Los Angeles even kicked off Fair Trade Month a day early with the Just Lives Festival on Sunday. Angelenos wandered into the basketball court next to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market to be greeted with hot cups of fair trade coffee, raffles for ethically-made gifts, musical performances, and some great shopping deals — especially for jewelry.

Organized by Fair Trade LA and like-minded groups, Just Lives Festival showcased some of the coolest fair trade products on the market, from eco-friendly and fair trade lotions and soaps from Anti-Body, to sweatshop-free, union-made T-shirts and caps from No Sweat, to soccer and volleyballs from Fair Trade Sports.

I saw some cool purses too, made of everything from reused rice sacks to silk, as well as knickknacks that ran the gamut from sleek and urban to rather crunchy-looking.

And jewelry. Lots and lots of pretty jewelry at very reasonable prices from Ten Thousand Villages, Trade As One, Nightlight, and Rainforest Native. In fact, more than one booth featured jewelry made by women who used to be in prostitution, but are now making a living via jewelry-making.

If you missed the festival, you missed out. But you can always stop by Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadena for your fair trade shopping fix; it’s where I got my pretty bamboo fruit bowl. And for fair trade coffee in LA, check out this list –

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