Shopping For the Greater Good

Jessica Leigh Lebos

When Jessica Leigh graduated with a degree in creative writing, she figured she'd be slinging lattes for the rest of her life, so she shaved her head, moved into a VW bus and set off for Alaska. Good thing the van broke down just north of San Francisco, because she just hates cold weather. Her baris...

Thursday, June, 12, 2008

I am completely in love with the site GlobalGirlfriend.com! It’s full of cute, sustainable clothes and gifts that are made by women around the world. It’s all free trade-certified, which means these women are receiving fair money for their work, unlike the sweatshop-manufactured crap we all can’t help but buy at Old Navy. (Sorry, friends, but it’s the truth. 90% of the underpaid workers who sew together the $15 halter tops hanging on the rack at Charlotte Russe are women.)

Talk about guilt-free shopping – a portion of the your order goes to microgrants to help women create small businesses around the world, AND you can add to your shopping cart a charitable “gift that gives more, ” like a teacher’s salary in Afghanistan ($40) or a high-efficiency stove for Sudanese refugees in Darfur ($20).

Last night I purchased this adorable organic cotton wrap dress for myself and bought a pair of school shoes for a girl in rural Africa, all for under $60 including shipping.

Gas prices might be rising, but I try to keep in perspective that our economy still drives the lives of those far away from us. How – and where – we spend our dollars really matters. Resist the GAP urge and head to GlobalGirlfriend.com!