'tis the season

'Tis the season to shop and be thoughtful. While I've been on a quest to find places to shop that were aligned with my social and political views, I've come across a few goodies, so I thought I'd share.

Gaiam
Have bought yoga videos from them for years. Then, discovered they do much, much more than just videos and yoga stuff. All products are Fair Trade, veggie and made with minimal impact to Mother Earth.

Rawganique.com
Yummy clothes and linens made from hemp, organic cotton and sheared animals. They're so green, they're even "off the grid" - totally solar powered!

Pristine Planet
A super-helpful Eco-friendly search engine for shoppers.

Etsy
Site dedicated to helping artists and crafters sell their goodies. Clothes, art, ceramics and much more.

And, if your friends and family are like me and would rather you give money to needy people/organizations than buy me more stuff, here's my recommendations (and where my money's going this year):

Amnesty International
Doing good around the world - providing relief to prisoners of conscience and victims of violent crimes, and fighting for human rights all over the globe.

Doctors Without Borders
Delivering emergency aid to people around the world affected by war, epidemics and natural disasters.

Oregon Food Bank
Fighting hunger and it's root causes in Oregon. You can find a similar local food bank in your home town, too. (I setup a monthly automatic donation, so I can help all year long.)

Peace on Earth, good will to all.