Fair Trade Tea Party
Image by Erol Ahmed
I've been on a major tea kick lately, sipping the herbal variety all day at work to keep myself warm and hydrated. One of my students took note of my habit, and now asks me every day in his best British accent, "will there be any tea today, Ms. Palhegyi?"
My current favorite is Numi Tea's Rooibos Chai, which is the best non-caffeinated Chai I've come across aside from Samovar's more expensive version (price aside, if you're ever in San Francisco and have a chance to visit Samovar Tea Lounge, DO IT). I brew loose leaf to cut down on waste, using a metal infuser and an electric kettle, and drink it straight to fully savor the delicate combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. I love including this ritual in my otherwise hectic day — although my classroom version isn't nearly as pretty as the layout above, shot by friend and talented photographer Erol Ahmed.
To recreate this tea service yourself, try some of these fair trade teas and accessories, all from companies that are fair trade certified, made in the USA, or otherwise committed to sustainability:
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One Warm Coat
My winter coat has served me well, from east coast blizzards to the gardens of Versailles.
This post originally appeared back in 2013. With winter approaching, I thought it deserved a revivial, complete with updated suggestions on where to shop for an ethically-made coat.
On the coziness scale, wrapping yourself up in a nice wool coat ranks right up there with a hot toddy and a Golden Girls marathon. I bought my first good black pea coat before a trip to Philadelphia and New York, where my husband and I found ourselves caught in Snowmageddon 2010. Needless to say, I was extremely grateful for my coat's substantial lining and generous hood.
Experiences like an east coast blizzard also remind me of how difficult winter can be for those who don’t have a warm coat to shield them from the elements. Which is where organizations like One Warm Coat come in.
One Warm Coat is a volunteer organization that grew from a Thanksgiving weekend coat drive in San Francisco in 1992. Now a nationwide initiative, One Warm Coat provides tools, resources, and publicity support to volunteer groups across North America. Their goal is simple: collect coats to give to those in need, free of charge.
Providing a coat may seem like a small gesture when necessities like food, shelter, and vaccines are also sorely needed, but the facts that OWC provides on its website are compelling:
- 1 in 5 children live in households whose earnings fall below the poverty level in the U.S.
- 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year.
- Even a 2-degree drop in body temperature results in reduced heart rate, loss of coordination, and confusion. Adults cannot work effectively and children find it difficult to learn. For the nearly 15% of Americans living in poverty, a warm winter coat is a budget “extra.”
(U.S. Census data September 2016 and Hypothermia, University of Maryland Medical Center)
The bottom line is that a good, warm coat isn’t cheap. I’m a huge advocate of spending a little more on well-made clothing that will last for years, but for many people that simply isn’t an option.
How you can help
- Clean out your closet and donate a coat or two
- Organize a coat drive within your company, school, or home town
- Urge your company or organization to sponsor One Warm Coat
- Make a direct donation or send an eDonation card to someone you love
In the market for a new coat?
After donating your gently used coat, consider investing in one of these ethically sourced beauties:
- Women's Insulated Prairie Dawn Parka, Patagonia - Organic cotton, recycled polyester, and transparent supply chain.
- Los Ojos Trench Cloak, Linsday Thornburg and Pendleton - Made sustainably in the USA (see Pendleton’s stance on social responsibility).
- Slim Duffle Coat, Gloverall - Made in the UK
- ELDA Wool & Recycled Poly Coat, Komodo - Organic/ recycled,
- Winter Coat, Indigenous - Alpaca and wool, fair trade, low-impact dyes
My Favorite Ethical Baby Clothing Brands (So Far)
A few of my tried and trusted ethical baby clothing brands, including Made in USA, fair trade, organic, and non-toxic options.
Avery is summering hard at Jon's company picnic, wearing a Rylee & Cru onesie (made in USA).
While incorporating Let's Be Fair's content into mine, I've been bookmarking all of the great ethical baby clothing brands that Dominique profiled over the years. Soon I'll be adding all of them to a new section of my ethical shopping guide, but in the meantime I thought I'd share a few I've grown to love. These are only brands that I've actually purchased from, so it's by no means an exhaustive list. But I can promise that I stand behind each and every one of them.
Under the Nile
We found Under the Nile while putting together our registry on Amazon, and received a sweet striped onesie that Avery wore as a newborn. Made from 100 percent organic Egyptian cotton, all of Under the Nile's baby clothing is insanely soft. Their cotton is grown on a biodynamic farm without the use of pesticides or insecticides, and their dyes are made with metal-free colors. To top it off, everything is made in Egypt at a certified fair trade facility.
Rylee & Cru
One of my dear friends gave Avery the floral onesie pictured above, introducing us to the wonderful brand that is Rylee & Cru. Their basics are all hand dyed, made in the USA, and of top-notch quality.
Go Gently BABY
Go Gently Nation makes clothing for women, men, kids, and babies using organic and sustainable fabrics, recycled tags, water-based inks, low impact dyes, and recycled fabric remnants – all manufactured in Los Angeles, Ca. We bought Avery a lightweight double gauze sundress that she lived in this summer. And even though she's outgrowing her clothes at a rapid pace (babies, who knew?), it's still billowy enough to be worn for many months.
Finn and Emma
Another Amazon find, Finn and Emma uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and eco-friendly dyes, and manufactures their products in fair trade settings. They also make adorable toys, including this play gym that Avery loved to bat at as a one-month old and now enjoys hurling across the room.
Colored Organics
At around six months Avery outgrew most of her gifted and handed-down clothing, and we had to restock. Fortunately Colored Organics offered organic and sweatshop-free basics at very reasonable prices. We snagged several onesies, leggings, and a stylin' ikat romper.
Loved Baby
L'oved Baby is another affordable baby brand that uses GOTS-certified organic cotton. That means that the people harvesting their cotton aren't exposed to harsh chemicals, are paid fair living wages, and enjoy freely chosen employment and a non-discriminatory workplace. Unfortunately I don't know if those principles extend to the sewing/ construction phase of L'oved Baby's production cycle, and it would be nice to see a little more transparency on their website. That said, I absolutely love their simple, soft, and colorful clothes.
Photo credit: Stephanie Pool Photography
Ethical, Sustainable Maternity Clothing
From top left: Isabella Oliver / Hatch / Boob Maternity / Storq
I never quite succeeded in creating a my dream capsule wardrobe, but before I got pregnant I was in a pretty good place clothing-wise. I'd found ethical versions of most of my wardrobe staples, sewn a few things, and curbed my purchasing habits quite a bit. I was hoping I could somehow adapt my wardrobe for pregnancy without having to spend too much.
After all, it seemed really lame to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes that I could only wear for > nine months. Talk about waste! Talk about being a target demographic! I could work around the bump, right? Defy the expectations of society and Google Ads alike?
Oh, how naive I was. I'm only four months in and not really that big yet, but I've already had to put much of my "normal" wardrobe away.
One of the problems is that I didn't wear much loose, flowing clothing to begin with. Most of my dresses are fitted at the waist, and I tend to forgo knit blouses in favor of cotton or silk blends that don't leave much wiggle room. Even my looser shift dresses now make me look like a tent, and the hems of my blouses are rising to scandalous heights. I'm at a point that I need to find some ethically-made staple pieces, and fast.
I spent some time last weekend scouring the internet and other ethical fashion blogs to find the cutest sustainable maternity and maternity-friendly brands out there. Did I miss anything? Pregnant or formerly-pregnant ladies speak up!
Strictly Maternity
- Boob Design | Made sustainably in Turkey and Portugal
- Storq | Made in USA
- Hatch | Several made in the USA options
- Leota | Made in USA
- Mitera | Made in USA
- Tiffany Rose Maternity | Designed and made in Britain
- Envie de Fraise | Made in France | Adorable maternity swimwear
- Isabella Oliver | Made in Portugal | Note: While I wasn't able to find much information on Isabella Oliver's website in terms of sustainable practices, they do have a stated commitment to timeless design an high-quality fabric. Their clothes are worth checking out if you think you can wear them post-pregnancy.
Skirt by Storq
Monika Top by Reformation
Maternity-Friendly
- Ace and Jig | Lots of loose, flowy stuff, if that's your thing.
- M.M. Lafleur | Made in USA | Check out their blog post detailing how Maura Kutner Walters, the Digital Executive Editor of Condé Nast Traveler, adapted M.M. Lafleur dresses during her pregnancy.
- Synergy | Made with certified organic materials using fair labor practices | Lots of jersey, lots of stretch!
- Reformation | Sustainable and made in USA | Ok, so while 99.9% of Reformation's clothing is not maternity-friendly, they do carry some gorgeous wrap tops, like the one pictured to the left, that could be layered over a maternity dress and tied above the bump. I'm going to try this one out, and hopefully have a cute wrap top I can wear post-baby :)