The Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign brand jamming contest entries are in, and wait till you see them.

Professional looking graphics mixed with creative messaging result in some wonderful mock ads depicting the truth behind Hershey; that this company is contributing to instead of helping to alleviate child slavery rampant in the cocoa industry.

The mock Hershey ads, slogans and videos call on Hershey to eliminate child and forced labor from its cocoa supply chain, and shift sourcing to Fair Trade.

Vote for Your Fave:  For 1 week only campaign coordinators Green America, International Labor Rights Forum and Global Exchange invite you to:

1.  VOTE for your favorite contest entry finalist;
2.  SHARE this post with your friends, family, and coworkers by using the Share and Tweet buttons (located on top right of this post.)

The deadline for voting is Tuesday, April 26th, so please take a few minutes to vote for your favorite, and Share and Tweet this post to help spread the word.

The winner of each category will receive a Fair Trade chocolate gift basket, and the overall winner will receive a $1000 grand prize. Winners will be announced on Thursday, April 28th, which just also happens to be the day of Hershey’s annual shareholder meeting:)

Thanks to everyone who has participated in this Hershey’s Brand Jamming contest thus far, either by spreading the word or submitting an entry, and good luck contestants!

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!

Here’s your roundup of the latest news and updates related to Fair Trade. This week, Fair Trade soccer hits Chicago, Wall Street Journal mentions Fair Trade spirits, a brand jamming contest winners pot swells, and lots more!

NEW $1,000 PRIZE ANNOUNCED FOR HERSHEY BRAND JAM CONTEST
Since we announced the Hershey Brand Jam contest a few weeks ago, there has been one large development. $1,000 large, to be exact.

The winner of the Hershey Brand Jam contest will receive $1,000. That’s a lot of clams!

How did this happen? A little birdy told me that an enthusiastic supporter generously donated $1,000 to sweeten the contest pot. Cool, huh?

Here’s where you come in…
There are two ways for you to get involved:

  1. Enter the contest yourself
  2. Help spread the word by clicking the Facebook “Share” and Twitter “Tweet” buttons next to this post and encourage others to do the same.

Contest Deadline:  April 10, 2011

What is the brand jamming contest?
Brand jamming generally uses parody, satire, and humor to expose undesirable corporate practices, often with mock ads. Here are 2 examples:

  1. Chevron greenwashing ad
  2. Chevron Campaign ads calling out Chevron’s hypocrisy

This contest is part of the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign’s efforts to urge Hershey to end child and forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields of West Africa, as well as shift sourcing to Fair Trade, which prohibits these practices.

The brand jamming contest has three categories:

  1. Slogan/tagline
  2. Advertisement, up to 8.5×11
  3. Video, up to 2 minutes

Contest Prizes:

  • One big winner receives $1,000
  • Every submission will receive a 10% off coupon from Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores
  • Winner in each category will receive a “Chocolate Lovers” Gift Basket from Global Exchange’s Fair Trade online store
  • First runners up in each category will receive a Green America t-shirt and 4 2011 Green Festival entrance tickets for the Green Festival city of your choice

For contest information, go to:

FAIR TRADE KICKS OFF WITH CHICAGO HIGHSCHOOLERS
Our friends at Fair Trade Sports share some exciting Fair Trade news from Chicago:

Chicago Fair Trade inspired Chicago’s high school students through the city’s first Fair Trade soccer games. Over 60 students participated from three area schools. The Telpochcalli Youth Project from Little Village (a neighborhood in Chicago) kicked off the event with a Peace Talk that set the tone of compassion and mutual respect between players. As two groups played against each other on the field – another set of students listened to a presentation about Fair Trade, facilitated by students from Kelly High School’s Social Justice club.

You can read the complete article here.

FAIR TRADE TRIP: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FAIR COCOA HARVEST
For those that love chocolate AND Fair Trade, consider joining Global Exchange’s upcoming Fair Cocoa Harvest trip.  During this transformative international travel experience to the Dominican Republic, you’ll learn about the importance of Fair Trade in the cocoa industry and how certification and economic alternatives can dramatically improve the lives of producers.

Program Highlights:

  • Visit a Fair Trade Certified Cooperative
  • Live and work with family members of CONOCADO, a fair trade cocoa cooperative in the Dominican Republic.
  • Visit local nature sites and observe wildlife (waterfalls, forests, birds, orchids, etc.).
  • Visit various parts of the community, such as the barrios of hacienda laborers.
  • Learn what life is like for non-fair trade cocoa farmers and laborers.
  • Learn about the history of cooperatives and how they are organized.
  • Meet with students, environmentalists and human rights activists working toward social justice.
  • Learn about current relations between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Cost: $1600
Price Includes:

  • Double room accommodations
  • All program activities and entrance fees
  • Two meals per day
  • In-country transportation
  • Qualified trip leader
  • English-speaking guides
  • Reader on the Dominican Republic
  • Tips, international airfare, and personal expenses are not included.
  • Price is based on double room accommodations; add $200 for single room.
  • limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.

For information about this and other Fair Trade trips to Dominican Republic visit this page.

FAIR TRADE VODKA HIGHLIGHTED IN WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Wall Street Journal recently encouraged readers to “Get Buzzed on Quinoa.” What they were referring to is FAIR’s quinoa-derived vodka and liqueurs. Fair is a company that offers a line of Fair Trade Certified spirits. Check out the Wall Street Journal article here.

RECORDING OF POPULAR WEBINAR NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
If you missed Fair Trade Resource Network’s Webinar 106: How Much Ingredients Should be Fair Trade for a Product to get the Label of Fair Trade? you can listen to it now online here for just $5. The webinar panelists include:
1. Dr. Bronner’s CEO, David Bronner
2. Fair Trade USA’s VP of Business Development and Marketing, Mary Jo Cook
3. Ben & Jerry’s Director of Social Mission, Rob Michalak

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LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

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Special note: Next week I will not be posting a Fair Trade Roundup because I’ll be traveling in Guatemala on a Fair Trade Reality Tour. Keep an eye out for blog posts about my adventure down the road a bit, right here on our Fair Trade blog.

Here’s your roundup of the latest news and updates related to Fair Trade, including the new “Links Worth Checking Out” section at the end. Remember, if you’ve got Fair Trade related news to share, email me!

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Photo Credit: Equal Exchange

EQUAL EXCHANGE ORGANIC BAKING COCOA ON THE BIGGEST LOSER TV SHOW!

Fair Trade has been making the rounds on TV lately. Last week Ben & Jerry’s brought Fair Trade to late night television. This week, Equal Exchange invaded reality television. The TV show The Biggest Loser slipped Fair Trade into the mix; Equal Exchange’s Organic Baking Cocoa, to be specific. The reality show cast members used the cocoa during one of the episodes to make low calorie treats. You can watch the entire episode for free online here.

Photo Credit: Village Markets of Africa

WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY INCORPORATES FAIR TRADE INTO ITS CURRICULIM
Village Markets of Africa, the Fair Trade mission of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church, recently partnered with Lutheran affiliate Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH to make its Fair Trade business model a hands-on case study for Wittenberg’s entrepreneurial department curriculum.

This partnership will teach business students the social ethics of Fair Trade and provide them real world work experience so they are prepared to make a positive change when they graduate and enter the workforce. Many universities have gotten involved in the Fair Trade movement, but according to Village Markets of Africa Founder and Managing Director Jacob Schmalzle, Wittenberg University is the first to so dynamically incorporate Fair Trade into its curriculum.

Schmalzle shares this about the news:

This really is an exciting and innovative development in Fair Trade. Students at Wittenberg are visibly excited with these opportunities that combine a reputable business degree with hands-on experience in the social ethics and business of Fair Trade. It makes sense that Fair Trade education needs to take place here in the US if we are to expect our future business leaders to incorporate a Fair Trade approach in their ventures. Who knows where tomorrow’s leaders will take our Fair Trade movement!?!

For more information, visit the Village Markets of Africa website.

INTERESTED IN HOSTING A FAIR TRADE KOSHER CHOCOLATE EVENING?
With Passover and Purim around the corner, Fair Trade Judaica is working with synagogues and other Jewish organizations around the U.S. to host a series of events in early-mid April, linking child labor in the cocoa fields with our Passover theme of liberation, and inspiring people to choose fair trade chocolate as an alternative.

Fair Trade Judaica will provide a DVD of The Dark Side of Chocolate (a documentary about children working in the cocoa fields in West Africa), discussion guides, educational materials and a Haggadah supplement to use at your home or organizational sedar. We are also working on a grant to support Fair Trade Kosher chocolate tastings.

For more information: email ilana@fairtradejudaica.org or call 510.926.2056.

UPCOMING FAIR TRADE CONFERENCE: LAST CHANCE FOR EARLYBIRD REGISTRATION
If you’re planning to register for the 2011 Fair Trade Federation Conference in Milwaukee, WI, you’ll save yourself $100 per person if you sign up by this Friday, March 18.

This conference is all about building up Fair Trade, and it’s happening May 6-8, 2011. The conference will feature practical training on the business of Fair Trade combined with opportunities for networking and community building.

For more information: Visit FTF’s website.

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Article: West Africa issues global trade deal ultimatum
Article: Ivory Coast crisis: Cocoa embargo hurting small farmers
New blog: Human Trip India, all about Fair Trade travels in India
Book: Free Trade Doesn’t Work: What Should Replace It and Why by Ian Fletcher
Press Release from Fair Trade USA: Mainstream Consumers Drive Fair Trade Certified Sales Up 24 Percent

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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!

In honor of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Global Exchange is teaming up with farmer-owned chocolate company Divine Chocolate to celebrate the women of Divine’s farmer collective, Kuapa Kokoo. This Spring, Divine will be donating a portion of their sales to the Kuapa Kokoo’s Women’s Project; they’re teaching women cocoa farmers how to start small businesses, earn extra family income, and feel tremendous pride. You can show your support by purchasing Divine Chocolate 3.5 oz bars at the San Francisco Global Exchange Store (map) for the month of March, and we’ll give you $1.00 off!

Supporting Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative is supporting real farmers, and not simply a chocolate company. Divine is the only Fair Trade chocolate company that is 45% owned by farmers. While being certified Fair Trade ensures that farmers receive a better price for their cocoa, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits!

The partial liberalization of Ghana’s cocoa market in the early 1990s created a unique situation for cocoa farmers to organize in an industry where their voices were not being heard. Visionary farmer Nana Frimpong  Abrebrese organized a group of farmers to pool resources and set up a farmer’s co-op, which would trade its own cocoa, and thus manage the selling process more efficiently than the government cocoa agents. Kuapa Kokoo, which means “good cocoa growers,” was born.

In 1997, the reputable and fast-growing Kuapa Kokoo’s farmer collective had another idea. If they could manage a cocoa-farming cooperative, why not manage a chocolate company?

Divine Chocolate was born. Now a leading Fair Trade brand, Divine has given its farmers a secure source of Fair Trade income. Kuapa Kokoo invests in building schools, sinking wells and clean drinking water for villages, providing mobile medical clinics for farmers in remote growing regions, and fostering women’s income generation projects to help women earn additional income for their families when the cocoa season is over.

You can celebrate the women of Kuapa Kokoo this spring by purchasing Divine Chocolate at San Francisco’s Global Exchange Store! $1.00 off all 3.5 oz bars for the month of March.

Fair Trade Webinars are in the Air! Read about what’s coming up, plus how Fair Trade advocates expressed themselves to Hershey’s CEO this Valentine’s Day.

Photo Credit: FTRN

WEBINAR: HOW TO HOST A GREAT WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY EVENT

The Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) is producing a free webinar on How to Host a Great World Fair Trade Day Event on March 3 from 8-9pm EST. Yours truly will be moderating this informative webinar aimed at providing info and advice to those interested in planning their own World Fair Trade Day event. The webinar panelists will be Stefanie Colish, FTRN’s WFTD Organizer Coordinator, and Jeff Goldman, FTRN’s Executive Director.

Register for this free webinar here: FTRN website

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FREE PERKS FOR WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY EVENT ORGANIZERS

World Fair Trade Day events are happening between May 1-15, 2011, and some organizers who register their event (for free) online are receiving fantastic Fair Trade products to incorporate into their event, like these added recently:
•    Theo Chocolate will donate chocolate to 20 events between 200-500 people
•   Lucuma designs will donate 10 gift baskets of crafts to 10 WFTD events
•    10 events with more than 100 people attending will receive $15 gift certificates for clothing from Maggie’s Organics

How do you receive these awesome Fair Trade goodies? Just register your event on the FTRN Events Calendar to receive an email on how to request all special offers. Find complete info about WFTD here.

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HERSHEY CEO SURPRISE + MUST-SEE KIDS VALENTINES

Hershey CEO David West received a surprise this Valentine’s Day! A box of flowers was delivered directly to West’s office, containing handmade valentines from children outraged at Hershey’s’ continued use of cocoa that has not been Fair Trade certified to be free of child labor or cocoa prices that perpetuate poverty.  The valentines ask Hershey to “Go Fair Trade.”

Check out this must-see web page to view nearly 200 cute, funny valentines included in the box or sent directly to Hershey.

This action to pressure Hershey to go Fair Trade was a collaborative effort coordinated by Global Exchange and our Raise the Bar Campaign partners International Labor Rights Forum, Green America and Oasis.

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FREE WEBINAR: JOINING THE FAIR TRADE FEDERATION

When: March 1, 2011, 1:00pm EST
Interested in having your Canadian or US-based business join the Fair Trade Federation community? Have questions about the qualifications? Learn all you need to know during this FREE Webinar for prospective members.

Learn more and register here.

FREE WEBINAR: WHY BRING FT (F) INTO YOUR STORE

When: March 8, 2011, 1:00pm EST

Own a store? Attend this webinar to learn just how easy it is to bring Fair Trade Federation members’ products into your store, as well as how you can benefit from offering high-quality products with tremendous societal and cultural impact during this Free Webinar.  Learn more and register here.

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Check back each week right 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!

Here’s your weekly roundup of the latest news and updates related to Fair Trade:

IN THE FAIR TRADE MOVEMENT…

BIG NEWS: 1-800-Flowers pledges to begin selling FT flowers

How did this change come about? Change.org sums it up:

Late last week, the largest florist in the world, 1-800-Flowers, responded to 54,000 Change.org members and agreed to begin selling Fair Trade flowers and insist on a strong code of conduct for all their suppliers to counteract the deplorable working conditions that thousands of female flower workers face in South America. They’ve promised to offer Fair Trade flowers in time for Mother’s Day, making 1-800-Flowers a leader in the industry.

CONFERENCE: 2011 Fair Trade Federation Conference: Building UP Fair Trade

When: May 6-8, 2011
Where: Milwaukee, WI
Details: Build UP your business knowledge, Build UP momentum for Fair Trade, and Build UP our community!
The conference will include: practical training on the business of Fair Trade combined with opportunities for networking, community building, and discussion of key issues facing the broader movement.
More details and to register: Fair Trade Federation website
Discount: Save $100 / person if you register before March 11

WEBINAR: “Sustainable Labor: Domestic Farmworker Conditions & the Fair Food Movement”

When: Mar. 8 2011; 10-11:30am PST
Cost: FREE
Register: online
Registration questions? Melissa Schweisguth
General Questions? Ron Strochlic
Developed & Coordinated by: Ron Strochlic, Food Systems Consultant; Former Director, CA Institute for Rural Studies
Hosted by: The Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association

Webinar Summary:
This webinar will combine clips from “Fair Food: Field to Table,” a brief video documenting the movement for fair food in the United States, with presentations from industry experts. They’ll share three short, compelling and informative video segments highlighting current farmworker conditions, as well as good farm labor conditions and businesses and advocates working for change. Each segment will be followed by a brief presentation and Q& A with experts featured in the video.

Moderator: Ron Strochlic, Food Systems Consultant
Speakers:

  • Gerardo Reyes, Co-Director, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
  • Tim Schultz, VP of Administration, Lundberg Family Farms
  • Richard Mandelbaum, Domestic Fair Trade Association; Agricultural Justice Project; Policy Director, Farmworker Support Committee (Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas)
  • Maisie Greenawalt, Vice President, Bon Appetit Management Company

Photo Credit: EverJean/flickrARTICLE TO READ: Chocolate Is Sweet, but Chocolate Policy Would Be Sweeter

If you read the Fair Trade Roundup last week, you know that Bon Appetit, a national restaurant company, recently announced a commitment to introduce Fair Trade Certified chocolate in all of its kitchens. Since then, Helene York, director of strategic initiatives for Bon-Appetit Management Company, wrote the article Chocolate Is Sweet, but Chocolate Policy Would Be Sweeter.

Here’s my favorite part:

I’m proud to share that officially as of today, our chefs at Bon Appetit Management Company are now baking with this (Fair Trade) chocolate—making their brownies, cookies, and novelties like the strawberry-chocolate stilettos shown here. We’re buying in huge, food-service-sized quantities, and, hopefully, growing the market so it will be viable for direct-to-consumer sales in the near future.

FAIR TRADE USA PANELIST JUST ADDED TO UPCOMING WEBINAR ON CONTENT STANDARDS:

The upcoming Fair Trade Resource Network webinar Minimum Fair Trade Content Standards for Multi-ingredient Products will now be joined by Fair Trade USA’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Mary Jo Cook.
Date: February 28
Time: 2:00-2:50pm EST
Investment: $5 bucks
Presenters: Dr. Bronner’s CEO, David Bronner; Fair Trade USA’s VP of Business Development and Marketing, Mary Jo Cook ; Ben & Jerry’s Director of Social Mission, Rob Michalak
Register Here.

Check back each week right 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!

What started as a once-in-a while blog post is now a weekly series. There’s lots going on in the Fair Trade movement, so look to our weekly Round Ups for current updates. Each Round Up will feature two sections: Fair Trade Movement News and Global Exchange Fair Trade News.

FAIR TRADE MOVEMENT NEWS

Photo credit: Fast Company

Restaurant giant Bon Appetit announced a commitment to introduce Cordillera Fair Trade Certified chocolate in all of its kitchens. Fast Company’s Ariel Schwartz reports on this recent development:

Fair Trade Chocolate hit the big time this week as restaurant management giant Bon Appetit announced a commitment to introduce Cordillera Fair Trade Certified chocolate in all of its kitchens beginning on Valentine’s Day. This is a big deal–Bon Appetit provides cafe and catering services to corporations, colleges, and universities in 400 locations throughout 29 states. When the company makes a change in its food sourcing practices, it has a ripple effect. Read the entire article here.

Fair Trade Resource Network Webinars

–Fair Trade Webinar 105 Community Discussion of TransFair’s Name Change to Fair Trade USA, and Pending Service Mark Application took place on 2/9/2011. Panelists included Fair Trade USA CEO Paul Rice, Equal Exchange’s Answer Man Rodney North and United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries Minister for Economic Justice, Edie Rassell. If you missed it, you can download the webinar for just $5 or wait until March 30th when it will become available for free on FTRN’s website.

–Fair Trade Webinar 106 Minimum Fair Trade Content Standards for Multi-ingredient Products is coming up. Here are the details of this highly anticipated webinar:
Date: February 28
Time: 2:00-2:50pm EST
Investment: just $5!
Details: Minimum Fair Trade Content Standards for Multi-ingredient Products
Presenters: Dr. Bronner’s CEO, David Bronner; Ben & Jerry’s Director of Social Mission, Rob Michalak

World Fair Trade Day 2011 Poster Design

Take Part in World Fair Trade Day
To join in the World Fair Trade Day celebration, the Fair Trade Resource Network is inviting you to host a World Fair Trade Day event during May 1-15 and post your event to their website to help promote it.

Download the free World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) Activities Guide for tips, ideas, and resources, plus order WFTD promotional posters and postcards, and Fair Trade products – most free of charge – all on their website www.FTRN.org.

ILO and Kuapa Kokoo partner to combat child labor in cocoa industry

The International Labour Organization (ILO)  has announced it will partner with Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in a two-year project to assist the government of Ghana in reducing child labour. The pilot will run in 15 cocoa-growing communities affiliated with Kuapa Kokoo, the only Fairtrade certified cocoa cooperative in Ghana. The project focuses on preventing and removing children from hazardous work on cocoa farms. This includes livelihood support for vulnerable families and setting up a child labour monitoring system. Learn more here.

GLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE NEWS

Coco-Zen Chocolate Truffles

Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting

Join us this Sunday, February 13th, for a Fair Trade chocolate tasting. San Francisco-based artisan chocolate company Coco-Zen will be providing organic, Fair Trade Certified chocolate to sample this Sunday afternoon. Bring the kids to make Valentines cards, or use our color-your-own Valentines to ask Hershey’s to go fair trade.

When: Sunday, February 13. 1pm-4pm.
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in Noe Valley (b/t Noe and Castro).
Price: FREE!

Global Exchange Fair Trade Internship
March 7th is the application deadline for summer internships at Global Exchange. So if you’re looking for a Fair Trade summer internship, visit the internship web page for more info and to apply to our Fair Trade department. Global Exchange’s internship program offers great work experience, as well as fun weekly training seminars with dozens of other interns throughout the organization.

Send a Valentine Message to Hershey’s
Make valentines (or print out and color in this pdf) asking the Hershey’s CEO to start sourcing Fair Trade Certified cocoa. Global Exchange will email you a coupon for 10% off your purchase at any Global Exchange store if you scan your valentine and email it to us to be posted online. Deadline to email all valentines is Friday, February 18.  Visit our website for more details.

WIN Fair Trade prizes by telling educators about Fair Trade curriculum

That’s right…you can win Fair Trade prizes just by telling educators about Global Exchange’s Fair Trade curriculum. This information helps teachers teach the issues of child labor in the cocoa industry. Educators can win prizes by teaching the curriculum, too. More info here.

Host a Dark Side of Chocolate Screening during National Week of Action.

I did, which you can read about here. We make it easy for you to show this compelling new documentary about the continued use of child labor and trafficking in the cocoa industry. Order a copy plus a screening toolkit for just $6.

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Check back each week right 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!

Shop fair. Give fair! This Valentine’s Day celebrate your sweetheart with fair trade jewelry! We’ll give you a FREE fair trade, organic chocolate truffle if you spend $50 on jewelry! In case that doesn’t settle your chocolate cravings, join us in the store on Sunday, February 13 for a fair trade chocolate tasting!

This chocolate-filled promotion starts TODAY! Come check out our growing collection of beautifully hand-crafted jewelry; we have everything from Brazilian geode rings to Balinese precious and semi-precious gemstones to Peruvian butterfly-wing earrings to 98% silver earrings from the Hmong tribe of northern Thailand and Vietnam.
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store. 4018 24th St (b/t Noe and Castro). San Francisco, CA. (map)
When: February 7-14, or while supplies last (Store hours: Sun & Mon: 11am-6pm. Tues-Fri: 11am-7pm. Sat: 10am-7pm).


This Sunday, join us for a fair trade chocolate tasting! San Francisco-based artisan chocolate company Coco-Zen will be providing organic, Fair Trade Certified chocolate to sample this Sunday afternoon. Bring the kids to make Valentine’s Day cards, or use our color-your-own Valentines asking Hershey’s to go fair trade!
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store. 4018 24th St (b/t Noe and Castro). San Francisco, CA. (map)
When: Sunday, February 13. 1pm-4pm.
Price: FREE!

We hope to see you soon! Happy Valentines Day from the San Francisco Global Exchange Fair Trade Store!

Celebrate Fair Trade Month by attending a showing of the documentary film The Dark Side of Chocolate or plan your own showing!

This documentary 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.

If you’re in the D.C. area tonight (Tue. Oct. 26th.), the film will be shown at Bus Boys and Poets at the 1025 5th St NW location from 6-8 pm. Expect to hear wonderful speakers and take part in discussion following the film. Divine Chocolate, Fair Trade Federation and Global Exchange (that’s us) staff will be in attendance.

If you’re interested in organizing your own showing of this important (and timely given that Halloween is almost here!) documentary, check out our action center.

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 $3-5.

“The spookiest thing about Halloween should not be the chocolate.”
~anonymous