What Can I
Do?
compiled by Laurel R. Mathewson
1) As
a citizen:
Join the trade justice movement
Go to the "get involved" or "take action" links on
the following Web sites:
Bring
trade justice issues to church
Share and discuss faith-based resources, incorporate
trade justice issues into worship services, and move your
congregation to action both inside and outside the church walls.
2)
As a consumer:
Practice buying conscientiously
Ethical shopping alone is not a "magic bullet." We
still need to think about our level of consumption, period.
The New Internationalist suggests asking these questions
before making a new purchase:
1) Do I really
need it? Or can I do without? If I really need it, then …
2) Can I
avoid buying a new one? Can I borrow, share, swap, grow,
make, or find it secondhand? If I really need to buy
a new one…
3) Can I
find one that doesn't damage people or the planet? Or can
I at least try to minimize my impact? After I've bought a
well-made product…
4) How can I
look after it to make sure it lasts as long as possible?
What maintenance should I do, and how can I mend it if it
breaks?
Buy from
retailers who support trade justice
There are many retailers worthy of support. Keep
your eyes open for them, support them, and spread the news! Here
are some places to start (but don't forget your local and
independent retailers).
Note: The
Ethical Consumer Research Association's Web site at
www.ethiscore.org provides user-friendly "ethical scores" for
more than 50,000 companies.
3) To
learn more:
Inform yourself and others about trade justice
issues
- Fair
Trade Resource Network
www.fairtraderesource.org
- The
Conscious Consumer: Promoting Economic Justice Through Fair
Trade, by Rose Benz Ericson, is a frequently updated
manual that gives an overview of the North American Fair
Trade movement. Available for $3 on the FTRN Web site.
Books
- A
Cafecito Story, by Julia Alvarez
- Fair
Trade for All: How Trade Can Promote Development, by
Joseph E. Stiglitz and Andrew Charlton
- The
Field Guide to the Global Economy, by Sarah Anderson,
John Cavanagh, and Thea Lee
- The New
Globalization: Reclaiming the Lost Ground of our Christian
Social Tradition, by Richard W. Gillett
Films
- Black
Gold follows coffee cooperative manager Tadesse Meskela
as he travels the world seeking a fair price to help him
save 74,000 struggling Ethiopian farmers from bankruptcy.
- Life and
Debt artistically and comprehensively depicts the
effects of World Bank and IMF debt, globalization, and
multinational corporations on the people of Jamaica.
- Global
Exchange's online "bookstore" also has great film choices.
Laurel R.
Mathewson is a Sojourners editorial intern. |
