The Body Shop is continuing to raise funds to stop human trafficking of children and young people through the sale of Soft Hands, Kind Heart Hand Cream, just $10. The first-year campaign in 2009 raised $400,000 in Canada alone.

One-hundred percent of the profits from the sale of this product is donated to ECPAT (End Child Prostitution Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children For Sexual Purposes) and national members of the ECPAT network, which is Beyond Borders in Canada. The U.K cosmetics retailer has 2400 stores in 61 countries.

Children involved in human trade can be as young as five and it happens in virtually every country, including Canada. Human trafficking is the third largest crime and the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world. An estimated 1.8 million children and young people are exploited in the global trade annually, but the true number is likely larger because most trafficking occurs “underground.”

In the coming weeks and months, The Body Shop will announce more details for the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People 2010 initiative.

By Cori Ferguson

Brady Thrasher on an upcoming episode of Dragon's Den, where a panel of wealthy entrepreneurs say "yes" or "no" to funding his Affected business

Brady Thrasher wants to know what’s affected you, and then for you to buy the T-shirt. The 23-year old Windsor, Ontario entrepreneur is the founder of the Affected Campaign, a line of clothing sporting the word “Affected,” which allows purchasers to direct a portion of the purchase price to the registered charity of their choice. Launched in September 2007, Affected has been able to donate nearly $8000 to 107 charities in Canada and abroad since its inception.

“I’ve hit all markets because it’s such a unique product and it triggers curiosity right away,” Thrasher tells Samaritanmag. “It’s not like it’s flashy clothing; it’s neutral so anyone from a toddler to a senior citizen can represent the product.”

From the sale of each $20 shirt (tax included), $6 is taken off the top for the registered charity designated by the purchaser. Because he prints the shirts on-demand without a large volume contract, each shirt costs him approximately $7.50 to make and the remaining funds are used for marketing and advertising, whether at charitable events or on kids soccer team uniforms.

Thrasher has been amazed by the number of different causes represented by Affected product sales: everything from national charities working to eradicate MS, cancer, drunk driving and heart disease to local shelters, diseases he wasn’t previously aware of, and individuals undertaking humanitarian missions overseas.

Originally launched with three styles, the Affected line now includes men’s and women’s T-shirts, tanks and hoodies, children’s onesies, and sunglasses. There is an Affected style for everyone because, as Thrasher points out, “everyone has been affected by something.”

Why not forgo the merchandise and just donate $20 directly to a cause? “It’s a positive way to brand yourself and educate the curious general public on what we’ve all been affected by,” explains Thrasher. “I encourage people to give more to charity, but why not brand yourself in a positive way in society by showing you care and have been affected?”

Thrasher knows a bit about being affected. Growing up with a father who had multiple sclerosis and cancer and died when Brady was only 15, he has always been involved in raising money for causes close to his and his family’s hearts. At age 8, he started raising money through pledges for the Super Cities Walk for MS in Windsor, which his father, Pat Thrasher, started and is now Canada’s second largest. By 18, he says he had become one of the Walk’s top raisers, managing to bring in more than $2000 — not bad for a teenager.

(L to R) Brady Thrasher with Justin Trudeau

It was his father’s cancer diagnosis though that propelled Thrasher to the stage. His elder sister, Lindsay, had been involved in fundraising for the Cancer Walk at their school, General Amherst High, and upon graduation passed the torch to Brady. Initially he was uncomfortable with the idea of speaking publicly about his family’s struggles.  “When you’re in high school you hide a lot of things you’re going through because you feel like everyone’s judging you,” he says. But when he mustered the courage to speak to his peers at a school assembly to discuss losing his father to the disease, he found he was not alone. “I had everybody put their hand up if they had been affected by cancer,” he says. “Everybody had their hand up.”

Inspired by his honesty and courage, in three weeks of campaigning the 670 students at General Amherst went on to raise $76,000 that year, nearly doubling the previous year’s total. “It was a huge achievement and one of the best days of my life,” he says, referring to the day of the Walk.

Buoyed by that success and searching for an idea for a business class proposal while a sophomore at St. Clair College, Thrasher hit upon the concept of a line of clothing that could raise money for any charity.  He was impressed with the Product Red line, which raises money for AIDS in Africa by licensing the brand to companies such as The Gap, Converse and Apple Inc., but wanted to create something that would support multiple charities and would mean something personal to each wearer.

“I just thought for a person like me, I haven’t been affected by the epidemic over in Africa,” he explains. “It’s unfortunate that that’s going on, but it’s something that my family hasn’t been affected by. People buying this product, it’s great to do and I think for a conscious consumer we should all get involved in that trend, but at the same time there should be a product developed representing ourselves and the charity stuff at home, like solving the problems that we are affected by and raising awareness of our personal stories.”

Thrasher credits his father’s example with helping him come up with the idea for Affected. “My father always had a great outlook on life. He was very optimistic and passionate with everything he did. Even on his toughest days, and when he was the sickest he’d ever been, it was like he put his body out there as a guinea pig to try and solve problems for the things he’d been affected by. It was kind of his mission. He basically generated this whole idea. I have him to thank for it.”

More than just a charitable clothing line, Thrasher likes to think of Affected as a social movement. “Affected puts us all on an equal playing field, showing us that we’re not judged by one another. We’re all affected. [It’s important], especially in a high school setting — that’s where I learned that I was hiding the things that were going on in my life to save people talking behind my back — so I just think that I can even use the Affected campaign and turn it into a character development program and instil it within high schools,” he says.

Big Sean with Brady Thrasher

In the past two years, he’s had Affected shirts personally delivered or sent to more than 300 people in the public eye. Kanye West received one from a member of Thrasher’s marketing team, Detroit-based rapper Big Sean, who just happens to be signed to West’s  G.O.O.D. Music label.  He says the shirts are also in the hands of the cast of MADtv, Entourage actor Jeremy Piven, musicians Sam Roberts and Faber Drive, and even talk show host Ellen Degeneres. After being contacted by producers of The Ellen Degeneres Show regarding the line,  Thrasher wore an Affected T-shirt to the taping, hoping for a mention. Even though that didn’t happen, he was featured, while wearing the shirt, as the “dancer of the week” on the show’s website.

Thrasher has so far sold the majority of his products to individuals, but is in the process of investigating partnerships with larger organizations to launch a major marketing initiative across Canada. He also recently took the Affected line to the hit CBC TV show Dragon’s Den, on which wealthy entrepreneurs says “yes” or “no” to new business ventures, although for now he is sworn to secrecy on the outcome of his pitch. “It should be airing in the next little while,” he says. “You’ll have to tune in to find out.”

In the meantime, the Affected product line can be purchased online through Thrasher’s website at http://www.affectedcampaign.org. New products will be for sale as of February 25.

By Cori Ferguson

Yorkshire pigs Forest and Earl, age 7, saved from a backyard breeder, who sells for BBQs

Whether abandoned by overwhelmed pet owners, saved from slaughterhouses or discarded due to disability, an unusual collection of animals have lucked out in finding forever homes at the Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary, located northeast of Newmarket, Ontario.

Pigs, both pot-bellied and full-sized, make up the bulk of the more than 25 inhabitants at Snooters, although the Morris’ also count two horses, four laying hens, four dogs, two cats, pea fowl and a parrot among their growing menagerie. Many of their pigs have been rescued “without permission,” says the sanctuary’s co-owner Susan Morris, who will only reveal that “they came from a variety of places – factory farms, backyard breeders, auctions.”

Susan and her husband, Brian Morris, both Toronto paramedics for 27 years, launched Snooters in 2001 when they relocated from the suburbs to the hobby farm that now houses the sanctuary.  The proud owners of Valentine, a pot-bellied pig that was a gift for Susan’s 40^th birthday, were disturbed by information uncovered while researching how to best care for her so they took it upon themselves to provide a safe, secure home for other pigs facing certain death to instead live out their natural life spans.

Susan and Belle, a potbellied pig, won at a "slaughter" auction

“What I found out was these very intelligent, sensitive creatures are bought and  abandoned at an alarming rate,” Susan writes in introduction to the farm on www.snootersforeverhome.com. “People buy the little bundles of joy shaped like a pig and when they grow to their normal size of 150 plus lbs, they are discarded like yesterday’s garbage.”

Expanding on the topic during an interview with Samaritanmag, Susan points out “[Pigs] are not good pets for the house. They like to root, and they are very intelligent so they get bored very easily. They’ve got hooves that need to be cared for, and they don’t make a good pet unless you’re willing to put up with a lot from them, and that’s why people get rid of them. You know, they get them when they are little tiny piglets, and then [are surprised when] they grow up to be full-sized pigs.

Ah, the life of a pig at Snooters

“And these breeders that will guarantee that their ‘versions’ won’t get any bigger than 40 or 50 pounds,” she says in reference to the extremely trendy tea-cup pigs that are all the rage with celebrities, “that is crap.”

It’s when the pigs outgrow their owners’ expectations, or otherwise find themselves on track for an early demise, that the Morris’ come in. “A lot of them end up at auctions unfortunately, and a lot of times people [who want to save them] end up bidding against people who will buy them for food, which makes it difficult,” Susan says.

The oldest pig residing at Snooters is their original pot-bellied Valentine, who has now reached the ripe old age of 12. “Pigs are normally slaughtered at 250 pounds, which is about six months of age,” notes Susan, who is vegan. “The average age span of a pig is 15 years, but the factory farm pigs — because they have been genetically modified with antibiotics and hormones, and they lack sunlight and good air quality — tend to live only to 10 years, if that.”

Flossy avoided the slaughterhouse

Gracie was rescued from a factory farm

Another of the Morris’ pigs, Flossy, a three-year old Yorkshire,  was purchased from a factory farm for BBQ/kg prices three days before she was due to be shipped to a slaughterhouse.

And then there’s Gracie, a five-year old Yorkshire pig that was rescued from a factory farm and brought to Snooters. “She was born small and not thriving so her fate was to be ‘thumped’ – held by the back legs and head slammed against the concrete floor — this is their way to euthanize — that or beaten with a hammer,” Susan says. “Her rescuer took her out in her bag to safety.”

And although they’ve recently added four chickens to their brood, the couple hasn’t taken in any new pigs recently, as space is at a premium and finances are tight, but Susan says she easily gets 12 emails a month from people trying to place a pig. They also get numerous contacts from those looking to adopt pigs as well, but, unlike animal shelters or rescues, the residents at Snooters aren’t available for adoption. “I would never trust anyone to take care of them the way we would,” Susan says.

“We get calls from all over the country — Manitoba, Montreal, Nova Scotia  — from people seeking to adopt, but mainly it’s East Coast requests,” she says. To help fill them, Susan says, “We network a lot. [Pigs] are at the Humane Society quite often unfortunately; we put the word out and people adopt them. If somebody is looking for one sometimes they contact us and I just put their name in a file and we’ve got people to contact.”

Snooters operates as a non-profit rather than a charity so the Morris’ rely on their salaries and

the kindness of supporters and strangers willing to forgo tax receipts to keep their sanctuary alive. They launched a Snooters website in September 2009 where, along with providing information about events, links and photos of the animal residents, they sell merchandise ranging from Snooters-branded clothing and note cards to stuffed animals, figurines, books and movies. One-hundred percent of the proceeds are used to care for the animals at the sanctuary.

The Snooters website also features a PayPal option for those wishing to make direct financial donations online, and the Morris’ willingly accept donations of supplies – feed, building materials, blankets, Canadian Tire money, and gift cards for home improvement stores are among the donations welcomed. “A really nice couple came up recently and brought us Home Depot Cards. It was so nice,” Susan says.

Although it is sometimes difficult to manage financially, Susan says, “I get embarrassed when people compliment us and tell us we are doing such a good thing; I do it for the animals, and I like to see the animals happy. All of the animals give back unconditional love – they all do it in their own ways.  Pigs are so affectionate. They love to be petted and are [very] loving – they just express it in a different way.”

The Living Series DVD collection, on Conveyor Canada / Vivendi Entertainment Canada, will be available at select Canadian retail outlets March 30. U.S. retailers are to be confirmed.

Throughout the six DVDs, various expert offer practical tips and information on how to make the transition to a more eco-friendly life, covering everything from green cleaning to energy conservation, green gardening and organic cooking.

The set sells for $24.95 (SLP) at Walmart, Costco, Indigo, Chapters and Amazon.ca.

Below is a break down of each DVD.

DVD 1: GREEN CLEANING FOR A HEALTHY HOME

•  shows you a variety of environmentally safe cleaning methods for your home, along with a detailed discussion of the tools you’ll need to make every room in your home safer and healthier. Learn about toxic-free cleaning solutions and environmentally safe products you can easily make yourself.

DVD 2: ENERGY AND CONSERVATION FOR A GREENER HOME

• takes you through an actual energy audit of an average home, as seen through the eyes of a professional energy advisor. Save money and the environment with a variety of excellent tips and advice on low cost solutions to “phantom hydro” in the home, lighting, air circulation, water, heating, insulation and much more.

DVD 3: EATING GREEN – ORGANIC FOODS AND COOKING

• teaches you everything you need to know about organic foods — what they are, why to choose them, where to purchase them, how to understand the labels, how to prepare baby foods, how to buy local and fresh produce, and how to prepare delicious organic meals. Includes recipes, tips on vitamins, exercise and a number of energy saving tips for the kitchen.

DVD 4: GREEN CONSUMER – CHOICES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

• shows you how to make a number of healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle choices for you and your family, such as safe personal care products, appliances and home furnishings. Learn how to read labels and improve or replace what you have in your home from diapers and solid foods to laundry. Also includes green activities for your kids.

DVD 5: GREEN GARDENING AND LAWNCARE

• teaches you everything you need to know about natural lawn care, including pest control, lawn maintenance, water management, soil requirements, planting and composting, as well as the tools you will need to get started.

DVD 6: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GOING GREEN

•  a quick start guide to get you on your way to living a greener life. This compilation video covers green cleaning, energy and conservation, organic food and cooking, green family living, and organic lawn care and gardening.

Organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s, which makes such delicious bars as dark chocolate ginger and dark chocolate cherry, has committed to converting its entire premium range to Fair Trade Certified. The decision will directly benefit farming communities in the Dominican Republic, where 50 percent of the world’s organic cocoa is produced and more than 60,000 people depend on the cocoa industry for their livelihood.

The switch to Fair Trade Certified ingredients is expected to be made by mid 2010, and will be labeled such by early 2011, after all the current labels have been used. The British company distribute its organic chocolate bars globally, including Canada and the United States.

Green & Black’s Maya Gold — dark chocolate with orange and spices — was the first-ever Fair Trade Certified product in the United Kingdom 15 years ago, employing Belizean farmers.

Fair Trade is a unique independent system providing farmers with the security of fair prices for their produce and additional investment through the Fair Trade premium for social, environmental and economic development in their communities.  This premium is in addition to a guaranteed minimum price for fair trade certified ingredients.

According to the press release, Green & Black’s will now invest “about US$485,000 each year for the next 10 years through additional Fair Trade premiums paid to Dominican Republic cocoa farmers and their communities.”

Green and Black’s has bought quality, organic Trinitario cocoa beans from cooperatives in the Dominican Republic over the last 10 years and these farmers are now the company’s main source of cocoa.