Fair Trade Friday - Link Round-Up

Happy Friday, everybody!  After yesterday's musings, I thought I'd follow up by sharing some companies that are spreading light and love in our world, or are otherwise good for this globe that we live on.  Ready?  Here goes!

Noonday Collection - Noonday Collection is awesome!  They began as a way for their founder, Jessica Honegger, to raise funds to adopt their son from Uganda, and the support and demand for her lovely products grew way beyond just one fundraiser!  After her son, Jack, came home in 2011, she continued growing this business with a partner offering ambassador opportunities.  Her vision was "The desire for women in the US to earn an income while creating pathways out of poverty for the vulnerable"  (from their about page).  And what accomplishment this company has become!  They offer beautiful accessories, as evidenced by their fall lookbook that was just released yesterday, while giving you the opportunity to support people in need in Ethiopia, Ecuador, and Uganda.  Plus, they offer the opportunity for you to host your own trunk shows, so you can tell all your friends about this amazing company while having the opportunity to either earn free merchandise, or donate a portion of your sales to financially help a family going through the adoption process.  I'd have hard time deciding what I'd like to bring home, with these items being my favorites:

Kampala Necklace

Rushing Waters Necklace

Peruvian Bangle

Johari Creations - I've been following Lindsy's blog, Light Breaks Forth, for a while now.  She writes about family, her adoption journey, and her Savior, and is always a great addition to my reading list.  She's also the co-founder of Johari Creations, an online store that offers handcrafted products made by artisans in developing countries around the world.   She recently wrote a great blog post, introducing their new Urban Bengali Collection of jewelry and also highlighting so many reasons why supporting fair trade commerce is so great.  In her words: "...the women who make it….These women have my a piece of my heart.  They have left prostitution and escaped trafficking to seek a new way of life. Through the dignified work of our Bangladeshi partner Basha, the women gain job skills and the opportunity to develop into leaders and entrepreneurs in a healthy, healing environment.  Do you remember when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh last year killing 1,133 people? Rana Plaza is only miles away from our artisans, yet the working conditions could not be more different.  With this juxtaposition so geographically close, I have to ask, which are we supporting? Which am I supporting? Because each of us has not only a choice but a powerful vote. As the richest women on the planet, our wallets  are megaphones for the type of working conditions we desire for our sisters around the world."  Plus, the jewelry is as beautiful as the women that make it.  Be sure to check out all of Johari Creation's other products as well!

Urban Bengali Earrings

Urban Bengali Bracelet

Urban Bengali Necklace

(Also, as I said, Lindsy is a prospective adoptive parent.  She is in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl, Glory, from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  However, the president of the DRC has halted all international adoptions, leaving Glory and 800 other children in 'stuck' adoptions.  They have families waiting for them, but can't come home, and could be at risk for sickness or death from preventable causes such as malaria and malnutrition while they're in limbo.  There is a White House petition available to ask our President to confer with President Kabila of the DRC and ask him to lift this ban on international adoptions. I'd like to ask you to consider adding your support and signature to the petition before August 23rd, as you feel led!  I'd love to see these children have a chance to be united with these families eagerly waiting for them.)

Online Maternity Consignment - Okay, so this is not actually a fair trade category.  However, a very large portion of our waste in this country is textile waste.  The average American discards about 65 pounds of textiles each year, which translates to 11 million TONS of waste (source).  That can't be good for the current or future living conditions on this globe we call home.  All that trash has to go somewhere!  If you've ever wondered why I love shopping thrift and consignment stores, this is it!  Not to mention you can find items for dramatically less than the retail price.  The higher the demand for resale clothing, and the more people that know about the opportunity to donate or consign their clothes, the less waste.  And since I've been in the market for maternity clothes, which I'll really only wear for a few months, finding items at a low cost has been a priority in my shopping habits lately.  Here's a few resources I've found while scanning the web:

ThredUP - I've talked about ThredUP before.  They offer resale children's and women's clothes in like-new condition for dramatically less than you'd pay in the store.  And while they do have a great selection of maternity clothes, that's not all they offer!  They have a whole section dedicated to high-end brands, as well as designer handbags and shoes.  Plus, if you're a first time customer, they offer a $10 shopping credit to get you started.  Just follow the link I provided to get that credit.  (Another great non-maternity site for brand-name resale is Twice, who also offers a $10 credit to first-time shoppers.  They're also offering 20% off through the 10th with the code BACK2SCHOOL!)

Swap.com - Swap is awesome!  They have a bunch of kid's items, such as clothes, equipment, movies, sports equipment, and toys, all for way less than retail.  Items start at about $3, and will always be a better deal than buying that same item new.  In fact, as I was browsing their site, it looked like a lot of the toys were actually brand new in the box, so you're really getting a chance to find new items for a steal!  Plus, they have a great selection of maternity clothes at very reasonable prices.  They even offer free shipping for your first order!

Motherhood Closet - I actually ran across this site while browsing through a 'Maternity Outfits' search on Pinterest.  A few lovely bloggers had posted about these beautiful maternity clothes they had found for a bargain, and I had to check out the site!  They offer brands on any end of the spectrum, whether Gap and Old Navy, or Japanese Weekend and True Religion.  They also have a few different shopping options right now, whether buying by piece, or with a Grab Bag sale that offers 5 maternity pieces starting at $50 for all of them.  Or, you even have the option to borrow clothes!  Since you really only wear maternity for a short time anyways, this is a great way to temporarily expand your wardrobe and save a bit of money in the process.  All in all, this site is a great resource for anyone expecting.  Even if you personally aren't, be sure to pass the word along to friends!

Are there any fair trade companies you'd like to see featured?  Or even categories, i.e. companies carrying kid's clothes, formal dresses, cute shoes, or even fair trade foods?  Let me know in the comments, and I'll feature a blog post with fair trade items per your requests!