Human Rights Awards Fair Trade Models Jocelyn, Rae, and Zarah

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

FAIR TRADE MODELS A BIG HIT AT HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA

The Ninth Annual Human Rights Awards was a great success!  The sold out event included inspirational speeches by three incredible honorees, witty banter by event emcees Ben & Jerry (in tuxedos!), and the participation of the entire Global Exchange staff, board, and community. Guests in attendance included folks from Ben & Jerry’s, Dr. Bronner’s, Fair Trade USA, Thanksgiving Coffee, and World of Good.

Check out photos from the evening!

Models donned Fair Trade outfits & accessories and “Ask Me About My Outfit” sashes or swatches. They strutted their stuff on the big stage to showcase some of the Fair Trade goodies being auctioned off during the silent auction, while guests enjoyed Fair Trade Certified Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

All in all, the 9th annual Human Rights Awards Gala was a great time. If you weren’t able to make it, we hope to see you there next year!

“RAISE THE BAR, HERSHEY!” RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE, NYC

The “Raise the Bar, Hershey!” Campaign is planning a rally in front of the Hershey Store in Times Square happening Wed! Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Lee Cutler, Secretary Treasurer of New York State United Teachers Union, will both be there, along with school children and social justice, Fair Trade, labor rights, and faith based organization representatives. They’ll be calling on Hershey to stop child labor in its cocoa and start supporting Fair Trade.

When: Wed, June 8th 2011, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: In front of the Hershey Store in Times Square (1593 Broadway; Northwest corner of Broadway and 48th Street, Manhattan)
RSVP: On Facebook

Follow Rally Updates: Follow the hashtag #HersheyGoFair on Twitter for live tweets from folks at the rally (including us @gxfairtrade!)

More info: www.raisethebarhershey.org/rally
Read the Op-ed Why I am Marching at Hershey’s Store in Times Square by Ariana Taveras, a student in the class of 2012 at the Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Check out the post Kerry Kennedy to Join Youth in Rally to Demand That Hershey ‘Raise the Bar’ to find out more details about the rally, including who will be there.
Sign the petition telling Hershey Interim CEO John Bilbrey to Raise the Bar Hershey!

SAVE THE DATE: FAIR TRADE TOWNS & UNIVERSITIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference is happening this Fall. The conference will bring together Fair Trade campaign organizers who are promoting and advancing Fair Trade in their communities and on campuses across the country.

When: Friday-Sunday, September 9-11, 2011
Where: The Hub Conference Center, Philadelphia, PA
Registration: FREE!
More Info: www.fairtradetownsusa.org

WEBINAR: CHURCHES & COMMUNITIES ENGAGING THROUGH FAIR TRADE

Hear from pastors, theologians, Fair Trade experts and the Fair Trade Towns leadership on why and how churches are becoming powerful partners in the Fair Trade movement.
When: Tuesday, June 14 • 1:00pm – 2:00pm
InfoHere
Register: Here

Coldplay's Chris Martin

FAIR TRADE NEWS LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

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!

From Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA — the West Coast has been making big strides in the Fair Trade and Sweatfree movements in the last few weeks, so a few congratulations are in order.

Congratulations to the Seattle SweatFree Community for their tireless work to get Seattle to join nine states, 40 cities, and 118 school districts with sweatfree policies. According to SweatFree Seattle, the new policy

“requires sweat-free labor standards and a Code of Conduct for all bidders on City uniform contracts and makes a commitment to protections against slave labor, forced labor, forced overtime, excessive hours, child labor, below-poverty wages, discrimination, harassment, and other types of unfair labor practices.”

Wondering if there is a sweatfree campaign in your community? Find out now.

As someone born in San Diego as well as a graduate of the UC system, I would like to congratulate the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) who just recently adopted what is said to the be the “strongest Fair Trade policy in the United States.” For the past five years, student advocates have been campaigning to get the University to make a commitment to promote Fair Trade products throughout the campus. According to the new policy, all future food vendor contracts at UCSD are “mandated to require 100% Fair Trade Coffee, Fair Trade Tea and Fair Trade Sugar at all locations on campus.”

According to Student Sustainability Collective (SSC) Director of Food Policy, Jared Muscat,

“Fair Trade is an important part in the category of food sustainability and to have this policy makes the numbers our university strive for not only look realistic, but possible to push further.”

It looks like the SSC also has their sights set on pushing their Fair Trade University campaign to not only be UC-wide, but also to be a national one.

Interested in turning your school into a Fair Trade one? Let the United Students for Fair Trade be your guide.

Gooo Fair Traaaade!

A final congratulations goes out to my fellow Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition buddies in Berkeley as they successfully became the 19th Fair Trade Town just yesterday.

The Fair Trade Berkeley steering committee had been working with the City Manager’s office to craft a “Best-in-Class” Fair Trade Town Resolution and City Ordinance. According to the resolution, the city would

“commit to purchasing fair trade products when they’re readily available, city-standard compliant, and competitively priced.”

The city would also be part of ongoing Fair Trade education efforts and take an active role in weighing in on Fair Trade issues.

In the first Berkeley City Council meeting where the Fair Trade Berkeley steering committee presented the resolution, Global Exchange’s own Carolyn Gravely at the GX Fair Trade Berkeley Store prepared testimony to the City Council on Berkeley’s strong interest in being a Fair Trade Town. In typical Bay Area fashion, a celebration will be taking place in August to mark this tremendous victory.

Feeling inspired? Turn your town into the next Fair Trade Town.

Congratulations to the all the Fair Traders and SweatFree Communities out there for pushing the movements even further!


Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition Meeting: All invited
Global Exchange is hosting this long-overdue meeting of the Fair Trade minds.

Who is the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition (BAFTC)?
The Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition is a group of consumers, students, non-profits, Fair Trade businesses, activists and community members working together to raise awareness and build demand for Fair Trade in the Bay Area.

Most importantly…BAFTC welcomes everyone – whether you’re new to Fair Trade and want to learn more or you’re a seasoned Fair Trade pro…come join us.

Event Details:
Where: Global Exchange
2017 Mission Street, second floor
San Fransisco, CA. 94110
Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm—8 pm
Why: To galvanize the Fair Trade movement!
Attend this upcoming meeting to help support and re-energize the Bay Area Fair Trade movement.

Specific topics up for discussion:

  • The vision of Fair Trade Towns and organize teams to achieve our goals
  • The idea of a Fair Trade Towns Oakland and Berkeley campaigns
  • Brainstorm strategies to make these initiatives into realities.

For more information: please visit the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition blog.