With the holidays approaching, we thought this would be a good time to promote some of the retailers, products, and organizations we think are doing a great job of reducing their impact on the environment and promoting fair labor standards. If you know of a business that isn’t on this list but should be, please let us know.

Fair Trade

10,000 Villages – Beautiful international items at good prices – and the producers earn fair wages too!

Organic and Environmentally Conscious

Bamboosa – Pesticide-free and a rapidly renewable resource, bamboo fibers also make for very soft fabric.  This site has men’s and women’s clothes, as well as baby gifts.

Gaiam Living – “Green” clothing and household items for yourself or for gifts.  They have a pretty large selection of organic cotton products.

Organic Bouquet – Send flowers without pesticides — safer for the producers and the recipient. Organic Bouquet will donate proceeds from certain bouquets to your choice of charity.

Projects to Fund in lieu of Gifts

Catalogue for Philanthropy – Find a worthy charity or purchase a gift certificate in someone’s name.  If you get a gift certificate, the recipient can decide which charity or charities will get the donation in his/her name.

Global Giving – Make a donation in the name of a person who has everything.

Native Energy – Fund the construction of a wind farm in someone’s name to offset the carbon dioxide s/he produces each year.  $15 offsets 1 ton of carbon dioxide.  $72 keeps 6 tons of carbon dioxide out of the air (the same impact on global warming as taking one car off the road).  There’s also a calculator so you can see how much CO2 you produce.

So Others Might Eat – This great organization helps the hungry and homeless in DC. Particularly close to my heart, you can buy a $75 Road to Recovery gift in someone’s name to provide 24 hours of care to a person overcoming addiction.

Resources

Co-Op America’s Responsible Shopper Guide – See what sort of impact your favorite stores are having on people and the environment.