Has it been a whole month already? Actually to be honest, it’s been more than a month since our last Roundup. So there’s a lot to catch up on. In this Roundup, we’ve got a new Fair Trade Gift Guide out, a Fair Trade Mother’s Day gift suggestion, the latest on World Fair Trade Day, and lots more Fair Trade related news.

Fair Trade Mothers Day Gift Package

Mother’s Day Fair Trade Gift Membership Package

Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13th and the folks here at Global Exchange are making it super easy for you to shower your Mom with Fair Trade love. Our development team has put together a sweet gift idea called the Mother’s Day Fair Trade Gift Membership Package. It’s a unique gift package with Fair Trade selections made by women for women.

The package comes with Fair Trade items from across the globe, and includes a one-year membership to Global Exchange. The membership alone is usually $35 bucks, but you get the whole package for just $50 bucks.

Here’s what’s in the package; a customized Global Exchange tote bag from Handmade Expressions women’s cooperative in India, a box of Fair Trade earl grey tea from Rishi Tea, a handcrafted necklace from Ember Arts Jewelry made by women artisans from Ugandan refugee camps, a yummy 3.5 oz. Fair Trade chocolate bar from Divine Chocolate, a Women of the World CD from Putumayo Music, plus the 1 year membership to Global Exchange which comes with lots of additional benefits.

Ordering is a breeze; you just go online here. The last day to order for guaranteed Mother’s Day delivery is May 7th.

Finalists for “Best in Fair Trade” Awards 

Fair Trade Resource Network Executive Director Jeff Goldman shares news about the Best in Fair Trade Awards:

Congratulations to the 14 finalists of “Best in Fair Trade” Awards! Finalists were selected from 46 organizations suggested by 60 public nominations. Public voting to pick 1 winner for each category runs through today (April 30.) By May 5, we’ll announce the winners on our website.

FTRN created the contest since no awards existed to honor organizations across all major Fair Trade recognitions. Winners will be celebrated during World Fair Trade Day in May.

The 2012 Fair Trade Spring Gift Guide is Out

Thanks to Brittany Smith, Fair Trade Federation’s Administrative Assistant for sharing this one:

An exciting publication has been just released by the Fair Trade Federation (FTF).  Our 2012 Fair Trade Spring Gift Guide is a collection of Fair Trade gifts especially for Mother’s and Father’s Day.  These stylish gifts are handmade by craftspeople and farmers in developing countries and produced under fair trade principles.

All of the gifts in this guide are sold by fully committed Fair Trade Organizations — members of the Fair Trade Federation — so you can feel confident that they make a difference in lives of artisans and farmers around the world.  These gifts are a great way to show appreciation for parents, grandparents, and other loved ones this spring, while making a positive impact on mothers, fathers, and families across the globe.

FTF’s gift guide can be found here.  So all you Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gift Shoppers check out the 2012 Fair Trade Spring Gift Guide, a handy resource for spotting ethically produced gift ideas that rock.

World Fair Trade Day is Coming up Fast

World Fair Trade Day is the largest Fair Trade event of the year in N. America. So when is it?

World Fair Trade Day falls on May 12th this year, but events will be taking place from May 6-20th. According to FTRN, a record # of events and participants are expected for World Fair Trade Day 2012.

Here’s a great place to go if you’re looking to get involved in WFTD 2012.

FAIR TRADE IN THE NEWS …

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FAIR TRADE PHOTO CONTEST IN FULL SWING: VOTING NOW OPEN

Scores of beautiful and insightful photos are now competing in the third annual Fair Trade Photo Contest. The 12 winning photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar. Vote for up to 5 Photos by July 16.
Please help share positive and diverse Fair Trade stories by encouraging your contacts to vote in the Fair Trade photo contest, and don’t forget to vote yourself!

The 12 winning Fair Trade photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar, produced by FTRN and Fair Trade Federation.

Pre-order your calendars today: The 2012 Fair Trade calendar is available for pre-purchase now. The savings are big if you order early. Check out the pre-order early bird prices here. The more you get the more you save.

HOW CAN YOU CELEBRATE FREEDOM THIS JULY 4TH?

By making S’mores with Fair Trade chocolate!

Be part of the Fair Trade S’mores revolution.

Rock your picnic, barbeque or campfire with gooey, chocolatey Fair Trade s’mores.
Why? Because you’ll send a message to Hershey that it’s gotta get child and forced labor out of its cocoa. And you’ll enjoy your s’mores so much more with chocolate that frees kids from child labor and empowers cocoa farmers to free themselves from poverty.

During your s’more-fest, be sure to:
1.    Collect signatures on this petition asking Hershey to stop using child labor and become Fair Trade Certified
2.    Count the s’mores you eat and register them online
3.    Take pictures and videos of yourself with our s’mores poster and email the youtube link or your photos to fairtrade@globalexchange.org

Visit Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Campaign page for more s’mores event ideas and free resources.

Traditional block printing meets modern design

LEARN ABOUT BLOCK PRINTING TECHNIQUE WHILE SAVING IN SF THIS WEEKEND

Introducing Summer Saturday Savings! Every Saturday this summer July 2- Sept 3, 2011, the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco will be offering 15% OFF on featured clothing, scarves, tablecloths & kitchen ware, AND much more!

Kicking things off this Saturday, July 2nd, there will be free blockprinting demonstrations, a kids’ station, and customers will enjoy 15% off all summer dresses – just in time for that Fourth of July barbeque.

Learn about the traditional block printing technique used on many Fair Trade pieces this Saturday! Plus, enter a raffle by sharing what ‘independence’ means to you for chance to win a gift certificate to the Fair Trade store.

Event Details
Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store
4018 24th Street
When: 1pm-4pm Saturday July 2nd
More info: Call (415) 648-8068

HAVE YOU WATCHED KERRY KENNEDY’S FAIR TRADE RALLY SPEECH?

Check it out here:

Help the Raise the Bar Hershey folks reach their target of 1,500 video views. They’re aiming for1,500 views. You can help by sharing this link to it on your Facebook page and/or sending out this suggested tweet: Have you watched Kerry Kennedy’s #fairtrade rally speech yet? http://ow.ly/5svir via @gxfairtrade.

Michelle Obama, fashion modeling with spunk Photo credit: ecouterre.com

 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

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

HERSHEY RALLY WRAP UP
The ‘Raise the Bar Hershey’ rally took place in front of the Hershey store in Times Square. Lots of people turned out, including school kids and Kerry Kennedy, and Global Exchange’s Adrienne and Emily.

Check out Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Child Labor has got to Go! to read all about it and see pics. And check back here on our Fair Trade blog in a few days for a new video from the rally.

3RD ANNUAL FAIR TRADE CALENDAR PHOTO CONTEST

The third annual Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest is in full swing. The time is NOW to submit Fair Trade themed photos on behalf of your business or organization for the chance to be included in the 2012 Fair Trade calendar. You can enter photos from producer or consumer countries. The 12 winning Fair Trade photos will be featured in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar.

Here’s What to Do:
1) Submit Photos (June 1-26, 2011)
1.    Read contest Guidelines/Eligibility for details on qualifying, specifications, etc.
2.    Email each photo, with a caption up to 50 words to photocontest@ftrn.org;
3.    Pay submission fee of $10/photo at Fair Trade Resource Network’s Online Store;
2) Vote for Photos (June 27 – July 16, 2011)
Vote online for your favorites, with a link announced on FTRN’s website on June 27. The 12 winning photos will be featured each month in the 2012 Fair Trade Calendar. Over 1500 people voted for their favorite photos in last year’s contest!

To learn more about the Fair Trade Calendar Photo Contest, visit FTRN’s website or email photocontest@ftrn.org.

SERIOUSLY INSPIRING VIDEO YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH!

Thanks to Fair Trade Sports for sharing this gem on its blog. That’s where I first discovered it. According to the post, TMB Bank launched this short film as part of a new brand vision, “Make THE Difference,” to inspire people to start thinking differently.

This video encompasses the wonderfulness of kids, soccer (er, football), and well, life in general! 1,380,434 people (and counting) on YouTube have watched it. Have you?

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
3blmedia: Fair Trade USA and Textile Exchange Form Strategic Partnership
Going Green Examiner: Why Choose Fair Trade?
axiomnews: United Kingdom Sees Meteoric Rise in Fair Trade
GOOD: Finding a Sweet Spot for Fair Trade Sugar Farmers
PRNewswire: On-Trend Products Defying Economic Downturn
Evening Times (UK): Schools to go into battle for Fairtrade cup

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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!

BEN & JERRY TO EMCEE UPCOMING HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA

Global Exchange is ramping up for our ninth annual Human Rights Awards Gala happening on June 1st at the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco. Ben & Jerry’s Co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield attended the gala last year, but this is the first year they will emcee the event, so those who attend are in for an extra sweet treat (including Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream and Ben & Jerry sporting tuxedos!)

Ben and Jerry have been active participants in the Fair Trade movement; they recently launched a Fair Trade Certified ice-cream on Late Night With Jimmy Falon.

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 from around the country and around the world. Find out who we are honoring this year by visiting www.humanrightsaward.org.

To purchase tickets: Order online (Early bird pricing ends May 17 11:59pm PST)

General event info: Visit www.humanrightsaward.org

CRS CELEBRATES WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY WITH GRANT AWARDS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Fair Trade Fund announced $33,000 in grant awards to build the Fair Trade movement. These Fair Trade Fund awards are designed to identify “break through” approaches to strengthening the Fair Trade movement.

Here’s how a few of these grants are being used:

  • Cooperative Coffees will use grant support to generate from Fair Trade coffee leaders the key practices needed to build sustainable companies.
  • A joint award to Cabrini College and St. Joseph’s University in the Philadelphia area will lead to the development of a consortium of change-maker universities in the region.

These Fair Trade Fund grants were made possible through the contributions of CRS partners and U.S. Catholics.

Fair Trade Federation Conference 2011 Photo Credit: Fair Trade Federation

FAIR TRADE FEDERATION (FTF) NEWS

Prospective FTF Member Webinar: On May 19th, FTF is hosting a webinar for prospective members to learn more about the application process. So if you know a Retailer, Cafe or Wholesaler you think would be interested, invite them to join this discussion of the FTF application process with Mary Parrish, FTF’s Membership and Program Manager.

FTF Conference Report Back: Fair Trade Federation hosted a conference in Milwaukee on May 6-8, 2011. Mary Parrish shared:

Congratulations to all of our award winners from the conference, and thanks to everyone who participated in the sessions and marketplace. It was truly an event where ideas were shared and we built relationships! Stay tuned to www.fairtradefederation.org/conference for copies of conference presentations, tips on getting involved, and photos!

WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY FAIR TRADE RESOURCE NETWORK (FTRN) REPORT BACK

FTRN reports:

Hundreds of World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) events took place in the US & Canada from May 1-15, as Fair Trade advocates celebrated the benefits of Fair Trade and built awareness of this hopeful way of doing business. With the largest number of events and participants taking place on May 14, actual World Fair Trade Day, N. America has already involved over 50,000 people – and we’re still counting! As reports are emailed to wftday@ftrn.org, the attendance tracker will be updated through the end of May.

So visit FTRN’s website to check the attendance tracker, plus see and add to the latest WFTD photos, videos and stories on their Facebook page.

Every second Saturday in May, the Fair Trade community comes together to celebrate World Fair Trade Day to honor artisans and small-scale producers all over. The day is also used as an opportunity to raise awareness for Fair Trade and to grow the community.

This year, the Fair Trade Resource Network has set a goal to gather 100,000 participants for World Fair Trade Day to take a Fair Trade Coffee Break. Interested in participating? It’s as simple as gathering with friends, co-workers, or community members to pause, enjoy each other’s company with some Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, tea, fruit, or various other Fair Trade products and  showcase, and/or discuss the benefits of Fair Trade. Have something planned? Register your event with Global Exchange and we will add it to the Fair Trade Resource Network tally.

Don’t have anything planned yet? Those of you in or near the Chicago area this weekend can spend World Fair Trade Day with Global Exchange at the Green Festival taking place this weekend, May 14-15 at McCormick Place. The Fair Trade Pavilion is filled with great speakers, including a talk by Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel who will be hosting a screening of the film, Dark Side of Chocolate on Saturday at 4:30pm.

It’s a particularly great time for the Chicago Fair Trade community, as the city was just named an official Fair Trade Town, making it the largest Fair Trade city in the U.S. and the second largest globally, just behind London. Nancy Jones and Ervin Lopez from the Chicago Fair Trade Steering Committee will be speaking at the Green Festival on Saturday at 2:30pm. Join us in congratulating Chicago on their amazing achievement on becoming a Fair Trade Town. As Nancy Jones of Chicago Fair Trade stated on why promoting Fair Trade is important,

Though the task of global peace and sustainability seems overwhelming, we know that Fair Trade provides us with a doable step that we can take each day. Asking for it, gifting it, mentioning it.

While at the Chicago Green Festival, be sure to visit the Global Exchange booth to learn about all of our programs, and to see all the wonderful Fair Trade products we have for sale. We’ll raise a cup of Fair Trade coffee together!

After the World Fair Trade Day weekend comes to a close, remember that celebrating Fair Trade can take place everyday. Starting with your morning breakfast with a Fair Trade banana, in the middle of the day at a game of soccer with your Fair Trade soccer ball, to winding down your day with a glass of Fair Trade wine. Making socially conscious choices in your daily life through Fair Trade not only helps the Fair Trade producer growing those crops, but also the whole global community by showing that there is a better and more sustainable way to do trade in the world.

With that, I wish you all a Happy World Fair Trade Day tomorrow, and everyday.

P.S. For those of you in the Bay Area, there is still time to join Fair Trade USA and the Stag Dining Group at the Wake Up the World Fair Trade Brunch. The brunch takes place at the HubSoMa, Saturday, May 14th at 10am. You’ll be searched what sounds like a delicious Fair Trade brunch by some stellar chefs. Don’t believe me? Check out the menu, and the promptly grab your last minute ticket.

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.

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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.

Announcing the highly anticipated third webinar (#103) in a four-part series about Fair Trade Certifications, brought to you by Fair Trade Resource Network. This webinar will compare “Fair Trade Certified” and “Fair for Life” certifications and cover label use, system governance and benefits to producers.

Date: December 6th
Time: 10am-11:30am PST, 1pm-2:30pm EST
Investment: just $5!
Details: Comparing “Fair Trade Certified” and “Fair for Life”: Label Use, System Governance and Benefits to Producers
Presenters: IMO “Fair for Life” U.S. Director, Kerry Hughes, and Deputy Manager IMO Social & Fairtrade Certification, Florentine Meinshausen, and Fair Trade USA Board Chair and FLO Board Member, Michael Conroy

To register and for more info: http://store.fairtraderesourcenetwork.org/collections/webinars.

This webinar is happening soon so register today to secure your spot. Oh, and have your questions ready. As a Fair Trade Resource Network Board member, yours truly will be helping Executive Director Jeff Goldman to make sure your questions get answered.

Hope to “see” you there!

The four-part webinar series runs from Oct-Dec 2010 and consists of 4 separate webinars each covering different aspects of the two prominent certifications in Fair Trade. All webinars are designed for beginner to intermediate level, and are structured to allow over half the time for participants to ask questions to the certification experts.

As a member of the Fair Trade Resource Network Board of Directors, I’m excited to announce the upcoming webinar in FTRN’s four part webinar series on Fair Trade Certifications. This webinar is the second of the series and will cover “Fair for Life” Certification illustrated by following the supply chain from producers to final seller.

Date: November 12
Time: 1:00-2:30pm EST
Investment: just $5!
Details: IMO “Fair for Life” U.S. Director, Kerry Hughes, and Deputy Manager IMO Social & Fairtrade Certification, Florentine Meinshausen, present:
•    Overview of Fair for Life system
•    Mechanics of activities for producers and others in supply chain
•    Use of label and chain of custody requirements, and more

To register and for more info: http://store.fairtraderesourcenetwork.org/collections/webinars.

The four part webinar series runs from Oct-Dec 2010 and consists of 4 separate webinars each covering different aspects of the two prominent certifications in Fair Trade. All webinars are designed for beginner to intermediate level, and are structured to allow over half the time for participants to ask questions to the certification experts.

This webinar is coming up fast so register today to secure your spot. Oh, and come with your questions ready. Yours truly will be helping Executive Director Jeff Goldman to make sure your questions get answered.

Hope to “see” you there!

First place entry. photo by Hope Gardens

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

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

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

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

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

From Mark:

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

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

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


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

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

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

Submit photos from June 1-15!

Vote for the best photos from June 16-20.

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

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

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

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

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

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