A colorful sample of handmade scarves by Janine Vanderburg founder of New Purpose and founder and ceo of [Joining Vision and Action].

It’s December! The holidays are quickly approaching and there’s so much to do—shopping, holiday parties, decorating your house or tree, seeing friends and eating out with loved ones. Although we’re bombarded with commercials urging us to BUY, BUY, BUY and take advantage of the numerous sales, let’s take a moment to remember that our buying choices can ALSO change the world.  As JVA expands its social enterprise services, we’ve taken time to identify businesses that are “doing good” while also selling gifts that anyone would love. Read on for some of my favorites…

I admit, I love driving around and looking at Christmas lights, and my tree and decorations stay up through January.  For great ornaments and decorations that are fair-trade and created by artists from around the world, visit Ten Thousand Villages at its Cherry Creek location, at retail stores across the U.S. or online.

Are you planning lunch with friends over the holiday season?  Head over to Pizza Fusion—a Denver restaurant owned by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless that provides jobs and training to individuals in its programs. Pizza Fusion uses organic, locally-sourced ingredients and has gluten-free and vegan options. Pizza Fusion is also very conscious of its impact on the environment.

Holiday Parties

I love planning holiday parties, and my favorite wine to serve and promote is OneHope Wine, a company that gives 50% of its profits to charity. OneHope was originally started to help a friend of the founder who had cancer, but its principle of “giving back is good business” took off, and it has now given back more than $1 million to charities supporting cancer, autism, AIDS, clean water and others.  Don’t worry, I’ve tried most of the varieties for you, and they pass the taste test as well. If you are catering your party, consider using Café Options, the catering arm of Work Options for Women, a social enterprise using food to change the lives of low-income women.

Buy Presents

Let’s not forget the need to buy presents for our family and friends. This year at JVA’s holiday party (December 11 at JVA), we’ve invited some local social enterprise vendors to give you this opportunity:

• Edge of Seven’s grassroots programs empower girls in developing countries through the sale of its gorgeous purses and bags.
• Outreach Uganda, supports Ugandan women entrepreneurs with its beaded jewelry—I can never have enough of these multi-colored necklaces and bracelets.
• Earthlinks provides job training to homeless participants who create some fabulous eco-friendly products, including soap, bee boxes, flower bowls and hand-sewn dog coats. I personally love Earthlinks’ peppermint lip balm made from beeswax and essential oils.
• New Purpose is a social enterprise founded by JVA President/CEO Janine Vanderburg, which makes scarves and accessories from upcycled cashmere and wool sweaters. A percentage of the proceeds will go to Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance.

For the sister, mom or girlfriend in your life, consider buying from a local jeweler such as MoSilver, which gives the majority of its profits to organizations working to end malaria and disease in Africa. Mo makes amazing custom keepsake pendants and jewelry.

And if you need gifts for your clients, partners or co-workers, we love the Women’s Bean Project. Women’s Bean Project has been working to help break the cycle of poverty for women in Colorado since 1989—teaching job readiness and job-skills through employment in its gourmet food production and jewelry business. They have great gift baskets and will work with you to put together exactly what you want for your best clients.

Re-Energize

After shopping, re-energize with a hot chai from Bhakti Chai, a Boulder company founded on socially and environmentally responsible principles. The word “Bhakti” means “devotion through social action,” and not only are all of the products fair trade and ethically sourced, but Bhakti also gives proceeds to nonprofits that support women around the world. Local coffee shops across Colorado (and increasingly across the U.S.) serve Bhakti Chai so you won’t have to look far to find it. You can find a list of locations that carry Bhakti on its website.

Last, but not least, to all the romantics out there who are taking advantage of the holiday season to propose to their love, your choice of diamonds can mean the difference between supporting corruption, violence and child slavery OR supporting the environment, peace and human rights. At Brilliant Earth, all diamonds are guaranteed to be “beyond conflict free” and originate from ethical and eco-friendly sources. Other retailers that guarantee conflict-free or blood-free diamonds are only providing the minimum guarantee that the diamonds are not fueling bloody civil wars in Africa. Brilliant Earth goes beyond this to guarantee that the diamonds are untainted by other human rights abuses such as torture and child labor by using careful sourcing methods. In addition, its gold and platinum rings are made from recycled materials.

Do you have other favorites retailers or restaurants that you support that could be added to this list? As this list grows, we can make an impact in the lives of people around the world based solely on our buying choices! Add you suggestions in the comment box below.