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Women Empowered

Women Empowered

VavaVida works with Project Concern International Project Concern International, or PCI for short, is an amazing San Diego based non-profit organization… and we’re lucky to work with them. We chose to work with PCI because we feel they reflect our values and our goals best. Their mission is to go where they are the most needed. They  work in the poorest communities in the poorest regions of the least developed countries in the world. Often times where others deem it too difficult to work. Once there, they work hard to create the conditions that unleash people’s potential to transform their own…
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Fighting the breast cancer BEAST

Jolie’s decision for a prophylactic mastectomy and the detection of breast cancer Angelina Picture a woman who portrays one, tough cookie – battling against men twice her size, jumping over rocks and obstacles in her path and using her tools (sword, gun, whip, and hands) to pulverize her pursuers – taking on the Beast called CANCER. Angelina Jolie stared at the face of almost certain doom and took action that most of us shrink away from.  Then because she cares about life, she stood on the international stage to share her story so that others may find awareness and hope…
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Why does it take 1100 people to die to take action… or not take action?

  Retailers across the world sign the “Fire and Building Safety Agreement” after Bangladesh disaster… …Minus 14 major US retailers. Bravo. How many more disasters like these need to happen for US retailers to join in on efforts to make this place a better world for everybody, not just for American shoppers? The almighty bottom line rules the day. We do not ask such prominent business leaders to cut off a limb, we are simply asking them to help others live a decent life and signing a simple safety agreement and committing to minor changes in their supply chains is NOT the end…
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Fair Trade USA: Now the enemy from within?

Fair Trade USA: Now the enemy from within?

The battle for fair trade rages on A few month ago, there was an alarming news: Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) decided to water down their fair trade certification processes and to start including larger farms into the process. We understand what they are trying to do, namely trying to expand the knowledge of fair trade to a larger public, thus creating momentum for the movement. But, we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, Fair Trade USA seems to be at it again. And because I am never far away from another metaphor we’re not in…
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230 dead in collapsed Bangladesh sweatshop

230 dead in collapsed Bangladesh sweatshop

  It should not take the death of 400 innocent lives to fuel change. Unfortunately, it looks to be as though this is the story in Bangladesh, where last week an eight- story building collapsed on sweatshop workers. Inside the building lie sweatshops and factories of who supplied to major retailers like JC Penny (for their Joe Fresh brand) or Mango (a major retail brand in Europe). Furthermore, reports indicate that 80% of the workers inside the building were women, ages 18-20. These events highlight the importance of global working standards and the value of fair trade organizations. The sad…
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CoachellaVida

  Coachella is my weekend of fun every year; as I am a bit of a homebody, this is the one time I will brave the crowds to go listen to some amazing music I’d never get to see otherwise (the xx?!) with some people I’d see just as rarely. With over 70,000 people entering the festival every day, Goldenvoice, the company behind Coachella, has begun implementing more and more measurements over the years to prevent excessive amounts of waste. Here are just a few of the installments I think are cool, creative, and most importantly- effective. Eco- friendly and…
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3 Awesome Celebrities Who Represent Fair Trade

  The stars of Hollywood make so much money that they often buy whatever they want, like furs, couture, and diamonds. The world looks to these stars to find out what is cool, hip, and upcoming and are thought of as leaders in innovation. However, the conscious consumer knows that there are more responsible and beautiful choices in the marketplace than the ones that cost hundreds of dollars, and sometimes, lives. We have faith in the celebrity community, so we’ve found a couple celebrities who are doing awesome and progressive things in the public eye, like buying fair trade. Stars…
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3 Reasons for consumers to buy fair trade

  If you were to read through our other blog posts, you would find endless reasons why responsible shopping is good for the earth and for small communities. However, not much attention is often paid to the consumer side of responsible purchases. I wanted to share just a few reasons why fair trade options are better and why organic produce is seriously worth the investment. Buy Unique. Eat Clean Fair trade items are usually unique. The other day I was sitting in class, looking around, daydreaming, and waiting for the instructor to start. To my horror I realized I was…
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3 Challenges to Ending Child Labor

  One of the central tenants of fair trade is the non-use of child labor. But we all know that greed makes one look the other way, especially when it concerns large corporations. In recent years, companies like Nike and Hershey have been put in the hot seat for their irresponsible use of child labor. With these big companies being publicly shamed, it is hard to believe that child labor still persists all around the world even after the fact. What is hindering the elimination of child labor? The down low on child labor The countries highest at risk for…
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