Fair Trade Winds in Stony Brook offers a wide variety of handmade wares that aren't merely cool to look at or fun to use. The fair trade standard ensures that the artisans behind them are well taken care of. In many cases the sale of the goods benefits entire villages or movements in developing countries. Here are five great gifts we found at a recent trip to the store.
1. Chocolate bars made from start to finish -- "Bean to bar" -- in Madagascar are available in multiple flavors, including pink pepper and citrus ($5).
2. "Junk Yard Critters" are desk accessories made from recycled metal junk -- screws, bolts, washers, etc. These take on a new life as a little stick figure playing a musical instrument ($14-$20).
3. ReStyle toiletry bags ($41) are ready to travel once again: they're made from recycled tire tubes and seatbelts.
4. Birdhouses made in Nepal are fashioned from hand-felted and naturally water resistant sheep's wool, and feature an adjustable opening to suit whichever birds you hope to attract ($28).
5. Colored pencils made from recycled wood aren't that unusual, but these are really cool in addition to being fair trade. Buy a 10-pack of large ones for $10 or small ones for $5.
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