Ganymeder

These days, it seems like that’s pretty hard. I don’t want to support companies that exploit humans or animals. So I try to avoid businesses that sell or use animal products such as dairy, eggs, honey, leather or silk. I read labels to make sure I’m not consuming products that have been animal tested. I do my best to support ethical companies. Yet, my conscience is constantly barraged with yet MORE things to watch out for. It’s like those As seen on TV commercials – A constant bombardment of “But wait! There’s more!”

I find a vegan chocolate and carefully check the ingredients. No milk or other dairy. Good. Is it okay to buy? No – the company sources it’s cocoa from The Ivory Coast where child slavery is used to harvest the cocoa beans. So I keep looking until I find a chocolate bar that doesn’t hurt animals OR humans. I find one – Fair trade or organic. My wallet hurts a little. A little less chocolate for me overall, but that’s okay. I can always snack on something else if I need to.

I decide to make my spending dollar go a little farther by purchasing some goods through a charitable site. I’m discouraged by the fact that many (if not most) of the goods sold use leather, silk, or other animal products. Why can’t sites that see the evil of human slavery make the connection that killing an animal for his skin is wrong too? I keep searching. There are other purchases I can make from those sites to support the cause without compromising my principles.

At times, I’m inclined to agree with Mark Twain’s view of a conscience. It’s like an anvil that weighs me down, inconvenient, a nuisance. Life would be so much easier without it. But I doubt the world would be the kind of place I’d like to live in anymore. No – Give me my conscience any day. It’s worth reading a few extra labels to work toward a better world.

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Other similar blog posts:

Human Trafficking: What it does and doesn’t mean

Stop Supporting Slavery!

Charitable Giving Ideas for the Financially Strapped

Make the world a better place in ten minutes or less a day.

I realize this is a little late, but we made these on Valentine’s day.  They came out so well that I couldn’t resist showing them off and sharing them with you!  I adapted the Chocolate Wacky Cake recipe for cupcakes.  The batter seemed a little too thick, so I ended up adding slightly more oil and water to get the right consistency.  As always, please only use Fair Trade and/or Organic Cocoa so you don’t unwittingly contribute to human slavery.

The strawberries and ginger I made by melting some Fair Trade organic Chocolate chips in a pan with just a little water (don’t use too much).  The consistency needs to be thick enough to stick to the fruit or ginger, but liquid enough to be able to coat nicely.  I bought fresh strawberries and some candied ginger for this project, but orange slices would work well too.  After dipping, we (me and my son) laid the chocolate dipped goodies on some parchment paper to cool and solidify. After the cupcakes were done and cool,  I frosted them and topped them with the cooled chocolate dipped treats.  For a final bit of flair, I sprinkled some Fair Trade Organic cocoa on top.  YUM!

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, my son, Christopher, thought of topping the cupcakes with the strawberries and ginger.

Do you or someone you know have a birthday coming up? Christmas or other holiday giving thinning your checkbook? Can’t afford to give as much to charity as much as you’d like? Why not plant two seeds in the same pot, and make your purchases through an online charity?

It can work two ways.

If you have a birthday or something coming up where people will be shopping for you, why not ask for a charitable contribution to be made in your name? Just tell them your favorite charity, give them the website or other relevant info, and enjoy a gift that keeps on giving – not just to you but to the world at large. If your prospective giver really wants to give you something to unwrap, many charities have online stores where they sell activism materials, clothing, etc. You can increase your impact by asking for activism apparel to wear or materials for distribution (pamphlets, literature to donate to libraries, etc.).

If you are familiar with Free Charity donation sites, you already know that they are funded by sponsors. By clicking to donate this way (at no cost to yourself), you are taken to a “Thank you” page displaying ads from the charity’s sponsors. Why not increase the impact by making purchases from those same sponsors? Many items can be purchased online this way. Save yourself a trip to the mall when buying a piece of jewelry for your favorite Aunt Berty – you’ll save gas and help a worthy cause in the bargain.

Free Donation sites

Care2.com - A hub of online charitable giving for multiple environmental, animal, and humanitarian causes. Their sponsors’ ads are displayed on their “Thank you” pages.
The Literacy Site – The name says it all. After clicking to donate books, the “Thank you” page displays ads and links from their sponsors. You can also shop directly from their online store and purchase from startling collection of books, jewelry, artisan items, toys and even birdhouses.

Online charitable stores:

Free the Slaves: Abolitionist organization that works to raise awareness about Modern Day Slavery (aka Human Trafficking). Their online store features products made by freed slaves such as jewelry, rosaries, handmade paper products, bags, purses, and even a Fair Trade Soccer ball. Books and films about slavery are also available.

Farm Sanctuary – Their online store features apparel, pamphlets, books, videos, totebags, and even some stuffed animals.

These are just a few of many online options for making your charitable giving go farther. When you get more bang for your charitable buck, you aren’t the only one getting a better deal.

There are tons of articles and books about Modern Human Slavery.  I written a couple blog posts about it, but this minute long video speaks volumnes.

What Traffickers Don’t Say

http://humantrafficking.change.org/videos/view/what_traffickers_dont_say
Please be the voice of the voiceless.  Speak out.

***I came across this PSA at the End Human Trafficking site at Change.org.  I checked out the link at the end of the video, but it’s an author site (nothing to do with the video and information).

*I tried to embed the video, but it wouldn’t work for my site.  Please just click on the link to view the video. Thank you.

Other Blog Posts:

Human Trafficking: What it does and doesn’t mean

-This article talks about slavery with some advice on activism.  There are suggested resources at the bottom of the article.

Stop Supporting Slavery!

-Videos, links, and information about the connection between chocolate and slavery.

Alert: Conflict-free Chocolate?

-This blog post describes the connection between cocoa and slavery in the Ivory Coast.  Links at the bottom direct you to lists for slave free chocolate and other abolitionist resources.

I just want my chocolate

-I wrote this essay about an experience I had.

Not For Sale by David Batstone

- Review of a book chronicling the lives of slaves around the world.

Additional Links:

Tony and the Slave Free Chocolate Factory

- Very interesting article about someone who prosecutes himself for buying slave chocolate. Video included.