You can fight human rights abuses in the cocoa industry. Purchase only Fair Trade certified chocolate, then bake it forward!

Americans spend $13 billion a year on cocoa products, yet few realize how difficult the lives of the farmers can be. With recent reports of child slavery in West African cocoa estates, it's important to know the story behind the beans. The Hipsters talk to Emily Goodrich, who has a simply brilliant way to spread the word! Also, parents be warned: the show veers toward an "R" rating with talk of poop, nuts and a Huge Ackman. Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: This isn't a good sign...neither Dori nor Val finished their bottles of The Hairy Eyeball from Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Petaluma, CA. This malty brown ale is a bit heavy for morning consumption. Try it after 5:00.

Chocolate: Score another hit for listener Michelle in Australia! Loving Earth Raw Organic Goji & Camu Camu Dark Chocolate is chock full of soft tasty berries that don't distract from the smoothness of this sugar-free bar. Bonus: it's Fair Trade, so bake it forward!

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Keep your favorite mineral clump-free in an old-fashioned Glass Salt Jar. Whether you're saving money buying salt in bulk, or just looking for a classy container to put on the table, this lidded jar comes through with a dash of style that won't pinch your wallet!
• Dew the right thing. Remember when your sugary soda contained real sugar? Those days are back, temporarily, with Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback sodas hitting the market on April 20th. All the HFCS taste, without the mercury!

• Stimulust. Our friends at Green America call out five of the greenest parts of the new stimulus package, including money for energy efficiency, public transportation and solar and wind projects.

Toilet paper tubes are the gifts that keep on giving. Use them to start carrots for your garden! Stand them on end in a shoebox, fill them with potting soil or compost, and plant four seeds in each tube (leave a little space at the top). When the roots grow out the bottom, soak the tubes and plant them, with about a half-inch left above the soil. The tubes protect the carrots from cutworms, then disintegrate into the soil.

They say you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The same is true when you're trying to change the world! Emily Goodrich and her friends are passionate about ending human rights abuses. They've started Bake It Forward as a way to spread their message...with chocolate chip cookies.

• Chocolate comes from cacoa beans grown mainly in West Africa, and often harvested by children and adults in slave-like conditions.
• Fair Trade certified farms strictly prohibit slave labor, and guarantee farmers a fair and sustainable price for their harvest.
• Bake It Forward offers a simple way to spread the story about chocolate. Just buy some Fair Trade chocolate, bake a batch of cookies to share with family and friends, and download a flier or postcard to attach to the plate.

Be a part of our show! Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. And remember to post articles, links and your chocolate recipes at our MHTH forum!

• Elisse in Minneapolis wants to stop using plastic bags to throw out cat poop. We suggest a convenient composter.
• Rose in Santa Barbara wonders about mercury in fish oil supplements. Check the label; be sure it says "molecularly distilled" to be safe.
• Fawn is a college student on a mission! Check out her ideas for a Ruralism Revolution on our forum.
• Kristi in Minneapolis shares an interesting post about the Death of Green, (And Why It's OK).

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