This offer came through via email.
To encourage you to avoid a last-minute panic with Christmas gift buying, New Internationalist will do post and pack at no cost if you order online by Tuesday 6th December 2011. This is a special offer just for online orders for delivery within Australia, saving up to $20.
Perfect for both ethical and unethical family members this Christmas :)
I can't really disagree with anything you have said. Here's another option that might be more down your alley: http://www.kiva.org/gifts/kiva-cards. I love these guys.
He/She probably already knows about kiva the point made was, isn't it still exploitation when these companies have a huge mark-up just for the eco/green/fair trade tags on the products they sell. If they were sincere in their efforts too improve the lives of those in the third world couldn't they help those individuals/small businesses create I dunno a website so they could sell direct - why use another middleman??
Well I think that was tulkn's point - apologies if I'm incorrect :)
Yeah - like I said, I don't disagee. I'm not sure I would call this type of company exploitative. That said, more people have been lifted out of poverty by being 'exploited' for cheap labor to make Nikes than those making overpriced craft trinkets.
Posted it because it might be a good deal to someone in the market for this type of gear.
I wonder what unethical gifts would be?
Baby Seal Car Seat Covers…
Damn negged by accident. Was meant to be +.
An ivory statuette of Wendy Deng.
I am voting this up because its going to be good Christmas Gifts for hard to buy relatives
that and I was actually wanting to buy a couple of Pohnpei Sponges
I really can't tell if you are being serious or not….. :)
I actually am being serious!
Read about the sponges on a blog a while back and never realised there was an on-line shop for them.
I don't have a sponge at the moment after the cheap chinese one fell apart (last one pre my "ethical" tree change).
I like that I can soak it to clean it and reuse it.
Going to get some soap nuts as well.
So your post was a good "deal" for me :)
Re the whole "middleman" idea - it might not be the "ideal" but if its a better choice than other similar options you might choose then its worth looking at.
I'm a big fan of saving the planet and all that (I even went there once!), but the things on this website are way too pricey. I'ld like to have a conscience, but at $50 for a pair of things I can't afford to!
Of course there is then the irony of selling items from 3rd world countries, that cost peanuts to manufacture for a royal mint! Isn't that the same thing as the evil multinationals do? I would like to be proven wrong and shown that in fact ALL the money from this site goes into the causes they claim to represent, but I am ever a skeptic…