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Shopping for a better world by Chris Tan, Chairperson of the Go Green Club Paragraph one Did you know that the T-shirts you buy could have been made by child labourers who work in sweatshops instead of going to school? The Go Green Club wanted to raise awareness of this and other issues that we don’t usually think about when shopping, so we ran a stall at the school fair. Our aim was to encourage people to be responsible shoppers by knowing who makes the products they buy and where the products are produced. The idea is that by shopping responsibly, we can use our spending power to take a stand against unjust business practices and help protect the environment. Here are some ways we can do that. Paragraph two Make sure everyone gets a fair price Fairtrade bananas, coffee and tea were popular at the fair. People were interested to discover that products with a Fairtrade logo are supported by Fairtrade International.This organisation works with companies to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their hard work and are treated well. For instance, a family may pay around HK$80 to buy a bag of rice. However, rice farmers are usually only paid a very small amount of that money. It’s really sad that most of them are struggling to provide for their families. It’s even worse that some of their children have to work because they can’t afford to send them to school. With the Fairtrade system, farmers now have a better quality of life and their children get the opportunity to go to school. So, if you want to help make an impact on farmers and their families’ lives, keep an eye out for products with a Fairtrade logo. Paragraph 3 Always read labels Another way to shop responsibly is to read labels in order to find out where something was grown or produced. For example, let’s say you bought fruits grown in Europe instead of the ones grown locally. Buying food produced far away from home will have harmful effects on the environment because it has to be flown thousands of miles by plane. The fuel it takes to transport it releases lots of carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the air. Therefore, by making an effort to buy food that’s been transported a shorter distance, you’re reducing your carbon footprint -- that’s the amount of carbon dioxide your actions create.