ICPJ’s own Stephanie Oswald had a great op-ed placed in the Ann Arbor News on Friday, November 30.

Shopping locally for the holidays is a gift to your community
Friday, November 30, 2007
BY STEPHANIE OSWALD

The sound of bells ringing, lights glittering in trees, shop windows decorated with snowflakes and children singing holiday carols all remind us of a simpler time when the season was about generosity, joy and connection with the human family. They remind us of a time when gifts were made with much time and consideration by the town toymaker, seamstress and blacksmith.

Today, instead of the glowing portrait from the holiday carols, we have rampant consumerism, with near riots as shoppers fight over plastic children’s toys made by other children in China, and loved ones are too busy searching for that special gift that there is no time left to spend with that special someone.

Is this what we want for this holiday season?

When the Center for a New American Dream conducted a survey in 2005 about holiday materialism, four out of five Americans surveyed said that they would like to have a more simplified holiday.

How do we simplify? How can we live out a holiday season consistent with the values of community investment, social justice, peace and care for our global family?

One way is to avoid the mass-produced sweatshop-made goods and purchase fair-trade goods. When you buy fair-trade holiday gifts, you can know that the workers who made them were paid a just wage and have good working conditions. They are gifts you can feel good about buying and giving.

Where can you find these gifts? One place is the Alternative Holiday Fair on Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, 512 E. Huron St. There you can find artisan-made goods sold by reputable nonprofit organizations where you know that the money you spend will go to the people who made your gift.

When you shop at the Alternative Holiday Fair, you can find handmade holiday cards from the Philippines, crèches from Latin America and musical instruments from Africa. Doesn’t a well-considered and fairly traded gift from the heart mean much more than buying in to the latest holiday fad?

Another way to simplify your holiday season is to choose locally owned businesses - the local toymaker, the music shop, the funky little art shop downtown. Here not only will you find unique gifts, but the gifts you choose will carry a piece of what you care about - your community.

When you buy from a locally owned business, you can make the holiday season a time to connect to people in your community. After all, those local shops are owned by your neighbors.

One thing to remember in this time of generosity is that local businesses give twice as much per employee to charity than big businesses, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

You can learn more about supporting locally owned businesses from Think Local First, which has a list of specials, events and a Buy Local Challenge on its Web site - www.ThinkLocalFirst.net - that will help support locally owned businesses during the holiday season.

The holidays are a time for family, community and generosity. When you buy fair trade and shop at local businesses, you can find heartfelt gifts for your family while supporting your local community and sharing with artisans around the world.

About the writer: Stephanie Oswald, an Ann Arbor resident, is program coordinator for the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, which is a co-organizer of the Dec. 2 Alternative Holiday Fair. To contribute essays to Other Voices, contact Mary Morgan, opinion editor, at 734-994-6605 or mmorgan@annarbornews.com.