Chuck Taylor copies made by well-paid labor. Some of the proceeds of this particular model go to Code Pink. These shoes are made by NoSweatApparel, and they're a sort of protest of the fact that Nike recently bought Converse, and Nike is known as a global “leader” in the use of sweatshops to make its goods. We saw them at the Green Festival on Saturday, which was very very cool. From a cynical perspective, the festival was just proof that caring about the environment just puts you in another, more specialized (and often pricier) demographic. It was basically a mobile mall where all the stores were selling healthy and environmentally friendly products. But from a more positive perspective, it was community activism and social justice in action. Sure, just about everyone there would have been happy to sell us something, but for the most part, any money we spent there would go to environmental protection or sustainable and socially just activity. You can't say that about a trip to many other marketplaces, can you? Check out the list of exhibitors—you might want to do business with some of them in the future. For example, get your:

• Fair trade coffee from Equal Exchange or Cafe Campesino
• Safe cosmetics from Safe Cosmetics or Organic Truth
• Cell phones from Better World Telecom
• Gluten-free snack bars from Bumbler Bar
• Completely animal-free shoes (no leather) from Deja Shoes or Shoes with Souls
• Gluten-free popcorn and soy snacks from Grandpa Po's (they're yummy!)
• Gluten-free bread from the French Meadow Bakery
• Reusable gift wrap from Lagniappe Gift Wrap
• Smart t-shirts from Northern Sun
• Eco-friendly household products from Seventh Generation
• Sweat-free clothing from American Apparel. Note: AA has a controversial relationship w/unions —it says it treats its workers well so they don't need a union (which is one of the things many anti-union employers have always said). I say it's great that AA employees get good pay and benefits, but that only means they have a responsibility to help their industry peers who don't get such good treatment, and the best way to do that is by joining the union. The union's corrupt? Join and change it. I'm not seeing AA's high ground here. See a bit more on this here.

That's just a sampling—there's lots more there. Happy shopping!