Fair Trade advocates are working hard to inspire as many folks as possible to participate in a Fair Trade event from May 6-20, so check out the Fair Trade Resource Network calendar to find an event in your area. Alongside more than 100,000 people across North America, we’re proud to take part.

Free Global Exchange eco-shopping totes

At the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores we’re excited to celebrate World Fair Trade Day two ways:

1) With every Fair Trade purchase of $20 or more May 19th & 20th we will give you a FREE Fair Trade eco-shopping tote.

These best selling totes are perfect for shopping your Fair Trade store or local farmers market.  Made from 100% cotton, hand-block printed, vegetable-dyed fabric scraps in India, the totes are colorful, functional and sustainable. Just mention this blog post at any of our stores in SF, Berkeley, D.C., or Arlington to receive your FREE gift! Offer available while supplies last.

2) For those in the Bay Area, join us at our San Francisco Fair Trade Store Tuesday May 15th from 5:30-6:30pm to hear Lata Kachhawan, founder of the artisan group SURE, the Society to Uplift Rural Economy, speak about her experience organizing artisans in northern India and the complications of Fair Trade today. Free Fair Trade coffee and chocolate will be served!

This event is part of a 10 day artisan tour sponsored by Handmade Expressions and Fair Trade Towns USA. Lata Ji’s visit to Global Exchange is just one stop during her trip on the way to the Fair Trade Federation Conference in Seattle, WA on May 22, 2012. (If you don’t live in the Bay Area but want to see her speak, check out the other cities she’ll be visiting here.)

Lata Kachhawan is a social activist with a passion for improving health, economy, education, drought relief and governance within her home region of Barmer, India.

The Fair Trade cooperative SURE, comprised of more than 600 women artisans, produces beautiful applique wall hangings, pillows and more available at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores. The income from the sales of these products has gone towards the installation of 100 solar lamps in remote Indian villages. SURE is a great organization that showcases the work of Fair Trade as a model of long-term economic development and Lata Ji is very in tune with the impact of trade and the challenges that exist in the process. So come out May 15th to hear first hand how Fair Trade impacts artisans and how we all can continue to improve the Fair Trade system.

We look forward to celebrating World Fair Trade Day with you!

Global Exchange Fair Trade stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, and the D.C. area will be having a special promotion on Saturday May 12 and Sunday May 13 to make your Mother’s Day shopping easy.  You get a FREE set of 6 cotton threaded bangles to match any selected scarf purchase of $20 or more. (Offer available while supplies last.)

To take advantage of our special Mother’s Day promotion–just mention “Mom’s Rule!”

Mayan weaver making San Antonio scarves

One example of the unique scarves available in our stores are the ones made in the village of San Antonio; located on the cliffs above Lake Antigua, Guatemala, where Mayan women weavers Marta Lopez, Nicolasa Sicay Sicajan and Florisanta Diaz Sicajan work with their community in the production of these colorful, 100% cotton scarves.

The women’s children run in and out of the open-air workshop, located in the center of their small town.  Wide windows open to grand views of the silver lake surrounded by volcanoes, where the indigenous Kakchiqueles people have practiced their traditional weaving for generations.

To make the scarves, first the women work together to spin and sort the cotton threads into careful color selections using a large handmade standing wheel.  With the help of the wooden wheel, the women can prepare thread for seventy scarves per rotation! Then they weave the prepared threads on majestic wooden foot looms (traditionally the work of men) into colorful scarves.

Each scarf takes about one hour to make once the thread reaches the loom. Since they are well-known in the area for their quality of weaving, the women are busy filling not only international orders but also local demand for specialty huipiles (the elaborate indigenous dress).

Cotton thread bangle bracelets from India--perfect for Mother's Day!

Also in celebration of Mother’s Day, Global Exchange brings you a beautiful selection of colorful thread bangle bracelets.  In the small village of Rajasthan, India, the craft of thread jewelry-making thrives.  One family, recognized for their thread craft, has carried on the tradition for more than 1,000 years. This extended family does the work of past generations, meticulously wrapping cotton and silk threads into necklaces, earrings, and bangles. Chai is poured as family members work in the comfort of each other’s homes. The women in the family make most of the business decisions, and the income from the family’s work supports a growing network of extended relatives and friends. The family takes great pride in their craft and being able to do what they have done best for centuries.

Global Exchange’s brightly colored cotton bangle bracelets keep alive this long family history of thread craftsmanship. In seasonal warm oranges, electric blues and a full spectrum of other colors, the soft cotton bangles are an easy, fun way to accessorize. Pair them with any of our wonderful scarves to take advantage of our special Mother’s Day promotion–just mention “Mom’s Rule!”

And have a Happy Mother’s Day!

Now, there’s upcycled plastic jewelry.

Upcycling is taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else, something high quality and useful.

Here are some examples now available at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco (map):

• The Salt Lake City-based group Ambre Industries creates high-design collections with low-impact materials from around the world. The jewelry is made up of between 40-100% recycled materials, resulting in a very “green”  yet modern product.
• Ambre Industries upcycled plastic line feature these hollow dew drop earrings, which are light, durable, and plastic! The intricate black designs are hand-knotted Raffia Palm leaf fibers, made by women between the ages of 18-24, from the remote village of Solukhumbu, Madagascar. This work of knitting lace-like configurations into jewelry pays for their college education. Sterling silver hooks complete the look of these elegant and contemporary earrings.
• This Eco-resin ring is 40% recycled material.  The royal stone Eco-resin gem is hand sanded and is the perfect modern hand accessory.
• Upcycling does not stop at plastic. These great new wristlets by Handmade Expressions are made out of 100% recycled fabric, plastic, and upcycled  cassette tapes! These bags are handcrafted by young adults with special needs from underprivileged communities  in metropolitan Delhi. The artisans are provided vocational training as a part of their overall development in order to inspire their creativity and help prepare them to become self sufficient in the future.

Upcycling is a great way to convert waste materials into usable products of high quality, keeping plastic and other materials that are non-biodegradable out of landfills, while also limiting new production pollution. Stop by the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco for these great new upcycled products and more!

Supporting Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative is supporting real farmers, and not simply a chocolate company. Divine is the only Fair Trade chocolate company that is 45% owned by farmers. While being certified Fair Trade ensures that farmers receive a better price for their cocoa, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits!

The partial liberalization of Ghana’s cocoa market in the early 1990s created a unique situation for cocoa farmers to organize in an industry where their voices were not being heard. Visionary farmer Nana Frimpong  Abrebrese organized a group of farmers to pool resources and set up a farmer’s co-op, which would trade its own cocoa, and thus manage the selling process more efficiently than the government cocoa agents. Kuapa Kokoo, which means “good cocoa growers,” was born.

In 1997, the reputable and fast-growing Kuapa Kokoo’s farmer collective had another idea. If they could manage a cocoa-farming cooperative, why not manage a chocolate company?

Divine Chocolate was born. Now a leading Fair Trade brand, Divine has given its farmers a secure source of Fair Trade income. Kuapa Kokoo invests in building schools, sinking wells and clean drinking water for villages, providing mobile medical clinics for farmers in remote growing regions, and fostering women’s income generation projects to help women earn additional income for their families when the cocoa season is over.

You can celebrate the women of Kuapa Kokoo this spring by purchasing Divine Chocolate at San Francisco’s Global Exchange Store! $1.00 off all 3.5 oz bars for the month of March.

For that special woman in your life…

Butterfly jewelry! Real butterfly wings are encased in sterling silver to make this eye-catching, unique jewelry. Made in Peru, the butterfly wings are collected from naturally deceased butterflies, which are raised in a species rehabilitation center.

Scarves! We have cotton scarves, organic cotton scarves, 100% silk scarves, cotton-silk blended scarves, alpaca wool scarves, scarves with hoods… the list goes on! Whether you’re shopping for someone 16 or 65, a scarf is a  gift that’s both practical and beautiful!

More Ideas:

Le Souk Dishware

Tablecloth/Napkin Sets

For that special man in your life…

Recycled Inner Tube Wallet! We all know someone with a wallet issue. Credit cards and cash constantly falling out, maybe a rubber band or two holding it all together. Making someone’s wallet woes a bit easier with a new (recycled) wallet! Made out of recycled truck inner tubes tires in El Salvador, this wallet is vegan and functional!

Hand Made Scissors! Hand made by a family India who has been making scissors for generations, these scissors are actually used by the Indian tailors who make some of Global Exchange’s Fair Trade tablecloths! The hand-forged carbonized steel blades and brass handles are durable, and each pair is even signed by its maker!

More Ideas:

Recycled Magazine Frames

For your teen daughter/son/niece/nephew…

Alpaca Winterwear! Fingerless gloves, beanies, scarves, berets! All 100% alpaca wool! And, when you buy 3 of any alpaca wool gift item, you’ll get one free gift!

Tagua Jewelry! Lightweight, affordable, colorful and eco-friendly, jewelry made out of Tagua Seeds are an excellent choice for any teenage girl.

For your co-worker…

Tea Infuser Mug with Rishi Tea! Made in Vietnam, these tea mugs have their own tea infuser for loose-leaf tea! You no longer need tea strainers or bags with this dishwasher and microwave-safe mug! Complete the gift with loose-leaf tea, also available at Global Exchange Stores.

Palestinian Olive Oil! Made from hand-picked, tree-ripened organic olives, this olive oil has a rich taste traditional to Palestinian olive oil, and comes in a variety of flavors. Choose between Rumi Tree or Nabali Tree Olive Oils if you’re looking for something more conventional, or try the garlic, pepper, or chili-infused olive oil!

For someone who has everything…

Recycled Bike Chain Coat Hooks! (Pictured at top) Hand crafted in Moradabad, India, these post-industrial bike chains have been recycled into creative coat hooks! Be sure to also check out the Recycled Bike Chain Picture Frames, available at San Francisco’s Global Exchange Store in Noe Valley (map).

Pumice Feet! Carved out of volcanic rock in Indonesia, these Pumice Feet are a perfect gift for everyone who loves pampering themselves! Lightweight and affordable, mix and match Pumice Feet with soaps, vetiver sachets or fleece-lined booties for a thoughtfully put-together gift!

Need more ideas?

Come into your local Global Exchange Fair Trade Store and we will help you find the perfect Fair Trade gift for everyone on your holiday gift list!