i've been seeing a lot of posts about toms shoes lately

and while it’s awesome that you’re able to give a child a pair of shoes every time you yourself buy a pair of shoes, there’s a better alternative out there that i think a lot of people don’t know about.

better looking, too. there, i said it. toms shoes are pretty unappealing, in my opinion.

anyway, the company i’m talking about is soleRebels. the great thing about soleRebels is that their home base is in ethiopia. not the united states or china or anywhere else that could mass-produce shoes, but in the country that the company is aiming to help. the idea behind this is that it’s good to give someone something they need (shoes), but it’s better to give them a job to buy lots of things they need.

from kelsey timmerman, who originally drew my attention towards the company:

SoleRebels’ employees are paid about 300% more than other such workers in Ethiopia. All of the products that go into making a SoleRebels shoe are within a 60 mile radius of the city. As Bethlehem, the founder of SoleRebels, says, “We are green by heritage.”

one of the most interesting realizations about this company is that, while the shoes range from $17 to $60, they’re still generating enough revenue to pay the employees 300% of the standard in ethiopia. the shoes are well-made and affordable, yet companies with much more expensive shoes are paying their employees much, much less.

the website also has a large section on their status as the only certified fair trade shoe company out there - an added bonus!

before ending this post, i do want to underscore the fact that i’m not trying to be anti-toms. they’re doing a better job at being world-conscious than a lot of shoe companies out there, but i also think that if you’re going to buy their shoes to help people out, there’s another (better) alternative out there.

Fair Trade || Jim and Dark!Molly (AU)

It was sort of like a contract with the devil himself. Molly Hooper had agreed to work with Jim in exchange for Sherlock to be left alive. Not that Jim hadn’t already tried to kill him once. They had both cheated death; the criminal and the detective. But Molly wasn’t willing to take any more chances, and had agreed to be the lamb.

She’d been working with him since his return - they had communicated before he made his ‘resurrection’ public. Her job at Bart’s was over, and after assisting Sherlock with his final stunt, she had made it clear that she was going away. Molly hadn’t seen Sherlock since she agreed to work for his enemy. That was for the best, she felt; she was afraid to face him, afraid he wouldn’t understand what she had done, or why she had done it. But she knew she would probably meet him again someday.

It was just Jim and Molly now. They were at his rather luxurious flat in central London, overlooking everything. He had other houses too, scattered across the globe, even a few in the English countryside. But he had said he wanted to plot. Molly, who had ditched the jumpers for more formal clothes, often picked by Jim himself, focused her attention on the red wine she was pouring. She filled two glasses, one for herself and one for her boss. She brought it over to him and set it down on the table next to his leather armchair, listening to the tiny clink of glass touching glass.

All right people. ‘Tis the holiday season and we all know what that means… SHOPPING! Upon watching some news coverage of Black Friday I became a wee bit discouraged on the lack of holiday spirit out there. I don’t know about you but fighting to the death over two-dollar waffle irons at Wal-Mart doesn’t seem all that charming to me. Thus I present a proposition. I propose that we not forget that the holiday season is about more then good deals, bargains and steals but it is about GIVING. So my friends follow this link to a land of happiness and good deeds ( you don’t even need to leave your couch to shop here). The Hunger Site is FULL of unique gifts all with a purpose. You pick the cause. Whether it be Hunger, animal protection or saving the rain forest each gift you buy donates money to someone or something in need. Many of them are hand crafted by people all over the world, not to mention a great deal. Wait! That is not all, the site also promotes eco-friendly and fair trade products. So with the click of a button you can save a life. Plus, you won’t find yourself wrestling over the last pair of socks in The Gap. It is a win-win for everyone.