Who said diamonds have to be a girls best friend? Be ethical, original, and chic this holiday season with my new best friends: recycled pop tabs and golden african grass, the perfect silver and gold accessories. Paired with an organic fair-trade ETHOS little black dress, you’ll be absolutely smashing!

1. Escama Mini Purse

2. Escama Cuff

3. Aurea Designs Golden Grass Necklace

4. Aurea Designs Golden Grass Drop Earrings

As snow looms on the very near horizon, and the wind persist to blow cold air up our jackets - We here at Greenheart have been keeping our spirits high with an excellent pandora playlist selection (If we can say so ourselves) and an abundant amount of fair-trade chocolate to choose from.

One of our newest (and not to play favorites) absolutely delectable additions is the Theo Chipotle Spice Sipping Chocolate.  With the cold setting in, a little bit of chocolate warmth with a kick is the perfect remedy.

Unlike the neo-traditional packets of supposedly chocolate powder, Theo sipping chocolate is quite literally a can of succulent little grated chocolate chunks and spices. 

If that isn’t motivation enough, no children were harmed in the making of this fair-trade product. Unless, of course, your children fight over the last cup. (Greenheart claims no legal responsibility)

So come on Chicago, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Pictured above:

1. Red/Cream Raya Alpaca Infinity Scarf
2. Theo Chipotle Spice Sipping Chocolate
3. Green & White Holiday Stocking
4. Alpaca Marina Hat

Made with the sweet, delicious, and socially responsible honey produced by Beeline.

Beeline is a Chicago based non-profit that works to educate and employ individuals who face significant barriers to finding employment, including those with a history of criminal convictions.

The 6 oz jar of raw, beeline honey for this recipe can be purchased at Greenheart Shop, or through our website.

Bon Apétit!

Halloween has been well into a few days of celebration leading up to the official Oct.31 holiday, but there is still time to take stock of what you are handing out to co-workers or trick-or-treaters in the form of chocolate. It may be unthinkable that the chocolate we enjoy could come from the hands of  children working as slaves. In Ivory Coast and other cocoa-producing countries, there are an estimated 100,000 children working the fields, many against their will, to create the chocolate delicacies enjoyed by Western countries.

In addition to the very illegality of trafficking and hiring children workers, the cocoa farmers subject the children to inhumane living conditions with inconceivable work hours, with no pay and little to eat (often times only giving the children corn paste as their only meal). Want to enjoy your chocolate without supporting slave and child labor? Here are a few ways to make sure you are supporting fair trade practices instead of terrifying work environments for artisans and their children around the world.

1. Find locations that sell fair trade chocolate and products (kind of a no-brainer). The Greenheart Shop is proud of their fair trade chocolate selection.
2. Participate in events like Reverse Trick-or-Treating and inform your community on child slave labor in the chocolate industry.
3. Voice your opinion and sign the petition to Raise the Bar and push Hershey to take responsibility on where their products are sourced.

You can make a difference: buy fair trade chocolate and end child and slave labor in the cocoa industry and empower farmers around the globe.

Every time we shop, we can find a sticker or a label in tiny, black typeface that states: “Made in China,” or “Made in India,” or made in some other country we might not even be able to locate on the map. It’s hard to feel a personal connection to the individuals who created these products, or what their work conditions are like from half way around the world. We all know that many of these everyday items were produced in sweatshops or factories – we’ve heard it on the news. But what many people aren’t aware of is that oftentimes (in certain industries) these sweatshops, already horrific in their work conditions, are also filled with children that are either too young to be working or were sold into slavery.

More than 100,000 children are sold each year as slaves to work on cocoa farms in West Africa.  As a devout chocolate lover, that really takes the joy out of eating conventional chocolate. This tragedy isn’t only found within the chocolate industry. Did you know that hundreds of thousands of children are trapped in forced labor in the carpet and rug making industry in South Asia?

These are just a few examples of unacceptable working conditions. In the U.S., we take for granted that we have laws that define minimum wage, enforce safe working conditions and prohibit child labor. For many across the world, however, these rights are nonexistent.

So what IS fair trade? The principles of fair trade are:

• Guarantees producers a living wage for their work
• Builds long term relationships between producers and buyers
• Engages in environmentally sustainable practices
• Empowers women and provides equal employment opportunities for all, especially the most disadvantaged
• Provides healthy and safe working conditions
• Ensures transparency and accountability

Nowadays we hear the word “sustainability” thrown about a lot. What does sustainability really mean? I am personally, strongly opposed to handouts; I live by the proverb “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him to fish, he eats his whole life.” And that’s why I’m so passionate about my job working for fair trade. Fair trade is not about charity. It is not about handouts. It’s a market-based approach to change, and to giving small producers abroad and here at home the opportunity to trade on ethical terms. Therefore, the change created by fair trade partnerships is sustainable.

Fair trade gives the cocoa producer in Ghana, who DOESN’T employ children, and who DOESN’T pollute the earth, the opportunity to sell his cocoa to U.S. consumers. Eco Fair trade gives a rug producer in Thailand who uses no forced labor and natural non-toxic dyes a market to sell his goods in the United States. Are these products more expensive than conventional products you find in Walmart or Target? Sure. At the moment. But as the movement grows and the volume increases, prices fall, making fair trade choices more and more affordable for everyone.

As consumers, we have a choice with every purchase we make, and the strongest vote we have is with our dollars. Every purchase we make has an impact on the earth. When I buy a dress from Gap that’s made in China, I vote for Chinese labor practices. Now, I’m not saying that we should feel guilty every time we buy something that isn’t fair trade – certainly we all have to balance our choices. But I know that I have an alternative choice – and for the same price as that dress from Gap made in China, I could purchase an organic cotton, fair trade dress made in India by a woman who works in safe conditions, and was able to send her kids to school from the income she earned making that dress. For me, I like knowing that I have that choice, and that I choose fair trade when I can.

Part 1:  Environmental Action*

11am – 1pm, Wicker Park, 1425 N Damen Ave. (outdoors) 

A community service volunteer project to mulch and restore the Wicker Park’s grounds for the summer.

Part 2:  Sustainability Education*

1-4pm, Interactive and educational workshops at the Wicker Park Field House,  1425 N Damen Ave. (indoors)

1pm: Andrew Weithe, Director of Environmental Affairs for the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op sheds light on the green restaurant scene and what consumers should look for. Chef David Reyes from Chicago’s green restaurant, Poag Mahone’s, prepare a dish using seasonal ingredients.
2pm: Merrill Smith, of Green Box Chicago, teaches a hands-on approach to using small spaces for growing your own greens with recycled container gardening methods.
3pm: Ken Dunn, legendary pioneer of radical recycling and Director of The Resource Center, shares the science and plans of building out of urban farms and the real scoop on Chicago recycling and mass composting.
4pm: Outdoor Musical Meditation with flutist Elizabeth Margolius and CCI Founder and President Emanuel Kuntzelman.

Part 3: Cultural Celebration

4:30pm – 8pm, Greenheart Shop, 1911 W. Division Street, Chicago. 

4:30pm: Mix ‘n mingle with organic food and wines

5:30pm: Welcome presentation by emcee Ervin Lopez and introductions from Chicago social enterprise leaders.
6pm: Network and meet the leaders from Women Craft, Sweet Beginnings, Bright Endeavors, COOP Image, Blue Sky Bakery and Cafe and Sweet Miss Givings.

6:30-8pm: Dance to the Eclectic Latin Rhythms of Chicago artists, Gonzalo Cordova and Renato Ceron.

*RSVP:

You must RSVP for the volunteering and workshops, SPACE IS LIMITED. Contact Andrea Dennis at 312-264-1629 or email adennis@cci-exchange.org .

Thanks to our current sponsors:

Adage Technologies 

Digital Hub 
This event is presented in collaborative and in partnership with the Wicker Park Garden Club (www.WPGarden.org ), Wicker Park Advisory Council (www.OurWickerPark.org ), and the Chicago Park District (www.ChicagoParkDistrict.com ).

Hotel Felix General Manager George Jordan, NBC’s Ginger Zee and First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment Josh Milberg

Greenheart Shop loves local Chicago businesses that are committed to eco-friendly practices and is always excited when they are recognized for their environmental commitments. Earlier this month, local Chicago business Hotel Felix (located at 111 W. Huron St.) received the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™ (LEED) Silver certification for commercial interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). They are the first Chicago Hotel to receive this status.

Hotel Felix kicked off Earth Month with an event on April 1st for the unveiling and it was a great success! NBC’s Environmental Reporter Ginger Zee was there, along with First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment, Josh Milberg.

According to George Jordan, general manager of Hotel Felix, the hotel’s design includes many ongoing eco-friendly efficiencies, such as in-room motion sensors to control heat and air conditioning for a savings of about $30,000 per year; fluorescent lighting throughout the property that saves nearly $44,000 per year; and water waste reduction plumbing that saves one million gallons of water annually. They also have carpeting made of recycled soda bottles in the rooms, low energy-use lighting (such as CFLs and LEDs), a linen reuse program, and a full recycling program. Click here to learn more about Hotel Felix’s eco-friendly practices.

The next time you visit Chicago (or have friends and family visiting), consider staying at Hotel Felix and support a local, eco-friendly business!

**The LEED Green Building Rating System is the preeminent, internationally recognized building certification system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high performance buildings.  For more information, please visit http://www.usgbc.org/LEED.

Written by guest blogger, Jamie, a volunteer at Greenheart Shop.

One of the many things Chicago does well is food.  We have an endless variety of restaurants providing every cultural delicacy and creative chefs who have fused cuisines into experimental and exciting food experiences.  Always having been a conscientious and healthy eater, food was not just providing energy, but fulfilled a social need since dinner meant a whole day of shopping in Detroit’s Eastern Market and planning the menu that sometimes became a stressful event where everyone had a role, and eating was hands-on, even messy.  Learning about where food comes from (not just The Kroger) was always a way of life and priority and as I got older, has become a pressing daily question as I plan my own menus and choose where to shop and what to buy.

Coop Hot Sauce - made locally and available at Greenheart

Food politics is a relatively new topic for me, and it was at a panel discussion between a politician, farmer and biologist when I learned that Illinois is home to more than 76,000 farms covering more than 2.8 million square miles.  This didn’t shock me entirely since Illinois is the flattest state I’ve ever visited, so what else are they going to do with that land?  What was shocking was that less than 1% of this land is devoted to farmers using organic, sustainable means. I moved to Chicago in 2000 and had always been impressed with its forward thinking.  We have the most green roofs than any US city, have expanded downtown businesses with green initiatives, and it was the first place I ever had sushi and promised to memorize the extensive transit system (I was just impressed with city living!).  I was disheartened to realize the tough choices organic and local famers had to make and angered to learn the dismal lack of support they were given in order to sustain themselves against dominating corporate farming.  

Sweet Beginnings - making local raw honey in North Lawndale, Chicago

For those who are interested in learning what the local food movement is all about as well as other fascinating food topics, there is an event happening in Chicago, March 17-20th at the UIC pavilion.  The Family Farmed EXPO is a three day conference, trade show and food festival for farmers, businesses, the trade, individuals and families, and they promise “Good food, good know-how and good fun.”

Below is a quick overview of the event, and please access their website here: http://www.familyfarmedexpo.com/  

Harvest Moon Farms

In addition, Greenheart supports local and organic farming (it was a CSA drop-off last year for Harvest Moon Farms and plans to be one again this year), and provides opportunities to help individuals climb out of poor and seemingly hopeless situations in Chicago and around the world.  Just a few of the great social enterprises in Chicago include Bright Endeavors, Sweet Beginnings, Coop Sauce, and Woman Craft, all featured at our Greenheart Shop.  

Family Farmed EXPO:

Thursday features a world-class Financing Farm to Fork conference supporting the local food movement by encouraging investment in farm and food production, processing and distribution businesses.

Friday features the Midwest’s leading local food trade show, a major school food track, a Meet the Buyers reception, an innovative Food Policy Summit, and the scrumptious Localicious Party to cap the day.  

Saturday features cooking demos from celebrity chefs, educational workshops, Sally Fallon and an interactive Kids Corner

Making chapati

Greenheart would like to thank everyone who came to our event last week for the 100th International Womens Day! We learned about Greenheart Travel’s volunteer program in Kenya that works with the Maasai and how to cook chapati (Indian flatbread that is part of East African cuisine – recipe below). Greenheart Shop also donated 10% of its sales from the event to Greenheart Travel’s Kenya volunteer program. It was a great success and we appreciate your support! Click here to learn more about Greenheart Travel’s volunteer programs in Kenya.

Learning about Intenational Womens Day and Greenheart Travel's Program in Kenya.

Chapati recipe:

2 cups flour (white or wheat)
2 tbls olive oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water

Mix the flour and salt together first, then mix in the oil, then add enough of the water to make a dough that is elastic but not too sticky. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and there are no lumps. Separate it into balls about the size of baseballs and let them sit for a minute or two. Then flatten them out and fry them in a skillet with oil until you see brown spots on them.

Enjoying the chapati!