual global celebration held on the second Saturday of May. It is a time to support small farmers, producers, and artisans (and their families!) to create more sustainable and healthy communities around the world. Fair trade is amazing and impactful; here are my suggestions on how to celebrate World Fair Trade Day this year!
Shop from some fair trade stores!
While I don’t often shop for new items (I’m typically a new-to-me girl), I definitely support some fair trade shopping to celebrate this day! I bet you a ton of your local small businesses carry a plethora of items you can purchase – just look for a fair trade label. If you aren’t sure how to identify “fair trade”, ask a friendly staff person in the shop and hopefully they can help. 😊 There are also plenty of online retailers that only sell goods that are fair trade. WorldFinds has amazing accessories (see my Kantha jewelry haul from them) and Fair Trade Winds is another website that has an awesome selection of everything from home decor to felt flowers.
Learn about the benefits of supporting fair trade.
Like I mentioned in my recent Cinco De Mayo post, it is important to educate yourself about these special holidays. Make sure you do your research on the benefits of fair trade and why you should be advocating for it. I personally support it because it helps develop communities all over the world – and often empowers women as well. If you subscribe to sustainable living, I think fair trade goes hand in hand with the lifestyle. Make sure you take time to educate yourself (and others) on May 14th!
Make a donation!
As an accountant, I do a lot of tax returns each year… And I’m always surprised/disappointed by how little people donate to charities. It is important to support the causes that hold value to you, so I encourage you to think about making a donation on World Fair Trade Day. You can donate to smaller causes like Fair World Project or help the bigger players like Fair Trade Certified. I usually like to support the smaller groups but it is totally up to you; they both will make some sort of impact!
Create a goal for yourself to continue to support fair trade.
Celebrating fair trade doesn’t just have to be one day of the year! I challenge you all to create some sort of goal for yourself to choose fair trade products more often. Or, set a goal for yourself to donate more often – choose environmental and/or fair trade to support those awesome earth muffin causes. I’m a big fan of writing down goals in my journal as it makes me more accountable… But any type of goal (written, verbal, in your thoughts) is fine.
Final Thoughts on World Fair Trade Day
Overall, I think it is important to support fair trade on this annual celebration! There are so many benefits to choosing an item that is “fair trade” over one that is not… So even after this day, try to make an effort to buy fair trade goods more often! There are many awesome places to purchase fair trade goods too. Will you be celebrating World Fair Trade Day this year? Comment below your favorite websites to support fair trade business!
Love,
Jenna ♥
Oh, this is wonderful. I always learn so much from your blog posts. I will definitely be looking into ways to support fair trade <3