How can you buy gifts without selling your soul? On the next Your Call we'll talk about how you can make your family and friends happy without supporting industries that make their workers miserable or the planet uninhabitable. This weekend is the 7th annual Green Festival from Global Exchange. How can you be generous this holiday season while also buying sustainable, local and sweatshop-free gifts? Can you make people happy without buying anything at all? What does your ethical shopping list look like? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.
Guests: Emily Main in New York
Senior Editor of National Geographic's The Green Guide and thegreenguide.com. She joined National Geographic's The Green Guide's editorial team in 2005.
Meaghan O'Neill in Newport Rhode Island
Editor-in-chief of TreeHugger and PlanetGreen.com. She and her team are putting the finishing touches on TreeHugger's annual holiday guide called, "Give Green to Save Green."
Tex Dworkin in San Francisco
Independent Fair Trade Consultant and Director of Marketing for Global Exchange
Click to Listen: Fair Trade Holiday Preview
What exactly does "green" mean these days? The term is being extended to everything!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking it extends beyond environmental concerns, to embrace well-made goods that benefit local communities and are created with a purpose, reflecting the heart and soul of the provider.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear folks on air talking about buying local artwork. Another great place to do this is at The Crucible's Holiday Gifty Art Sale this December 13-14th, where you can shop and see art in action in 56,000 sq. feet of studio space. 70 vendors offer handcrafted gifts at affordable prices AND then they give a portion back to The Crucible to support arts education classes for youth and adults.
ReplyDeleteAnother great idea is to buy a gift certificate for a Crucible event or class.
Check it out at www.thecrucible.org
Other gift ideas which contribute to the local economy, don't create a drag on the environment (much), and can build a connection with the recipient are:
ReplyDelete1. tickets to performing arts events (plays, concerts, dance perfomance)
2. visits to or memberships in local museums and other cultural institutions
The gift of an experience is unique and especially treasured.