Site Updates

As this prairie dog emerges from its hole, so do we emerge from our fortress of solitude.

Whoa, so that was a bit of an unexpected hiatus. But here we are! There were a handful of factors contributing to our recent break from posting, so before we dive back into our regularly scheduled programming I wanted to share a little bit about what’s been happening since our last post.

First of all, the world changed in a big way with Trump’s election to the presidency. I’ve personally been struggling with how to wrap my mind around the overall significance of his win as well as the specifics of particular actions he has taken. I try to be cautious against rhetoric that paints any groups or perspectives with a broad brush—X is the only moral option, Y is inexplicable and evil!—and since that seems to be the popular tone of our time, I’m feeling overwhelmed by the task of finding levelheaded analysis of current events. I’m also trying to be cognizant of the difference between “things any Republican president would do” and “unusual things Trump is doing”—and trying to determine whether that should make a difference in how I respond if I don’t think the thing being done is good for the country.

Many of the topics of current national discussion (such as American manufacturing, environmental deregulation, and the treatment of refugees) are related to the responsible and connected lifestyle we want to promote here at Fair for All, but so far I haven’t felt sure about how to make our content contribute to those conversations in a valuable way. We’re not a political blog, and I don’t want us to become one, but I do think we’re in a time now when average citizens are becoming more socially and politically active, and I want us to continue providing resources to help people channel their convictions into meaningful lifestyle choices.

Second, on a personal note, I bought one of these:

I’m a homeowner! (Or a person indebted to a homeowning bank, but same diff.) The timing of my home purchase aligned eerily with the political cycle: My offer was accepted on election night and I moved in the weekend of the Inauguration. I’ve personally been spending a lot of time on move- and house-related stuff over the last three months, but I’m finally settled in and ready to get back to a routine that includes writing. I’ve been brainstorming green home topics to add to our mix, since I’ll now have all new realms of energy efficiency and sustainable furnishing to explore. I’m already on a mission to furnish the house with as few brand-new items as possible, and I’m excited to share my progress.

While the future is distinctly uncertain, one thing we can be sure of is that there will be a lot to discuss, and we’re glad to be back with you to do just that. (We’re also glad to get back to our fun events, like our next clothing swap on March 15!) Let us know what would be helpful content for us to cover over the coming months, and we’ll do our best to bring the goods.

I’m on a quick family vacation right now with my dear sister (check her out if you like interior design and DIY projects). I’ll be back with a regular post later this week, but I wanted to take this random-post opportunity to foreshadow something new I have in the works.

Coming soon!

It’s somewhat related to Fair for All but is also something completely different. I may be a little more hit-or-miss with regular posting as I shift some attention to this new project. It’s exciting and a little scary (for me, not anyone else, I hope) and I’m looking forward to when I can officially share it with you!

With that extremely vague teaser, have a great start to your week and try not to lie awake wondering!

Sometimes you feel like writing a blog post, sometimes you feel like revamping your blog’s whole layout. This weekend was the latter for me, so ta-da! If after you’ve bathed your eyes in the refreshing new layout you still want to take in some actual content, I thought this would be a good time to share some of my favorite posts from the last several months, in case you’ve missed them:

Behind the Scenes of Fair Trade Fashion with Liz Alig

Handkerchiefs: An Eco Throwback. Followed up by My Verdict on Handkerchiefs.

A Minimal Shoe Wardrobe

Make It Work: Skinny Dress Pants DIY

Personal Shopper: Ethical Pet Supplies

Hey Dude: Ethical Clothing for Men

Carrying Less

I used to occasionally read through my old diaries from middle school, and I was always shocked to realize how much the same person I was then as I am now. My personality and writing style and things I was concerned about… It’s weird to feel like you’ve grown but you’re the same person at the same time. Anyway, that’s how I felt comparing the Carrying Less post to my recent post Why I’m Not a Minimalist. It’s cool to go back a whole year and see the philosophical threads that carry through.

How do you feel when you look back on older things you’ve written?

I just got back from a trip to Iceland and my brain is full of beautiful sights like these!

My travel buddy Valerie and I agreed that four-wheeling in Iceland is the best thing we have ever done, ever.

I’ll be back next week with a normal post after I catch up and slowly ease out of my mountain dream state.

As the ethical consumerism movement has grown and evolved over the last year, we started thinking about the name of this site: the Fair for All Shopping Guide. We’re entering a landscape where there are many more ethical shopping options than there were even five years ago, but it’s also a landscape where some brands are beginning to engage in “ethical-washing” to appear more socially responsible (the same way that many brands now engage in “greenwashing” to appear more eco-friendly). Even the purchase of an ethically-made item has implications on overconsumption, natural resource use, and a range of other issues.

We realized it’s important to avoid giving the message that shopping can be the solution to the world’s problems. Shopping differently can make a real positive impact, but it’s not everything. As such, we have decided to remove the word “shopping” from the Fair for All Shopping Guide name. We are now simply the Fair for All Guide.

Does the name change mean our content is changing? Yes and no. We still plan to cover fairly made products and ethical brands, because we do truly believe in the power of individual purchases to make a difference. However we will also explore other ethical lifestyle topics that are not related to shopping, like living with less, upcycling, reducing waste, etc.

We’re excited about this change and hope you are too! Conveniently, our URL and Facebook and Twitter handles remain the same. Let us know if there are any topics you’d like to see us cover this year!

Change is in the air at the Fair for All Shopping Guide! After being live for a little over a year, we have reevaluated our approach and will be making some exciting changes to our format.

Since we launched the site in early 2012, there have been some excellent advances in the world of ethical consumerism. Several online retail outlets have emerged with a dedicated focus on stocking ethical products, and non-profit initiatives such as Free2Work have begun releasing more resources on how to shop your values. The topic of ethical consumerism has also gained traction in the news media and blogosphere.

Because of these shifts in the ethical shopping landscape, as well as a realization of the limitations of our small team, Fair for All is going to alter its format in the coming weeks. We’ll be switching a blog-centric format, moving blog posts to the main page of the site and posting about a variety of topics related to ethical consumerism. We’ll highlight specific retailers and products; share stories about challenges and successes in ethical shopping; discuss resources published by fair trade organizations; explore vintage, thrift, and handmade items as ethical options; and more.

Our existing directory will remain available, and we’ll continue to add stores to it as we feature them in the blog. However our primary focus will be on sharing current, relatable, and helpful content to help our readers make shopping choices that align with their values.

Posts may be less frequent while we transition to the new format, which will also include a redesign of the site. We hope you’ll bear with us as we move ahead to create an even more valuable resource. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!