1. La goutte au nez, 2. SOB NOSSOS PÉS, 3. 215/365 chocoholic, 4. 1030 calories…

Hello, lovelies! Here are this week’s tips to get you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, while also kick starting your noggin!

Choose your chocolate wisely - “When people eat chocolate, they are eating my flesh” - Drissa, a child slave in Côte d’Ivoire. Okay, if that quote didn’t make you concerned, then you have no soul! Just joking. But seriously, do you consider where your chocolate comes from? How does the idea of eating chocolate made by child slaves sound to you? According to Slavery, a BBC program by members of True Vision, thousands of children in Africa are stolen from their parents, being sent to the Ivory Coast and sold to cocoa farmers as slaves. Imagine working for 18 hours a day, unpaid and being beaten if you don’t comply. This is exactly what is happening to them, and even though slavery is illegal in all countries, they have no way of escaping.
So what can you do about it? Well, choosing your chocolate wisely is the best move. Fair Trade always guarantee you A-grade, 100% ethical chocolate. You should also visit Slave-Free Chocolate and scroll down to have a look at the chart which compares brands. You’ll be surprised at the results and I’m sure you’ll look at your next chocolate bar with your head and not your stomach!

Avoid electrical appliances - I don’t know about you, but my kitchen is stocked with handheld appliances. There’s something gratifying in manually beating eggs or cream, not only because I find the 50’s fun to re-live (or that I develop a strong right arm!), but because I’m saving energy and money. There are so many unnecessary appliances out there, like sandwich makers, popcorn makers or electric can openers, and they cost your country millions of dollars in wasted electricity. Just something to consider the next time you whip up a storm!

Customise your own commandments - To get an idea of what’s important to you and what you think is vital and needed for our planet, try and come up with your own set of commandments. It’ll be a list to keep you in check and remind yourself of your own beliefs and morals. Here’s a few contemporary commandments to get you started:

1. Preserve your health for old age.
2. Choose work that is life-enhancing.
3. Resolve disputes without resorted to violence and name-calling.
4. Refrain from acts that seriously impinge on the well-being of others.
5. Preserve the beauty and diversity of our planet for future generations.
6. Thou shalt not wear flip-flops and socks - just kiddin’!

What would be one of your personal commandments?

Big love & squishy hugs,

EDIT: You can now sign an online petition for the Australian chocolate industry to change the way they trade cocoa! Sign here at; www.donttradelives.com.au