By purchasing gold, you may be empowering Saliou’s corrupt employers and thus promoting his impoverished lifestyle. And it’s not just gold–it’s any product that can be produced by slaves, in sweatshops, or in an otherwise unfair manner, from your morning coffee to the clothes you’re wearing right now. It’s pretty sickening that the world’s needs and desires can fuel a cycle in which employers reap the benefits and starve their workers.

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to actually give up coffee, chocolate, diamonds, and other products in order to fight slavery and underpaid/unsafe labor. Let’s flashback to eighteenth-century England. British abolitionists boycotted slave-produced sugar, causing sales to drop by 33-50% and thus sending a clear message that they wouldn’t tolerate the slave trade. They didn’t even have to give up sugar–just the sugar produced by the slave industry! Because of their efforts and those of lawmakers, Britain abolished the slave trade.

You can take the same type of action today. When you make a commitment to buy fair trade products instead of goods made by slaves and underpaid laborers, you send a message to the world that you refuse to fuel these practices.

Here are some of the 2009 equivalents of boycotting sugar, or ways you can change your habits to take a stand as a modern-day abolitionist. Make these your New Year’s Resolutions. And if you’re daring, get innovative, and do more. Adopt these habits into your lifestyle and then spread them through your school.

Stop before you shop. If you’re heading out to buy coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, fruit, rice, or flowers, check TransFair USA’s database of stores that sell Fair Trade Certified Products. There’s also a list of national retailers that sell Fair Trade Certified Products, like Costco and Whole Foods, and a list of fair trade products you can order at popular stores like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Starbucks.

Look for the label. When you visit the stores listed at the above web sites, don’t assume all the products are fair trade. Unless if it’s a fair trade store (like Ten Thousand Villages), you have to find the Fair Trade Certified label in order to make sure the products you’re buying are fair. This label ensures that the workers who made your product were paid fairly and worked in a safe environment. Read more at the TransFair USA web site.

Don’t buy blood diamonds. Shop for ethical jewelry from sellers like CRED, Ten Thousand Villages, Acholi Beads, and Bead for Life, instead of blood diamonds that perpetuate African conflicts. For more on blood diamonds, check out this movie.

Think first, spend second. Part of being a socially conscious consumer is only spending on what you really need–which isn’t easy. Try to think of some ways you can cut back in 2009, stick to your goals, and then donate the excess.

Go green, go good. Next time you’re ready to buy on eBay, turn to their new web site World of Good. When you click on a product on World of Good, you see a “Goodprint,” or description of your product’s impact, which includes People Positive, Eco Positive, Animal Friendly, and Supports a Cause. Conveniently, World of Good has already set 11 New Year’s Resolutions for you. Looking for other ways you can go green? Go through your bedroom and find things you don’t want/need, then post a Facebook note and give the items away for free, like author May Vanderbilt is doing on her blog.

Want more? Check out this awesome Socially and Environmentally Responsible Gift Guide Facebook group. The discussion board highlights a variety of shopping options in the categories of accessories, food/drink, household items, sports equipment, knick knacks, clothing, causes, electronics, mother earth, jewelry, books/movies/music, wasting time for a purpose, everything, and other ideas. When you check it out, you’ll see that this blog was only a glimpse of the multitude of ways you can plunge into socially conscious shopping. Have fun!

Starting January 1 and ending January 14, I challenge you to drink only water. No juice, no soda, no sports drinks, no (gasp!) coffee, no Jamba Juice—for two weeks. Calculate how much you would have spent on other beverages if you had been drinking them, and donate that money to the Blood:Water Mission, a movement for clean water and HIV/AIDS-free blood, started by the band Jars of Clay.

According to this UNICEF video about the clean water crisis, 1 billion people have little or no access to clean water, and every 15 seconds, another kid dies of water-related diseases or thirst. But let’s take a look at this issue on an individual level: say you sacrifice for two weeks and raise ten dollars. You just saved ten Africans. How cool is that? One dollar provides enough water for an African to survive an entire year, according to the Blood:Water Mission web site. Use this PDF scorecard to calculate how much your sacrifice raised.

As you walk into the New Year, think of other ways you can change your habits to reflect respect and compassion for those who make bigger sacrifices for their families every day, and sometimes still fail to save them from the futures they fear. The 2 Weeks of Sacrifice is a great kickoff, but stop for a second and challenge yourself to go beyond that. Brainstorm with your friends and family. Your resolution can be small, like picking up loose change on the ground every day and donating what you find to Feed My Starving Children (17 cents = 1 meal), or bigger, like sponsoring a child (check out these organizations: World Vision, Compassion International, Kenya Children’s Fund).

Comment here and tell me why you’ll be sacrificing for the next two weeks. When you finish your two weeks (January 14), total up your numbers and post how much you saved for the Blood:Water Mission during your two weeks of sacrifice. To send in your funds, follow this link.

The Blood:Water Mission started when Jars of Clay band member Dan Haseltine traveled to Africa and felt moved to provide much-needed aid. Watch the Blood:Water Mission video and get inspired to make a difference these next couple of weeks. Then e-mail your friends a link to this blog, and ask them to join you in your two weeks of sacrifice.

For more information, visit the Blood:Water Mission at www.bloodwatermission.com.

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As I read these articles, I was amazed at the creative depth of these teen writers. Some stories are painful, others are hopeful. All profoundly reflect raw reality. Here are six stories you should read. For each, I included a thought to ponder and linked to an organization that responds to the global issue mentioned. Here they are:

Travel&Culture: Unconscious by Juliana M. of Medellin, Colombia - Juliana describes an unconscious girl she saw in the streets of her hometown in Colombia, and why she decided to give up her favorite sweater for the girl’s dignity, in spite of the fact that she knew her small act probably wouldn’t matter to the girl. Juliana’s poignant writing will transport you to the scene.
Thought to Ponder: How can teens approach hugely complex problems like poverty, drug abuse, and child prostitution? Why is it so important to stand up for human dignity?
Respond: Love146 and Children International

Poetry: Child Soldiers by Courtney C. of Eaton, CO - In Courtney’s poem, you see the heartbreaking story that is the life of every child soldier. As Courtney writes, they’ve lost their “irreplaceable innocence” to violence, fighting instead of dreaming and learning. Her poem captures the intense devastation of violence on these impressionable children.
Thought to Ponder: Have you ever looked into the eyes of an impoverished child and wondered what caused them to stare back emotionlessly? If not, watch the Invisible Children: Rought Cut documentary, and get to know children who’ve been affected by the war in Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army, which recruits child soldiers. Courtney writes, “Their sobs are unheard, their tears are unseen.” When Boni from the Invisible Children movie tells you that his heart is beeping, you’ll know what Courtney means. For more on children’s eyes, check out this post.
Respond: Invisible Children

Opinion: The Power or Resistance by Kathryn P. of Cumberland, RI - When Kathryn was in second grade, her teacher explained that failing to fight injustice meant you were only perpetuating the evil–an idea that molded her worldview. Kathryn writes, “It takes action to cause change. While my second grade example may seem insignificant compared with genocide, injustice of any kind is wrong, and needs to be stopped.”
Thought to Ponder: Why is it easy to ignore injustices? Did you know 27 million people worldwide are still enslaved? What issues would Mohandas K. Gandhi speak up about if he was alive today? How are we called to respond?
Respond: Loose Change to Loosen Chains

The Toughest Trial by Sam Z. of Eau Claire, WI - Sam describes the experience of fasting for more than a day for World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine, and how it made him think about what starving was like for those who endure it daily.
Thought to Ponder: How often do you  think about starvation? If teen culture changed to be more conscious of starvation, what would be the personal and worldwide effects?
Respond: World Vision and Feed My Starving Children

The Gift of Life by Rebecca H. of Forest Lake, MN - Rebecca’s insightful article about the contrast between America and Africa will challenge you to examine your everyday life. Not only does her article offer vital information on crises in Africa and show the impact of student fundraisers, but it will deepen your understanding of the lives of African kids.
Thought to Ponder: How would one of the impoverished African kids Rebecca mentions at the end of her article feel walking through your life? Other than water, what life-giving gifts have you received? How can you bring these life-giving gifts to those who need it most?
Respond: H20 for Life and Malaria No More

My Christmas Vacation by Kenny S. of Oyster Bay Cove, NY - For Christmas one year, Kenny took a trip to hurricane-devastated New Orleans, serving the homeless and cleaning up the city. Talk about a radical way to spend Christmas.
Thought to Ponder: For many families worldwide struggling through the recession, the holiday season will, at least financially, be very different this year. How can you serve your community and communities in need this week?
Respond: Make It Right Foundation and your local food pantry

Feel free to add your own thoughts! This is your forum!

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A toad to breath yet ambitions before wink,
verses of success and glory already written
with no consult to thoughts yet to wake;
all the sins of our fathers and how they dream.

Burying the truth of all being a vassal,
not one molded for love and happiness
but one made with essence to struggle
with little gayety; there’ll be more cries than smiles.

Yet all kiss the sun in the eye
contending with her sorrows so to live
in hopes of one day in glory die
and chase legend so their names may live

Though regardless of legend in fall
at end, all will be nothing but a ghost on a wall.
=========================================
Life upon a dream

Many times
I sit in my mind
and reminisce
through time
upon my failed loves
and aspirations
and wonder why.

Why after heartbreaks
upon heartbreaks
we attempt to love again
knowing in due time
love turns to pain;

each night I close eyes
and dream of peace
only to wake
in a world heap of sins.

a dream deferred;
the story of humanity.

==============================================

Muse of Nymphs

Reflections strike thought of Newfangled ill
Within the sight of all mirror,
Torching fire for thy tongue to spill
All blindness thy bosom do harbor,
For so oft in barren of wits
I’ve invoked thy fair face for my Muse
Never failing to win heaven’s graces;
Belting nymph melodies from the blankest of verse.
Yet, thy stares at mirror lie sore
But to my pen, a strike at gold
Thus never wishing back the days of yore
In fear of muse, if thine eye, beauty found
For thy lust at mirror lie my treasure
yet grief at blasphemies from such creature
===========================================
Agnostic: a god without a paradise

The sky fall’s
I tear
step backwards
look at phoenix;
she lies in cinders.
No Christ,
the only hope lies
in my palms.

I emerge
a god without a paradise,
shading my wisdom
on this path of darkness.

Lacing my heart with courage,
for no past
exist
and the future in the unseen
heaven
now a phantom, never again promised.

I quote my thoughts
as bible
planting philosophies
in my unborn seed, the disciple:

they shall hate you for what ever you do,
live not by scripture but by good.
Embrace all men, even those who lovely stare,
in face of evil, be aware;
every deed is returned thus be wise;
do these and you shall find yourself a paradise.

1) Trade Fairly

Ten Thousand Villages (tenthousandvillages.com) sells the work of artisans around the world and provides them with income. Whether you need toys, ornaments, jewelry, games, decorations, or instruments, this fair trade store offers a variety of creative gifts for everyone from your grandmother to your kid brother. The coolest thing I’ve found: the Kenyan galimoto, or a little man who rides a bicycle when you push him. Younger siblings and cousins love playing with galimotos, and your easily entertained friends might enjoy them, too. You can shop online or find a store near you.

What you can find:
Galimoto from Kenya: $6
Green Gecko Wall Hanging from Haiti: $12
Wool Baby Vicuna Stuffed Animal from Peru: $14

2) Show Your Commitment

American voices have united in attempts to eliminate poverty through the ONE Campaign. To show your support and help raise awareness of global poverty, hunger, and disease, you can purchase ONE apparel in the campaign store. One idea: grab a cheap pack of wrist bands and hand them out to friends or teachers.

What you can find:
Pack of 10 ONE white bands: $10
ONE T-shirt: $18

3) Reveal the Invisible

If you’ve seen the documentaries Invisible Children: Rough Cut or Go, you know the power a movie has to inspire teens to make a difference in Northern Uganda’s tragic war. These movies are great gifts for friends who appreciate humanitarian causes. You can even play them at a Christmas party and then have a discussion. Also make sure to check out the brand-new Invisible Children clothing designs for the holiday season, including stylish scarves that promote peace in Northern Uganda.

What you can find:
Invisible Children Logo T-shirt: $10
Dove T-shirt, Silver: $10
Invisible Children: Rough Cut documentary: $10
Go documentary: $20
Limited Edition Dove Crest Scarf: $20

4) Wear Beads

Through Bead for Life, you can help a nation of people devastated by war and poverty by buying bracelets and necklaces made by Ugandan women.These make beautiful and thoughtful holiday gifts for your mom, sister, girlfriend, grandmother, aunt, or friend—showing your love not just for another, but for the entire world.

What you can find:
Bangle Bracelet: $5
3 Strand Bracelet: $15
Triple Swirl Necklace: $20

5) Ignite Love

Check out Call for Love clothing. For every item bought, $5 is donated to various causes around the world including education and healthcare for orphans in Rwanda, mosquito nets to protect African families from malaria, and restoring hope to victims of sex trafficking in Southeast Asia. To order Call for Love’s T-shirts, hoodies, and bandanas, look through their clothing catalog and e-mail the style and size to CFLclothing@aol.com.

What you can find:
“When In Doubt, Love” Bandana: $3
Navy “Save the Earth” T-shirt: $10
“Help the Orphans of Rwanda” T-shirt: $10
“Spread Love” T-shirt: $20
Grey “Call for Love” Hoodie: $20

6) Inspire Compassion

You might remember teenager Kendall Ciesemier from this blog post. She founded the nonprofit organization Kids Caring 4 Kids to help African kids who’ve been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis. One way to support her organization is by purchasing a Kids Caring 4 Kids T-shirt.

What you can find:
Kids Caring 4 Kids T-shirt: $10

7) Buy What You Believe In

(RED) is a business model created to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT) RED branded products. Whenever you choose a (RED) product, you contribute to stopping the number-one cause of death in Africa: AIDS. A portion of the proceeds goes toward buying and distributing anti-retroviral medicine that will help victims of AIDS. So if clothes, coffee, iTunes gift cards, cell phones, laptops, holiday greeting cards, iPods, shoes, or digital watches are on your loved ones’ holiday shopping list, choose (RED).

What you can find:
SHA(RED) JOY Holiday Personalized Photo Flat Card: $0.99
Gap UNCENSO(RED) T-shirt: $14.99 (sale price)
Hallmark Mali Mud Cloth Bag made by African artisans: $19.99
iTunes (PRODUCT) RED Gift Card: $25

A version of the (RED) description previously appeared in Teen Ink magazine’s “Extra Ink.” A version of this article, “Save Lives by Shopping,” appears on IgniteYourFaith.com. Photos are from respective store web sites (except for the photo of the galimoto).

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With the ability to zoom in on one’s own house and view photos of college campuses, Google Earth may be a source of amusement and interest, but this program also serves a greater purpose.

Many nonprofit organizations now use Google Earth to quickly locate refugee camps and provide aid. In dire emergencies, lack of communication and panic can make it almost impossible to find those in greatest need, so Google Earth is a necessary advantage for aid workers. In fact, after Hurricane Katrina, some used this technological tool for rescue operations, according to Frank Jordans’s April 2008 Associated Press report. Google Earth now offers its $400 enhanced program to humanitarian groups for free; the regular Google Earth program is free for everyone.

As if rescuing refugees wasn’t enough, Google Earth also helps groups like UNICEF, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the UN Refugee Agency change the way the world views humanitarian crises across the globe. A visit to a refugee camp on Google Earth, for example, places the viewer amidst the haunting realities of violence and poverty. Such up-close coverage closes the distance between well-off lives and genocides, conflicts, and other human rights issues igniting the world.

Without knowledge of these critical stories, the rampant fires of bloodbaths today will continue to burn. Just take a look at Rwanda, 1994, when the world had the opportunity to rescue so many innocents.

As one American TV reporter said in Hotel Rwanda—according to the “This Week” list of quotes in ABC News—“If people see this footage they’ll say, ‘Oh my god, that’s horrible,’ and go on eating their dinners.”

In 1994, concern did not translate into action, and one million people died in a span of just 100 days, according to Explore Faith’s Hotel Rwanda web site coverage. Although some did respond, their efforts were not enough to save those one million people—deaths that could have been prevented if the entire world had rallied behind justice in Rwanda.

But thanks to today’s technology, donating to the suffering—and collectively extinguishing the flames of war, genocide, and poverty—is easy on the Internet. Take a few seconds to input a credit card number and click a mouse; it’s this simplicity that encourages more people to donate. Meanwhile, Google Earth holds the potential of bringing to light some of the unnoticed tragedies that seldom reach the TV screen.

But is technology enough to change apathetic attitudes? Like Rwanda in 1994 and slavery prior to the Civil War, the world may look back on the deaths in places like Darfur, Uganda, Colombia, Zimbabwe, and the Congo, and wonder why its ancestors did nothing to diffuse these tragedies.

U2’s Bono spoke eloquently about the current generation at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., a transcript of which appeared on USAToday.com. “I truly believe that when the history books are written,” Bono said, “our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did—or did not to—to put the fire out in Africa.”

To view the refugee camps, download Google Earth and then download the UNHCR layer at http://www.unhcr.org/events/47f48dc92.html. Also check out the “World is Witness,” “Crisis in Darfur,” and “Mapping the Holocaust” Google Earth layers at http://www.ushmm.org/maps.

Has anyone tried out Google Earth’s layers? If so, what do you think?

What does it take to get concern to translate into action? What inspires and motivates you to help others?

Starbucks will also donate five cents for every (RED) beverage sold until January 2. The (RED) holiday flavors include gingersnap, peppermint mocha twist, and espresso truffle. According to the Starbucks web site, 9 (RED) drinks pay for one day’s worth of the antiretroviral medicine (ARVs) that fight HIV/AIDS–a cost of 45 cents.

HIV/AIDS is a rising pandemic comparable to the black plague. In his book Red Letters, author Tom Davis points out that after the bubonic plague devastated Europe, one third of Europeans had died. In comparison, over a third of adults in Zimbabwe had HIV by the end of 2003, Davis said. For more information, read my review of Red Letters here.

Here are some more creative ideas on ways you can celebrate the 20th World AIDS Day this Monday, December 1. The World AIDS Campaign set this year’s theme as “Lead - Empower - Deliver.”

1. Wear a (RED) T-shirt or red ribbon on Monday, and make sure to tell your friends about World AIDS Day. You can even make red ribbons for your friends and give them away at school.

2. Ask someone to take a picture of you with your (RED) gear or HIV/AIDS red ribbon and post it on your Facebook. Then write on the wall of the Teen Ink Global Issues Facebook group to show your support.

3. Watch this video for a visual of the 33.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS today. Then e-mail it to your friends or post a link on your Facebook.

4. Click through this Access to Life photo essay. It portrays some of the people living with HIV/AIDS before and after they received ARVs.

5. Donate $1 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. That’s two days’ worth of ARVs.

6. Remember one of these HIV/AIDS statistic for Monday, and bring it up when you talk to your friends about World AIDS Day: 12 million African kids have lost one or more parents to AIDS (according to Red Letters), 33 million people today are living with HIV/AIDs (according to AVERT), and 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981 (according to AVERT).

7. Sign the World Vision Stand Up for the Fight Against AIDS petition.
8. Share an idea by posting in the comments section.

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-Panda Bear

-Panda Bear

1) Ask your parents for a goat this holiday season. Or two chickens. Or five ducks, some clean water tablets, or a bag of seeds. After they get over their confusion about having two chickens strutting around the house, explain that you’re actually talking about World Vision. The goat, the chickens and the rest will support a needy family with food and a source of income. For more information and gift ideas, check out the World Vision Gift Catalog at www.worldvisiongifts.org.

2) Join the Marines … in a toy drive. Launch a toy drive in your neighborhood to benefit the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots. Every year, the Marines deliver presents to American kids whose families can’t afford Christmas gifts. Distribute a flier to let your neighbors know about your Toys for Tots drive and suggest some toy ideas. You can grab some images to brighten your flier on the Toys for Tots web site. After you’ve collected toys, deliver your presents to a local Toys for Tots Drop Location, found on www.toysfortots.org.

3) Go shopping! If you’re planning to shop online this Christmas through iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, GAP, Target, Walmart, Macy’s and many more online stores, then you can give money to worthy causes just by shopping. Really. By using GoodSearch.com, any online store you buy from will donate a percentage of your purchase price to the organization of your choice. Some worthy organizations participating include World Vision, Feed My Starving Children, Invisible Children, Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion International. eBay is one of the biggest donors—they give between 25 to 37.5 percent of your purchase price. To use this service, go to the GoodShop page, enter the organization you’d like to help and select your store. It’s that easy.

4) Get rid of the extra change. With Feed My Starving Children—a humanitarian organization that sends nutritious meals to third-world countries—a little money goes a very long way. Just fifteen cents provides a meal for a starving kid. In fact, one child can get one meal a day for an entire year for only $55. If you have a little extra change, consider donating it to put food in the stomach of a starving child.

5) Donate in a friend’s honor. Give your friends UNICEF-Inspired Gifts—education, immunization, water, nutrition, HIV/AIDS care, or emergency help—to benefit the world’s neediest. Some cool gifts you’ll want to check out are high energy/protein biscuits, therapeutic milk, mosquito nets, measles vaccinations, bikes, and wool blankets. Check it out at inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org.

A version of this article previously appeared on IgniteYourFaith.com.

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