Fair Traders like yourselves know that most mainstream chocolate comes from cacao plantations in West Africa, where forced child labor has been documented, and we’re working hard to change that.
For the second year, we’re teaming up with Equal Exchange and YOU to Fair Trade Your Halloween this October.
Coming soon, we’ll be launching 31 fun ideas and activities (and a contest!) 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.
The action kit will include postcards to hand out to friends, discount coupons for Equal Exchange mini chocolates to hand out, decorative papel picado, a Halloween candy bag, a window poster to display your commitment to Fair Trade, a DVD copy of acclaimed documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate, and some Equal Exchange minis to enjoy and show the big chocolate companies that you won’t tolerate forced child labor in your chocolate.
TAKE ACTION!
BookmarkFairTradeHalloween.orgso you don’t miss a thing when the campaign launches and be first to get the kits (there’s a limited supply) when they are available October 1st!
Spread the word about 31 Days of Fair Trade on Facebook and Twitter.
Happy almost Mothers Day! Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:
CHECK OUT THE WINNERS OF THE HERSHEY BRAND JAMMING CONTEST
Contest entries mock Hershey’s refusal to crackdown on controversial labor practices.
The Raise the Bar, Hershey Campaign – sponsored by Global Exchange, Green America, and the International Labor Rights Forum – announced on April 28th, 2011 the winners of their “brand jamming” contest in order to bring attention to Hershey’s failure to crack down on child labor and other abuses in its cocoa supply chain.
The grand prize winner is Jason Pearson of San Clemente, CA for his mock advertisement Brand Jam, a one minute video that tells the real story of where Hershey’s cocoa comes from.
Why not watch it right now? It’s pretty awesome:
The announcement of the Hershey “brand jamming” winners coincided with Hershey’s Annual General Meeting for shareholders in Hershey, PA. Thousands of people nationwide voted to choose their favorite entries for best slogan, best video and best poster.
Here are the other winners: Best Video: Behind the Hershey Smiles submitted by Aaron Thurman: Indianapolis, IN
Best Slogan: “Hershey: Sweet Chocolate. Bitter Story” submitted by Tyson Weems of Portland, ME Best Poster: Children Behind Bars submitted by Jason Pearson of San Clemente, CA
Find out what the winners received and what the Raise the Bar Hershey campaign folks plan to do with the mock ads on the campaign website.
Oh, and by the way, there’s going to be a Raise the Bar Hershey Rally in NYC’s Times Square on June 8, 2011 at 10:30 am. More details to come.
TAKE A FAIR TRADE COFFEE BREAK ON WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY
World Fair Trade Day coordinating organization Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) and sponsors (including us!) are reaching out to inspire 100,000 people to take a break from our busy lives to increase awareness of Fair Trade, by taking a Fair Trade coffee (or chocolate or tea or music, etc) break. Here are three ways you can participate:
Enjoy a Fair Trade coffee break in the comfort of your own home or office, and register it on Global Exchange’s World Fair Trade Day Coffee Break page, so your participation can be counted.
Attend a World Fair Trade Day event in your area. Dozens of Fair Tradetastic events nationwide are listed on FTRN’s website. Celebrate with Global Exchange at events in Berkeley, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Shirlington, VA, and Washington, DC, listed at the end of this email.
MOTHERS DAY EVENT ON SUNDAY, MAY 8TH IN SAN FRANCISCO
If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, stop by our San Francisco Store for an in-store event. Fair Trade treats, live music, and a wide selection of Fair Trade gifts made by mothers for mothers. Find out more details here.
CRAFTING CHANGE: A FAIR TRADE TOUR
Hear Peruvian artisans Yody Moran and Sonia Anahue’s compelling stories of their turbulent lives and learn how Fair Trade has helped them achieve economic and social stability.
Get free Fair Trade resources and learn how you can use your purchasing power to impact the world. When: Wednesday, May 11, 7 pm Where: Global Exchange, 2973 16th Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA When: Saturday, May 14, 12:30-2:30pm Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade store, 2840 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA
Brought to you by: Fair Trade Towns USA, Global Exchange, Green America, Partners for Just Trade
Also: Fair Trade crafts available for sale!
For more information CALL: 415 255 7296
100% FAIR TRADE STORE GOES 100% SOLAR!
How cool is this? Kimberly and Marco of Made By Hand International Cooperative sent out an exciting message earlier this week. The news? That their 100% Fair Trade retail store, Made By Hand International Cooperative located in South Bethany, Delaware, now runs 100% on solar energy! Thanks and congrats Kimberly and Marco for leading by example.
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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.
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.
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!
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
We’re now two weeks into Fair Trade Month, so let’s continue this National Month of Action by organizing a Youth Power Party to start a Sweet Smarts chapter of your own.
Global Exchange’s Sweet Smarts campaign is a national network of individuals, from young children to senior citizens, whose simple, creative actions to educate and advocate for Fair Trade certified products transform communities and corporations to support small farmers’ efforts to build a better future for their families.
With Sweet Smarts, we’re binding together to build the next generation of social justice and environmental leaders. We have developed new activity guides, which offer a step by step process to become a Fair Trade advocate and help end poverty, child labor, and environmental degradation by raising awareness about Fair Trade.
Here’s a message from our Fair Trade Cocoa Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel that is included in your Youth Power Party activity guide talking about the importance of educating your community about Fair Trade.
October is Fair Trade Month and Global Exchange wants you to get involved. It’s a month when we can celebrate the power that the Fair Trade movement has had around the world, linking you the consumer to the producer and their community. Throughout the years, Global Exchange has highlighted the importance of building the Fair Trade movement by making people-to-people ties in communities locally and globally.
This Halloween, get out your Fair Trade banana costume and participate in Reverse-Trick-or-Treating. The goal is for trick-or-treaters to switch it up and go door to door passing out informational cards attached with Fair Trade chocolate to raise awareness in their communities about poverty alleviation and economic justice for cocoa farmers around the world. Hear (and see) what last year’s participants had to say about this fun and creative action.
Can’t wait until the end of the month to help build the Fair Trade movement? Throughout October, you can participate in Global Exchange’s scavenger hunt which will bring you from the supermarket to the classroom and even to your Congressperson to promote an economic system that is better for workers and the planet. One clue will bring you to Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores, where you will learn more about the producer groups we work with. One group of artisans we recently connected with in Rajasthan, India has been using an ancient technique of mud-block-printing to preserve a practice that is slowly disappearing while employing both men and women and strengthening the community.
Besides the incentive of spreading the Fair Trade word, participating in our scavenger hunt will make you eligible to win up to $200 in Fair Trade prizes. Build the movement and win.
With October well underway, it is time to reflect on the reasons behind making our purchases matter. With over 2.6 billion people in the world living in poverty, Fair Trade makes a difference in the lives of farmers, women and the environment. But only if people know about it. Only 30% of Americans know what Fair Trade is—and we need your help to grow the movement this month. Join Global Exchange, Fair Trade USA and hundreds of other organizations and advocates out there to create a system of fairness, equality and sustainability.
This morning as I sat down at my desk, I flipped the page of my Fair Trade calendar and was greeted with a Happy Fair Trade Month! Every year, October is designated as Fair Trade Month where we come together to spread the world about how Fair Trade is benefiting small-scale producers and artisans and why Fair Trade matters to us all.
A few nights ago, yours truly spent the evening with the FairTradeUSA crew in San Francisco at their Fair Trade Month kick-off party. The event was filled with fellow Fair Traders, delicious treats ranging from delicious truffles from CocoZen, hummus made with La Yapa Quinoa, AlterEco chocolate and then some. Yours truly also was the lucky winner of the raffle going home with a bottle of vodka made from Fair Trade quinoa. Win! It was a truly Fair Trade event even with a Fair Trade DJ with Corinne from Global Exchange’s San Francisco Store on the ones and twos. Great event.
Fair Trade win!
Happy Fair Trade Month everyone from Global Exchange! Get involved and take action all month long. Start with signing up for Reverse Trick-or-Treating! Then register your Fair Trade Month event. I will use this weekend to enjoy my Fair Trade prizes from the other night. Happy weekend all.
We asked readers what they’re doing to celebrate Fair Trade month. Here’s what bayctygrl said:
I am going to hand out some choc. to adults! well to a few because I don’t have a lot of money, I think I should print up some leaflets too and have my daughter give them in exchange for her goody. that way (they) both get a “treat”.
Thanks to all of you who shared comments with us about how you’re celebrating Fair Trade month. Keep up the great and have fun!
We’re halfway through Fair Trade Month and our Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in DC is hosting a Fair Trade Night and you are invited.
Join us at our store at our D.C. store on Monday, October 19th at 6pm to celebrate Fair Trade Month!
Treat yourself to a night of FREE Fair Trade treats, including:
a screening of the incredible movie The Fair Trade , which tells the dramatic story of the founder of Anti-Body Fair Trade cosmetics & how she came to dedicate her life to Fair Trade
a mini-spa launch of our new line of Anti-Body beauty products, including lotions, free-range bath fizzers & more! Try out their fabulous scents – it’s all Fair Trade!
October is Fair Trade month and we want to know how you’re celebrating. Tell us what you’re doing by leaving a comment in the Comment field below. One lucky winner will receive a FREE Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Check out 31 Ways to celebrate 31 Days of Fair Trade. TransFair USA has done a terrific job of putting together great ideas about celebrating and promoting Fair Trade. Visit FairTradeMonth.org. 2. Hand out Fair Trade chocolates to Trick-or-Treaters along with info about the importance of choosing Fair Trade. Our Action Kits come with chocolates AND info cards: Trick-or-Treat Action Kits. 3. Make your Halloween costume count. Use your creativity to incorporate Fair Trade into your Halloween costume. Just picture yourself walking down the street dressed as a giant Fair Trade banana! 4. Take part in Reverse Trick or Treating. For the third year in a row, thousands of kids will be handing chocolate out to adults around Halloween. FAIR TRADE chocolate of course:) Visit our Fair Trade Campaign page to get involved.
5. Throw a Fair Trade Halloween event. Visit TransFair USA for great resources to help you out and register your event. TransFairUSA.org
And don’t forget to leave a comment below about what you’re planning to do to celebrate Fair Trade month. The winner will be announced on our blog Oct. 21st!
Fair Traders like yourselves know that most mainstream chocolate comes from cacao plantations in West Africa, where forced child labor has been documented, and we’re working hard to change that.
TAKE ACTION!
TAKE A FAIR TRADE COFFEE BREAK ON WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY
MOTHERS DAY EVENT ON SUNDAY, MAY 8TH IN SAN FRANCISCO
