With the economic situation looking more depressing at every turn, thinking long term is definitely the better option.  This really cute fairtrade shopping bag from John Lewis is made from 100% fairtrade cotton, and it will brighten up your shopping trips, even if they are just for the necessities.

Reusable bags like this one are a good long term solution to the amount of waste and emissions that the manufacture and use of plastic bags uses.   It will save you money when the plastic bag tax eventually hits these shores too.

£11.50 from John Lewis.  Available in Firefly and Spiro print (Firefly pictured here).

There are more and more great Fairtrade wines coming onto the market in the UK, one of which is the Los Robles range of wines. Los Robles wines are produced by a wine cooperative in Chile’s Curicó valley, and owned by its 67 members - small and medium size wine growers.  It’s one of the last wine coops left in Chile today - the Pinochet dictatorship caused most to die out in the 1970s.  Los Robles, however, is one that survived.

15 to 20 % of Los Robles wine is Fairtrade certified, with the coop aiming for 100 % certification.

A range of Los Robles Fairtrade wines are available from John Lewis.

When choosing snack food for a car or rail journey, think Fairtrade.

Geobar cereal bars are invaluable while travelling because they’re light, filling and Fairtrade.   I find them particularly good for staving off children’s hunger pangs between meals when out and about.  These yummy apricot Geobars are made with Fairtrade honey, raisins, apricots and rice.  They’re also completely vegetarian and contain no hydrogenated oils.

My all time favourite food for travelling though (and my Mom would probably point out here that it isn’t actually food at all) is chocolate.  Fairtrade chocolate is available just about everywhere these days, so there’s no excuse not to be doing the right thing and choosing Fairtrade if you’re a chocaholic like me.

From girlfriends to grannies, all ladies love to be given flowers, and it doesn’t usually happen as often as we would like.   Fairtrade Fortnight gives us the opportunity to give someone we love flowers, wine and chocolate, while at the same time improving someone elses life in the developing world.

This flower arrangement is made up of Namaqua and Ice Breaker roses, alstroemeria, pink statice and eucalyptus all  packaged in a reusable hessian bag.  Included in the gift are red wine and Chocaid chocolates, both Fairtrade products too.

A Fairtrade premium, of the price paid to the farm for the flowers, goes straight to the farm workers on the Fairtrade-certified plantations to be invested in healthcare, housing, education and social facilities in their communities.

Always look for the FAIRTRADE mark on internationally-certified products.

£48.50 with free delivery from John Lewis.

If you’re in charge of the office’s kitchen supplies (or even if you’re not, you may be able to influence those who are), then Fairtrade is the way to go.

These caramelised Fairtrade coffee biscuits sound yummy.  Perfect for with your Fairtrade coffee or tea.  The biscuits come individually wrapped, keeping them fresh for when you have important visitors.

Fairtrade sugar for the office comes in a shaker, or in sachets.

Fairtrade in the office sends a message to all employees, and may influence them to buy Fairtrade in their private lives too.

Dress in yellow or even as a Fairtrade banana and join the Fairtrade London Campaign for the finale of the 24 hour world record attempt with a Banana Mob in Trafalgar Square!  Saturday 7 March, 11:30am.  Don’t forget to take along a picnic of Fairtrade bananas.  And go bananas, in your own special way.

During Fairtrade Fortnight 3 February – 8 March 2009, be sure to support disadvantaged farmers in the developing world when you buy a gift for someone.  I always love the gift of food and drink, consumables, because it’s such a waste free way of giving a gift.  Food and drink is useful and is particularly green when in comes in recyclable packaging.

This Spring gift bag contains Fairtrade treats for the food-lover include a bottle of white wine, Tanzanian coffee and plenty of yummy chocolate. It comes in a handy, re-usable John Lewis jute bag.

Contents: Fairhills Colombard / Sauvignon Blanc 2008, 75cl Traidcraft Fair Trade stem ginger cookies, 200g Divine Fairtrade orange milk chocolate bar, 45g Divine Fairtrade white chocolate bar, 45g Divine chocolate covered dried sliced mangoes, 100g Ethical Additions Hope Tanzanian coffee, 250g Liberation oven Baked cashew nuts and peanuts lemon & chilli, 150g Taylors of Harrogate Faitrade Breakfast Tea - 20 Sachets, 50g Traidcraft organic strawberry jam, 340g Traidcraft fruit & nut mix, 50g Traidcraft Fair Trade chocolate hazelnut spread, 400g

The Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign to promote awareness of Fairtrade in the UK and to encourage people to buy products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark will take place from 23 February – 8 March with the theme Make it happen. Choose Fairtrade.

Harriet Lamb, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘… change is still not happening nearly quickly enough for the millions of the world’s poorest farmers who remain trapped in trade poverty. The challenge now is to urgently scale up the reach and impact of Fairtrade so that by working together, we can succeed in tipping the balance of trade in favour of marginalized farmers and producers. Fairtrade Fortnight is an opportunity for us do something too by holding events at work, at home or in the community.’

Do your bit by buying Fairtrade.  It’s the right choice.  Also, check out the events in your area.  Get involved.

What’s the use of fine wine glasses if you haven’t got a tolerable wine to put in them?  (Sorry Henry Thoreau).  Here’s something sustainable to put in your recycled wine glasses.  It’s a full-bodied spicy and warming (perfect for this time of the year) Shiraz from South Africa (I am sensing a theme here).  It’s made by the environmentally aware Cederberg winery. If you’re a wine buff, you’ll appreciate a spicy red showing flavours of wild berries, cloves and dark chocolate.  If you’re not, it’s still great wine and a fabulous partner to game or red meat dishes.  £7.11 from John Lewis.

I just came across these recycled wine glasses, and because they’re a little different to the recycled glasses that I’ve written about before, I wanted to bring them to your attention.

These glasses were developed from an idea used first on environmental projects in Botswana and Namibia (that’s where I was brought up) and South Africa.  Instead of a glass bottle being recycled into glass that is then formed into a wine glass in the traditional method, this design takes the wine bottle and a glass cutter and turns the bottle around into a wine glass without it actually being melted down into a raw material again.   Because about 90% less energy is needed for processing, and a waste product is being reused, these glasses are really environmentally friendly. 

The glasses are sand blasted with a decorative gecko design and come in a 2 pack.  £10.15 from Big Green Smile.