It’s that time of year again – when advertisers and retailers clamour for your attention and urge you to BUY, BUY, BUY – NOW, NOW, NOW! Expect sale stampedes in shopping centres, garish email alerts offering discounts, sex-sells billboard mentality and rampant gender-stereotyping when it comes to toy advertising.
Last year we started what will now be a Spinifex blogging tradition – offering you sexploitation-free, fair-trade, eco-friendly and thoughtful gift ideas. And for a list of what not to buy, we turn to Collective Shout for their ‘Cross em’ off your Xmas list’ list.
You'll find that a few of the retailers listed this year also appeared in last year's blog - but we've added quite a few new names too, because we want to constantly build on this list. And we always welcome your input - so if you have suggestions for us, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below!
And while below is a list of mostly material gift-buying options, we can’t stress enough that it’s creating memories and just spending time together that should top any wish list these holidays.
Stay Safe & Seasons Greetings
From,
The Spinifex Team
☼☼☼
WRAPPING PAPER
Evergreen Wrap: wrap gifts, carry shopping, or wear as a scarf!
CHRISTMAS CARDS
Earth Greeting Cards: for every card pack, they donate $1.65 to Trees For Life to plant a native tree. Printed carbon neutral in Australia with vegetable based ink on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
FOR A BIT OF EVERYTHING
New Internationalist ethical shop
Cancer Council
Oxfam Australia
Friends of the Earth
KIDS’ CLOTHES, TOYS & OTHER GIFT IDEAS
Every Little Girl: 10% of their profits go to projects that enable little girls in developing countries to access health care, education and protection.
Eternal Creation
The Singing Whale
Windmill Educational
The Friendship Tree
New Moon Girls: we can't stress enough how much we love this magazine! It's by girls, for girls and 100% advertising-free. This is your anti-Dolly/Girlfriend. Not a diet tip, boy drama column or modelling contest in sight!
BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Aesop
Jurlique
Mukti Botanicals
Perfect Potion
BOOKS
Readings Bookshop
Mary Ryan's Books
Avid Reader
Gleebooks
Fullers Bookshop
IPG: for our friends in America & Canada!
Spinifex Press: Whether you're looking to buy something for friends, family or yourself, a book is a gift from the heart. Behind the scenes a great deal of care and passion goes into choosing the books that we eventually publish. Our books have focused on and emerged from, Palestine, Africa, the Middle East, India, the Philippines, the UK and Australia. From the political to the humorous, from the heartbreaking to the fantastical, whatever your taste our 2012 list has something for everyone.
From now until Dec 21 - Spinifex is offering free freight on all Australian & International orders!
CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES
Sevenly: for every purchase, they give $7 to that week’s chosen charity. Some of the represented charities have included; ‘All Girls Allowed’, revealing the injustice of China’s one-child-policy. ‘Laura’s House’, which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse. And ‘Generosity Water’, dedicated to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries.
People Tree
Step Up
Out of Print: very cool clothing designs using vintage book covers. For each product sold, one book is donated to a community in need through partner charity; Books For Africa.
Blue Caravan
Seed Heritage
A Skulk of Foxes
Adie + George
TOMS shoes: we love this brand! For every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need.
Pippa Small Jewellery:this designer is involved with the first Fair Trade gold mine in Bolivia, a mine that works to ensure that the health and safety of miners are a priority and the protection of the environment .
Bibico
FOR THE HOME
Albatross
HolySheet!
Bird Textile
Biome
Signed & Numbered:great art gallery with affordable prints! A wonderful collection of Australian and International artists produce small runs of limited edition prints, sold out of this little shop (also available to buy online!)
ALTERNATIVE GIVING
Indigenous Literacy Foundation: aims to raise literacy levels and improve the lives and opportunities of Indigenous children living in remote and isolated regions.
Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library: aims to make books more accessible to the homeless and disadvantaged members of our society, change our attitudes to these people and encourage literacy.
Collective Shout: a grassroots campaigns movement mobilising and equipping individuals and groups to target corporations, advertisers, marketers and media which objectify women and sexualise girls to sell products and services.
Half the Sky Movement: cutting across platforms to ignite the change needed to put an end to the oppression of women and girls worldwide.
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media: the only research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate, and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a wide variety of female characters for entertainment targeting children 11 and under.
Camfed: the Campaign for Female Education is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating poverty in Africa through the education of girls and the empowerment of young women
