Warm the cockles of someone’s heart with this great value Christmas gift.

Everyone loves mulled wine and it’s such a delicious festive drink.  The “Mulling spices and wine kit” contains everything needed for good holiday cheer.  It includes: a bottle of Fairtrade red wine of your choice and a carton of traditional mulled wine spices.  Use 1tbsp to one 750ml bottle of average quality red wine, and simmer over a low heat in a heavy bottomed casserole dish. Add a glass of orange juice and 1tbsp of sugar to the mix, for a bit of extra zip.

Here are two ideas for a greener and more ethical advent calendar for 2008.

Divine Fairtrade Advent Calendar

An advent calendar with 24 pieces of Fairtrade milk chocolate behind the bright nativity scene on the front. All the cocoa beans used to make the chocolate are grown by a Fairtrade certified co-operative of 40000 farmers in Ghana called Kuapa Kokoo. Unlike many cocoa farmers who have never even seen or tasted chocolate Kuapa Kokoo co-owns the company that supplies these chocolates which means they have a real input and a share of the profits.

Laura Ashley Christmas Tree Fabric Advent Calendar

While this product is neither organic, Fairtrade or recycled, I’m still mentioning it here because it is reusable.  Buying one of these advent calendars means that you’ll never have to buy another “disposable” advent calendar again, because every years you can fill it with whatever yummy (organic and Fairtrade hopefully) treats you like.  Which means you’ll save money year after year too.

If you’re planning to throw a Halloween party for the children, or maybe even for the grown-ups, here are a three little tips to make your party an altogether greener one.

Think organic, local and Fairtrade - when you’re planning your party food and decor, opt for local apples for the apple bobbing, local pumpkins for the Jack ‘o Lantern, Fairtrade and organic chocolates and sweet treats, and local and where possible organic food too.

Think biodegradable -  get your hands on some biodegradable crockery instead if you’re a paper plate junkie.

Think reuse and repurpose - for costumes and decorations, use what you already have.  Get a book out of the library on making Halloween costumes and make one yourself out of second hand materials.

Photo credit: fabbio 

As the scariest night of the year approaches, give some thought to what you’ll be dishing out to neighbourhood children who stop by in their scary finery.  High fructose corn syrup and artificial colours?  I hope not.

How about this box of 200 Fairtrade milk chocolate mini-chocolates from Divine?  You’ll have plenty of treats to go around, and you can feel super-ethical about giving away good quality sweets bursting with Fairtrade ingredients: Fairtrade Sugar, Fairtrade cocoa butter, dried cream, whole milk powder, Fairtrade cocoa mass, cocoa mass, emulsifier: Soya lecithin (non GM), real vanilla.

The campaign has taken 5 years of commitment, but it looks like it’s finally going to have paid off, with London about to be declared the world’s largest Fairtrade City on the 23rd October 2008.  To become a Fairtrade city (or town, village, island, zone, borough or county), there are five goals that have to be met.  They are:

1. The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in offices and canteens.

2. A range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in the area’s shops and served in local cafés and catering establishments.

3. Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places educational establishments, faith communities and other community organisations. A flagship employer is required for populations over 100,000.

4. The city should attract media coverage and organise events to gain popular support for the campaign.

5. A local Fairtrade steering group must meet regularly to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade Town status. The composition of the steering group should be representative of the community overall.

In London’s case there were two additional requirements, namely that at least 17 of London’s boroughs had to achieve Fairtrade status (a requirement long surpassed) and that at least 2 of London’s 47 universities had to achieve “Fairtrade University” status.

You can support the Fairtrade effort by buying Fairtrade wherever you possibly can, whether you live in London or not.   Here are some of my favourite Fairtrade product recommendations:

Divine Chocolate - one of those products that is what it says it is, divine!  They make chocolate everything.  Slabs of chocolate, boxes of chocolates, drinking chocolate, chocolate covered nuts, chocolate brownies, cocoa, dried fruit covered in chocolate, chocolate muffins, and lots more…

Dubble - This is Divine’s chocolates sister company, bringing us Fairtrade chocolate specially designed for the younger set.  They make crispy chocolate bars, chocolate footballs and chocolate Christmas puddings.

Cafedirect - For a wide range of Fairtrade coffees, teas and hot chocolate, these guys really know their stuff.

Tropical Wholefoods and Tropical Forest - Amazing Fairtrade dried fruit and honies.

Tate & Lyle - All Tate & Lyle sugar is now Fairtrade, hooray!

The Fairtrade Foundation Annual Review reveals that Fairtrade is definitely becoming more popular in the UK.  This is great news for third world producers, because as we learn about how we can benefit them by making the right shopping choices, their lives are improving.  They are able to send their children to school and afford health care for their families.  Here are some fascinating Fairtrade facts from the review:

1 in 4 bananas sold in the UK is Fairtrade

Almost £500m was spend on Fairtrade products in the UK in 2007

6000 sugar farmers in Belize benefitted from Tate & Lyle’s switch to Fairtrade sugar

90% of the farmers in the Windward Islands grow Fairtrade bananas

Farmers and workers in 54 countries supply Fairtrade goods to the UK

Over 700 cotton products were licenced Fairtrade in 2007

There was a 72% growth in Fairtrade sales in 2007

300 UK companies are now licenced to use the Fairtrade mark

Over 83 million Fairtrade flowers were sold in 2007

Play your part in changing our world into one where trade is fair by choosing Fairtrade whenever you can.  You can access hundreds of Fairtrade products right here on Pricegrabber, have a look.

Photo credit: thingermejig

I don’t know about you, but when I see the Autumn fashions becoming available I start to grasp desperately at the fading summer (great time to spend some money at the summer sales). There are still weeks of sun ahead of us, but there’s also the promise of cooler days, rusty leaves and cosy fires just glimmering over the horizon. Fortunately there’s also the delicious aspect of shopping for winter woolies, and Natural Collection have some wonderful pieces in their Autumn collection. Here are my picks.

Fair Trade Paisley Jacket - A stylish bohemian cotton velvet paisley jacket with flared sleeves, a matching waist tie and two ceramic and glass buttons. Fair Trade. £45

Lana Organic & Fairtrade Certified Cotton Dress - Versatile and comfortable knee length dress with three-quarter sleeves. Perfect to wear over jeans for ‘boho chic’. 100% organic, Fairtrade certified cotton. £29.95

Ethos Long-sleeved Organic Cotton Dress - Long-sleeved and  semi-fitted dress, this dress from Ethos, is perfect for crisp autumn evenings. Wear it belted (high waist or low waist) or over jeans.  100% organic cotton jersey.  £39.95

Plastic bags from shops, the sort that we’re given every time we buy something, have become a huge problem for sea life who mistake them for jelly fish and eat them. Now I know that you are not dumping your plastic bags in the ocean, but somehow, thousands of them find their way to the coast by being blown there or being carried down by river and they are responsible for sea creatures dying in their thousands every year.

Planet Ark reports that plastic bags, once ingested, can’t be digested so they stay in the gut preventing food digestion and leading to a very slow and painful death.

Fortunately for us, there’s a very stylish alternative to plastic bags. So you can look great while you’re helping to save the dolphins and turtles. To help you get kitted out with shopping bags, here are my pick of some of the coolest bags available.

Cambodian Recycled Rice Bag

Eco-friendly, reusable, reversible and eye-catching, you can’t fault these fantastic shopping bags. If you aren’t already sold on them, here’s something that I know will tip you over the edge. They’re not made in sweatshops. Oh no! They’re made by an organisation who provide shelter, education and employment to vulnerable women. Isn’t that just the coolest? Fair trade all the way baby! (£12.95 each)

Earth Fair Trade Shopping Bag

I just love products that display their Fair Trade credentials for all to see. It’s the perfection of advertising as far as I’m concerned, using something that can be so destructive for a good cause. This cute bag features a Fair Trade Bag logo surrounded by jaunty figures on the front and has delicate beads hanging off one strap. Buying this bag helps to fund health-related projects in India. (£7.00)

Truly Radley Deeply Recycled Tote Bag

Oh-so understated! This stylish bag is easy on the eye, and easy on the planet. It’s made of 100% post consumer waste plastic bottles and features a ‘Truly Radley Deeply’ print with ‘Please Recycle Me’ motifs. It folds up tiny to fit in your handbag, ready to whip it out whenever you find yourself being asked by a shop assistant whether you’d like a plastic bag. You can say “No!” (£20.00)

Buying gifts can present all sorts of problems, from not knowing the person well enough, to not putting enough thought into the gift until it’s too late and being forced to buy whatever you can on the way through to the party or occasion. So I was delighted to find this gift bag, already made up, that offers a gift that just about any adult will enjoy, will bring attention to Fairtrade, and that supports Fairtrade.

John Lewis has put together The Fairtrade Bag (£40.00) and will deliver it to you (or to the lucky recipient of your gift) for FREE.

The bag itself is a robust hessian and rope tote bag that’s perfect for shopping or for picnics. And it’s filled with scrumptious Fairtrade goodies including:

* A fresh and zesty Fairhills Colombard/Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from South Africa, 750ml

* Forest Fairtrade dried tropical fruit mix, 125g

* Zuma Fairtrade dark hot chocolate, 2x 28g

* Burnt Sugar original crumbly fudge

* Fairtrade wild blossom honey, 340g

* Organic Seed & Bean Company lime chocolate, 60g

* Percol organic Arabica coffee, 250g

* Doves Farm organic apple and sultana flapjacks, 5x 40g

Remember, you’re only guaranteed to be getting Fairtrade if the Fairtrade mark is on the product.

And if you’ve been the recipient of a gift, Fairtrade or otherwise, here’s another way to raise the profile of Fairtrade while saying thank you.  Use one of these “Faces of Fairtrade” cards as your thank you card, and you may inspire those who hadn’t thought of it to buy Fairtrade next time.

The BBC have picked up where Channel 4 pulled out with tomorrow’s Panorama programme. Channel 4 had scheduled “The Devil Wears Primark” to run on the 1st of June, but pulled the programme at the last minute. This Monday (23rd June), the BBC will be looking into Primark’s claims that they can produce cheap clothing without using cheap sweatshop labour. When the BBC presented the findings of it’s documentary “Primark on the rack” to Primark, the firm sacked three of its suppliers and set up a children’s foundation. So it seems that all may not have been as hunky-dory as Primark had claimed it was. Find out more by watching BBC 1 tomorrow night at 9pm.

To be sure that the clothes that you’re buying haven’t been made by exploiting the less fortunate, stick to Fairtrade whenever possible.