Originally posted at Green Options.

Chocolate, along with coffee and tea, is one of the most popular Fair Trade certified products available. Côte d’Ivoire is the largest producer of cocoa in the world, and the abundance of this popular ingredient has played a major role in the country’s political crisis. A diplomatic source in Abidjan made the comparison that cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire “is the same as timberor diamonds were in Liberia.”

Read more at Green Options

Ok, it hasn’t gotten that bad yet but we do have a nice group of regular visitors building up. Honestly it had barely even registered to me, in Guyana ants where a part of . .. well, of everything. They have ants that are so small as to be a moving dot, and ones the size of my index finger that built a nice nest in our shower. Apparently the latter had a nasty bite, but I didn’t ever test that out, I was more afraid of them carrying me off. Ants in the water, drink ‘em down. Ants in the air tight sugar container, brush ‘em off. Ants in the sealed skittles bag (how in the??) eating only the candy coating, pick out the salvageable ones.

So when these little friends took up a march in our house, it didn’t seem that big of a deal. But as my sister pointed out, duh, ants are gross, and not an assumed aspect of living in Kansas. So it’s time to usher these guys outside. On our quest to get greener, this seems a great opportunity. Rather than grab the Raid, I found some other options:

Vinegar - apparently this has a scent that messes up ants ability to guide themselves and they avoid it.

Baby Powder or black pepper - a few sprinkles around their line, or where they are entering should keep the pesky guys at bay. A sprinkle around your honey and sugar bowl will ensure their sweet tooth isn’t enticed.

I’m picking up some vinegar, and will let you know who emerges the victor.

At Green Options we posted a series which takes a closer look at the various criteria for Fair Trade:

Transparency

Environment

Financial Assistance

Technical Assistance

Wages

No, but we did drop of the face of the internet for a bit. Brady and I spent 10 wonderful days in Tobago and Guyana and have fallen behind on our posting duties. While there is new content coming (promise!), check out these posts from us over at Green Options:

A Divine Trade
Divine chocolate and the First Womans Awards

Dean’s Beans and the Fairer Trade
A coffee company that goes above and beyond the minimum criteria for Fair Trade

Fair Trade: Hitting Close to Home
Fair Trade is not limited to distant lands, but is important in domestic purchases too.

How Can We Play Fair
A look at the Fair Tracing Project and an example of how the interface may look.

Will Environmental Concerns Figure into New US Trade Policy?
A look at the new trade policy and it’s approach toward the environment

Fair Trade: Certification
A breakdown of the different labels and organizations involved in Fair Trade and what they mean.

Fair Trade: Healing Diamonds
Fair Trade moves into the glitzy world of diamonds

A Fair Trade Failure
A look at one of the shortcomings which must be addressed within the movement.

EBAY UK Now Has a Fairer Side
EBAY UK allows users to search for only Fair Trade items

The Other Fair Trade
A look at the other Fair Trade and the frequent confusion between the two.