Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:

Fair Trade Models from Human Rights Awards Gala 2010

FAIR TRADE MODELS TO APPEAR AT UPCOMING HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA

Global Exchange’s ninth annual Human Rights Awards Gala is happening next week (June 1st) at the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco. Since 2001, the Human Rights Awards Gala has brought together activists, supporters, and friends to recognize the efforts of exceptional individuals and organizations working for human rights around the world. Find out who we are honoring this year by visiting www.humanrightsaward.org.

There will be many Fair Trade aspects to the evening, including:

  • Fair Trade models: A bunch of us gals will be sporting Fair Trade outfits courtesy of Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores; dresses, scarves, jewelry and other accessories, and we (yes, we, I’m going for it!) will top our outfits off with a sash that reads “Ask Me About My Outfit”, an ice-breaking statement to encourage conversation amongst guests about Fair Trade.
  • Fair Trade ice-cream! Ben & Jerry’s Co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield will emcee the event, and word has it they’ll be sporting tuxedos. Sweet! Yours truly will be helping to dish out Fair Trade Certified Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to all who attend, following an organic dinner of deliciousness.
  • Silent Auction featuring Fair Trade gifts: Gourmet treats, handcrafted baskets & glassware and a whole lot more will be offered up for auction, all to benefit our human rights work.

If you’re in the Bay Area: We sure hope you come out next week to enjoy this exciting event!
To purchase tickets: Order online here
General event info: Visit www.humanrightsaward.org

If you’re not in the Bay Area: It would be great if you would help spread the word about the Human Rights Awards gala to your friends and family.
If you’re to ready spread the word, here are 3 easy ways to help:
1.    Share and Retweet this post using the buttons to the right;
2.    Send this Tweet out: Human Rights Awards Gala honors #pablosolon #javiersicilia Hosted by Ben & Jerry! Grab tix soon: http://ow.ly/512jQ #sf #sanfrancisco;
3.    Post this link to your Facebook Wall: www.humanrightsaward.org.

Thanks!

HERSHEY RALLY IN NEW YORK CITY 6/8

Have you heard about Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign’s upcoming rally in NYC’s Times Square, Wednesday June 8th at 10:30 AM?  Come join us in front of the Hershey Store and ask Hershey to make the switch to Fair Trade.

Who will be there: We are reaching out to local NYC social justice groups, students, schools and faith groups that care about this issue. Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign groups (Green America, Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Forum) and our other allies will be there as well.

For more information about the rally visit: www.raisethebarhershey.org/rally.

Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director Adrienne Fitch Frankel making a Fair Trade s'more

WE WANT MORE FROM OUR S’MORES IS BACK!

Are you ready for some summer fun?  We Want More from our S’mores is back, to help you kick off your summer in a fun, Fair Trade fashion.  After all, what says summer more than s’mores?  It’s a classic, essential summer treat.
Please help the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign reach the goal of making at least 1,500 Fair Trade s’mores.

Your delicious s’mores will help raise awareness and hold Hershey accountable for failing to eliminate child and forced labor from its supply chain and encourage the company to achieve Fair Trade certification.

How to participate
Plan your s’more event: Savor the chocolatey, gooey pleasure of Fair Trade s’mores anytime from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day weekend.  Include Fair Trade s’mores in your barbeques and campfires this summer.  Or plan a We Want More from Our S’mores event with friends, family, coworkers, or the neighborhood. Check out these videos to see how much fun you’ll have.
Let the s’mores be counted! Count the s’mores you eat and register them online.
During your s’mores gathering, collect signatures on petitions asking Hershey to step up and become Fair Trade Certified.
Screen the Dark Side of Chocolate. Before or after you make your tasty Fair Trade s’mores, show this film to educate others about child labor in the cocoa fields and explain why it is so important to choose Fair Trade Certified chocolate.

More info about We Want More From our S’Mores Campaign: Visit our website

Fair Trade Federation's new Executive Director Renee Bowers Photo Credit: FTF

SHOUT OUT AND CONGRATS TO FAIR TRADE FEDERATION
Thanks Mary from the Fair Trade Federation (FTF) for spreading the word about our Fair Trade blog in the Spring Edition of Networks, FTF’s quarterly newsletter.

Published quarterly, Networks is the official newsletter of the Fair Trade Federation, the trade association that strengthens and promotes North America organizations fully committed to Fair Trade. You can sign up for this newsletter here.

Also, congratulations goes out to Renee Bowers, the Fair Trade Federation’s new Executive Director!

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Article: World Fair Trade Day-My History with the Movement
Petition: Change.org Asks Celebrity Chefs to Make Fair Trade S’mores
Video Link: Fair Trade or watch it here:

Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates. This week, Ben & Jerry’s gives out free ice cream cones, CNN addresses child labor in the cocoa industry, and that’s just for starters:

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Graphic Credit: www.benjerry.com

BEN & JERRY’S FREE ICE CREAM CONE DAY
Today is the day. Tuesday, April 12, 2011 from Noon-8pm it’s free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cones for everyone! As their way of thanking customers for their support and to celebrate 33 years of scooping  deliciousness, Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops are giving away free ice cream cones.

Why am I mentioning this in our weekly Fair Trade Roundup? Because of Ben & Jerry’s growing commitment to Fair Trade, which you can learn more about here.

Graphic Credit: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

CNN’S FREEDOM PROJECT INTERVIEW WITH THE DARK SIDE OF CHOCOLATE FILM MAKER

CNN’s Freedom Project posted an interview with U. Roberto Romano about The Dark Side of Chocolate which you can watch here. This riveting documentary goes undercover to reveal the bitter truth about child slavery in the cocoa industry. To host your own screening, visit our website.

Graphic Credit: Partners for Just Trade

2011 ARTISAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
Partners for Just Trade announced their 2011 artisan tour that will visit the Pacific Northwest. Sonia Anahue Uscamayta from the Munay Rumi jewelry cooperative in Lima and Yody Gladys Moran Trillo from the El Mercurio knitting cooperative in Huancavelica, Peru will be traveling to the United States to share how Fair Trade has impacted their lives. The tentative artisan tour schedule can be found here, though date changes are possible, so you might want to double check the dates before making plans.

If you’re around Berkeley on Sat. May 14th (World Fair Trade Day!), this exciting artisan tour will be at our own Fair Trade Store!

NEW CHANGE.ORG ACTION CALLS ON HERSHEY TO FAIR TRADE THEIR EGGS
Change.org just launched a new action calling on Hershey to extend Cadbury’s commitment to Fair Trade cocoa to Cadbury Crème Eggs in the US. Go here to learn more and to sign the petition.

Teakwood Platter from Global Exchange Fair Trade Store

CURRENT AND FUTURE EFFORTS TO FAIR TRADE YOUR PASSOVER:
Passover is almost here. You can find Passover Fair Trade Ideas here. Already looking to next year, Fair Trade Judaica is launching a new initiative called Next Year – Fair Trade Kosher for Passover Chocolate to encourage Kosher manufacturers to source Fair Trade cocoa beans for Passover products.

(To purchase the beautiful teakwood piece pictured visit our Online Fair Trade Store.)

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Article: Sustainability of West African cocoa growing questioned
Article: A ‘divine’ fair trade policy for chocolate
LinkedIn Group Discussion: Is Criticism of Fair Trade Justified?
Events: World Fair Trade Day Event Listings (find events or post your own)
Resource: Easter and Passover Fair Trade Ideas

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Check back here on our Fair Trade blog for more Fair Trade News Round-Ups…your one-stop shop for current Fair Trade news and events. And if you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me!

Newly released documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate reveals shocking and disturbing new evidence  that child labor, trafficking, and slavery are continuing in the cocoa industry, nearly ten years after the cocoa industry pledged to end it.

During Halloween Week 2010, please help us raise awareness of this real-life horror.

We are calling on you and individuals nationwide who care about the welfare of children to organize film screenings – large or small – in your home, workplace, or other group.

Help ensure that as many people as possible see this important film and take action to end this tragedy.

Following screenings, attendees will be invited to sign letters asking the Hershey Company to end the use of child labor and slavery in the cocoa fields and to start sourcing Fair Trade certified cocoa, which prohibits the use of child and forced labor.

Filmmaker Roberto Romano has generously offered for you to screen this film for free; participants will be asked to pay only to cover the cost of DVD replication and postage, which will be approximately $3-6.

Our goal is to organize hundreds of screenings nationwide at house parties, schools, congregations, and other venues during a National Week of Action the last week of October.  (If late October is inconvenient, please feel free to screen it later.)

Will you help by holding a screening (or even two)?

Questions?  Email fairtrade@globalexchange.org

PS:  Reverse Trick-or-Treating is coming soon!  September 1 is the anticipated start date for kit requests.

by Adrienne Fitch-Frankel

There are so many things to consider on Valentine’s Day: the reason you and your beloved were first attracted to each other, the amazing date you’ve planned, the perfect gift to express your affection. And, if you’re like most Americans, you’re thinking about buying chocolate. U.S. consumers purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of chocolate for their sweeties in the week leading up to February 14. With that in mind, here’s one more thing to consider:

Child slavery.

Yes, child slavery. It’s rampant in the cocoa industry.

Though the industry promised in 2001 to fix the problem, it hasn’t. Abusive child labor and slavery still makes your chocolate a bit bitter. A report funded by the State Department and others estimate that in West Africa, the source of 70 percent of the world’s cocoa, hundreds of thousands of children as young as five years old toil in the cocoa fields, with scores of them enduring the worst forms of child labor. These kids clear fields, spray pesticides, and carry heavy sacks across vast distances.

Not so sweet, huh?

But there’s a way to give the perfect Valentine’s Day chocolates without perpetuating child abuse. The solution lies in fair-trade certification.

Fair-trade certification ensures that cocoa producers meet stringent labor and environmental standards, stipulating that the crop is produced without forced or abusive child labor. Fair trade also guarantees that farmers are paid a fair price for their crops, allowing them to pay the costs of inputs to their crops—including labor—and purchase necessities they often can’t afford when prices are left to the market’s whims.

Chocolate, jewelry, and other gifts worthy of being a token of your love can be found at your local store carrying fair-trade goods or online at Global Exchange’s fair-trade store. You can even pair your gift of fair-trade chocolate with fair-trade certified flowers and wine. And then, there is the ultimate Valentine’s Day chocolate gift: a trip to spend a week with the fair-trade cocoa farmers in the Dominican Republic…an experience every chocolate lover should have. Fair trade gifts are often accompanied by the story of the worker cooperative it supports, which is sure to win the heart of your beloved, all over again. You can learn more about these options at www.globalexchange.org/cocoa, a website my organization created.

Helping to end abusive child labor and slavery, and ensuring fair prices for farmers and other producers, doesn’t have to stop there. Individuals, schools, congregations, and communities around the country are uniting to educate their neighbors about fair trade, using fun and creative actions. For example, educators nationwide will participate in a National Valentine’s Day of Action by teaching schoolchildren about fair-trade cocoa. You can also visit our website to find out how you can help promote fair trade and press Hershey’s, World’s Finest Chocolate, and other cocoa industry leaders to end the intolerable shadow slavery casts on our cocoa supply.

By the way, choosing another popular Valentine’s Day gift doesn’t resolve the problem. Diamonds, without proper certification, are nobody’s best friend. Conflict diamonds, blood diamonds, hot diamonds: The names all point to the glaring problem in the industry. Most diamonds come from regions of the world embroiled in conflict, where the sale of diamonds finances arms purchases, and violent groups resort to forced labor and brutal violence to keep the money flowing.

Even flowers may be tainted. Many flower-production companies, generally operating in Africa or Latin America, pay wages below subsistence levels and threaten the health of workers through toxic exposures. Further, these companies often prevent workers from forming unions to secure their rights.

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be sweet. Let’s sweeten it for everyone by supporting the fair-trade movement and helping stamp out child slavery and other abusive labor conditions.

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Adrienne Fitch-Frankel is Global Exchange’s fair-trade cocoa campaigner. www.globalexchange.org

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Fair Trade Jewelry now 10% off until February 12th.