Alternative Consumer Guide

Advent 2012

Charity Water www.charitywater.orgCharity water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. One in eight people in our world don’t have access to this most basic human need. Purchase notebooks, gelatins for your phone, iPod and laptap, hoodies and tees, hydration bottles, and more.

Novica www.novica.comNovica, in association with National Geographic, gives artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their talents and spur their creativity. Novica provides buyers with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values. Furniture, mirrors, original paintings (different genres), sculptures, glassware, and chess sets are only some of the products they sell.

Alter Eco Fair Trade www.altereco-usa.comAlter Eco is a team of fair trade visionaries and food-loving explorers on a mission to connect you to farmers and their honest foods. Buy cereal, rice, chocolate, and sugar online, or search store locater to find a partner-store near you.

Global Goods Partners www.globalgoodspartners.orgGlobal Goods Partners sells handmade, fair trade products in order to improve the economic status of women in marginalized communities around the world. They work with 40 artisan groups which collectively employ over 3,000 women in close to 20 countries, empowering them to build sustainable livelihoods.

World Vision www.worldvision.orgWorld Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide, tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Did you know you can buy a family a goat, chicken, and other animals to help the family with food and dairy to sell? Check out their Gift Catalog.

NOT FOR SALE www.notforsalecampaign.orgNot For Sale equips and mobilizes smart activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe. Tere are more than 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other point in human history? Shop for clothes, jewelry, journals and more at notforsalestore.org

Free2Work www.free2work.orgFree2Work is an app for iPhones and Androids that provides consumers with information on forced and child labor for the brands and products they love. Free2Work grades companies on a scale of “A” to “F” based on their efforts to prevent and address forced and child labor.

Local, Small BusinessesConsider supporting your favorite restaurant, mechanic, cleaning person or hairstylist by purchasing hours or gift cards for family & friends.

The Advent ConspiracyVisit www.adventconspiracy.org to join fellow believers seeking to reclaim the revolutionary love of Christmas.

‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ -Matthew 25:35-36

Hand Crafting Justice www.handcraftingjustice.cedris.orgHandCrafting Justice provides access to Fair Trade markets for unique, handmade goods created by enterprising women in the developing world working to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. By fostering self-reliance, ensuring fair wages, and building support networks, the organization offers far more than Fair Trade: HandCrafting Justice promotes human dignity by empowering women to overcome social and economic injustice.

Down to Earth Toys www.downtoearthtoys.comDown To Earth Toys offers top quality toys, made in the USA. They believe in protecting children with safe materials (organic, biodegradable, recycled materials) and fair trade labor practices while supporting America’s economy.

Bead for Life www.beadforlife.orgBeadforLife works to eradicate poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens. Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads and press shea nuts for cosmetics and soaps. The beads and shea butter become income, food, medicine, school fees, and hope.

Gifts that Give www.giftsthatgive.comGifts that Give allows you to purchase from over 100 upscale brands and 20% ($1 of every $5 spent) goes to the cause that you choose from a selection of over 1.2 million nonprofits.

Give Prints www.giveprints.comGive Prints was born out of a photographer's desire to help fellow photographers publicize their work while helping worthy organizations that are already reaching out to people all over the world. Give Prints is a for-profit company that works to give financially to various non profits (501c) by giving 50% of their proceeds to charities.

Greenheart www.greenheartshop.org“Fair to producers, good to the earth.” Greenheart is an eco-fair trade non-profit shop, carrying both fair trade and eco friendly products. Greenheart carries a variety of goods including kitchen goods, home decor, recycled accessories and handbags, gourmet treats, cookbooks, cruelty-free leather, jewelry, fair trade toys, and more.

Toms Shoes www.tomsshoes.comIn 2006, Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. TOMS Shoes was created; a company matching every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Now TOMS sells eyewear as part of this One for One™ company, giving prescription glasses or surgery to a person in need for every purchase.

Serrv www.serrv.orgSERRV is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. They market their crafts and foods, find joint solutions to their challenges, and help them grow and embrace the future.

Punjammies www.punjammies.com/PUNJAMMIES™ are made by women in India rescued from forced prostitution seeking to rebuild their lives. Proceeds from the sales of Punjammies provide fair-trade wages, savings accounts, and holistic recovery care.

Theo Chocolate www.theochocolate.comTheo chocolate is proud to be the only Organic, Fair Trade, Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory in the United States. Theo Chocolate employs creative excellence that results in deliciously award-winning chocolate with an unwavering commitment to changing the way the cocoa industry conducts business. They promise something for everyone from the adventurous “foodie” to those seeking the simple comfort of a delectably creamy milk chocolate bar. Enjoy!

Ten Thousand Villages www.tenthousandvillages.comTen Thousand Villages creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stores to markets through long-term fair trading relationships.

Equal Exchange www.equalexchange.coopEqual Exchange founders envisioned a food system that empowers farmers and consumers, supports small farmer co-ops, and uses sustainable farming methods. They provide high-quality organic coffees, teas, chocolates, bananas, olive oils, and almonds.