Acting Sustainably to Build a GREEN ECONOMY – using resources for your food, shelter, mobility and other consumption that are easily renewable and as closely produced to your local community as possible.  Also, work at building your community to maximize what you can do together with other people on limited funds by creating: resource sharing, cooperative purchases, labor and skill networks, community tool sheds or swapping, and jointly lobbying merchants and legislators.  For those items that just aren't grown in your community, like coffee or sugar, always look for Fair Trade producers.  Get in the practice of tracking just how many of your dollars are helping to Build a Green Economy???....and set a goal to do better each month.   Co-op America's National Green Pages The broadest and most reviewed listing of sustainable businesses for: GREEN INVESTING RECYCLED PRODUCTS SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS ENERGY EFFICIENT PRODUCTS FAIR-TRADE PRODUCTS SHARE OWNER ACTIVISM

Fair Trade   is a people-powered solution to global economic injustice. It is a system of trade based on direct relationships and partnerships between buyers in the global north and producing communities in developing countries.  Fair Trade helps ensure that farmers and artisans throughout the developing world receive a fair price for their products, have direct involvement in the marketplace, and uphold environmental and labor rights standards. The system builds real and lasting relationships between producers in developing countries and businesses and consumers around the world.  What you can do:  encourage retailers to stock products listed below, encourage your favorite organizations to host fundraising sales with these products, only give Fair Trade gifts.  Fair Trade Products to Look for:  Tea, Chocolate, Bananas, Sugar, Rice, Vanilla, Apparel, Wine, Olive Oil, Coffee.   Co-op America's Guide to Fair Trade Some of our Favorite Fair Trade Products

BUY LOCAL   BUY SUSTAINABLE   What you can do:  More coming soon...     Local Harvest Sustainable Business Network of Washington Our Favorite Local Products

Building Community Resource Sharing Groups Stories from successful initiatives...coming soon