Green and Fair Trade Clean

April is Earth month, and this Sunday April 22nd will be Earth Day! It's this time of year when the sun is shining and the flowers bloom that we are reminded Fair Trade isn't just a movement benefitting people but our environment as well. We've spoken before on all the ways that Fair Trade is environmentally conscious and all it does for the planet as well as the people. But this week we get to talk about ways in which we as consumers can incorporate helping the planet while simultaneously helping people.

Of course, one of the best ways we can stay green is how we clean! It's important to keep our homes clean, but many products we use in the process contain chemicals that are dangerous to the environment, and toxic to us. But believe it or not, there are some Fair Trade alternatives that are good for the environment too!
For our laundry, the New Internationalist Shop and Ten Thousand Villages sells Soap nuts. Eco-friendly, biodegradable, sustainably produced, as well as compostable, soap nuts are a safe and natural alternative to harsh chemical detergents. There are different ways to use them, whether by boiling them to excise the soap or just throwing them in with your laundry. In any case, this product has gotten good reviews. You can get multiple washes from them and they are affordably priced.
Dr. Bronner's is well known in the Fair Trade Community for their soap with "18 in 1 uses." Their liquid soaps while typically used as a body soap boasts even more uses than just that, including as a laundry detergent, surface cleaner, and even fruit and vegetable rinse. Their website has instructions on different concentrations to be used for each use. In addition to this they have also come out with another product Sal Suds specifically for surface cleaning, and like their liquid soap it is Fair Trade, eco-friendly, animal product free, and not tested on animals.
It's not easy being Green, and it's not easy being fair either, but the Fair Trade movement is actively thinking of ways to help consumers out in our ethical endeavours. When we support these products we are part of the Fair Trade movement, and part of the solution to a healthier planet.