Students looking to become more socially responsible by purchasing eco-friendly and fair trade products do not have to look far.Local stores and shops have adopted new ways of obtaining their products that make it safer for the environment and help out the poverty-stricken countries whose workers produce the products we use.Highland Coffees, located in the Northgate area of the University, has sold fair-trade coffee for many years.Clarke Cadzow, manager and owner of Highland Coffees, said his business takes part in social responsibility movement because he does not want to feel like his business is taking advantage of the farmers his shop depends on.”The goal of the fair trade movement is to try to improve the lives of the farmers,” Cadzow said. “We want them to make more money for the coffee they produce in order to send their kids to decent schools, keep clothes on their backs and feed their kids. If they can have decent lives, it makes us feel better.”Hannah Fullerton, biochemistry junior, said she was unaware her favorite local coffee shop sold fair-trade products.”I’m not surprised this place participates in the movement,” she said. “I would be more inclined to shop at places that use fair-trade programs because it is a good program.”But what is the “fair-trade” movement? What does it mean to be socially responsible? How are eco-friendly products better for the environment?Fair-trade products are those produced by companies who provide a legal minimum wage and a living wage. These products comply with all state, national and international laws and are produced in a safe, working environment.Eco-friendly products are any recycled or organic products free of harmful chemicals. Socially responsible products are made by a company or business that acts in a manner that affects society positively.The International Federation for Alternative Trade, the global network of fair-trade organizations, defines fair trade as “a partnership between producers and workers that seeks greater equity in international trade.”Contributing to the sustainable development by offering better trading conditions, this movement provides a fair price for payment, not only for the costs of production. It also enables socially just and environmentally-safe production.The fair-trade movement began in the U.S. in the late 1940s. IFAT and the European Fair Trade Association have worked            together since 1998 to be the leading force of the fair-trade movement in the world.Our Daily Bread is another local merchant that participates in the fair-trade movement. The store provides customers with an alternative choice when it comes to buying groceries and health care products.Mike Broussard, manager of Our Daily Bread, said the movement is efficient in providing customers with a healthy alternative that also helps the producing countries.Broussard said they do not mark products with special labels informing customers that the product they are buying is part of the fair-trade movement.”I can’t see how anyone would argue with the program, so we don’t label our products,” Broussard said.The most recent store to follow in the trend of providing eco-friendly products is Noelie Harmon.The specialty boutique store on Corporate Boulevard offers customers products that are either socially responsible, eco-friendly, fair trade or local artisan.Co-owners Jennifer Gatz Fowler and Amy Strother Gatz said they opened the store with the concept of finding lines of fashion and designs that come from good companies that pay attention to the environment and take care of their employees. Fowler and Gatz said they take every measure possible to ensure their customers purchase socially-responsible products.”We actually do a lot of research,” Fowler said. “We speak with the manufacturers and really try to do our homework so we can say the products we sell are actually fair trade.”Fowler said the companies they deal with provide information that explains the process of how these products were made and produced. Fowler also said most of the products in the store are made in the U.S.”There were actually a few lines we really loved but after researching further, the companies couldn’t prove they were fair trade,” said Fowler. “We really feel like it’s important to know what we’re selling so we can assure anyone who comes in that what we’re selling is good.”Fowler said each item in the store has a label that informs the customer whether the product is socially responsible, eco-friendly, fair trade or local artisan. Each item in the store has to fall into one of those categories.Fowler does not know if any independent certification organizations exist.Fowler said her business not try to sell only products that are good for the environment and made in good working conditions, but also tries to educate the public.”A lot of people don’t understand why it’s important to buy from a fair-trade or socially-responsible company,” she said. “By providing our business here in Baton Rouge, we hope not only that we can make these products available to customers ,but also educate them on why it’s important.”Fowler encouraged University students to come in and see what their store has to offer.”LSU students are forward thinking, progressive and are a lot more knowledgeable about why this is all important,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of students come in over the summer, but we’re hoping that since the semester is approaching, more students will come and take a look.”—-Contact Joshua Chenier at [email protected]