so long,

So Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Bars will be going fair trade by this fall!  It is so encouraging to see such a large corporation taking steps like this, which will triple the amount of fair trade chocolate sourced from Ghana and will greatly contribute to the improvement of the quality of life for cocoa farmers there.  You can go here for more info: 

http://www.cadbury.com/media/press/Pages/cdmfairtrade.aspx

http://fairtrade.change.org/blog/view/cadbury_chocolate_goes_fair_trade

http://www.pri.org/business/Global-Development/cadbury-fair-trade-chocolate.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29506080/

Unfortunately, what little research I have been able to do suggests that the Cadbury Dairy Milk bars available in the U.S. have had to be reformulated due to FDA guidelines (which don’t allow products to be labeled “chocolate” if they replace cocoa butter with vegetable fat), so I don’t know what this announcement means for fair trade CDM bars being sold in the U.S.  If anyone hears anything about this, please let me know!  

While this announcement only refers to the CDM bars themselves, and apparently Cadbury’s hot chocolate beverage as well, it is an encouraging first step for a major corporation to change mainstream consumer culture, even if only in the UK.  Let’s hope they continue to follow this process through to apply to the rest of their products as well!  

Hershey, Mars, and Nestle, notorious for turning a blind eye to the labor practices of their cocoa sources, can take a lesson from this.  You can go here to send them a message.  And you can hit them where it really hurts by refusing to buy their products (I might go into peanut m&m withdrawal, but it’s for the greater good!), substituting them with the fair trade options already available in the U.S.  For a “scorecard” of US chocolate companies, go here.

I don’t really know what to do with myself.  I have all of these passions and interests, and can’t figure out where to invest my energy. 

When I work at the shelter or watch DogTown on animal planet, I’m sure I’m destined for animal rescue.

When I watch movies like War/Dance and meet with my friends in Ubuntu, I’m convinced my calling is in Africa.

When i watch the discovery channel or the national geographic channel, I’m certain I’m supposed to be a wildlife photographer/videographer.

When I read a book like “Not for Sale” or “Ending Slavery”, I’m determined to become involved in the battle against human trafficking.

Every day when I go to work, I’m pretty positive that teaching is my calling.

I want to travel all over the world and have a house in the country with lots of land.  I want to become fluent in Spanish and start learning French.  After my first snorkeling experience, I want to become a certified scuba diver, even though I’m not much of a swimmer.

So what do I do with all this??  This makes me sound fickle, I know, but I am honestly truly passionate about all of these things, and want to learn even more.  I know I have these passions for a reason, and wanting to live the life I am meant to live, I’d really like to know what I should be doing about all this! 

Lord Jesus, keep my vision vivid and my focus clear.  Direct me!