Hello everyone, as a fellow craft/gift importer and retailer, we're scouting for creative ideas to get the word out about Fair Trade this Valentine's Day. Although many of us personally don't get involved deeply in such commercial holidays, are any of you taking advantage of this commercialized holiday to highlight products, stories, or do advocacy? Let us know!
Over the holidays I sent out Fair Trade holiday cards, and made sure to point out that they are Fair Trade.
Fair Trade chocolates and Valentine cards are a great way to spread the word about Fair Trade, support good businesses, and empower producers.
WorldGoods, if you have such products, please let us know!
Something to chew on:
"A Greater Gift" has a handmade heart-shaped Valentine gift box made in Nepal w/ Divine Chocolate bars inside!: http://www.agreatergift.org/Gifts/Valentines/ChocolateBaskets/95158.aspx
This is awesome: http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/ValentinesDay.html
It's a curriculum to teach kids about fair trade on Valentines day.
"1. Cover teaching standards using a subject kids love...chocolate! 2. Kids learn about how they can personally make a difference in the world, and can influence social justice issues affecting their peers overseas through the products they buy, often starting them on a lifetime of socially and environmentally conscious consumerism. 3. Teachers who teach the curriculum on the National Valentine's Day of Action will be entered into a prize drawing to win over $75 worth of Fair Trade chocolate and educational materials!"
What a great idea to start informing children at a young age about the importance of fair trade, and what better avenue to use than a known holiday that is so widely celebrated in elementary schools.
From Sierra Club's website:
h3. "5 Green Ideas We Love or Valentine's Day" 
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/romance/index.html
It's easy being green on Valentine's Day. Ecofriendly gifts
are generally more creative and distinctive than traditional ones--and
that little extra touch can be the most romantic gesture of all.
1. Wine and Dine 'Em...Organically
Treat your honey's tastebuds at a restaurant specializing in seasonal, regional cuisine. If you're too late to grab a coveted February 14 reservation, hit your local and gather the ingredients for an intimate home-cooked meal or romantic picnic.
2. Rethink the Roses
Celebrate the many facets of your love with a rainbow of organic, biodynamic, or VerifFlora-certified flowers from a farmers' market, CSA, or natural-foods store. If you can't find any locally, try Organic Bouquet, Diamond Organics, California Organic Flowers, or other online purveyors of pesticide-free petals. (Check out "The Hidden Life of Cut Flowers"
if you want to know what's wrong with the conventional variety.) Or
give your sweetie a lasting reminder of your sentiments: a beautiful
house plant. If your relationship's long-term future looks bright,
think about growing your own bouquet next year.
3. Say It With (Sustainable) Sweets
With all the delicious organic and fair-trade chocolates out there, why give anything else? (If you want to spread the love to friends and coworkers, Global Exchange's is a tasty way to get your message across.)
4. Look Behind the Shine
Vintage
jewelry is a great choice for romantic souls who don't romanticize the
environmental and human-rights problems associated with mining diamonds and gold. For a bold (and not necessarily bank-breaking) statement, consider a distinctive piece made from recycled metal, paper, or other repurposed materials.
5. Double Your Pleasure
Shared
experiences bring lovers closer together, and a rustic weekend getaway,
cooking or dancing classes, or tickets to a concert or play is a gift
for you too.
I, for one, am definitely going green this Valentines day. I will enjoy this special day with my special someone in a special place. Many times in my life, Valentines Day was a lonely occasion as I did not have a partner and it hurt quite badly. This year I want to make the best of this day in an eco friendly and conscious way. I will make only green, socially responsible decisions. When I go out with my beloved, I will present her with a card made of recycled paper. Then chocolates, Laurens suggestion, will be next on my To Do list.
Next will be my gift. Yes, I am thinking of presenting her with a special necklace made by an empowered producer in a third world country and sold through the Fair Trade system. I want to be a conscious socially responsible gift giver who cares about the environment and disadvantaged producers when I buy my gifts. Then I will wine and dine in an organic manner, once again as per Lauren?s suggestion. I will do it my way this Valentines day.
Check out this blog post, by Make Piece/Peace, Inc. :
http://community.worldofgood.com/blogs/mkpiece_blog/2008/02/06/valentines-day-sale
-Lauren