Zarah Patriana - Global Exchange

In 2005, over 700 Fair Trade advocates gathered in Chicago for the first Fair Trade Futures Conference. Now five years later, momentum is starting to build for the second Fair Trade Futures Conference scheduled to take place in Boston, September 10-12 2010.

In the five years since the last Fair Trade Futures conference, the Fair Trade movement has grown in incredible ways. Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate went Fair Trade, Ben & Jerry’s has promised to go 100% Fair Trade by 2013, there are 17 (so to be 18) declared Fair Trade Towns in the US, and Fair Trade sales grew worldwide from 2008 to 2009. You know, just to name a few.

Now, with sixty days left before the largest Fair Trade gathering in North America, the call to be part of discussing Fair Trade’s Future is resounding. The Fair Trade Futures Conference will gather entrepreneurs, students, advocates, faith community members, and other interested individuals from five continents in order to learn and debate about the holistic approach to business and poverty alleviation that Fair Trade provides.

Be part of Fair Trade’s Future and register before the August 1st deadline. You’ll be able to attend practical workshops, debate and discuss key issues, and shop a marketplace of 50+ Fair Trade vendors with products from around the world.

See the schedule of workshops and speakers. Our very own Kevin Danaher will be a signature speaker where he will discuss Fair Trade and Large Corporations, “What is Fair Trade For?” and “How will it achieve these goals?”.

Head over to the Fair Trade Futures Conference website to find out more and register yourself to be part of the Fair Trade’s boundless future.

You can also find Fair Trade Futures on Facebook and follow updates on twitter @FTimpact.

In partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee Company, Global Exchange is proud to announce a new line of Global Exchange Fair Trade and Organic coffees.

The coffee beans are purchased from purchased from small-scale farmers and cooperatives, and roasted by Thanksgiving Coffee Company, whose motto is ‘Not Just a Cup, but a Just Cup’.

The coffee beans in the Global Exchange coffees originate from Ethiopia, Sumatra, Uganda, and Nicaragua. The six new roasts carry such names as Justice Blend Espresso, Solidarity Vienna Roast, and Respect Decaf and are all shade grown, organic and Fair Trade Certified.

The importance of Fair Trade cooperatives is significant because it allows small-scale farmers to work together to sell directly in the international market. By cutting out the middleman, these farmers and their cooperatives are able to build long term relationships with buyers and negotiate better prices for better quality, as well as create local democratically governed community institutions.

Working together through their cooperatives, coffee farmers around the world are transcending a history of exploitation by some of the world’s largest multinational corporations, earning a fair price for their exceptional coffee and creating dynamic opportunities for community led development.

Global Exchange is happy to work with Northern California artisan coffee roaster, Thanksgiving Coffee Company. They are a family run company that has been roasting coffee for over 25 years now. They source their coffee directly from family farms and cooperatives, which they keep long-term trading relationships with. They work closely with the partner cooperatives to invest in the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of their communities while sourcing some of the most distinctive and finely crafted coffee in the world. Visit their blog to get a better taste of their Fair Trade work.

Don’t forget to visit the Online Store to get yourself a bag of Global Exchange Fair Trade Coffee.

First place entry. photo by Hope Gardens

After weeks of gathering photos and over 1,500 votes in a week, the top twelve Fair Trade photos have been selected for the 2011 Calendar.

Hope Gardens submitted the first place photo and will have the honor of gracing the cover of the calendar.

Other winning entries include photos of Fair Trade rice farmers in the Philippines, daughters of cacao farmers from the CONACADO cooperative in the Dominican Republic, and weavers in Guatemala.

One entry I am particularly excited about is the one of Nicaraguan School Children taken by Mark Van Wormer. The photo was taken in 2008 during a Global Exchange Reality Tour delegation in Nicaragua that I also happened to be on. The Reality Tour was a life-changing experience, and I am sure it was as well for Mark. He captured many photos from the trip, but this photo is particularly significant because it is a direct example of the positive benefits of the Fair Trade system.

Children of Fair Trade Coffee Farmers. photo: Mark Van Wormer

From Mark:

Children in La Carona, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, get to attend school and have other benefits because their parents belong to the CECOCAFEN cooperative and get better prices for their crops. Since they live on their farms, these children are not exposed to the pesticides and other chemicals that are more typically used on non-Fair Trade crops.

This Reality Tour to Nicaragua is called Fair Trade & Alternatives to Neoliberalism and gave us participants the opportunity to see first hand the positive effects of the Fair Trade system by bringing us into the homes of coffee farmers and seeing the positive transformation in their community with the participation in the Fair Trade system. I highly recommend going on this trip.

Congratulations to Mark and the rest of the winners of the Fair Trade calendar photo contest! Find out more about how to obtain the calendar on the Fair Trade Resource Network website.

The other week, I was prepping my Fair Trade mudpie recipe and realized I needed more Fair Trade sugar. It took me visits to three different grocery stores to actually spot that Fair Trade label on the pack of sugar. That’s what I get for not stopping at Rainbow Grocery first. It made me realize that while the Fair Trade movement is making lots of great progress like Ben and Jerry’s announcing earlier this year to go 100% Fair Trade by 2013 and TransFair USA’s ever-growing list of Fair Trade Certified products, there is still a need to get those products in more grocery stores around the country.

Well, action can be taken by you and I to make sure this happens. Global Exchange’s Fair Trade campaign recently partnered with Green America in an effort to Fair Trade Your Supermarket.

There are many actions that you can take to Fair Trade Your Supermarket. First, take stock of Fair Trade products in your supermarket—look for coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, sugar, honey, wine, fresh fruit, and olive oil. If you find Fair Trade options, buy them and thank the store for offering them. Then, you can encourage the store to stock more Fair Trade products by talking to the store manager as a loyal customer, providing comment cards to your local store and the national headquarters. …. Whatever actions you take, make sure you let the store know that Fair Trade is good for business and good for people the world over. The next time you are grocery shopping, try these simple actions to use your purchasing power for good!

The actions provided include:

I really like the idea of leaving messages on the shelves because it targets the consumers directly to make a decision to go Fair Trade while they are mid-purchase, or just educates consumers that are unaware of Fair Trade products that can be made available. The Fair Trade Your Supermarket campaign has some great postcards that are shelf-ready for you to download. I know I’m ready with the postcards already.

Don’t forget to take photos of the actions you have taken and share them with the campaign. Be sure to check out the photostream of others who have already joined the campaign to Fair Trade their supermarket.

Join the campaign by asking for Fair Trade in your supermarket, choosing Fair Trade when you shop in order to support sustainable and just trade worldwide.

(photo: Fair Trade Your Supermarket)

Join Us at All Our Global Exchange Store locations in San Francisco, Berkeley, Portland, DC and Virginia

Saturday June 19, 2010 for a Fair Trade Tea Tasting
and Gift Recommendations for Dad

Enjoy a free cup of premium loose leaf tea harvested according to the highest Fair Trade standards* and receive a 10% discount on our rustic black and bright color tea infuser cups and tea pots handmade in Vietnam. Offer also available online! Perfect for the Dad who likes to settle in with some Fair Trade tea while he reads the paper.

Also check out our wallets and toiletry bags made out of recycled tires for the utilitarian guy on the go.

And our Black Chamba Colombian cookware line, perfect for the outdoor grill, stove top and oven to table family style service, makes a great gift for the Dad who loves to cook!

See you Saturday, June 19 at the Global Exchange Stores!

*Fair Trade tea offers consumers an opportunity to enjoy a quality product that directly benefits the lives of producers and their families in developing countries worldwide. There are over 70 FLO-certified tea estates and small-scale producer groups in 11 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Fair Trade supports a better life for tea workers by guaranteeing compliance with national and regional minimum wages and labor standards. Fair Trade secures freedom of association for farmers and workers, and facilitates democratic decision-making processes. Small-scale tea producers gain direct market access and improve business capacity. Fair Trade promotes the use of sustainable farming methods that are safer for humans and the environment.

photo: Equal Exchange

I may not be the best cook, but I do enjoy baking and when I do bake, I do my best to make sure that most of my ingredients are Fair Trade. So, when CODEPINK put out a call for pie recipes to include in a book, I submitted one of my recipes for a Fair Trade mud pie.

Well, I am happy to announce that the recipe was selected to appear in the cookbook and is now available for sale. (insert excited squeal)

From CODEPINK:

In Peace Never Tasted So Sweet: Deliciously Sweet and Savory Pie Recipes from Women Around the World (Printed & distributed through Lulu.com; May 1, 2010; $7/$33), CODEPINK tells the story of women “waging peace” and building community through their personal family recipes as well as sharing their tools and experience as peace activists. The stories and recipes were collected from women across the US and globally including a poet laureate, a retired Colonel, a witch, radical grandmothers, civil rights activists, a leader in the Muslim peace movement, creative bakers, change-makers, a Girl’s Club, local CODEPINK coordinators and more.

Recipes for change.

I use baking as a fun way to share the concept of Fair Trade with friends, family and strangers alike. You can introduce Fair Trade in a delicious way. People are usually surprised at the amount of Fair Trade ingredients that can be found out there. “So, the almonds are also Fair Trade?” They sure are. See TransFair USA’s extended list of Fair Trade Certified products available in the US and see what you can be baking/cooking/eating/whatever.

Other people are baking with Fair Trade products. See the concept of Baking it Forward.

Pick up a copy of the cookbook, see my recipe and give it a try. It’s pretty simple and mighty good. The whole book of recipes will leave you inspired for peace and hungry for a piece of pie.

PEACE NEVER TASTED SO SWEET
Deliciously Sweet and Savory Pie Recipes from Women Around the World
May 1, 2010
$7.00 Ebook/ $33 print / 93 pp / 978-0-557-45194-4
Printed & distributed by www.lulu.com
Ebook: http://bit.ly/peacesosweet
Print version: http://bit.ly/peacesosweetprint

AND. If you happen to be in San Francisco on June 15th, stop by Mission Pie in the Mission District for the book launch party. Details here.

Adrienne, GX Fair Trade Campaign Director (left) and Kirsten Moller (right), Global Exchange Executive Director, want Fair Trade Certified now!

Join Global Exchange and organizations around the country today to help get Hershey’s to go Fair Trade in honor of World Day Against Child Labor!

PHONE NUMBER:

1-800-468-1714, Dial “0”

You may need to push Zero three times to get to an operator. Press 2 if you do not want to participate in survey. Back-up number is 717-534-4200.

HERSHEY CALL-IN SCRIPT:

“Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling from ___ (city/state). I am a huge fan of [insert your favorite HERSHEY candy here]. This Saturday is World Day Against Child Labor. I am calling today in recognition of this event, asking Hershey’s to be a leader in ending the problem of child labor on cocoa farms by purchasing Fair Trade Certified™ cocoa for your candy bars. With a label from an independent third party certifier, consumers have a way of knowing that Hershey is working to respect farmers and the environment, and end abusive child labor in the cocoa industry. Fair Trade is the only label that gives farmers a fair price for their cocoa beans so they can support their families and escape poverty.

I also want to know that all the workers who had a hand in making my chocolate – from bean to bar – were treated fairly. Will Hershey take this opportunity to be more transparent about your supply chain and do more to protect the rights of workers in the fields?

Thank you for your time!”

With your help we can put pressure on Hershey’s to stop abusive child labor and environmental degradation, and help lift thousands of cocoa producers out of poverty. Call and be heard today!

For more information about Fair Trade chocolate, please visit www.globalexchange.org/cocoa

For responses to Hershey’s arguments, visit: www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/whatyoucando/hershey.cfm.

Attention DC residents. This post is for you…

Global Exchange is excited to announce a special screening of The Dark Side of Chocolate just in time for World Day against Child Labor on June 12. Join us in viewing this important exposé of the international chocolate industry:

June 8, 2010, 7:00 PM
SEIU (1st Floor)
1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (map)

The Dark Side of Chocolate, directed by U Roberto (Robin) Romano and Miki Mistrati, investigates the repeated charges of child trafficking in the international chocolate industry. Come find out what the government and companies and are (or aren’t) doing to stop it.

Following the film, there will be a panel and discussion with Bama Athreya (Executive Director, International Labor Rights Forum), Todd Larsen (Corporate Responsibility Programs Director, Green America) and U Roberto (Robin) Romano (Director, The Dark Side of Chocolate).

Sponsored by:

Africa Action, American Federation of Teachers,
Break the Chain Campaign, DC Fair Trade, Foreign Policy in Focus,
Freedom Network USA, Global Exchange, Green America,
International Labor Rights Forum, Organic Consumers Association

*PLEASE RSVP to Tim Newman at tim.newman[at]ilrf.org or 202-347-4100 ext. 113 and please bring a valid ID with you to the screening to get into the building.*
For more information about the film, please visit: www.thedarksideofchocolate.org

The Fair Trade Resource Network is once again partnering with the Fair Trade Federation to promote the Fair Trade movement with the second annual Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest. They are inviting you to join the collaboration and help spread the word about your business or organization and the beauty of Fair Trade. The top 12 photos will be featured in the 2011 Fair Trade Calendar.

I highly recommend participating in this contest and then buying the calendar. I have one hanging up at my desk as we speak and I also gave many of them out as holiday presents and they were loved by all. Truth.

But, how can I participate? Well, I am glad you asked. Here are all the details:

Submit photos from June 1-15!

Vote for the best photos from June 16-20.

To participate in the Fair Trade Calendar Photo contest follow the simple steps below:

First read over contest Rules and Regulations and Guidelines/Eligibility to make sure you qualify for this contest.
Email each photo, with a title, to Meghan[at]ftrn.org.
Pay submission fee of $10/photo at FTRN’s Online Store. Pay using PayPal or a Credit Card. Photograph submissions are $10 per photograph; you may submit as many photographs as you want. (1 photograph= add $10, 5 photographs=add $50, etc.)
Within one business day of receiving your payment, FTRN will post your photo(s)

*Suggested photograph themes: action shots of Fair Trade producers, organizers, activists, students, and promoters.

If you are interested in learning more about this year’s Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest, visit the FTRN Photo Contest page OR email: Meghan[at]ftrn.org

Remember! Submit those photos June 1-15 and then you can start voting for your favorite June 16-20th.

Our online store has the 2010 Fair Trade Calendar for sale at a discounted price. Fair Trade the second half of the year while checking out all the wonderful winning photos from last year.

Dana Geffner, Global Exchange’s Wholesale Program Director and Jocelyn Boreta, our Retail Program Director were in Peru recently to meet with Fair Trade artisans. They just compiled and sent out a report back to staff the other day, but here is one of Dana’s excerpts from the journey:

“We took a 7-hour car ride through the mountains of Peru to get to remote villages. It was the first time anyone had visited this group of artisans, because until 3 years ago it was too dangerous to visit. Most of the people we are working with are victims of severe violence and most of the women have lost their husbands to terrorism. My colleague and I were in the back of a tiny car along with 5 other people, which made for a very tight situation with everyone sitting on everyone else’s laps. Our hosts were so excited that everyone had to come, even the Vet that takes care of the llamas that the wool comes from.

We got to the first village and arrived to a group of 80 people from this small, remote town, who started clapping ecstatically as we pulled up. The leaders of the cooperative escorted us to the front of the group behind some tables (imagine a press conference scenario.) We had to talk, first in English translated to Spanish, and then translated to Quechan, their local language. They went on to tell us what they needed from us and how we could help. Then many of the artisans started to bring up the work they had done and wanted to know if it would sell. It was just amazing.

One man stood up to speak, saying that this was an important time in their history and for their work, because we came to visit with them and showed them the respect that no one had done before.

Looking back at the photos make me tear up now, just realizing the incredible impact fair trade purchases can make on impoverished communities.”

Dana and Jocelyn designed several new products that will be available at our Fair Trade stores soon, as well as other Fair Trade stores across the US. Stay tuned to the blog as we share the full report back from Peru, including more stories from artisans, information on the Fair Trade movement on the ground in Peru and a sneak peek at the upcoming product.

Be Part of Fair Trade’s Future