I have made it a habit to Recycle everything I possibly can also its important to use as little energy and water to which people in developed countries take for granted on a daily basis, I ride around 15 miles a day on my bike which has its benefits fitness being one of then of course most of all being the reduction of a carbon footprint check one person of the list :D. But I will just talk about the fair trade products for a moment which If you think about it in reality its not fair trade at all, at first glance, fair trade may seem to be a win-win scenario for producers and consumers. A more in-depth examination, however, reveals that there are some distinct drawbacks to fair trade practices. In order to receive fair trade certification, the parties receiving the endorsement, must be a member of a cooperative. Individual farmers and corporations are excluded. The certification process is somewhat expensive: an average-sized organization will pay about £2,300 to apply for the certification and about £700 to £1500 for a biennial renewal. This excludes the infrastructure and labor costs to comply with fair trade standards. Consequentially, the overhead costs diminish the returns: less than 25% of fair trade premiums return to the producers. While many of the rules and regulations perpetrated by fair trade agreements have sound principles behind them, enforcement of the rules can be somewhat elusive. Although fair trade producers are supposed to adhere to the most stringent environmental standards, they are not always met: an estimated one-fifth of fair trade coffee has been found illegally planted in virgin rainforests. Labor conditions for workers have also been problematic. Because the agreements are made between the cooperatives and the fair trade organizations, the workers that harvest the products are not always afforded adequate protection. In Peru, fair trade coffee growers were caught underpaying seasonal workers. In Burkina Fasno, a fair trade cotton supplier for Victoria’s Secret was found exploiting child labor, a direct violation of the agreement. Undoubtedly, many other scandals within the fair trade movement have yet to see the light of day. I rest my case, do we really know what we are buying?