Be sure to check out a great article in London newspaper The Independent today, “Fair Trade is growing - and working.”  Sales of Fair Trade products grew 70% in the UK last year and 45% in the US.  The global market for Fair Trade goods reached 1.6 billion pounds or about 3 billion dollars and helped to improve the lives of 7 million people who are taken advantage of in the conventional international economy.

Finally what is approaching a critical mass of consumers understands that the international economy is organized to the advantage of large goverments and corporations to the expense of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged people.  This is the way the world economy has always worked, though in the past those with power and advantage wielded it more brazenly.  These days power and advantage are leveraged in backroom (or the “green” room at WTO summits) dealings that result in economic policy on domestic and international levels that further rig the system to the advantage of the rich and powerful.

While Fair Trade is not the permanent solution to these problems it is being recognized as an intermediary step that is very pragmatically helping the poor and disadvantaged gain a foothold in the world economy while educating consumers at the same time.  Consumer choice is, for the time being, the sole check and balance on the inequalities of our gloabal trade system.  The more consumers can band together to purchase ethically sourced products the quicker our demand for a democratic economy will be heard and ultimately addressed with a more concerted, unified and sustainable solution.

So, pass the word along to your friends and family, encourage them to educate themselves further on the power of their consumption and take heart because, hey, it’s working!

We’re teaming up with Films for Action to bring the award-winning documentary film Black Gold to Liberty Hall in downtown Lawrence at 7:00 pm tonight, May 19th.  The documentary takes a critical look at the current state of the global coffee trade and asks how Fair Trade ideas are affecting cooperatives in Ethiopia.  The cost is $3 and we will be providing free coffee from the Oromia cooperative in Ethiopia featured in the film along with some yummy Fair Trade snacks. Hope to see you there! (Also check out the post I wrote last year after we saw Black Gold for the first time and met star, and hero to the coffee farmers of Ethiopia, Tedesse Meskela at the Green Fest in Chicago.)

On Saturday May 10th Lawrencians joined with communities across the nation for the first ever joint coffee break. Each year people across the world mark the second Sunday in May as World Fair Trade Day and take a moment to celebrate and educate about the wonderful benefits of Fair Trade. This year the Fair Trade Resource Network and the Fair Trade Towns Initiative joined with many sponsors and community groups to set the world record for the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break. This act of solidarity across the country provided an opportunity to share ideas and thoughts about Fair Trade over a steaming cup of joe.

Two Hands Worldshop joined with fellow Lawrencian’s at the Watson Park gazebo to sip on some delicious New Mission coffee (thanks to Tom Wheat!). We held a raffle and gave away various prizes such as coffee and mugs to share with loved ones back home, all in our handy dandy Two Hands reusable shopping bag. The event drew approximately 40 people to do their part to set this world record! The Lawrence Journal World stopped by and ran a story about the gathering of Fair Traders. A huge thanks to everyone that came out!!

To continue with the celebration of Fair Trade and spreading the word, Two Hands Worldshop will be joining with Films for Action to screen Black Gold at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. We will begin at 7 pm and the cost for the movie is $3 which helps fund Films for Action. We will also have free coffee from the Oromia co-op featured in the film (there will also be some decaf available). Lawrence.com did a great interview with Brady about the film. If you are around be sure to come check it out and tell your friends! The movie is well done and very moving.

Two Hands will also be at the upcoming Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival June 5-8th sharing Fair Trade with music lovers. If you’re catching the show be sure to stop by the booth and say hi!

A new campaign has launched this Fair Trade month. Fair Trade Towns USA is “a campaign organized by local and national Fair Trade advocates whose aim is to encourage and support the Fair Trade Movement in the U.S. Following the example of the Fair Trade movement in Europe, the campaign strives to support local, grassroots groups by offering tools and resources to become a Fair Trade town or city through successful local campaigns.”

This campaign makes it even easier for your town to become a Fair Trade town, following in the steps of Media, PA and Brattleboro, VT. This campaign has developed guidelines on how to achieve the five goals required to become one: the formation of a steering committee that meets regularly; availability in local stores, cafes, and other venues of a range of Fair Trade products that are either certified by TransFair USA or sold by retailers that are members of Fair Trade Federation; the use of Fair Trade products by a number of local organizations, such as places of worship, schools, hospitals and offices; attraction of media attention and visible public support of the local campaign; passage of a resolution supporting Fair Trade by the town or city council/governing body and a commitment to serve Fair Trade products at meetings.

A Fair Trade Toolkit(pdf) is available that covers in depth, each of these five goals. Forming a steering committee is the first step towards your towns new designation. First check out Co-op America’s list or search your community groups and find out if a Fair Trade coalition already exists in your area and if not start one up. The toolkit offers advice on how to structure your group and ideas for hosting various events in your community.

The second item states that Fair Trade must be available; there should be “at least one business selling Fair Trade products for every 2,500 residents in a town of 10,000 or less. There should be at least one store selling Fair Trade products for every 5,000 residents in a town that has over 10,000 residents.” To increase the number of Fair Trade products offered consider sending a letter or hitting your grocery store with Co-op America & Oxfam’s Super Market Campaign Kit. To get a gauge on your town’s knowledge and interest in Fair Trade send out the Merchant Survey and use this as a baseline to measure your progress. This survey can also be useful in getting Fair Trade products into local organizations such as churches, schools, hospitals and offices.

To assist in media attraction, begin building relationships with the press immediately upon your journey. Send out press releases each time there is an event (including your very first event, the coalition formation!) Offer to be a speaker or interview candidate for any related articles.

And finally getting the local governing body to pass a resolution use all your previous accomplishments. Present a collection of merchants that sell Fair Trade, and show the growth using your Merchant Survey. Get signatures and proclamations of support from local community members and business leaders along the way and compile these. Bring in all media coverage as well as your own coverage of all meetings and events, including future plans.

The ultimate goal of the Fair Trade Towns movement is to grow Fair Trade through grassroots efforts including access and education. Beyond the normal benefits of Fair Trade to both the producers and consumers, Fair Trade Towns bring together diverse people within the community united towards a single goal, receive recognition from the community on up, and lead the way in making positive changes within our world.

For more information, contact Fair Trade Towns coordinator Sara Stender: by phone: 802.356.0551, or email: sara@fairtradetownsusa.org .

(Originall written for Green Options)

(Originaly published at Green Options)

Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart, annouced that they have converted their “private label Member’s Mark premium ground coffee” to Fair Trade Certified. The process from bean begins with 3678 small scale, independent farmers who then sell their beans to “democratically-run cooperatives for a set, guaranteed minimum price.” This pool of beans from thousands of independent farmers is what composes the Member’s Mark brand. In conjunction with this announcement, Sam’s Club is offering a grant for teachers and students to spend one week studying the Fair Trade process of their coffee in Brazil. While this is not the first Fair Trade brand offered in either Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club, it is significant as it is a bulk ground coffee targeted towards mainstream shoppers.This new move is a mixed blessing and hits upon one of the main points of contention within the Fair Trade movement. Fair Trade has moved into mainstream and is appearing everywhere from McDonalds to Dunkin’ Donuts to Wal-Mart. Any and all exposure of Fair Trade and it’s ideals to consumers is beneficial. And a larger market translates to more sales for producers and their communities.

However, as Fair Trade is embraced by large corporations with questionable ethics, so too is the potential to for exploitation and weakening of Fair Trade. Similar to companies that “greenwash,” to bolster their environmental credit, there are companies which seek to cash in on the feel-good PR Fair Trade offers, without making a true commitment to the ideals and meaning of the movement. One such gap between company marketing and ethical behavior occurred when Nestle released its Fair Trade coffee in 2005. Nestle has been at the center of ethical controversy for over twenty years, with boycotts for their “aggressive and irresponsible promotion of infant formula,” and for contributing to child abuse and torture within the cocoa industry, including large distribution from the Cote d’Ivoire. There was much critism of Nestle’s Fair Trade coffee and following it’s release, they were reported to the UK Advertising Standards Authority for a misleading and dishonest advertisement.

“Nestlé’s advertisement and website for its Fairtrade product imply it will have a significant impact on farmers in El Salvador and that the company’s activities in the coffee industry are ethical. The truth is only about 200 farmers in El Salvador supply coffee for Partners’ Blend and over 3 million farmers globally who are dependent on Nestlé remain outside the Fairtrade system. Nestlé is held partly responsible for forcing down prices paid to suppliers, driving many into poverty, while its own profits have soared. Recently I interviewed a researcher from Colombia who told me 150,000 coffee farming families have lost their livelihoods due to Nestlé policies.”

There is also confusion relating to the different Fair Trade labels and what they mean, and, unfortunately, companies are happy to prey upon this confusion. The Fair Trade Certified Mark means that particular product was certified. In most food products, this means it is certified at the beginning point such as farming and harvesting, but not always beyond this point. This creates opportunity for corruption at subsequent points along the way, such as with the problems with Fair Trade bananas and the exploitation of banana ripeners. Such inconsistencies occur when a company wishes to use Fair Trade, rather than commit to it.

Then what is the solution? Should Fair Trade be confined to its current size and guarded from the large corporate giants? I don’t believe this is the solution. I believe the growth of Fair Trade, when true and committed, should be an important goal. Fair Trade is not a premium brand label, but a different approach to our entire concept of trade. The Fair Trade movement is based upon a fair and just interaction between the consumer and the producer. If the vessel for this interaction is corrupted or dishonest, then it is upon our shoulders as consumers to correct or discard the vessel for one that is more trustworthy. The fact that Fair Trade is entering large corporate retailers is not necessarily a reflection of their goodwill, and it is important to remember this. The mainstreaming of Fair Trade is, however, a reflection of our growing desire to consume ethically and responsibly and it is upon this foundation that we should build the movement and hold all participants accountable. So it is with skeptical optimism that I welcome this Fair Trade expansion, and a hope that the company will commit to the true Fair Trade and an acceptance of responsibility to ensure they do.

As I continue to write and think about the issue of Fair Trade it becomes more and more apparent to me that our economic system is a root cause for a wide array of our world’s woes. Instances of poverty, disease, wars (and the dehumanization that accompanies all three) and our quickly degrading environment occuring all over the world, but especially in the poorer Southern hemisphere, can all be traced back to an economic system that prizes pure economic profit above all else: above fairer distribution of the world’s wealth, above the health of the world’s poor, above the lives of those unfortunate enough to live in resource rich regions targeted by corporations (and therefore governments and militaries) and even, amazingly, above nature and its delicate environment that produces these economically valuable resources. This economic system, very obviously, is unfair and unsustainable. We can do better.

Fair Trade is proving that an economic system that focuses on a triple-bottom line, considering people, plant and profit as equally important outcomes of business operation, can work, and work better, for everyone and everything involved. October is Fair Trade Month and Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Month page says it best, this is indeed “a great opportunity for people throughout the United States to support, promote and celebrate a socially responsible system of trade that prioritizes the needs of human beings and the environment over the drive for profits.”

So this is the month to get involved and make some collective noise about economic justice and sustainability. One great way to shout out is to direct a video about Fair Trade for the Connect with Fair Trade Video Contest. Doing so could just end in your visiting a Peruvian Fair Trade farming co-operative courtesy of TransFair. If you make a great video and end up winning, I also suggest you write to GO editor Jeff McIntire-Strausburg and offer to do a write-up of your experience in Peru.

According to TransFair 56% of people who are aware of Fair Trade make a point to purchase Fair Trade certified products whenever available. Help increase awareness and availability of Fair Trade products by encouraging your local grocery market to carry Fair Trade and participate in the Fair Trade month celebration. TransFair makes it easy with educational marketing materials and contest promotions to intrigue customers.

Perhaps my favorite Fair Trade month promotion joins activism and a great holiday, Halloween. Order your Fair Trade Trick or Treat action kit from Global exchange and you’ll have everything you need to tell others just how boo-tiful(!) trade can be: tasty chocolate from Equal Exchange and knowledge of a better way to trade.

At the very least, talk to your friends and family about this idea, email this article around, whatever little bit you can do to just keep the Fair Trade buzz growing.

(Written for Green Options)

You’ve heard about how to introduce your friends and family to Fair Trade, and how to build the movement within your community. Now let’s look at how to bring this important education into your school.

• Fair Trade fundraising. With many different options and rewards, it’s easy to make the switch to selling a sweeter chocolate.
• Raise awareness and funds with a Fair Trade bake sale. Check out the many delicious recipes at Equal Exchange, Divine Chocolate, Transfair or the Fair Trade Cookbook.
• Form a Fair Trade group with other students, teachers and parents.
• Present the Fair Trade movement to others, either peers or younger classes. Check out the this Fair Trade powerpoint for an introduction.
• Teach Fair Trade. Global Dimension has 56 different resources for helping students understand Fair Trade, with age groups ranging from 5-7 years, 7-11 years, 11-14 years and 16 and up. Most resources are free or cost a small amount, and the topics are varied and interesting. Traidcraft also has lesson plans for various age levels and subjects.
• For primary schools check out the free ‘Make your School Fair Trade Friendly‘ pack, which includes seven different activity sections.
• Have a Fair Trade stall at your next school event. Here are some tips to help in your success. Spark some tastebuds with samples of coffee, tea or chocolate and feed, them information while they enjoy.
• Play Sweet Injustice: the chocolate game. With 6 volunteers, you can visually drive home the reality of the tiny portion of chocolate profits that actually ends up in the farmer’s hands through traditional trade.
• Play fair! Get your school to switch their footballs, soccer balls and volleyballs to those sold by Fair Trade Sports. Play an intramural game with information for spectators and players.
• Host a Fair Trade fashion show to demonstrate how “beautiful” and “trendy” can still be ethical.
• Check to see if your school has a United Students for Fair Trade (USFT) group. If not, start one!
• Have your school group become one of the Co-op America’s Fair Trade Alliance members, with a pledge to
  • Serve Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, tea, cocoa/chocolate, and other certified products as available for meetings and gatherings.
  • When possible, purchase commodities or crafts from members of the Fair Trade Federation.
  • Educate co-workers, community members, classmates, and others about Fair Trade.
  • Promote Fair Trade through events or other activities whenever possible.
• Help others each time you get dressed with an alternative Fair Trade school uniform.
• Host a discussion. Check with local Fair Trade businesses and teachers to bring in a speaker, or hold an open discussion with your teachers, peers and parents.
• Host a screening of a Fair Trade movie, such as Black Gold, and hold a discussion afterwards.
• Make some Big Noise with a Fair Trade campaign and OxFam’s toolkit.
• Give the students and teachers a chance to give twice this holiday season by hosting a Fair Trade holiday sale with the help of Ten Thousand Villages or A Greater Gift.

(Originally written for Green Options)

(Originally posted at Green Options)

The Fair Trade movement operates under the basic market principle of supply and demand. In order to spread the ideas of economic sustainability and justice to others, we create demand for Fair Trade by spreading the word. But with demand for Fair Trade products repidly increasing (by more than 40% a year) around the world, we need to ensure that Fair Trade products are easily accessible in the marketplace. And just like we generate demand through educating consumers, we can help create supply by educating the retail shops that supply the goods we consume.

There are many excellent resources available online to help you organize and start an effort to educate the retailers in your community. Coffee shops and grocery stores are great places to start. Here are four actions you can take to start planting the seeds of Fair Trade in your community and then grow those seeds into a healthy Fair-Trade-supporting community.

1. Ask. Start planting the seeds by simply ask your local coffee shop and grocery store if they carry any Fair Trade products. With the rising popularity of Fair Trade, the chances that you can find Fair Trade coffee or bananas at the shops you frequent are getting better and better, especially if you live in the UK or Europe.

2. Send a letter to the manager. Global Exchange provides a good template for a letter about Fair Trade coffee to send to the manager of a store you frequent. Oke Bananas will send you request cards that friends, family and other interested consumers can sign and deliver to your grocery store to educate and encourage management to carry their Fair Trade bananas from Central America. Catholic Relief Services and Divine chocolate has a good one-sheet of talking points (PDF) that could form a good letter on why your grocer should carry Fair Trade chocolate.

3. Start a campaign to educate your supermarket. Co-op America and Ox-Fam America have teamed up to put together a great Super Market Campaign Kit. The Kit provides materials, information and practical tips to help you organize a campaign to pressure your supermarket to carry Fair Trade products whereever possible.

4. Nourish your town into a Fair Trade community. Gather a group to help you get your town or city council to pass a purchasing restriction that legally requires local government to use Fair Trade coffee. If you belong to a faith community, encourage the community to incorporate Fair Trade into the official budget (PDF). Finally, TransFair Canada has put together a great document to guide you through the Fair Trade Town (PDF) certification process.

Good luck, and keep us updated on any efforts you might take to help make Fair Trade products more easily accessible in the market!

(originally written for Green Options)

You’ve heard about Fair Trade. You believe in the idea and look for it when you shop. Now it’s time to let others know. From the passing comment to the big party, here are some ways to introduce your friends and familys to the benefits of Fair Trade:

1. Grab a cup of Fair Trade coffee, tea, hot cocoa or wine with a friend and start a discussion.

2. Give a Fair Trade gift and be sure to include a bit of information about the artisans who work hard to make it.

3. Bring some Fair Trade coffee to your office, school, church or social gathering with some information on Fair Trade. If you’re looking to make a permanent change, use some of the petitions and templates provided to get your organization to make the switch, and then join Co-op America’s Fair Trade Alliance.

4. If you are a student, grab some friends and join or create a campus organization with the United Students for Fair Trade.

5. Make a Fair Trade goodie: from banana bread to chocolate cake, there are plenty of delicious recipes to incorporate Fair Trade products. Check out recipes from Transfair, the Fair Trade Cookbook, Divine Chocolate, or Equal Exchange. Enjoy your delicacies with some family, or give to a local bake sale with a bit of Fair Trade information.

6. Host your own film festival with TransFairs help. They provide the short DVD Fair Trade: The Story, as well as an action kit and discussion guidelines for other films. Or check out Black Gold for the story behind your morning brew.

7. Host a Fair Trade Party and choose from many different types of products. Try a product tasting from TransFair or Equal Exchange: both come with educational materials. A Greater Gift consignment deal lets you offer an array of crafts, and you can return what doesn’t sell. If you enjoy the party, consider becoming a consultant for Pachamama World. For a larger sale with your community, check out Ten Thousand Villages.

8. Present the Fair Trade model to a classroom or group.

9. Learn more with others. Use resources as foundation to open conversations.

10. Start a Fair Trade campaign with friends using OxFam’s toolkit, with action ranging from letter and email writing to hosting events and media coverage.

When talking with your friends and family, be open and candid with your conversations. The confusion between Fair Trade and the other fair trade, and the propaganda surrounding current free trade practices, can create conversations that are both enlightening and engaging. Most of all, do not be intimidated: trade is a complex issue. However, there are many resources available such as the Fair Trade Action Guide (pdf), Co-op America’s Guide to Fair Trade (pdf) and many free resources from CRS.

This hilarious video does a great job of laying out the basics. Big corporations and special interests have been co-opting the Farm Bill for decades. The result? Subsidies only go to 25% of all farmers, in fact 75% of all crop subsidy payouts go just 10% of American farmers. Subsidies are provided for only five crops leading to overproduction and cheap uber-refined sweeteners and fatty oils like hydrogenated corn-syrup and refined soy-bean oil. Worst of all, the dumping of all the excess crop in other countries destroys the market for native farmers. The current Farm Bill helps Big Corporate Ag like ConAgra and Monsanto do what they love to do: make sure the rich get richer and poor get poorer.

A fair Farm Bill would close loopholes so the legal system could enforce subsidy limits, spreading the subsidy money more fairly among farmers. It would subsidize crops in a way that encourages the production of healthy organic foods instead of unhealthy diabetes and cancer causing substances. A fair Farm Bill would ensure that farmers in Africa, South America and Asia do not suffer when the price of their corn or rice plummets because of subsidized American overproduction. A fair Farm Bill would be fairer and healthier for everyone in the world.

The Farm Bill is only re-written every 5 years. So take action now! Sign OxFam America’s and HealthyFarmBill.org’s open letters to Congress and spread the word far and wide!