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:

  1. 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.
  2. It’s even more fun if you organize a small or large coffee break in your workplace, school, or community. If you do, register your event on Global Exchange’s World Fair Trade Day Coffee Break page. If it’s open to the public please register on Fair Trade Resource Network’s webpage too.
  3. 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.

—-

Happy almost Earth Day! Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MOCK HERSHEY’S AD

The Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign brand jamming contest entries are in, and wait till you see them! 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. For one week only campaign coordinators Green America, International Labor Rights Forum and Global Exchange invite you to vote for your favorite contest entry finalist.

Graphic Credit: Green America

The deadline for voting is Tuesday, April 26th, so vote soon. The winners 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 April 28th, the day of Hershey’s annual shareholder’s meeting.

CAMPAIGN MAKES IT EASY FOR SHOPPERS TO TELL SUPERMARKETS TO GO FAIR TRADE

Green America is making it easy for you to help Supermarkets go Fair Trade. From Green America’s website:

Many Fair Trade products – from coffee to cocoa to tea to fruits – belong on supermarket shelves. Yet, most supermarkets are only offering a fraction of the Fair Trade products that are available, and are not actively promoting the products they do offer. Please join us in encouraging supermarkets to sell more Fair Trade products and to educate their customers about the importance of purchasing them.

Here’s how it works: Simply go online to select from a list of supermarkets that you shop at and send them a message asking them to offer more Fair Trade products and promote them.

EASTER COLOR-IN LETTER FOR KIDS

More chocolate is sold in the US at Easter than any other time of the year except Halloween. And Hershey manufactures Cadbury Crème Eggs and other products sold in the US.

This downloadable/printable Easter color-in letter encourages Hershey CEO David West to shift towards Fair Trade cocoa. So print it out, color it in, and mail it in to add your voice to the Fair Trade mix.

WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST

Want your Tee Design on an AP T-shirt? Submit your custom designs: April 1 – May 8!

Autonomie’s Project’s commemoration of World Fair Trade Day (May 14th), in partnership with the Fair Trade Resource Network and Fair Trade Boston, is a World Fair Trade Day Tee Design Contest. They’re looking for folks to come up with a new, unique design for one of their adult tees to be sold on AutonomieProject.com. Visit Autonomie’s Project’s website for details.

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Article: US market has ‘barely scratched the surface’ of Fair Trade market potential
Article: Cooperative Coffees Products Get “Fair for Life” Certification
Blog Post: Artisans in India Share Examples of Fair Trade Impact
Article: More Australians look to fair trade eggs

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 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:

—

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

—

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 Fair Trade news and updates. This week, a few deadlines for you to keep in mind, along with some creative ways to incorporate Fair Trade into your Easter or Passover celebration.

—-

Domincan Republic Fair Trade cocoa farmer/cooperative leader

INVITE FAIR TRADE TO YOUR EASTER OR PASSOVER CELEBRATION

Easter and Passover are two of the BEST times to ask Hershey to eliminate child and forced labor from its supply chain and start sourcing Fair Trade.
Why?
Easter:  More chocolate is sold in the US at Easter than any other time of the year, except Halloween. And Hershey manufactures Cadbury Crème Eggs and other products sold in the US.
Passover:  Passover is a time of reflection on slavery specifically, and an appropriate time to raise awareness about forced labor.

Here are some suggested actions you can take at your congregation and/or family gathering:

Easter and Passover:

  • Screen the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate in the weeks leading up to Easter or Passover. (Please order the DVD at least two weeks before your screening.)
  • Collect signatures on the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign petition.

Easter:

  • Kids:  Color in this letter and send it to Hershey!
  • Use Fair Trade Certified eggs, bunnies, minis, and other chocolates for Easter egg hunts, baskets, and festivities, listed here

Passover:
Use Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Haggadah insert during your Passover Seder.  The insert is written in the lyrical language of the Haggadah, and evokes the themes of Passover, to integrate modern social justice issues seamlessly into your Passover observance.

Graphic Credit: ILRF

BRAND JAMMING CONTEST DEADLINE APRIL 10, 2011

The window of opportunity to enter the Hershey Brand Jamming contest is about to close! 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 winner of the Hershey Brand Jam contest will receive $1,000.

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.

In case you missed it, here’s a bit more about the contest: Brand jamming generally uses parody, satire, and humor to expose undesirable corporate practices, often with mock ads. The brand jamming contest has three categories:

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

For contest information, go to the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign web page.

GREEN FESTIVAL HITS SAN FRANCISCO THIS WEEKEND, COMPLETE WITH FAIR TRADE PAVILION

The Green Festival is celebrating its tenth year, and this weekend it hits San Francisco once again. So if you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, head for the Fair Trade pavilion at the SF Green Fest to shop, learn, and explore!
Here’s a sneak peek of the event guide.

FAIR TRADE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 18
FTF Annual Conference ~ Building Up Fair Trade
The US Fair Trade community will connect in Milwaukee at the Fair Trade Federation conference from May 6-8. They’re adding to the list of speakers, marketplace vendors, and participants all the time. So check here for registration info and updates.

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Article: ILRF Highlights of the 2010 Tulane University Report on the Cocoa Industry
Article: Hershey under fire for allegedly relying on child labor in cocoa supply chain
Press Release: New Premium, Minimum Price and Trade Standards in Coffee

—

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!

Annual Mayan celebration--Guatemala, March 2011

P.S. I just returned from a trip to Guatemala where I traveled with some folks from WorldofGood.com by eBay to learn about Guatemala’s history, political landscape, and culture. We explored how Fair Trade and economic empowerment impact local artisan groups throughout the country. I’ll be sharing pictures and stories from our journey right here on our Fair Trade blog soon, so stay tuned!

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

—

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

—

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.

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

—

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.

—

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.

—

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.

—

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.

—

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!

The week has been a busy one for the Fair Trade movement. From petitions to conference announcements, here’s your friendly Fair Trade rundown:

Photo Credit: Fair Trade Futures Conference

The Next U.S. Fair Trade Conference Just Announced: The Fair Trade Federation will host a conference in Milwaukee, WI May 6th-8th, 2011 to examine the business of Fair Trade. This is such new news that it’s not even up on the Fair Trade Federation website yet, but I’m guessing it will be soon so check there for updates.

Graphic Credit: Organic Consumers Association

New Petition raises question about ownership of the term “Fair Trade”: Launched earlier this week on Organic Consumers Association’s website, this petition urges TransFairUSA not to change its name to “Fair Trade USA” after TransFair USA applied for the name to be trademarked.

New ArtisanWork online forum topic announced! The new forum will cover Trend Report Interpretation and run from January 20th- February 5th. Expect an overview of Trend reports and learn ways of using that information to more accurately target consumers. ArtisanWork is an information gateway for artisans around the world and the people who work with them to connect, learn, and share information.

The Fair Trade Resource Network wants YOU to design Fair Trade webinars: Following four successful pilot webinars in 2010, FTRN announced plans to expand their webinar program in 2011 and they want you to help choose the topics. There is a brief (2 questions brief!) online survey here where you can choose topics you are (and aren’t) interested in learning about, plus there’s space for you to suggest topics not listed.

—

So that’s what’s new in the US Fair Trade movement this week. Do you have Fair Trade related news to add? Feel free to share it in the Comments section.