October's fair trade month -- a nice fall month for cozily sipping on fair trade coffee while nibbling on fair trade chocolate. Plus, the trade month nicely dovetails with Halloween; I'd also like to think it serves as a month-long kick-off for my birthday on All Saints Day --

No idea what fair trade is? Start here. Now for the fun stuff:

If you're in Los Angeles, kick off fair trade month a day early with the Just Lives Festival, happening at the Hollywood Farmers' Market on September 30. Get your fruits and veggies and fair trade chocolate and sweatshop-free clothing all in one go --

Then on October 1, enter the "Connect with Fair Trade" sweepstakes run by TransFair USA, the US certifier of fair trade products. Winners'll get fair trade products, though I'm not sure what these are going to be exactly. Hopefully chocolate?

If you're a filmmaker -- or want to be one -- enter the Fair Trade video contest and win a trip for two to Peru. Submit a short video (max 5 mins) on the theme of “Connect with Fair Trade" by Halloween and get ready to travel.

Then it's Halloween prep time! Global Exchange is once again selling Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kits: For $15, you get 42 pieces of Equal Exchange Fair Trade mini chocolates, a stack of festive Halloween postcards, traditional Papel Picado Mexican party streamers, and a recycled Trick or Treat Bag.

BTW -- You can now get a daily dose of Halloween by reading Creepy Los Angeles, a new blog for Angelenos into Halloween, the supernatural, or urban legends --

Then it'll be my birthday. Yay!