sarah's sustainable life

you don’t have to know me very well to know that i am not a fashionista. (my husband still has to tell me whether or not my clothing “matches” before i leave the house.) but there’s one thing i do know about fashion: like food, it is a multi-billion dollar industry that manipulates and exploits its workers, its resources, and its patrons. how refreshing to find companies that manage to do good with necessary products (like clothing) without charging outrageous amounts of money or looking ridiculous. enter mata traders. fair trade and vegan are just the beginning! in its own words, “Mata Traders’ clothing and accessories are original designs handmade in India by women’s co-ops and artisan groups. Our producers are paid a livable wage and do their work at home or in small workshops rather than factories. Mata fabrics contain a history and preserve an art. Most are hand block printed with eco-friendly vegetable dyes, supporting an artisan based textile tradition existing in India for centuries.” check out the website! i think you’ll be as excited as i was to see so many choices of beautiful clothing at very reasonable prices!!

like the idea of organic & fair trade coffees, but not the price tag? well, if you live in the san antonio area, you are in luck this week! central market on broadway is introducing a line of coffees called bean tree. they are organic, fair trade, and delicious! formerly only available online, these coffees can be enjoyed fresh-brewed at the coffee bar of any central market. and to acquiesce the inevitable uproar that comes with any change, this week only a large cup of this coffee is only $.99! if your one of those “coffee drinkers” who that thinks starbucks brews a decent cup, expect to be changed when you taste this stuff! stop by sometime this week to try it for cheap. i’ll most likely be there!