but it doesn't say fairtrade in the bible

For you Catholics out there, this shouldn't be a very large road block. We love tradition, and not saying a word in the bible doesn't mean a thing (purgatory anybody?). So yes, the term Fairtrade, like Purgatory, is fairly new, so we're clear; Jesus didn't tell us to buy fairtrade.

But wait....I think he did t.ell us something else

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. ~ Matthew 25:40 

Thus says the LORD: Do what is right and just. Rescue the victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not wrong or oppress the resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. ~ Jeremiah 22:3

Open your mouth in behalf of the dumb, and for the rights of the destitute; Open your mouth, decree what is just, defend the needy and the poor! ~ Proverbs 31:8-9

I could list so many more. Jesus said to help the needy and to defend the rights of those who can't defend themselves. Jesus, who became man to show us the way to Heaven, says we must do these things. His words aren't a pick and choose kind of thing; they are law. Love your neighbor as yourself; do unto others as you you have them do unto you. These are beaten into us at an early age.

And we do, in many cases, follow this highest rule. We give to the homeless, give money to church, volunteer in the classroom, and hold a door open. But, then there are so many times we do not. When Jesus said neighbor, he did not only mean the person living in the house beside you. He meant everybody. He meant the child making shoes on the other side of the world and the mom to four sewing designer jeans for 12 hours a day as well as the person living next door to you.

By buying products that are made by the modern day slaves, we are doing the opposite of what Jesus has commanded us to do. We are taking their rights away.

Maybe just one person buying one product is not going to change the whole system but then again, the shepherd went back for the one lost sheep. Every purchase is only a drop in the ocean, but without every drop there would be no ocean.

click on this to get a visual explaining my last post! It gets bigger!

(http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1104/fair-trade/flat.html)

shopping

Packing for college made me realize exactly how much stuff I have.  In my short 19 years of life, I have managed to accumulate enough stuff to fill up probably over 20 bins.  Part of this is because I can't pass up a bargain.  I have always been a fan of bargains, the cheaper the better.  My rational behind shopping at cheaper stores was: 1. that I didn't want to spend money because I don't have that much and 2. because as a christian, I believe  being a good steward of my money is the right thing to do.

Around the time that I was packing for college, I learned just how many of the items I buy at "cheap stores" are made in sweatshops.  Modern day slave labor.  I realized what I was supporting by shopping at stores that are cheap; child labor, men and women working for nothing, unfair working conditions, and unethical treatment.  Basically, I was helping to strip these people of the dignity God gave them so I could get a bargain.

I've hear many people say that it's better to give these people jobs than to let them starve, but the Church teaches otherwise.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1753:

"The end does not justify the means"

Yes, giving these people jobs is a good outcome, but the means of doing this, are not ok.  The giving of jobs does not make stripping people of their dignity ok.

After having a good and hard think about this issue, I decided to try to shop less and much more smartly.    Shopping less is pretty self-explanatory.  Shopping more smartly is a little buit  harder, and I'm still trying to figure it out.  It definitely is not something that happens at the snap of a finger, it takes effort and time.

I bought a book called the Better World Shopping Guide. This book is a very handy, pocket sized book that ranks companies according to how ethical and environmentally friendly the company is.  Although  it does not deal only with the sweatshop issue, it does take this matter into consideration when rating the companies.  It is a very easy way to start "voting with your money" as other people say.  You can make a difference in your everyday grocery shopping jut by changing the brand of granola bars you buy.

I've also started researching fair trade companies.  I am so proud of the new sandals I bought from Sseko Designs.  These sandals are made by women in Uganda.  Here's what the website says about them:

The base of the sandals are hand made from genuine leather.  Every pair of sandals comes with a pair of straps.  The base of the sandals, regardless of the pattern or color of the strap you choose, are made the same.  Each sandal has five anchor points to loop the straps through that allow you to tie your sandals differently everyday!

And I really have tied them differently everyday!  They are also comfy (I've worn them to class everyday since I got them!)  Although they are a bit of an investment, once you buy the base, the straps are only $8-10.  You could also make your own using ribbon or material a friend of mine pointed out.  Just add up the cost of all the sandals you will buy in the future and I'm sure it will be more than buying one pair of Ssekos will cost.  Buying less and buying smartly...there you go!

Go check them out!  They would make great gifts!