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Having a Fair Trade House Party

Dear Co-op America,

What are fair trade house parties, and how do they work?
 — Gina G., Atlanta, GA

With the holiday season approaching, now’s the perfect time to think about hosting a fair trade house party. Fair trade ensures that workers receive prices that cover production costs and help them improve their lives, their communities, and the Earth.

House parties are an excellent way to support fair trade. You gather a group of friends, explain what fair trade is, and encourage them to purchase fair trade crafts such as colorful shawls, handcrafted jewelry, or gift baskets featuring Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate, coffee, and tea.

Perhaps most importantly, house parties educate guests about fair trade and spur them to spread the word. To brush up on your fair trade knowledge, consult a publication such as Co-op America’s Guide to Making Trade Fair and our Guide to Ending Sweatshops (available for order for $6 each by calling 800/58-GREEN), as well as our Web sites, www.fairtradeaction.org and www.sweatshops.org. Talk about the information with guests, and give them copies of articles that interest you. You can also bring in a guest speaker or show a video.

Then, it’s on to shopping. Visit Co-op America’s National Green Pages™ online (www.greenpages.org)—our directory of green and fair trade businesses—and request catalogs from fair trade companies whose products you find appealing. Have your guests fill out order forms at the party and place the orders on their own. If you own a few fair trade items, you can show them off as samples. Or, buy your holiday gifts early and display them before passing them along to their intended recipients.

Some organizations have kits available for fair trade sale events, and these kits often include educational materials as well as sample products or products you can sell on the spot. SERRV International’s A Greater Gift program (800/423-0071, www.agreatergift.org) and Pachamama (831/427-0889, www.pachamamaworld.com) have programs for individuals. If you are connected to an organization, Ten Thousand Villages (717/859-8100, www.tenthousandvillages.com) has a program designed for larger events, such as community days or church fairs.

Dear Co-op America,

We need to find an eco-friendly way to dispose of a broken cell phone. Any ideas?
—David and Esperanza Sanchez, E-mail

The EPA says mobile phones are hazardous waste because they contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. About 100 million or so toxic cell phones are “retired” each year in the US, so recycling unwanted cell phones is a great way to protect people and the planet.

Send your phone to any of these organizations for refurbishment or recycling:

• Collective Good will refurbish your old cell phone and resell it at a considerable discount to people in developing countries. Contact 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com.
• Donate a Phone'sCall to Protect program refurbishes old cellphones in partnership with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Motorola. The phones are programmed to dial 911 and are given to victims of domestic violence with free emergency airtime. Contact 888/901-SAFE, www.donateaphone.com.
• Enter yourzip code at www.wirelessrecycling.com to find a local ReCellular cell phone dropoff center for refurbishing or recycling. ReCellular manages recycling programs for many large companies, such as Sprint and Verizon, as well as charities like the Easter Seals and GoodWill.

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