Ranger Bob’s Lookout Station » You can have a hot drink, and help people and the environment too.

You can have a hot drink, and help people and the environment too. September 6, 2006

Posted by Annette H in : What Can I do to Help? , trackback

You may not be able to have your cake and eat it too, but you can have a hot drink and help people and the environment too. While I was on vacation this summer, we visited a store in Indiana that carried products from around the world (more on that in another article later). On one shelf there was coffee, tea, and cocoa. Well, I just love a cup of hot tea or cocoa in the morning. That’s mostly because my throat is bothered by allergies. These products were produced by a company called Equal Exchange Fairly Traded. I had to check it out. The company claimed to purchase their ingredients from small farmers and democratic co-ops. I read their pamphlet that set on the counter and purchased the hot cocoa. The company was founded in 1986 with the goal of offering fair prices to farmers in low income countries. The companies goals’ are to offer these farmers fair prices for their products and teach them practices that are environmentally friendly. The result was getting farmers together in various communites to grow organic products. The farmers work together in co-ops to make decisions democratically so that all members will be benefited. The company offers the farmers a guaranteed minimum price to give them a stable source of income. The co-op’s have used their resources for a variety of community developments such as training for women, an ecotourism project, and classrooms. The company works with farmers in poor countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Their is a website where you can visit for more information or to purchase thier products: http://www.equalexchange.com . I thought this was a great idea because the products they grow would be in the tropics. In order to save the rainforest, we need to encourage people to grow sustainable products in those areas and not rely on products that encourage the destruction of the rainforest. Most rainforests are in low income areas, so we need to provide these people with ways to make a living by utilizing sustainable agriculture. By the way, the hot cocoa tasted good. It had delicious chocolate flavor that was not overwhelming or too sweet. However, if you like milk chocolate you may want to try it with milk instead of water.