Mothering › Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › S/O: Where can I buy AFFORDABLE Fair Trade/natural/safe dinnerware?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

S/O: Where can I buy AFFORDABLE Fair Trade/natural/safe dinnerware?  

post #1 of 80
11/19/07 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, so affordable to me might be different than affordable to you, but yk, as affordable as possible would be good.

So, this is in reaction to the lead-in-plates thread.

I was considering switching to all-wood plates and bowls. But if I were going to do that, I would feel better knowing that the workers who made them were treated fairly.

Ceramic dishes would be fine too, if I could be sure they were safe. But when it's LEGAL for US-made dishes to contain lead, how can we be sure of anything? YK? I'm not okay with ANY amount of lead in my dishes.

Or, alternatively, I suppose I could go with glass dishes. They have some inexpensive ones at IKEA. Is glass gauranteed to be lead-free? Does anyone know for sure?
post #2 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:01pm
I just feel : about the whole stinkin thing
post #3 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:01pm
I made a commitment to buy locally made dinnerware from a very creative potter here in town. I wouldn't exactly call it affordable, but I've been slowly adding to my collection. It's handmade, lead free and I'm supporting a local artist. Also, I've realized that you don't need 12 or more place settings - we just wash our dishes after we've used them, and then they are ready to use again! Of course this means that my Thanksgiving Day guests will be eating off the old, lead tainted dishes, but they do so at home too, so I don't think they'll mind!

And because I've been buying from this potter for so long now, he made me a beautiful baby bowl and cup and gave it to me as a gift when my DD was born. :

Just a idea you might want to consider!
post #4 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:02pm
:
post #5 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:06pm
I like what MettaSutta has said. I mean... something has to give somewhere, right? I'm not sure you can have all that you want from a dish and... well I guess it depends on what you consider affordable. Fair trade means you have to pay people for their time at a rate that they can live decently on. That's never going to be cheap.
post #6 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:06pm
Thread Starter 
That's a good idea, MettaSutta.


I LOVE these plates, but they're a very good example of NOT affordable.

Well, not for me, anyway.
post #7 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:12pm
Oh, those wooden plates are nice!

There are also recycled glass dishes out there, but they tend to be in the $25 range too.

I paid about $18.00 for a dinner plate, $14.00 for a salad plate and $16.00 for a soup bowl. Pretty good prices, now that I see the alternatives!

Good luck!
post #8 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
OMG. These bamboo plates are DISPOSABLE. What the heck? What do you think of that?
post #9 of 80
11/19/07 at 2:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LionTigerBear View Post
OMG. These bamboo plates are DISPOSABLE. What the heck? What do you think of that?
Um, that is certainly NOT affordable!

Maybe you could wash them VERY CAREFULLY. Ha!
post #10 of 80
11/19/07 at 6:25pm
What about corelle?
post #11 of 80
11/19/07 at 6:40pm
I was also going to recommend Corelle. They're made in the USA (so not sweatshop labor) and are glass, which is lead free. Yikes, it sucks to have to be so concerned about lead in everything!!
post #12 of 80
11/19/07 at 6:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ygle View Post
What about corelle?
I have Winter Frost Corelle dishes. They are made in Corning, NY. Very simply it's molten glass so you don't have to worry about lead. You can read all about their history on www.corelle.com. It is such popular dinnerware that you can most likely find it at a local, mom & pop store and support them by making your purchase there. Because it is white you can "accessories" your table with WAHM made table linens and support fair-trade that way.
post #13 of 80
11/19/07 at 6:43pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks so much, Corelle sounds great!
post #14 of 80
11/19/07 at 6:47pm
What about colored Corelle and with designs? How about the new Stoneware Corelle.
post #15 of 80
11/19/07 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kleine Hexe View Post
What about colored Corelle and with designs? How about the new Stoneware Corelle.
I don't know, but I like this set. It doesn't have designs.
post #16 of 80
11/19/07 at 10:55pm
you can look at thrift shops for name brand that you already know are safe and stock in slowly but surely.
post #17 of 80
11/19/07 at 11:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by almadianna View Post
you can look at thrift shops for name brand that you already know are safe and stock in slowly but surely.
I don't know what name brands are safe.

Any ideas?
post #18 of 80
11/19/07 at 11:48pm
I have Corelle and LOVE it! I have the Classic Blue Cafe pattern - white with dark blue bands (blue and white are my kitchen colors). It doesn't take up a lot of space in the cupboard, plus it's light - a major plus with my carpal tunnel.

Note, though, in the sets with just mugs (not cups and saucers), the mugs are stoneware made in THAILAND. Not sure about the lead issue. You can get sets with drinking glasses instead of mugs and just get glass mugs. I have glass cafe style mugs from Anchor Hocking (USA made glass) that love due to the larger size. The Corelle mugs are on the small size for me.

Ikea also notes on its dishes about the lead-free issue. I remember seeing it at the store.
post #19 of 80
11/20/07 at 8:41am
Simple pattern or white Corelle + stackable Ikea glasses = kitchen zen!
post #20 of 80
11/20/07 at 11:08am
How about Fiestaware? The new stuff is all lead-free and is 100% made in USA! I love mine, but it is a bit heavy, if that is an issue for you.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: The Mindful Home
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › S/O: Where can I buy AFFORDABLE Fair Trade/natural/safe dinnerware?