Justice-Gingerbread-houseHappy wintertime (just about),

In this Fair Trade Roundup, you’ll learn about actions you can take to encourage chocolate companies to go Fair Trade. Don’t forget the “News to Peruse” section towards the bottom to get caught up on the latest Fair Trade news from around the globe.

Happy New Year to you!

Roundup Sections:

  1. Featured Fair Trade Update: Green America Challenges Godiva to go Fair Trade
  2. Global Exchange Update: 2013 Highlights & What’s Next for 2014
  3. Fair Trade News to Peruse

Cocoa beans Photo Credit: Green America

Cocoa beans Photo Credit: Green America

1) FEATURED FAIR TRADE UPDATE: Green America to Godiva: Protect cocoa workers and West African children by going Fair Trade
Green America is urging folks to sign a letter telling Godiva to go Fair Trade. Here’s more about this from Green America’s website:

One thing that hasn’t changed in recent years is Godiva’s failure to protect vulnerable workers at the beginning of its supply chain.  While other high-end chocolate companies use third-party certification to ensure that their products aren’t tainted with child slave labor and the exploitation of cocoa-producing communities, Godiva does not.  

The company insists that it requires its suppliers “to be in compliance with labor laws,” and donates some of its growing profits to organizations providing charitable work in cocoa-producing nations, but these efforts are no substitute for actually building a fair supply chain.  For this reason, we are urging Godiva to go Fair Trade.  No West African child should be forced to endure grueling cocoa-field labor for low or no pay so that American children can enjoy Godiva-coated Oreos.

What YOU can do:
Please sign Green America’s letter to Godiva telling them to go Fair Trade.

Color-in postcard to send to Ghirardelli's

Color-in postcard to send to Ghirardelli’s

2) GLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE UPDATE: 2013 Highlights & What’s Next for 2014

In 1988, four friends co-founded Global Exchange to fight a worldview based on greed, domination, and unvarnished worship of power. We envisioned building a robust U.S. movement capable of creating change from the grassroots, powered by people-to-people ties. This year we celebrated our 25th anniversary, and we are proud to honor the dedication of people like you who have sweated and sacrificed to forge a working alternative from the ground up.

Your continued pressure on Hershey’s after it announced it would buy 100% certified sustainable cocoa by 2020 last fall, paid off, when it announced a third of its supply would be Fair Trade certified.

And you took that energy and continued to advocate for Fair Trade through October – Fair Trade month – taking action daily from our Fair Trade Your Halloween calendar. Then you also wrote to both World’s Finest Chocolate and Ghirardelli to urge both companies to go Fair Trade certified, and trust us, your voice is being heard.

Here’s what YOU can do next:

  1. To keep the pressure on Ghirardelli, download this color-in postcard to send to Ghirardelli’s CEO, Marty Thompson demanding the company let us know where its cocoa comes from and to make it Fair Trade.
  2. We’re proud of what we’ve done together. But to achieve the visions we set out all those years ago, we’re going to need your continued support. Please consider donating to Global Exchange so we can continue working to make trade fair.

Fair-Trade-News3) FAIR TRADE NEWS TO PERUSE

pointing-fingerTHE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!

Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.

News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email Tex Dworkin.

Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!!

Fair TuesdayThe following is a guest post from the fine folks at #FairTuesday, the ethical holiday shopping movement happening Tuesday December 3rd, 2013.

Looking for an alternative to the madness surrounding holiday shopping this year? Look no further….

fair tuesday logo#FairTuesday is a movement to inspire conscious consumerism in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More and more designers are creating lines that are ethically produced in artisan communities around the world. Scores of small businesses around the country are committed to fair trade principles. #FairTuesday is a call to action for all the amazing designers, companies, press outlets, and consumers committed to conscious consumption and a website where consumers can find them all in one place.

You can help us create the change in fashion that the organic movement has created in the food industry. Change doesn’t happen all at once, it can start in little ways. #FairTuesday is about making ethical consumption a daily possibility. It can be overwhelming—once you start thinking about the origins of your clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, where do you stop? We started #FairTuesday to remind you that ethical consumption can start small and have a big impact.

  • Check out the participating organizations on www.fairtuesday.org.
  • Make at least one gift you give this holiday season fair trade or ethically sourced.
  • Buy fair trade coffee for your morning cup.
  • Like #FairTuesday on Facebook and share with your friends.
  • Tweet, post and pin away. Just four more days to enter our#FairTuesday Pinterest contest and have the chance to win more than $700 in prizes and get your products in front of our panel of celebrity judges.

————–

FairTuesdayGlobal Exchange is Excited to Support #FairTuesday

Thanks to all the folks who are working so hard to make #FairTuesday a huge success. Whether you’re planners or participators, something this great doesn’t happen without the support of dedicated people. (Insert pat on the back here.)

Global Exchange is so excited to participate and support #FairTuesday.

Check out this fun Facebook photo album with images of Global Exchange staff (including Abad the dog) showing their support. 

We have three #FairTuesday related gifts for you to consider choosing that are in line with your values:

1) Fair Trade Gift Package includes Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, and a beautiful block printed tote bag from India.

2) Global Community Gift Package includes the Fair Trade items mentioned above PLUS candles from South Africa AND a pendant from Cambodia – both made by co-operative producers.

3) Peace On Earth Action Kit includes a combination of goodies  to help educate about Fair Trade and take action.

We also have 1 Action You Can Take to Support Fair Trade!

Sign your name and pledge to Only shop Fair Trade this holiday season. Say no to big box stores and products made with sweatshop labor and ensure that your product respects human rights.

Thank YOU for supporting #FairTuesday and Global Exchange. Happy Holidays!

 

Peace-Action-Kit

Peace Action Kit

Allow me to introduce you to the brand new, limited addition Global Exchange Peace On Earth Action Kits!

Exactly what you need to Fair Trade your holidays this season, each kit includes a combination of goodies  to help educate and take action.

Similar to our Halloween Action Kits which sold out in less than a week, Peace On Earth Action Kits will be available on a first-come first-served basis, so please order yours asap to make sure you don’t miss out.

Color-in postcard to send to Ghirardelli's

Color-in postcard to send to Ghirardelli’s

Each Peace on Earth Action Kit includes:

  • 4Not So Sweet Facts About Chocolate” postcards
  • 4 Ghirardelli color-in action postcards
  • 1 Booklet filled with Fair Trade holiday carols
  • 1 Set of 6 Peace on Earth greeting cards (featuring designs from our What About Peace youth art contest)
  • 1 Bundle of Divine Fair Trade milk chocolate coins
  • 1 Fair Trade peace crane ornament
  • 1 DVD copy of The Dark Side of Chocolate

Everything in the kit comes  packaged together in a recycled newspaper gift bag. Kits are $18.00 which includes shipping. One kit per household since there is a limited number of kits available..

The kits are on sale now through December 16 (or until we run out) so order yours today and proudly spread the Fair Trade cheer this holiday season!

FairTuesdayHappy Fall Ya’ll!

In this Fair Trade Roundup, we’re excited to share news about #FairTuesday and how YOU can participate, plus an announcement about our annual holiday party at Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores in Berkeley AND San Francisco. Rounding out our Fair Trade Roundup is our trusty gathering of Fair Trade related articles below.

Hope you enjoy!

Roundup Sections:

  1. Featured Fair Trade Update: #FairTuesday is Happening December 3rd
  2. Global Exchange Update: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Holiday Party
  3. Fair Trade News to Peruse

fair tuesday logo1) FEATURED UPDATE: #FairTuesday is Happening December 3rd

#FairTuesday is an ethical shopping movement in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday to feature fair trade, ethical, and eco-friendly brands. It’s happening on December 3rd, 2013 and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! Their site explains:

The goal of #FairTuesday is to inspire conscious consumerism and show how an everyday purchase can change lives in a whole community. #FairTuesday features fair trade, ethical, and eco-friendly brands and invites other businesses to take a step towards sustainability.

Here’s a short n sweet video that pretty much spells it out:

Global Exchange is excited to participate in #FairTuesday alongside like-minded fair trade, eco-friendly sustainable brands and organizations, and we hope you participate too! (Check out  pics of Global Exchange staff supporting #FairTuesday on Instagram.)

Here’s how YOU can participate in #FairTuesday:

Visit the #FairTuesday website to find out more ways to support #FairTuesday this December 3rd.

Global-Exchange-Fair-Trade-2) GLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE UPDATE: Fair Trade Store Holiday Party

Join Global Exchange friends, staff and supporters for the annual Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Holiday Party! Enjoy some holiday cheer and find gifts for your loved ones, while creating a more sustainable and just world.

Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores in San Francisco AND Berkeley, CA
Berkeley: 2840 College Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705
San Francisco: 4018 24th St., San Francisco, CA 94114
When: December 4, 2013 – 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Contact: http://www.globalexchange.org/fairtrade/stores/locations

Save on Shopping: For this one special night Global Exchange members get 20% OFF*!!
(Not a Global Exchange member or need to renew? You can sign up today right here.
*no cross promotions apply

RSVP/More Info: On Global Exchange Facebook page.

Fair-Trade-News3) FAIR TRADE NEWS TO PERUSE

pointing-fingerTHE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!

Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.

News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email Tex Dworkin.

Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!

BAD2013smlogoHappy Blog Action Day! Today bloggers around the world unite to blog about human rights. (Cool, huh?) So today I’m exploring the connection between Fair Trade and human rights, and how you can support economic justice for all.

First, to set the stage…here’s a widely recognized definition of Fair Trade enumerated in the FINE Principles:

“Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South.”

 

Sounds great to me, but why can’t we just call it trade? Shouldn’t those variables be the jumping off point, not the end goal? I’ll answer my own question with a resounding yes, they should, but they’re not.

Sweatshop workersHere’s what’s really happening in trade today; Child and forced labor and child trafficking in cocoa fields where our chocolate comes from, and a global market economy plagued by sweatshops, human rights violations and environmental degradation.

Hence the need for equitable and fair partnership guidelines between producers, marketers of products and consumers. Hence the need for Fair Trade.

Fair Trade offers solutions to some of the worst forms of human rights abuses in trade today. Abuses that defy basic human rights as outlined in the United Nation’s  Universal Declaration of Human Rights, such as:

  • No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms
  • Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work
  • Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work
  • Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests
  • Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services
  • Everyone has the right to education

 So a vote for economic justice via Fair Trade is a vote for basic human rights.

Take-ActionTAKE ACTION! Here are some actions you can take to explore this topic more and take action:

 

Fair Trade is bootifulFair Trade month is coming up fast, so this Fair Trade Roundup has lots of info to help folks plug into this exciting time, plus fresh Fair Trade news picks in the “News to Peruse” section. Hope you enjoy!

Roundup Sections:

  1. Featured Fair Trade Update: Prepare for October/Fair Trade Month
  2. Global Exchange Fair Trade Update: Fair Trade Your Halloween
  3. Fair Trade News to Peruse

FairtradeAmerica-fairtrademonth-logo1) October is Fair Trade Month. Think Fair. Be Fair!
Join Fairtrade America and Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) in celebrating National Fair Trade Month. The theme for this year’s festivities is: “Be Fair.”

Here are details from FTRN’s Executive Director Jeff Goldman:

We invite you to join us in celebrating National Fair Trade Month this October, as we raise awareness and encourage more people to enjoy Fair Trade products in their daily lives – and in doing so support so many families to have better living standards.
 
We encourage you to participate in any or all of the following ways:
1.    Attend an existing event – follow the growing list of planned events at Events Calendar.
2.    Let us know about your Fair Trade Month plans – and send photos! – so we can help promote your good work via our social media channels and Events Calendar.
3.    Request Fair Trade product samples and educational materials from Fairtrade America
4.    Enter a Prize Drawing for one of five Fairtrade gift baskets — find out how to enter starting October 1st.

Fair-Trade-Action-KIt-Poste

Fair Trade Halloween window poster

2) Global Exchange and Equal Exchange are teaming up to Fair Trade Your Halloween.

Global Exchange will soon be launching 31 fun ideas and activities that will have you drinking Fair Trade coffee, taking a Fair Trade pledge, hosting movie screenings, baking delicious Fair Trade goodies, and giving out Fair Trade chocolates to trick-or-treaters.

Fair-Trade-Action-KIt

Halloween Action Kit

Halloween Action Kit!

You’ll also be able to order a Halloween Action Kit to help spread the Fair Trade word. (Look right for your first glimpse at this action-oriented kit!)

Each kit will include postcards, an Equal Exchange coupon, decorative papel picado, a Halloween window poster, a DVD copy of The Dark Side of Chocolate, and a dozen Equal Exchange mini chocolates.

So get ready to Fair Trade Your Halloween! Bookmark FairTradeHalloween.org so you are in the know when the campaign and kits launch. (There’s a limited supply of action kits available.)

3) Fair Trade News to Peruse

Fair-Trade-NewsTHE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!

Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.

News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email Tex Dworkin.

Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!

The following is a guest post by UK fair trade organization Traidcraft

Does ‘aid for trade’ work?

Aid for trade involves assistance given to developing countries in order to build their trading capacity on different levels. Recently, the fourth global review of aid for trade took place in Geneva, July 8th. The aim of the review was to examine opportunities for donors to help developing countries and access what has been achieved so far. The Joint OECD-WTO publication Aid for Trade at a Glance: Connecting to Value Chains was published to coincide with the convention in Geneva and indicates that Aid-for-Trade is making an impact, with women in particular.

Picture Source: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/get_involved/giving/donate/May+Appeal

Picture Source: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/get_involved/giving/donate/May+Appeal

However, some non-government organisations (NGOs) in the UK have questioned the accuracy of the report. Traidcraft, a UK-based fairtrade organisation established in 1979, and Cafod, the relief agency of the Catholic church of England and Wales, commissioned their own study to examine the effectiveness of the evaluation of the initiative and their conclusions were not quite so glowing. Aid for Trade: Reviewing EC and DFID Monitoring and Evaluation Practices,the NGO’s review, pointed out that there’s very little information available in the public sphere that reveals whether a-f-t schemes are impacting positively on property and the programmes are frequently only assessed during their lifetime. This makes it difficult to see whether impact is lasting. In addition, the way projects are assessed means causal linkages between project delivery and impact on poverty are often based on assumptions, unless the poor are direct beneficiaries of the project.

Picture Source: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/international_development

Picture Source: http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/international_development

Overall, the NGOs called for more rigorous assessment of these type of initiatives and a greater degree of accountability for donors to achieve clearer goals.  They suggested this impact be assessed regularly to ascertain impact past, existing and future, with regards to both poverty and trade infrastructure. They also suggested projects be levelled more at benefitting the poor directly.

The following is a guest post by UK fair trade organization Traidcraft. Traidcraft’s mission is to fight poverty through trade, practicing and promoting approaches to trade that help poor people in developing countries transform their lives.

Delicious PeaceThe following is a guest post by the folks at Smithsonian Folkways about a recently released collection of songs written and performed by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim coffee farmers of the Peace Kawomera (Delicious Peace) Fair Trade cooperative in Mbale, Uganda.

Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in Uganda

Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in Uganda which came out April 9th on Smithsonian Folkways, aims to overcome religious conflict and bring peace through song. Written and performed by coffee farmers of the Peace Kawomera (Delicious Peace) Fair Trade cooperative in Mbale, Uganda, the album features uplifting, multi-lingual songs that teach cooperation through music.

Listen to a sneak preview of Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in  Uganda.

Jewish Ugandan coffee farmer and musician J. J. Keki founded Peace Kawomera after witnessing the attacks of September 11, 2001 firsthand during a trip to New York City. Deeply moved, he felt compelled to bring different religions together in peace.

When Keki returned to Uganda, he walked from village to village, enlisting Jewish, Christian and Muslim farmers to join his Fair Trade cooperative. Today, over 1,000 farmers have joined Peace Kawomera.

Watch J.J. Keki explain the inspiration for Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in Uganda.

Grammy award-nominated Tufts University professor and Rabbi Jeffrey A. Summit recorded the album in various Ugandan locales from muddy coffee fields to local synagogues. Summit previously produced the 2005 GRAMMY nominated album Abayudaya: Music from the Jewish People of Uganda for Smithsonian Folkways.

Royalties from the sale of this recording support education for the children of the Peace Kawomera cooperative. 

Village guitar groups and women’s choirs sing to stress the transformative impact of Fair Trade prices and to encourage their neighbors to join the coffee cooperative.  They are accompanied by traditional instruments, such as embaire (xylophone with wooden keys), ngoma (drum), akadongo (lamellaphone, often referred to as a thumb piano), endingidi (one-string fiddle), and nsasi (shaker).

The performers combine various Ugandan languages and musical styles, occasionally adding Swahili, Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The people of Peace Kawomera come together to sing of the benefits of interfaith cooperation and, through music, teach new members how to produce great coffee.

TAKE ACTION!

Take-Action
  • Read the liner notes by Jeffrey A. Summit to learn more about the album.
  • Digital downloads and on-demand CDs can be purchased directly from Smithsonian Folkways at www.folkways.si.edu. Full-album purchases include complete, original liner notes, color photographs and song translations as .PDF files.

 

 

Beilul Naizghi, Global Exchange Fair Trade intern

Beilul Naizghi, Global Exchange Fair Trade intern

Hi Fair Trade Activistas!

Today’s Fair Trade Roundup introduces Fairtrade America’s new Executive Director and recaps World Fair Trade Day. Plus get to know our summer Fair Trade intern. (And don’t forget the usual vetted list of Fair Trade related articles below.)

Roundup Sections:

  1. Featured Fair Trade Updates
  2. Global Exchange Fair Trade Update
  3. Fair Trade News to Peruse

FEATURED FAIR TRADE UPDATES

Hans Theyer

Hans P. Theyer Photo Credit: Fairtrade America

Hans P. Theyer to Lead Fairtrade America

Congratulations and welcome Hans P. Theyer, Fairtrade America’s New Executive Director!

Bama Athreya, Chair, Fairtrade America Board of Directors, had this to say about Hans Theyer’s appointment:

“Hans brings a fantastic combination of business and international development experience to Fairtrade America.  We look forward to working with Hans as he leads us in our efforts to bring the best of the international Fairtrade system to the United States and to build a collaborative, diverse coalition that is united in its belief in producer development and empowerment.”

Here’s Hans speaking about his new appointment:

I am proud to lead the U.S. organization that will expand the benefits of the international Fairtrade system, and I look forward to raising public awareness and working in partnership with companies, retailers, producers and all fair trade advocates that share our vision of building a vibrant fair trade movement in the United States.

You can learn more about Hans here.

WFTD2013-flyer-lo-res-231x300Can you guess how many people attended World Fair Trade Day 2013 events this year?

World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) is the largest Fair Trade event of the year in N. America, and events took place May 4-19 in 2013. So how many people attended these events?

According to Fair Trade Resource Network, around 100,000 people attended nearly 1000 World Fair Trade Day events in N. America this year.

You’ll find lots of fun WFTD 2013 photos on Fair Trade Resource Network’s Facebook page.

Beilul Naizghi protesting in front of GAP during its shareholder meeting last week

Beilul Naizghi protesting in front of GAP during its annual shareholder meeting last week

GLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE UPDATE

Meet Global Exchange’s new Fair Trade intern, Beilul Naizghi. Beilul is a rising sophomore studying international development at Brown University in Providence, RI. She will be spending her summer interning with Global Exchange in San Francisco, working on Fair Trade projects.

Her first week at Global Exchange, Beilul was already protesting outside of GAP headquarters during its annual Shareholder meeting!

When asked why she chose to intern with Global Exchange’s Fair Trade program this summer, Beilul had this to say:

I’m interested in learning more about Fair Trade from the perspective of an NGO advocacy group.

Here’s to a great summer internship experience, Beilul!

Fair-Trade-NewsFAIR TRADE NEWS TO PERUSE

THE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!
•    Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.
•    News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me.
•    Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!

Happy Springtime Everyone!

This Fair Trade Roundup has the latest on World Fair Trade Day, and news about an alter being erected to honor Fair Trade Pioneer Raúl del Águila, plus of course the usual vetted list of interesting articles to keep you updated and informed about what’s going on in the world of Fair Trade.

Roundup Sections:

  1. Featured Fair Trade Update
  2. Global Exchange Fair Trade Update
  3. Fair Trade News to Peruse

FEATURED UPDATE: World Fair Trade Day

WFTD2013WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY (WFTD) is the largest Fair Trade event of the year in N. America, and events take place May 4-19 in 2013. Around 100,000 people attend hundreds of celebrations to promote Fair Trade and campaign for trade justice together with farmers & artisans.

WFTD itself falls on May 11, with events taking place May 4-19, 2013.

Stickers available to WFTD organizers

Stickers available to WFTD organizers

FTRN provides many free resources to those interested in participating in World Fair Trade Day in N. America including: 

  • free postcards and stickers to promote your WFTD event;
  • free & discounted Fair Trade products to share at your WFTD event;
  • flyers, videos, booklets and other resources to learn games, recipes, event planning guide, and more to help plan your Fair Trade celebration;
  • flyers and media outreach plans.

So visit the FTRN website soon to grab what you need to take part. Oh, and while FTRN supplies these resources for FREE, donations are much needed and appreciated!

raul-del-aguilaGLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE UPDATE: Alter  to Honor Fair Trade Pioneer Raúl del Águila

Global Exchange’s 11th annual Human Rights Awards gala is happening May 9th, and this year a Dia de los Muertos alter will be set up at the event to honor the life and work of Fair Trade Pioneer Raúl del Águila.

Raúl dedicated his life to developing alternatives to conventional trade and sustainable development for producers and communities, and in 2010, Global Exchange honored his work by awarding him with a Human Rights Award.

The alter will be adorned with recycled glass votives and paper flowers, both of which are sold in our Global Exchange Fair Trade stores.

You can join us at the Human Rights Awards gala on May 9th in San Francisco!  Grab your tickets before they sell out!


Fair-Trade-NewsFAIR TRADE RELATED NEWS TO PERUSE

THE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!
•    Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.
•    News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me.
•    Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!