Sam's Club Sells Fair Trade Flowers

It's very cool to see a large company like Sam's Club get behind the Fair Trade program.  They're now offering Fair Trade flowers for sale on their website.  You can read all about Fair Trade flowers here, but the important thing to know is that in addition to labor and environmental standards, a portion of the purchase price goes directly to the workers for a community development project (like a microlending program, a program to supply families with livestock, computer education, etc.)  This means that people who work on these farms are not just guaranteed a good, safe job, they also have some new options to help them move out of poverty. 

It also tends to be the more "high-end" farms that participate, meaning that you may be getting higher quality flowers from Fair Trade farms.  Really, this is a winning situation for everybody, and the fact that Sam's Club is participating means that some very big buying decisions are being made that reward these farms that really make a difference.

Check the Fair Trade Flowers website for more sources of Fair Trade flowers, including 1-800 Flowers and Organic Bouquet.

Comments

[janet]

that seems like a great trade.

[Teresa]

Fair Trade is great! Thank goodness for Fair Trade flowers too! However, please keep in mind when you purchase flowers from large box stores- like Sam's and Costco, your money (or most of it) goes OUT of your local economy! Buy flowers from your local independent florists sometimes too! Competition from big huge chain stores makes it REALLY tough for independent, local retailers to stay above water these days...so if people cannot 'spread the love' to their local economy (buy flowers from their local independent florists, and farmers markets), then everyone better be prepared to shop at big box stores for everything, all the time, and forever!
And if you already do support your LOCAL, INDEPENDENT FLORIST- a big THANK YOU TO YOU!!!

[Vince]

You guys do a wonderful job! Keep up the good work!!!l