Fair Trade, Eco and Ethical

It’s very easy nowadays to just load up your phone and buy something online. In fact, it’s scarily easy – you’re often just two taps away from blowing a bomb on things you might not necessarily need, just for that little ten-second boost of serotonin to come through into your brain. Our happy place is boosted all too well by these little treats every now and again…and again.

With the severe lack of difficulty it takes many of us to blow a month’s wages in the space of a day, we always have to be mindful of how and where we shop, making sure we are doing what’s best for our pockets and lives. Fair Trading makes sure that on both sides of the trade, pockets and lives are protected with high-quality results. But how do we do it? >>

We’ve all heard of sustainable fashion. Sustainable homeware. Eco-friendly gifts. Everything these days seems to have some kind of better-for-the-environment alternative. The thing is though, not many companies actually explain how their products are good, sustainable options.

The Fair Trade movement has always been connected to environmental welfare, and this has especially grown alongside the threat of climate change. We are increasingly aware of our carbon footprints and who we buy from as more is being done to try and save the earth. Most ideas that spring to mind when we hear the terms eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable are along the lines of planting trees and giving to charity. It’s all great, but it is actually so much more than that. >>

I've been doing a lot of research into ecology in literature for my degree over the last few weeks and months, particularly in plant studies. It's not something I ever thought I'd go towards academically, as I thought I'd never want to study anything other than feminism, but actually, it seems like the environment of the storyworld shapes so much of the narrative and also tells us a lot about how our cultures interact with the natural world. I feel like it’s one of those things that you always sort of know but never put much of a finger on until something just…clicks.

I started reading Plant Horror: The Monstrous Vegetal in Fiction and Film as part of my research this week and was quite surprised to see that the introduction started by discussing the figure of the Green Man, which I'd never really paid much attention to outside of Shared Earth. We've got a new jute bag with the face surrounded by greenery, and sell these absolutely stunning pieces of carved wood with the figure in the middle. The furthest I really knew about the Green Man was just how good he looks sculpted out of jempinis wood. >>

I first picked up a crystal when I was around seventeen. I can’t even remember what it was, I just remember being a really anxious teen and struggling to figure out what life after sixth form would look like, how a move from a small seaside town to a big city would affect me, and hoping I’d make some friends along the way. Crystals had started to become a big thing amongst people my age on social platforms, so I jumped into it and bought a small selection of basic crystals that were supposed to be good all-rounders.?

I’d picked a rose quartz, clear quartz and amethyst, I think selenite and black tourmaline too. I remember seeing that clear and white crystals were good for clarity and amplifying energies, and the tourmaline was supposed to help keep me grounded and protected. The rose quartz was to help develop my sense of self-love, and amethyst is my birth stone so I picked that to move my intuition along a little. At this point, I was still kind of sceptical. >>

This month we’re celebrating Plastic Free July! As a Fair Trade business, the environment is largely at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s keeping our shelves topped up, separating our rubbish or perfecting eco-friendly self-care routines, our journey towards a better world can’t come soon enough…

Plastic Free July is a reminder that we must always do our best to look after the planet, no matter how small our actions might seem. To celebrate and raise awareness of more sustainable and plastic-free practices this month, we thought we’d put together some little tips and tricks for everyone so that we can all work together to perfect our progress and fight against climate change! >>

Nyepi, Bali’s Day of Silence, is one of the most sacred Hindu celebrations on the island. It marks the Balinese New Year according to the Saka calendar and is a time for deep reflection, purification, and spiritual renewal. Unlike other New Year celebrations filled with festivities, Nyepi is observed through complete silence, meditation, and self-restraint.

For 24 hours, from sunrise to sunrise, the entire island comes to a standstill. No one is allowed outside, businesses shut down, lights are turned off, internet is shut off and even flights are halted. The purpose of this sacred silence is to cleanse negative energies, restore balance, and allow people to reconnect with themselves and nature >>

Have you just picked up your first tarot deck with no clue how to start learning them? Are you looking at the pictures and trying to deduce something like you’re back in English class, your teacher desperately asking why the curtains in chapter eight are purple? Maybe you’re stuck on one card and it’s trying to tell you something – you can feel it – but nothing comes to mind?

I’m no tarot expert, but I’m also no stranger to a tarot guide book. In fact, I think that a guide and a tarot journal is a key part of your learning journey. I’ve found that although I’m not the best, I remember better when I look up the meanings and jot them down as a memento of my own moments where I’ve needed that little bit of spiritual guidance >>

We've just had an update from Karm Marg, an orphanage near New Delhi who help to get kids off the streets. Essentially a home for children, it provides a safe refuge, a family-like atmosphere and opportunities for education, skills development and employment.

Several years ago Shared Earth sponsored some of these children. When Karm Marg first met them, they were on the streets, abused, hungry and parent-less and with no hope in their lives at all. >>