Give Yourself a Fair Chance! Keep Your New Year's Resolutions With a Fair Trade Purchase
It's one minute 'til midnight. Glass of champagne in hand, you're ready to toast to the new year.
Unfortunately you've got a problem. With just seconds before your New Year's resolutions are scheduled to begin, you're not ready. True, your will to make a life change is there, but the countdown is coming too soon!
Only 20 percent of New Year's resolutions are successful, according to Inc, and there can be a lot of reasons why. Maybe your goal is too big. Maybe you're trying to change too many things at once. Maybe you don't have the resources you need to keep your resolution.
Whatever the problem, we've got some practical ways to start small, and to make some common resolutions a reality-- the fair trade way.
Eat healthier
We know, easier said than done! So many of us are constantly on the go, and no one wants to trade in a juicy steak for a dry chicken breast. But who says you have to? Here are just a few ways you can eat healthier without sacrificing flavor.
Take that chicken breast, baked potato or broccoli up a notch with exotic, all-natural fair trade spices from South Africa. Our Smoked Hot Rocks add intense, smoky heat, while our Zanzibar Island Spice provides a good, all-around herbal seasoning for meats, veggies, and more. Choose from over a dozen of our popular spices and our best hot sauce flavors - each one creates employment for marginalized workers in South Africa.
Switch out your vegetable oil for organic olive oil. Mayo Clinic says small amounts of healthy fats (like those found in olive oil) help lower your risk of heart disease by lowering your bad cholesterol. And if that's not motivating enough, our award-winning organic olive oils create peace between Israeli and Palestinian women in Israel.
Don't want to give up dessert? Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and flavanols, and is believed to reduce the risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. (As if we needed more reasons to eat chocolate!) Check out our range of fair trade chocolate flavors. You'll be supporting a co-op of chocolate farmers in Ghana while delighting in a smooth, flavorful, good-for-you dessert.
Help the planet
We all want (and need) to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Here's a few ways global fair trade artisans can help us all live a little greener.
These colorful throws are made with recycled clothing that was separated, washed, dyed and spun into new use by artisans in India.
Who will know this is paper! Vietnamese artisans coil tiny strips of recycled paper into intricate shapes to create unique boxes and ornaments.
Talk about trash to treasure! This beautiful art for home or garden is made with scrap oil drums. Crafted by artisans in Haiti, each incredible piece is cut, carved and colorfully painted by hand.
Unplug
If you've married your smartphone and can't think of life apart, try a mini-break. Here a just a few ways to peel your eyes from the screen.
Instead of browsing the web for hours, consider creating your own book collection, and leafing through one or two of them the old-fashioned way.
Or entertain your brain with a handmade fair trade puzzle. Our Shesham Wood Puzzles are a popular workout for your brain, with three handcrafted games inspired by ancient Indian fables. Made by artisans in Delhi, you'll train your brain and advocate for literacy and fair wages.
Prefer mazes? Move all the small, metal marbles in our handmade Labyrinth puzzle, and you'll forget all about your phone.
Get organized
Clutter can be overwhelming, and the New Year is the perfect time to reorganize. Don't know where to start? Invest in a handmade fair trade woven basket - they're colorful, come in every shape and size, and instantly clean up any space in your home. Plus you'll be employing rural basket weavers from Bangladesh to Uganda. Check out our previous blog for ideas on how baskets can organize your home.
Spend more time with friends & family
So much competes for our attention today, and sometimes time with friends and family gets short-changed. Luckily, spending time with those we love can happen anywhere, including at the kitchen table.
Drawing a crowd is easy with a warm snack! Simply heat the terracotta insert inside our bread warmer basket in the oven, and you'll keep favorite foods warm, and friends and family close. Try a Taco Tuesday with warm chips or tortillas, or keep croissants or pancakes warm at brunch. Each handmade bread warmer basket provides employment and opportunity for rural women artisans in Bangladesh.
Why not plan a fair trade meal with friends or family once a month? Supporting a disadvantaged farmer or artisan somewhere in the world will inspire great conversation and flavor! Check out our fair trade tea, kitchen towels and tablecloth runners, wood bowls, ceramic coffee mugs, and foods with global flavor- from habanero hot drops to sweet and fruity jams.
Want to show us how you're keeping your resolutions the fair trade way? Send us an email at marketing@serrv.org to show us your successes, and have a chance to be featured on social media.
Supporting your New Year's resolutions through a fair trade purchase will help artisans worldwide, providing them with fair wages, employment, and the opportunity to build better lives. As always, thank you for your continued support of SERRV's global fair trade mission. Here's to a productive new year!
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