Sustainability not only assumes a role guarding the environment, it also means making the methods of production humanitarian. Here you will find some basic information regarding sustainability issues and their relationship to humanitarian concerns. After all, sustainability is only one of the many inter-related ways to work for a brighter future.
Organic farming reduces the use of pesticeds, herbicides, hormones, and machinery. This means the puts growers at less chemicle and physical risk. Purchasing known or certified organic food helps support such farms and their workers' safety.
Fair trade refers to a form of exchange in which the producer is compensated for the sale of their goods. Fair trade goods mean that a relative portion of the purchase price went directly to the producer. Because many food products are imported from overseas, we can't always rely on labor and trade laws to protect the people from which we get our food. Buying known or certified fair trade food is a way to assure us, as consumers, that our money is going to the grower and not a middle-person, which are often companies with little investment in the communities where they purchase food from. Fair trade is often contrasted with 'free trade'. Free trade is a economic model in which companies and countries are motivated to find the cheapest producer. Under this model, many products are bought from countries that lack labor laws to protect their workers because such countries can offer their products for cheaper. Sustainability, remember, is the investment in mechanisms that can be sustained. Without supporting humanitarian economic frameworks we can't hope for anything better in generations to come.
Chocolate, sugar, and coffee are three products often grown in impoverished countries, like many in South America and the Caribbean. Many of the countries producing these products lack economic safe guards, like a minimum wage or safety regulations, like we have in the U.S.. Being selective in buying these products, careful to buy shade-grown and fair trade certified, supports a benevolent network for the growers, helping ensure their well-being.