The Irony of Valentine's Day is that so much of what we give as gifts are awash in pain and suffering. It does not have to be that way.
THE TOPICS:
In this diary I'll talk about possible gifts for your Valentines as well as alternatives, providing many options and further reading at your discretion. Among the topics included are:
♥ Flowers
♥ Non-Sweets
♥ Chocolate
♥ Coffee
♥ Doing Without
♥ Dinner & a Show
♥ Jewelry
♥ Wine
♥ How to find "Love" and support kossoks too
Part of how I ended up at dKos was finding out how Republican the grocery store Safeway was. I already despised Wal-Mart (and more with each new thing I discovered about them) but was still to discover just how neck-deep in Neo-Con they are.
Essentially, I didn't want another damn dollar of mine going to support Bushco keeping them in power. As Dr. Phil would say:
~~ If you're not part of the solution you are part of the problem ~~ |
Phil is not my fave person in the world. I'd bet he's a Bush Backer too. But, that little Philism is very true and it's appropriate he's celebrating his 1000th show the last couple days because we ended up with him after Oprah hired him to help her with the trial when Texas beef producers tried to sue her for saying she wasn't going to eat hamburger anymore for fear of Mad Cow1.
~~ STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES ~~
FLOWERS THAT PASS THE SMELL TEST
Last year Lashe published a lovely diary on buying cut flowers with tips from terminology to how, what and why to choose the flowers you do, to cards and extras.
Floral Thoughts and Tips for Valentine's
by Lashe
Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 12:16:39 PM EST
And, though it says "Valentine's" in the title the wisdom is good all year and most occasions.
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I'm going to touch more on what flowers to look for and why from an ethical standpoint.
When I was doing last year's version of this diary I discovered just how adulterated flowers are. Flowers used by most florists are among the heaviest users of synthetic and petro-based fertilizers and pesticides. As detailed by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) last year on their Unchain Your Heart page:
[O]rganizations such as the Pesticide Action Network point out that commercial flowers, produced in countries such as Colombia, are the most toxic and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth, The high profits of the transnational flower exporters are derived from poisoning the land and farmers, while forcing workers in the flower industry, often young women, to work 18 hour days for poverty wages during peak flower buying times such as Valentine’s Day.
OCA gives several possible alternatives this year:
♥ California Organic Flowers (100% Certified - Next Day Delivery Guarantee Nationwide)
♥ Diamond Organic Flowers (Prices listed include overnight delivery)
♥ Organic Bouquet (Be sure to request organic flowers, as most of their products are not organic)
♥ Florverde Certified Flowers come from a unique certification program that improve the lives and living standards of floral farm workers and their families. These are not organic, but are a big step in the right direction. Over 300 million Florverde certifed cut flowers will be sold this Valentines Day. Look for the certification
Meanwhile this is what The Green Guide had to say last year about flowers:
In 2003, Americans spent an estimated $50 per capita on flowers, garden plants and nursery crops, and "green industry" floricultural grower receipts were predicted to reach $14.4 billion. But some industry costs remained hidden. The floral industry uses the highest level of pesticides of all agricultural sectors. And since the majority of flowers we buy originate abroad, this can include U.S.-banned pesticides such as DDT, Harper's Magazine reported in 2001. These chemicals may even remain on bouquets long enough to rub off on skin or be inhaled by your beloved: When the Environmental Working Group tested a small sample of roses in 1997, they found residues of several pesticides at up to 50 times the amounts allowed in food.
At the growing source, pesticide runoff from flower farms pollutes waterways, and for the most part workers still earn poverty wages. The Pesticide Action Network, E. Magazine reports, found in 1999 that nearly two thirds of Colombia's flower workers reported maladies such as headaches, nausea, impaired vision, rashes and asthma associated with pesticide exposure.
Try buying organic cut flowers instead of conventionally grown varieties. If you can’t find organic flowers locally, or don’t want to have them shipped, try growing your own. Organic bulbs are increasingly available from garden retailers. Although flowers growing wildly along the road may look pretty, it's best not to pick them as this may put in danger the survival of some species.
This year The Green Guide has this (and more) to say:
Flowers
The sweet aroma of fresh cut flowers might be masking darker circumstances. Flower growers often endure poor working conditions, suffering from serious pesticide-related health problems such as impaired vision, asthma and even miscarriage, and many times, their children suffer too. In countries like Columbia and Ecuador, from where the U.S. imports 70 percent of its flowers, the children of female workers have suffered from prenatal pesticide exposures that led to low birth weights and smaller head circumferences (see "Rose, Art Thou Sick?").
As with any agricultural product, try buying locally grown flowers before heading to the store; see www.localharvest.org for growers in your area. Where local options don't exist, choose organically grown flowers, those certified by Scientific Certification System's (SCS) VeriFlora label or Transfair Fair-Trade certified bouquets.
Along with requiring organic farming practices, VeriFlora stresses ecosystem protection, energy and packaging minimization, and fair labor and community development practices. Small farmer organizations certified by Transfair's Fair Trade follow environvironmentally friendly practices and sell directly to international buyers, helping to sustain their local economies.
If conventional cut flowers are a last resort, be aware than chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide associated with long-term neurological damage, headaches, blurred vision and loss of consciousness, is commonly used on flowers. Therefore, always wash your hands after handling them.
The Green Guide also gives these possible options for blooms, some of which are probably too late for this year:
Organic/Fair Trade Options:
♥ Buy fresh, dried blooms at your local farmer's market or www.driedflowersdirect.com (starting at $4.00).
♥ Organic Tropical Bouquets are available in 8-stem, 16-stem and 24-stem varieties from Diamond Organics ($49 and up).
♥ Looking for a little variety? Manic Organics has a wide selection of organic bouquets. From sunflowers to pale pink roses, there is something for any taste. (Starting at $60).
♥ Fair-Trade flowers: 1-800-flowers.com sweetheart roses ($39.99/36 stems; 1800flowers.com)
♥ Veriflora-certified Flowers: Organic Bouque classic red roses ($49.95/dozen; www.organicbouquet.com, 877-899-2468); The Sun Valley Group (800-747-0396) and Nevado Ecuador.
♥ Grow your own, or force bulbs if not in season (see www.bulb.com). Organic tulip bulbs are available from Johnny's Selected Seeds ($6.25/10 bulbs). Or try organic Eco tulip bulbs from Tulip World ($15.95/20 Garden Party Variety bulbs).
For more information on the issues behind flowers all year long there are articles published in The New York Times, To Pull a Thorn From the Side of the Planet and Alternet, Unhealthy Flowers: Why Buying Organic Should Not End With Your Food
IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT'S SWEET
Given that sweets tend to circulate freely at this time of year, why not consider putting together a basket of special and premium fruits. People do really like fruit and these days we don't indulge for some reason. It is citrus season and some of the special varieties such as Cara Cara or Blood Oranges are delicious and because they are different tend to come from smaller, independent growers.
Also keep in mind that sweets and high calorie foods aren't good for all people and it is very thoughtful to have yummy alternatives for them. Sugar-Free it turns out isn't what it's cracked up to be and recently has been implicated in Metabolic Syndrome Disorder. Artificial sweeteners are also hugely political (that silly FDA).
And you don't need a Sweetie to share the day. Take some in to those who keep your car running, or your next door neighbor. Share the love. It pays dividends. Last time I took my car in it went with a few bars of the chocolate I'm detailing here just below, a box of organic cookies, and a box of organic mandarin oranges. I swear, my car was returned cleaner than it has been in a couple years. Not that my sharing had that motive.
But it is best to stay away from the bananas. The Rain Forest Relief site is asking us to avoid bananas currently because of the manipulative way the big three companies play the game. If you can't live without they are asking us to buy organic.
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I have to tell you too that I think Lara Bars are quite possibly the world's most perfect food. I think they are yummy (though they did have to grow on me) and they are kosher, vegan, raw, soy-free, gluten-free, corn-free, GE/GMO-free, HFCS-Free with no added sugar and much more, while being compact, easy to throw in a backpack, glovebox, pocket, or lunch. They withstand extremes of heat and cold, and they are packaged to be good for a year; all without preservatives. And they are into the Fair Trade and getting Organic. All while being very satisfying and providing a serving of fruit. Perfect for sending overseas in care packages for our troops, and for putting in emergency kits.
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Also, just cause it needs to be mentioned, there is a difference between just "sugar" and "organic evaporated cane juice" and it's not just pompous name games.
THE BIG ONE -- CHOCOLATE Mmmm...
Flavanoids in dark chocolate serve as a beneficial antioxidant. High in iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins A, B1, D and E, chocolate is almost a multivitamin. Dark chocolate has even been considered a Superfood.
From the Green Guide comes this expanation of what it is:
Chocolate is made from the fruit of the cacao tree. Native to the tropical regions of South and Central America, cacao was cultivated as early as 1000 BC in Mexico, where the Aztecs called it "the food of the gods." Now a booming global market worth more than $60 billion annually, cacao is grown primarily in the African nations of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon; in Indonesia, and in Brazil. Traditionally planted in the shade of the rainforest canopy, the short, shrubby trees produce colorful pods. The cocoa beans extracted from these pods are fermented, dried, then sold to wealthier nations in Europe and North America. There they are roasted and ground into a liquid called cocoa liquor - liquid due to the fatty cocoa butter in each bean. Solidified cocoa liquor is sold in supermarkets as unsweetened chocolate, and the dried cocoa powder sold to consumers is what remains when cocoa butter has been extracted from the liquor.
The importance here is to go for the most ethical you can get which will also happen to be about the tastiest and healthiest. Organic, Fair Trade, and Bird Friendly Naturally Shade Grown.
Yes, they do artificial shade as well as GE/GMO Full Sun varieties which are most likely to be SLAVE TRADE CHOCOLATE (excellent list of who-is-what at that link although some are missing).
The big operators which are Mars/Dove, Nestle, Hershey and several of the other smaller companies source from shady (if not natural) characters. Middlemen, that force the farmers to sell at ridiculously low prices while they sell to suppliers for much higher prices, or the chocolate is actually sourced from plantations where slave and child labor conditions are rampant.
The big three do know about all this slave and child labor and have for more than a decade. In fact, there was another press release just a few days ago -- in time for feel-good purchasing of their products this holiday -- that they would commit to slave-free ingredients but that's been their story for years now. Currently there's a couple US Senators riding their tails but it's slow going.
You can do much here though. Not only do you vote with your dollar but you can TAKE ACTION too and send a message to the big players that enough is enough. Who has to pay such a terrible price for our treats?
M&M/Mars Inc. is the third wealthiest private company in the United States. The three private owners of the company are each "worth" $10.4 billion, while the West African farmers actually growing the cocoa for M&Ms chocolate make a baseline income of only $108 annually. M&M/Mars Inc. continues to report record profits while flat out refusing to consider Fair Trade.
Consider that each billion is a thousand millions... and this family, along with the Waltons and 16 others, has invested huge amounts to have the Estate Tax abolished because it is not enough and they want to spend what money they do on those things that benefit them such as political astroturf groups that somehow qualify as charities, and not on the communities at large which is the purpose of taxes. When they don't pay, we pay more.
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Below are some chocolate alternatives to the Mars, Dove, and Godiva mass market that I have actually tried. There are more on the pages I've already provided from the OCA's Unchain Your Heart page and The Green Guide's Smart Shopper Card:
Green & Black's from the U.K. are wow, incredible with the espresso in particular being especially intense. One square a day is usually quite sufficient and they are Organic & Free-Trade (at least one of their products is) but they are part of Cadbury & Schweppes now which I haven't done much homework on myself.
Same with Dagoba which was another independent with incredible organic product and which is still operating independently but is part of the Hershey's empire now. Of the three big players Hershey's seems to be the most ethical but certainly do push them on their organic and Fair Trade lines. Absolutely LOVE their Xocolatl Hot Chocolate with hot chiles. Yum! Really good oddly for a sore throat and/or stuffy nose.
Chocolove xoxox was the first premium chocolate bar I ever tried and it was amazing. They are based out of Colorado and still owned and operated by the founder.
Then there is Endangered Species Chocolate which has "ethically traded" or organic and ethically traded bars in a number of flavors (the Bat Bar is my favorite).
Sunspire is a line I just discovered and intend to try over the next couple days. They not only seem to source Fair Trade and Organically (including an alternative to the evil M&Ms) but they have designated Vegan products as well and perhaps Kosher.
Theo Chocolates from Seattle is one I discovered last year and it's a lot of fun. Different flavors I've never seen before include Coconut Curry (which I love), Chai Tea, and Bread & Chocolate (which is actual buttered crisp bread crumbs in the bar -- very different). According to their website they are the first and only organic, Fair Trade Certified roaster of cacao in the United States:
... sourcing cacao from small farmers in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, and the Ivory Coast. Theo's small team is guided by a passion for chocolate, care for the environment, and dedication to enriching the lives of everyone involved, including cacao farmers and chocolate lovers.
Equal Exchange based in Massachusetts is a Fair Trade chocolate that helps establish co-ops for a variety of products including coffee, sugar, bananas and more. Doing important work. The espresso bean bar I had is Fair Trade, Organic and Kosher certified. Very creamy with yummy bits of coffee bean.
A few others, most of which I've tried and very much enjoyed, include Cocoa Camino, El Ray, Vivani, Grenada (way cool). Ithaca Fine Chocolates (Art Bars), Alma Chocolates, Rapunzel Organic Swiss and Moonstruck, which was loved by Oprah and part of her big yearly audience give-away show, now has an organic line.
There are many others which I don't know much or anything about but... I'm working on it. Some of the others you can find at the OCA page with links include Divine, Sojourn, La Siembra, Cloud Nine, Omanhene, Sweet Earth Chocolate, Terra Nostra and Shaman Chocolates.
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Valentine's Action Kit from Global Exchange
This is great for children or perhaps to distribute to co-workers to introduce them to good chocolates.
Fair Trade Valentine's Day Action Kit
Back by popular demand! The Fair Trade Valentine's Day Kit has everything you need to make Valentine's Day educational and tasty! Each kit includes:
♥ A heart-box of individual chocolates (your choice of milk or dark) 40+
♥ A bundle of 30 Valentines to send directly to World's Finest
♥ Chocolate with the detachable portion of each Valentine
♥ An Amore/Love Papel Picado banner
♥ An "I Love Fair Trade" Iron-On, compliments of Transfair USA
♥ All bundled together in a red, recycled Kraft handled bag
There's also an entire page with activities, action and education (for teachers too) regarding Fair Trade for the Holiday.
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Here's an article on the importance of Fair Trade, organic, and shade grown chocolate and coffee:
Until the 1970s, both coffee and cacao, the chocolate seed, were grown under the protective shade of the rain-forest canopy. Today, almost half of all coffee and an increasing share of cacao from Latin America are "full-sun" grown by clearing rain forests and using large doses of chemicals and fertilizers to force higher yields. But full-sun coffee plantations have 94 to 97 percent fewer bird species than shade plantations, and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) has found as much insect diversity in shaded cacao plantations as in lowland rain forest.
A 2000 survey by the Guatemalan Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct estimated that nearly half of workers on Guatemalan coffee plantations, 8.6 percent of whom are 18 years old or younger, were paid less than that country's minimum wage. Many live in unsanitary conditions without access to health care. And, according to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, nearly 300,000 children endure dangerous working conditions on West African cacao farms.
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Please see the Miscellaneous section below for more information, resources, and reading on chocolate.
COFFEE -- QUITE POSSIBLY BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE
To start the day, take a break, finish dinner with, enjoy with chocolate...
This is truly something to splurge on. It is worth it, for all involved. We can't really grow a lot of it in the States so we rely on other countries to supply us (same really with chocolate). It really is in our best interests that the land, the ecosystems, and the people who grow it are well taken care of. The Rain Forest is also a huge carbon sink for the world.
Plus, I'll share my secret for the best, least fuss coffee there is. Cold Brewing. The basics: grind up fresh beans, throw some cold water on the grinds and let it sit overnight. Strain it out the next day and put in the fridge or even put in ice trays to get yummy cubes that don't dilute your iced confections. It's super smooth, very rich -- almost chocolatey -- and heats well in the microwave without going bitter.
Since it is strong (you can dilute if you wish with either milk or water, though I take it full strength), I make it with a half decaf so I can have twice as much. It taste nearly as good at room temp as it does hot or iced. And it is handy.
Plus the grounds make great compost. :)
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The Smithsonian National Zoo has a Bird-Friendly certification program for coffee that can give you more information and has pictures of a nice healthy forest to give a better idea of the issue. They also have a link regarding shade grown cacao which is all about the chocolate but I've already been there.
From the New York Times, Fair Trade in Bloom (I think that headline should be about flowers but no, it's coffee...)
The Green Guide has a five page Buying Guide for coffee too.
And don't forget a special reusable travel mug. You can reuse the bags you get your beans in too if you buy bulk.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE... RETHINK!
For such a consumerist holiday it seems remiss to not mention the big giant (TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!) cess pools of plastic now churning in the Pacific. Here are some great though wrenching pictures courtesy of kossok koNko.
So, to get us started on RETHINKING a link to the New York Times article, The Year Without Toilet Paper about No Impact Man who ironically is coming out with both a book and a movie which we should all buy (and donate to our local libraries so more people can get the message). :)
So, with those thoughts in mind, what are some quick things we can do that will have a bit of heart? Well, REDUCE & REUSE.
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Present Your Gifts in Reusable Bags
Think about taking sturdy multi-use bags with you to the grocery store. Not only are you helping and not making it worse, you are being a good role model and showing others it is okay to do.
Did you know that we use an average of 500 plastic bags every year?
Most bags taken from the grocery store are created for exactly one use, and then they’re tossed in the trash to fill up land dumps. All that work for one use. Think of all the machines, labor, and materials involved just to give us the opportunity to throw a couple items in a bag and carry them in from the garage. Is it really necessary?
The above company (click on photo) has some stylish sacks / 5 bags for $35 which would be perfect for putting presents (including Valentines) in.
Not just plastic bags, but think reusable water bottles and coffee cups too as well as sturdy washable containers to put your lunch items in your reusable (and maybe thermal) lunch bag.
During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day. The most effective way to stop this trend is by preventing waste in the first place. To learn more about this, try visiting the EPA's website.
More thoughts and resources:
-- Americans use 380 billion plastic bags per year
-- Some cities spend 17 cents to dispose of each bag
-- In some parts of the ocean there is 6 pounds of plastic for every pound of fish
Less than 1% of the plastic bags distributed are ever recycled and when plastic bags get mixed up in other recycling they gum up the machinery and cause stoppages and other messes.
I'll likely be doing a diary soon devoted just to this topic once I can calm myself down enough from having done this one... =]
But for now consider that produce bags can be reused... or even be paper (some produce, such as pears, even ripen best in paper sacks -- which can also be reused). There are even several durable alternatives available which I'll expand upon when I can but it's exciting.
Ultimately I think that getting plastics and styrofoam dealt with on a grander scale is going to have to start at the local levels with your city, town, county and state councils (then work up to the national levels -- one of the BushCo tricks is to have national laws that supercede and render ineffectual the state and local laws). There have been some great ordinances passed in some cities. Oregon in particular used to be a leader, having the first bottle bill in the nation and their largest city, Portland has a styrofoam ban. And, if your local official won't cooperate then think of another "R" to add to the list which would be: REPLACE at election time.
Elections are not just federal. Something the Republicans knew very well over 40 years ago when they started wandering through our electoral process. You can not afford to skip the vote if your presidential candidate doesn't make it on the ticket.
BOOKS
Perhaps a book to put in your new gift (soon to be workhorse) bags:
A little bedtime material:
The World Without Us; Getting plastic out of our diet
Or, as you likely know by now, reducing our meat consumption is an excellent way to reduce our portion of the climate changing greenhouse emissions. We do *not* have to be a vegetarian or vegan to eat a meal without flesh. Our hearts ♥ will thank us too. :)
The essential guide to mastering the art of vegan cooking: It's easy to live vegan 24/7 with this collection: 250 recipes, menus, and color photos for dishes that taste even better than their non-vegan counterparts. Every recipe in Veganomicon has been kitchen-tested a minimum of seven times by the authors and their intensely engaged fans to ensure user-friendliness, quick preparation, and amazing results. In addition to featuring the authors' signature attitude and experimental, DIY philosophy, Veganomicon has been specifically tailored to what you want most in a cookbook. No other vegan cookbook offers such innovative recipes for all occasions, convenience, easy-to-find ingredients, and gluten-free and tofu-free options.
You can find those books via Booksense which can point you to a local independent bookstore near you or consider Powell's which is an independent and union store (plus you can purchase used books which is the ultimate in RECYCLING).
DINNER & A SHOW
Nothing tastes better than a meal made by another. Consider making an organic, local dinner for your loved one from ingredients that can be found at the sources in my footnotes, and then, take in a show:
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V-DAY
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls and this year is marking their tenth year.
Find an event in your area including presentations of the Vagina Monologues play (the proceeds usually benefit women's concerns)
You can also send an Valentine e-card from the main page.
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SEAFOOD
Our oceans are in dire straits well beyond the plasticizing being done by our litter. They are horribly overfished and it has gone industrial which is destroying the ability to survive in many countries where fishing used to be a good, if rough, livelyhood.
Empty Seas
Europe Takes Africa’s Fish, and Boatloads of Migrants Follow
By SHARON LAFRANIERE
Published: January 14, 2008
Empty Seas
Europe’s Appetite for Seafood Propels Illegal Trade
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: January 15, 2008
And where the biggest supply of our seafood comes from:
In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters
By DAVID BARBOZA
Published: December 15, 2007
So if you are thinking about including seafood as part of your celebrations then please consider the choices. There have been several great diaries by long-time Marine Life Series kossok Mark H on responsible sea eating. These include shark-finning, responsible shrimp buying and how to choose fish and other seafood.
Here are some links to seafood selector sites to help choose:
♥ Oceans Alive
♥ Monterey Bay
♥ Environmental Defense
♥ Blue Ocean
♥ Seafood Choices
♥ The Fish List
BLOODLESS JEWELRY
Did you know there is such a thing as recycling and reusing when it comes to bangles? Of course. Heirloom pieces have great character that seems to be missing from the mass produced price categories we get these days. Consider Conflict-Free Diamonds if you must buy new.
From The Green Guide:
Jewelry
As the recent blockbuster Blood Diamond so vividly illustrated, diamonds come with a cost that extends far beyond the jeweler's cash register. The trade of conflict diamonds, or diamonds used to buy small arms and fund wars, may have been reduced to less than one percent of the world's supply by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (see "Jewelry: Brightness Redeemed"), but they're still traded. And due to the high prices they command, even the smallest shipment of conflict diamonds can supply warlords with millions of dollars worth of guns and ammunition. Conflicts aside, in countries such as Sierra Leone, where the trade of conflict diamonds has been effectively stunted, abandoned mines have turned into vast craters filled with stagnant water, which serve as a primary breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes and are posing health threats to local residents.
Rather than purchase new jewels, opt for antiques or "estate" jewelry; check your local newspaper for estate sales. Otherwise, support ethical jewelers such as Brilliant Earth and Leber Jewelers, both of whom purchase diamonds from well-monitored mines in Canada, and Moonrise Jewelry, whose Eco Jewelry Collection utilizes fairly traded semi-precious gemstones from the U.S. and South America.
And here is The Green Guide's five page Buying Guide for jewelry.
Also worth considering is a local artisan jewelry smith in your area to get a custom piece with much more meaning while supporting your neighbor (and making new acquaintances).
MISCELLANEOUS
Looking for Love ♥? Well, you are in luck! Our kossok community has a handle on that as well with Hlinko who runs Act For Love to help you get in touch with like-minded (politically speaking) individuals.
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The Vino
I don't drink it. Don't like grapes really in any form so I'm having a hard time getting excited about it. However, I know that many people do adore it so I can point to a Buyiing Guide from The Green Guide. The OCA Valentine's page has some links to organic wines too.
One thing to look for in the Northwest is the Salmon Safe certification which:
...helps vineyards protect and restore salmon habitat by planting trees on streams, growing cover crops to control run-off, and apply natural methods to control weeds and pests.
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Further Reading (and a large part of my resources)
Organic Consumers Association's Unchain Your Heart has ideas or actual products on chocolate, organic wine, cards, soaps, clothing and more.
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The Green Guide has a "Smart Shopper's Card" Better Blooms, Bon-Bons, Fine Wines and Java from last year with a bunch of ideas from chocolate, organic wines to coffees. This appears to be this year's Guide to Greener Valentiines.
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A great post about Fair Trade Valentines by Katie Halper on the Take Part Blog Network.
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Lists of FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED products and retailers for chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar and much more.
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The Stop Chocolate Slavery site has a nice list of chocolates that are either Fair Trade, Organic, or even both or neither. Not all are on there but still a nice at a glance resource.
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A nice diary by Bendygirl on slave chocolate to explore the issue a bit more.
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The Independent in the UK weighs in with a buying guide as well.
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Even Business Week weighed in a couple days ago on the virtues of organic chocolate.
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And, apparently for all things chocolate David Lebovitz can't be beat. Lots of archives to get lost in there and reading them won't cost a single calorie.
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However, don't miss this multi-part read on a Chocolate scam from Texas by Noka uncovered by DallasFood.org. You do not have to pay outrageous prices to get good and ethical sweets.
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What to Avoid and What to Choose for RainForest Health has a bunch of great information on chocolates, bananas, coffee, wood, nuts and more though they seem to be a young site and adding as I type even.
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Greener Choices; a division of Consumer Reports has a section on Valentine's 2008 which explains the labels and what to look for and why it's so important. Very nice.
Here are some labels to look for when purchasing products:
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THE SKINNY ON NUTS from five page Buying Guide provided by The Green Guide.
Organic
As of 2001, there were only 19 states that produced organic tree nuts, so the odds of having access to local organic nuts are slim. Less than 1% of US farmland dedicated to producing tree nuts is certified organic. Small farmers may not have large enough production numbers to receive USDA certification. Larger farmers will carry the USDA certified organic seal or the seal from one of the USDA accredited certifying agents. However, to minimize your intake of pesticide residues and to induce nut farmers to turn to organic production, choose organic or wild nuts and ask your store to stock them.
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Last year at this time there were eBay auctions supporting YearlyKos (aka Netroots Nation but I'm either out of the loop or those haven't started yet so keep those in mind. I do know that donations are being sought to send deserving kossoks to the event.
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How to Give a Good Compliment -- It's free and can be priceless. Despite the price it doesn't have a lot of value without a little skill and lots of sincerity.
FOOTNOTES:
Footnote 1 -- Cows are currently only tested at a rate of one out of every hundred, and it is illegal for independent producers to check 100% of their herds as that would be "unfair" to big agribusiness. The USDA is proposing to reduce the numbers tested by 90% so that only one out of every 10,000 cows are tested.
The [Food &] Farm Bill is currently being reconciled between the Senate and House versions all the while under threat of veto by the Sitting Bush. It is not too late to read up on the issues and contact your Congress Critters regarding this omnibus bill which affects everything you eat and people all around the world.
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Here are the 18 families behind the repeal of the Estate Tax along with the companies they are associated with and for both Mars and Campbell's a listing of their product lines:
The dirty dozen and a half:
Allyn-Soderberg Family (Welch Allyn Inc.)
Blethen Family (Seattle Times Co)
Cox Family (Cox Enterprises, Inc. Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
DeVos and Van Andel Families (Alticor/Amway)
Dorrance Family (Campbell Soup Company)
Gallo (E&J Gallo Winery)
Harbert Family
Johnson Family (BET, RLJ Development Co.)
Koch Family (Koch Industries)
Mars Family (Mars Inc.)
Mayer Family (Captiva Resources)
Nordstrom Family (Nordstrom Inc.)
Sobrato Family (Sobrato Development)
Stephens Family (Stephens Inc)
Timken Family (The Timken Company)
Walton Family (Wal-Mart -- you knew there was a reason I knew)
Wegman Family (Wegmans Food Markets, Inc)
Mars, inc. products include M&M'S, Snickers, Skittles, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Kudos, Combos, Starburst, Twix and M-azing. Uncle Ben's rice products, which include Country Inn, Suzi Wan, and Kan Tong labels as well as the organic product line Seeds of Change foods and also seeds. There is also the pet food lines of Pedigree and Whiskas.
Mars is owner of Dove "premium" candies and ice creams as well.
Campbell's encompasses their condensed and Chunky soup lines as well as Franco-American, Pepperidge Farm, Swanson, Prego, and until recently the premium chocolate line of Godiva (which is still not Fair Trade or Organic).
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WHERE TO BUY:
Where can you get these wonderful treats? Well, ::sigh:: Whole Foods is likely to have several of them. Yes, they are a corporation and they are expensive. They are also among the better retail establishments to work for (unfortunately thanks to Wal-Mart because the same jobs elsewhere a decade ago paid much more and were also union) but are only local in the Austin area and the CEO John Mackey is a raging RW Libertarian. Trader Joe's is another national chain that might have some but just because a product is in their store does not mean it is conflict-free. TJ's has their own issues.
Best sourcing is perhaps locally owned and independent stores such as Seattle's PCC Markets, Vancouver BC's Choices, Portland's New Seasons, the Carolinas' Earth Fare and hopefully more (please let us know of any you know of in the comments).
You could try the co-ops in your area, or go to the web pages of the various items presented to see if they have a "Where to Buy" locator page.
Here are some great pages to find co-ops, locally grown and/or organic produce and meats, CSAs, farmers markets, restaurants and more to find your chocolate, flowers, dinner and much else in your area:
To find Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), farmers markets, co-ops, locally owned markets, pastured eggs and meats, cheeses, even seeds and materials to grow your own home gardening even in window boxes, hanging baskets, or pots, and much, much more usually by zip code or town/city check out these links (the last includes UK resources).
PickYourOwn.org
Food Routes
Community Gardens
Sustainable Table
Local Harvest
Eat Wild
Certified Humane
Organic Consumers Buying Guide
Green People
Co-ops
Oceans Alive
Eat Well Guide
Happy Cow Restaurant Locator
Canadian Organic Growers
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral -- Locating Local
There is also our kossok peer caldreaming, who sells more than chocolate under Kate's Caring Gifts (supported by a blog or two with more information on responsible buying habits). And Chocosphere (the organic and fair trade items are marked).
And Mother Earth News has Fair Trade and Organic Coffee, Tea and Chocolate (plus other cool stuff to support their works).
Please share with us any other good ideas you have and if you can without giving it away what you've already planned or what has happened in the past.
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Don't forget to send thanks to Senator Dodd!