Some Roses Don't Smell So Sweet
Before you order those overpriced roses for your Valentine's Day sweetie, consider a few disturbing facts from our friends at US/LEAP:- Flower workers are primarily women who work long hours, especially before holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, are paid poverty-level wages, and face hazardous working conditions
- Over 60% of flowers bought in the U.S. come from Colombia
- Nearly 100,000 flower workers are employed in Colombia, most of whom are women
- The largest grower and exporter of flowers from Colombia is Dole, which is also the largest exporter of flowers from Latin America to the U.S.
- Dole announced in October 2006 that it would close its largest plantation in Colombia following a two-year campaign by its workers to improve wages and working conditions and form a union.
OK, so what should you buy your loved ones? Fair Trade certified chocolate, of course. Some of our favorites include:
Equal Exchange
Art Bars
And if flowers are still the thing, you can now get them from Fair Trade certified sellers.
Labels: chocolate, Colombia, economic alternatives, fair trade, flowers, labor, US/LEAP, worker rights
