Ethical Easter

"Hundreds of thousands of children labour in the West Coast of Africa to produce cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate. Specifically, over 40% of the global supply originates in the Ivory Coast, where the US Department of State reports that over 109,000 children work under the worst forms of child labour. Of these 10,000 are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. Children working in cocoa production labour long hours and are often required to use dangerous tools. They are frequently exposed to toxic pesticides in the fields that create health issues and are forced to walk long distances in extreme heat. Furthermore, because these children work long hours they are denied access to an education." -- From Free2Work.org 

It may have been a few years since working with Not For Sale in the seemingly always foggy and slightly chilly Half Moon Bay, but the knowledge I learned while memorizing statistics and information from presentations for the Not For Sale Tour will pop up in my head from time to time. These fleeting moments of information overload present themselves at the most inconvenient of times…often when I don’t have the power to change anything, even when I wish I could.

These moments occur most often at work.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with where I work, I work at an adorable boutique bakery whose delicious treats are absolutely incredible, and whose instagram feed, social media marketing, and overall aesthetic is unparalleled by any other bakery. Sticking to brand name products ensures we provide the best of the best to our customers, who come in knowing an Oreo does actually taste different from ‘cookies and cream’ knock-off cookies.

It’s actually very interesting when you think about it—an entire culture where we’ve been sold the ideal that brand names mean better quality and a better product. Where even the name of a product alluring to a brand more commonly known is what customers will buy. They don’t want something that’s just chocolate peanut butter—they want something chocolate peanut butter cup (which is a whole blog post all on it’s own!).

This brings me to where my heart aches at a busy time such as Easter.

As someone who is continually striving in my personal and outside-of-my-day-job-professional life to not give in to the societal claims of excellence from brand names and their façade of high end living, but am trying to live in an authentic way which showcases an alternative life of ethical purchasing and living, it can be hard to work where Mini Egg everything is a necessity.

So where does that leave me?

First off, it leaves me to admit that I do enjoy sneaking a mini egg (or five) when they are sitting in the kitchen. They are so darn delicious!

But more importantly, it leaves me exactly where it leaves you—looking for other ethical options for my upcoming Easter celebrations because there will always be situations in life we can’t control—which means we need to appreciate the extreme value in situations we can control, and not squander them when they reveal themselves.

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an Ethical Easter!

This Easter I want to encourage you to make a stand for the rights of human beings around the globe in going above the cute packaging, clever marketing, and adorable egg and bunny shapes that overtake your senses in stores. I want you to commit to purchasing ethically made chocolate and candy.

While a task like this does get easier every year, it is still a leap away from being as easy as it is to head into your local super retailer, and buy some cheap priced chocolate from the shelves while also purchasing your vegetables and cat food. As you swim through an ocean of rich, milky, indulgences in Superstore, Walmart, Shoppers Drugmart, etc. do you see a Fair Trade option? And I mean a real fair trade option—none  of this Cadbury-providing-Dairy Milk-as-their-ONLY-Fair-trade option? Do you see chocolate eggs in festive packaging made by a company that is dedicated to caring about those that work to get the cocoa from the field to the production line? Chances are, in your average retail store in Canada, these particular items are not lining the shelves in mass quantities.

It's going to take time, effort, and research to find chocolate and candy options that care about those individuals making the treat first, and profits second. You'll have to venture into stores you might not normally take a look in (Ten Thousand Villages, or even some health food stores), and you may even have to order goodies online. My hope is you will realize how often we contribute to the continuation and expansion of slavery around the world. One place I’ve found recently is Bulk Barn. Surprisingly enough, they provide a decent selection of fairtrade products. Another great option are the ‘healthy/organic’ aisles of Superstore. While you might not find fairtrade adorable eggs stocked in bulk like mini eggs, an ethical chocolate bar wrapped in DIY Easter packaging can be festive enough to have someone forget they aren’t getting chocolate in an egg shape.

While the general idea behind this post is to have an Ethical Easter, I think the real challenge is accepting, acknowledging and allowing this challenge to resonate in your day-to-day life. Our day-to-day lives are tainted with slavery. Valuable and worthy human lives are often exploited in making our worthless products.  The people making the items we treat as so disposable are being disposed of themselves by our blatant disregard for their existence. Documentaries like The Dark Side of Chocolate, and The True Cost, are showcasing the direct impact our consumerism has on the lives of those creating the products we purchase often without much thought (except to our bank accounts).

The window of knowledge has been slowly opening to shine bright light into the dark room of slavery, and those who peer through the window are actively trying to do something.

People are starting to notice.

People are starting to care.

A movement is happening.

Be someone who makes decisions to pursue ideals that would make your grandma proud—choose to be a smart consumer, choose to acknowledge the lives of people making your chocolate as valuable and worthy of the same basic rights as you are, be someone who doesn’t give into the craze of mini eggs and fight back with your purchasing power. And, most importantly, allow this mentality to radiate into your everyday life.

Will you have an Ethical Easter?

FAQ's:
Will Fair Trade or Ethical chocolate be more expensive?
Yes, it will be. With good reason-- caring about everyone in the supply chain! From those farming to those working in the factories, the people in the supply chain are treated fairly. It's worth it to spend a little more to know that people are being treated right!

So the chocolate is more expensive, which means I can't buy as much. What about the traditions of my friends/family/children/co-workers/neighbours/general human beings I am in contact with have? 
I understand that your family tradition is to hid a bazillion chocolate eggs all around the house and do a massive hunt on Easter Sunday. Traditions can be adjusted! Instead of hiding a bazillion eggs, hide clues that lead to a basket of treats! It's still a hunt and still awesome! Maybe you could splurge and hide a bazillion fair trade eggs!

How can I explain to my youth group/family/co-workers why they aren't receiving the generic chocolate they expect and love, without making it seem like I am being a jerk?
No one wants to make someone feel bad. Explain to them that you have been learning about what happens with the production of chocolate, and that you are using your purchasing power to make a difference. We've all been the person who had no idea this was happening. Take this opportunity to share with them the excitement you have about being a conscious consumer! Maybe you'll get them in on the movement! Even kids can find a connection. Does your kid love to go to school? Does your kid love to play sports, or dance, etc. Connecting the dots of "You get to do this, but not all kids get to. Some kids have to work all day long." can make a huge impact!

RESOURCES:

Here is some information I have found to be helpful in both learning about the topic and having information to share!

World Vision Ethical Chocolate Infographic 

Good Chocolate Guide

10 Fairtrade, Organic, and Vegan Sources for Ethical Chocolate 

My Favourite Easter Candy Doesn't Exist (one of my favourites since they broke down the only ethical alternatives to the delicious mini egg!)

Also, feel free to google "Ethical Easter Chocolate" and see what comes up! Countless articles of people expressing information on how slavery goes into our festivities is available for your viewing. 

iPhone? Ethics in Electronics

Generic mirror selfie with my new iPhone 5c

Almost as bad as jean shopping and swimsuit shopping, shopping for a new cell phone can be quite the daunting experience.

They’re expensive, they tend to always break (perhaps from dropping them one too many times without a fancy case), they don’t do water well (unless a really fancy case exists around it), and yet they are so necessary to the life I lead. Currently my phone provides me with the resources to check my class schedule and see where all my classes are, find out when the bus is coming so I can get to Toronto and back to Hamilton, I can read the Bible, snap fun photos, edit them, then post them to share with friends and family as a little peek into my life since a majority of them live at least 2,000 kilometers away.

While the pros definitely outweigh the cons of owning a cellular device—especially one of the ‘smart phone’ variety, the idea of buying a new one always comes with the added thought of ‘how can I purchase one of these things ethically?’

A while back I had found online the FairPhone. My heart leaped for joy when I discovered there was an ethically sourced phone actually available for the world to use! Unfortunately, the phone is currently only available in Europe and doesn’t ship to Canada. Even if it did, the capabilities are slightly less, as it wasn’t designed for use here.

Does this make me sad?

Of course! The opportunity to buy a phone created by using conflict-free minerals from the DRC that support families, factories that support safe conditions, a company who gives fair wages and worker representation, who finds smart ways to use, reuse and recycle phones… This is a company who lives out the ideals I so desperately want to be part of my every day life—that we need to make informed decisions about the products we purchase so we can part of bringing people up and not dragging them down.

Let’s be honest, I bought an iPhone. The 5c, to be exact. I got an epic deal (free, thanks Rogers) and it is compatible with my MacBook Pro, my husbands phone (yay for FaceTime, since we both travel somewhat often and not always together) and good ol’ iMessenger. In terms of usefulness, the iPhone wins in my books. So here I am, sitting at my laptop while my iPhone 5c sits beside me notifying me of a recent text message while I long for it to the FairPhone (with all the capabilities of my iPhone that make it so darn convenient). I can’t help but think of all the people in the massive lineups just last week who, without a second thought, purchased the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus. People don’t even flinch when it comes to dropping large sums of cash to purchase the latest phones and other tech products—especially those from the world’s beloved Apple.

But what if people did consider what they were supporting with their money before they spent it? According to the Canadian Apple store, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus range in price from $749 to $1079. As shockingly large these numbers are to me (the idea of paying even $129 for an iPhone 5s was too much for me to handle), I know there are enough people in the world who look at those prices and don’t even flinch or think about if that’s where their money should be going. But the question is, what if they did? What if they did take a moment, and before swiping their credit card they thought, ‘who actually makes this thing?’

I was the most pumped, as someone who knows there isn’t a lot of information out there on ethics on the electronics world, to find that my treasured Free2Work has recently released an Electronics Industry Trends 2014 report. What I love about these reports is, if you take the time to actually read through them, you are presented with so much information on slavery in the different parts of makeup of electronics from mining the minerals to putting together the final pieces in factories. Information like this had previously been unknown to most people and now, the information is readily available at the click of mouse.

Click the image to enlarge!

As a society whose basic functions are interwoven with the electronics we can’t imagine being parted from, it is important and vital to our ever-deepening relationship with them to be educated on how they are produced. The worlds cherished Apple has an overall score of B+ and does not provide a living wage to those who make their products. Society will pay $749 for a phone whose makers don’t even make a living wage. If that statement doesn’t make you question the phone sitting beside you or the phone you are reading this on, perhaps read it again and really think about what that looks like. Do you think the individuals working in the Foxconn Factory in China realize it would take over 3 months of their salary* to purchase the least expensive version of the latest released phone? While I’m not trying to bash Apple (honestly, their B+ grade is one of the better ones by an electronics company, comparatively), for myself, it’s hard to set these facts aside, especially when I was looking for a new phone to purchase.

I want to continually live a lifestyle where I practice what I preach. When people question me about what I own, I want to be able to stand up for my decision in the company I have chosen to support. Knowing options like the FairPhone exist is exciting based on my expectancy that if one company can do it and is doing it, others will follow suit. What we need now is for individuals like you and I to say to Apple 'we care and want an option, like the Fair Phone, to purchase with our hard earned dollars!' It’s not just Apple we need to approach, so many other companies are doing worse than Apple and to them we need to say the same thing. If one company is doing it, they all can. Perhaps I’ll find the $749 worth it for a phone that is ethically produced and save my money to purchase a phone I can use with confidence knowing the impact of the product is positive and not destructive to all those involved.

My challenge to you: Take just 5 minutes of your time and take a look at Free2Works Electronics Industry Trends report and see where the company of your mobile phone and computer sit.  Share this information with someone and start a conversation on how you can use your purchasing power to change the way companies produce their products.

* $238 monthly salary found here.

Challenge: Ethical Valentine's Day

The mystery surrounding who Saint Valentine really was is quite fitting to the often-mysterious image surrounding the idea of love. Most stories peg Saint Valentine as a man who either secretly married Christian couples at a time when Christians were being persecuted and were unable to do so, or, he secretly married couples so the husband wouldn’t have to go off to war. Most of these stories of individuals secretly pledging their undying love end with Saint Valentine landing himself in jail. The only bit of information that seems known is Saint Valentine died on the date we know as Valentine's Day, February 14^th.

The mystery surrounding Saint Valentine and the way we celebrate a holiday with little knowledge of it, bear shocking similarities to how we celebrate the holiday with chocolate, sweets, flowers and cheaply made themed goods. The mystery of how chocolate is harvested and made is a mystery to most of us; how flowers can be fresh and alive year round and available especially at grocery stores at such low prices is a riddle we often cannot answer; and that generic gold heart necklace is made by who? is quite the conundrum. Instead of finding out the truth we often just buy the items in the prettiest package to give to the person we deem valuable enough to bestow the over-the-top love themed goodies to on Valentines Day.

The tricky part about Valentines day is it’s not a holiday you find really necessary to celebrate (like preceding Christmas and approaching Easter), yet so many people are caught up in the adorableness of red and pink hearts, sparkles, and mini-everything including animals with cute sayings on cards that make you just want to go “awweeeheeee!”. People indulge in special menus at restaurants priced higher than normal, establishments who normally don’t cater specifically to couples are suddenly hosting events and every store is encouraging you to spoil that ‘special someone’ with whatever items they happen to be in the market to sell.

We can get caught in the middle of this awkward area not really knowing what to do and often end up grabbing something last minute because we suddenly feel the need to participate. When that happens we are ill prepared to make ethical choices and end up feeling bad for two reasons:

Reason #1:  Did we really just walk into our local grocery store or super centre and pick up a miniature stuffed bear/kitten/puppy/gorilla/sloth/fish that sings “My Heart Will Go On” with a heart shaped box of chocolates strapped to its chest with the sentiment ‘Be My Valentine’ on it?

Reason #2: We have no idea where anything actually came from—is that chocolate good to be eating, both for the waistline and the ethics of the person I bought it for? I just found out a few paragraphs ago that I can’t even trust flowers! Gold and diamonds are that expensive and there is still slavery?

We know the facts...

• There are between 27 and 30 million people in slavery today.
• 78% of victims involved in slavery are in Labor Slavery.*
• One in six children 5 to 14 years old — about 16 percent of all children in this age group — is involved in child labor in developing countries.*
• In the least developed countries, 30 percent of all children are engaged in child labor.*
• Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.*
• An estimated 1.2 million children — both boys and girls — are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.*
• The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 26 percent of children (49 million) are involved in work.
• A million diamond diggers in Africa earn less than a dollar a day.**
• 60% of all flowers sold in the U.S. come from Colombia, the second largest flower exporter in the world. The majority of Colombian flower workers receive around $8 a day, which is not enough to cover the cost of a family's most basic requirements.***
• 66% of these workers experience health problems associated with the chemicals involved in their work.***
• An ILO Survey conducted in 2000 estimates that 20% of Ecuador’s 60,000 flower workers are children. Many of those between the ages of 14 and 18 work in the industry instead of attending school.***

...And we also know that being prepared is the key to success!

And yes, even though Valentines Day is right around the corner *cough-afewdaysaway-cough* you can still take a smidge of time right now to be prepared!

Tip #1: Research.

When researching for these Ethical Challenge posts I find I often come across the same information. However, this year a new website popped up and I couldn’t help but be pleased to see it! World Vision’s No Child For Sale campaign has a site called GoodChocolateGuide.ca. On this site they list brands of chocolate that are fair trade or have other certifications that make it ethical. Finding this website is like striking gold. So often people have no idea what to buy or where to buy it. This website does both! Upon investigating the chocolate options they present, I’ve found a few that I am 100% sold on and am looking forward to tasting (or tasting again… like Giddy Yo-Yo).

I also found an awesome article titled 'Valentine's Day Gifts That Aren't Evil'. This short and sweet piece provides background information on the forms of slavery found in Diamonds, Flowers and Chocolate, and provides ethical alternatives! 

Tip #2: Wait… do you really want to buy your significant other chocolate?
Take a brief moment and decide if you want your significant other to receive chocolate from you as a gift? Chocolate may be the generic ‘go-to’ gift but if your lady or man of choice is say, trying to stay off sugar after the holiday season or is trying to get in shape before your upcoming getaway in the sunshine, perhaps sugar isn’t the best option…. Just sayin'...

Tip #3: Love Local
After you complete your research on companies you want to support, and have an idea of what your love may want, find a local place to get it. Also take a moment to research if any local companies are featuring enchanting options for your sweetheart! Shoot out some emails to Bakeries or Chocolatiers in your area—what kind of cocoa do they use and are they offering anything special? I work at a bakery that provides chocolate goodies that are hand-crafted with organic, fair-trade ingredients! To top off their awesomeness, they even partnered with two other local businesses to offer Valentines packages!

Tip #4: Send with Love!
You have an ethically sourced gift of perhaps chocolate and flowers and kisses and teddy bears and generic all-out, full-fledged love! Now be a dear and send it with love! Add a cute card, draw a heart on a piece of paper and write I love you, or add a bow you found in a non-frequented corner of your current place of residence left-over from Christmas.

As the debate to celebrate or not celebrate Valentine's day continues, remember, you shouldn't wait for an occasion to tell that special someone how much they mean to you. The kind words you share only during special moments should be spoken often. Love that has sparked in you a fire of passion, commitment, and daily gratitude of being with an individual who always attempts to understand you, continually enjoys spending time with you, and is blessed enough to share with you the joy of life's adventures deserves to be celebrated every day.

Image found on Pinterest.

* Information from Compassion 

** Information from Brilliant Earth

*** Information from Free2Work 

Human Trafficking Prevention

Image found on Pinterest

I’ve heard January be referred to as Human Trafficking Awareness month.

As the beginning of research generally starts, I opened up Google and typed in ‘Human Trafficking Awareness Month.’ Upon skimming through the top few headlines one link in particular caught my eye. Posted by the White House, it was a letter that President Obama wrote announcing January 2014 to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Every part of me was filled with excitement.

This is exactly what we need.

Awareness is one thing, and a good thing, but prevention is where we should be focused after awareness has been reached. Once you are aware, there needs to be another step involved-- something practical and tangible and that, my friends, is Prevention.

I know, I know. You might be thinking ‘How can I prevent slavery?’

You may not be actively involved in the sex trade, which is where most of the attention on human trafficking tends to go, so you don’t think you are involved and actively growing the 2^nd largest criminal industry in the world. Think about it, if human trafficking and modern-day slavery were only about sex, would it be the fastest growing criminal industry in the world? While some may answer yes, I would guess probably not.

Human Trafficking and Slavery exists in every area of our lives—from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to the electronics we use. What we use for entertainment and enjoyment, someone is paying the ultimate price with their life for its creation—and often we don’t think about it.

If you read my blog, you’re probably already aware. I’ve written numerous posts regarding human trafficking and modern day slavery; I documented my time in Thailand working in a Children’s Home with those who have been either exploited or at risk for exploitation, I’ve written about my life changing experience with Not For Sale, I’ve challenged you to end slavery in your life by participating in ethical holidays and being a conscious consumer. Awareness is all around us—from activists to slacktivists, organizations like IJM, Not For Sale, Love 146 and World Vision and even campaigns like MTV Exit and the A21 Campaign.

Time for prevention.

As I was reading Mr. Obama’s letter, I fell in love with this paragraph that is a call to both action and duty.

“As we work to dismantle trafficking networks and help survivors rebuild their lives, we must also address the underlying forces that push so many into bondage. We must develop economies that create legitimate jobs, build a global sense of justice that says no child should ever be exploited, and empower our daughters and sons with the same chances to pursue their dreams. This month, I call on every nation, every community, and every individual to fight human trafficking wherever it exists. Let us declare as one that slavery has no place in our world, and let us finally restore to all people the most basic rights of freedom, dignity, and justice.”

That is prevention—changing the way we have lived our lives up until this point. Ethical business practices, a sense of world community, knowing the basic rights of freedom, dignity and justice are the foundation for a world that can thrive.

Below are what I think of when I contemplate prevention and steps we can take, as every day individuals who understand the value of the human life, to no longer see any more innocent victims to something that is preventable.

1 – Make sure you know the facts

Awareness is the first step to prevention. Do you know what human trafficking is? When someone asks do you find yourself stumbling upon what the exact definition is? Spreading basic awareness is as simple as knowing the definition and having some examples of what it is.

Image taken from Not For Sale

2 – Educate yourself on your personal contribution to the continuation of modern-day slavery.

Take just one hour out of your day and search out information on the companies of the clothing you happen to be wearing. Free2Work is a great place to learn about companies. Think of what you are planning on eating for dinner—research what kind of slavery exists in the growing, harvesting and production of what you are planning to eat. Did you know people work in factories peeling shrimp? There are documented cases of exploitation (unfair wages and working conditions to name two of the issues) to those workers peeling shrimp. Are you using a laptop to do your research? Labor issues around Apple have been documented and are easy to find upon doing a google search. And check out Slavery Footprint to see a rough estimate of how many slaves are working for you.  This isn’t meant to make you feel bad—but to make you aware of your personal contribution.

Screen Shot from the Slavery Footprint Questionnaire

There are 30 slaves working for me-- my personal Slavery Footprint results!

3 – Research alternatives to your current lifestyle contributions.

Instead of shopping at Forever 21, shop at H&M. Buy second hand clothing where the money goes to a charity instead of the company who originally made the garment. Instead of buying chocolate from Hershey or Nestle, buy from Divine or AlterEco. Try to buy locally made products (even if they are a little more pricey). While it may be impossible to cut out slavery from your entire life, your purchasing power says a lot and changing a few basic parts of your shopping habits can make a difference in the long run. Check out Free2Work.org for company ratings to see how your favourite brands compare to others.

4 – Be the change.

Ethical leaders are needed for real change to happen. Planning on starting a business? Do it right from the start. Be a person who is committed, in whatever they set out to do, to do it in such a way that doesn’t allow the exploitation of some for the your own personal gain. Find out you’re surprisingly passionate about the cause? Start a blog, share your story of justice-seeking, speak to others. Combine your current passions with a goal to end slavery.

David Batstone, founder of Not For Sale, posted a quote on his Twitter feed that was retweeted by MTV Exit where I happened to stumble upon it. It goes like this:

I encourage you, not only during Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month but also throughout the year, to do just that-- change your view of slavery where your current life finds you and design creative ways to come against it. Be pro-love  and be the change that is needed to end modern-day slavery.

What are some creative ways you have found to raise awareness or prevent human trafficking?