Happy Thanksgiving week everybody! In this Fair Trade Roundup, we’ve got a slightly new format aimed to provide you with more Fair Trade news and info. Each Fair Trade Roundup is now arranged into three sections:

1. Featured Update
2. Global Exchange Fair Trade Updates
3. Fair Trade News to Peruse
   

We’d love to hear what you think in the Comment section!

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FEATURED UPDATE: Two Ways to Shop Ethically this Holiday Season

There are many ways to shop ethically this holiday season; here are two:

1. Shop from the Fair Trade Federation’s 2012 Fair Trade Holiday Gift Guide.

From the Fair Trade Federation:

FTF is thrilled to bring you a collection of gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list! All of the gifts in this guide are sold by members of the Fair Trade Federation– businesses and organizations that are fully committed to fair trade and follow the Fair Trade Principles in every one of their business decisions. Shop with confidence, knowing that your purchases make a positive impact on farmers and artisans around the world. Click here to browse the gift guide.

2. Take part in #FairTuesday.

From #FairTuesday founders Global Goods, a New York-based nonprofit, fair trade organization:

Fair Tuesday (hashtag #FairTuesday) is a fair trade initiative created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The goal of #FairTuesday is to inspire conscious consumerism and show how an everyday purchase can change lives in a whole community. We are featuring fair trade and eco-friendly brands and inviting other businesses to take a step towards sustainability.

You can read more about how to participate in this blog post.

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GLOBAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE UPDATES: Give the Gift of Membership AND You’re Invited to Attend Our Fair Trade Store Holiday Parties!

One of Global Exchange’s Gift Membership Packages

Give the Gift of Membership

There are six gifts to choose from, including “Support a Farmer” and “Stand for Human Rights.” You pick the gift and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll send out the membership card and gift package, plus keep your recipient in the loop about Global Exchange programs and events with our newsletter and e-mail action alerts.

All Global Exchange Gift Membership Packages include:

• One-Year Membership to Global Exchange;
• Special Gift Certificate;
• Fair Trade Gift(s) that represent Global Exchange’s work towards a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

Grab yours today, while supplies last.

FREE mugs some will receive at our holiday parties

Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Holiday Parties

Every year our Fair Trade store extended community gets together to celebrate the holidays. We shop, sip, nibble and socialize with each other while celebrating the holiday season. This year all four Fair Trade stores will be celebrating on the same night, so if you live near one of our stores we hope you’ll be able to join us!   

Early attendees will receive a FREE Fair Trade mug hand-painted in Tunisia FULL of steaming Fair Trade hot chocolate! *First 25 people to spend $25 or more

One-Night! 20% OFF Storewide for Global Exchange Members Only (Become a Member Today).

Come enjoy some holiday cheer and find gifts for your loved ones, while creating a more sustainable and just world. You can RSVP on Facebook.

*Please bring your Global Exchange membership card for your discount.

“Shop for a Cause” Nights Support Bay Area Organizations

This year Global Exchange is partnering with FOUR inspiring organizations to host “Shop for a Cause” nights at our Fair Trade stores in the Bay Area. Our goal is simple and speaks to our vision for a better global economic system: give back to our communities while giving back to artisans around the world through Fair Trade.

During these special event evenings, you can shop for your friends and family and 20% of your purchase will go to the featured local Bay Area organization to help support their social justice work.

Find out which organizations we’re partnering with in this post.

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FAIR TRADE NEWS TO PERUSE

• FairtradeInternational: Annual Report Reveals the Strength Behind the Sales
• Herald Online: Hershey Shareholders Allege Company Uses Cocoa Produced Through Unlawful Child Labor in Africa
• Fresh Fruit Portal: Fair trade transition picks up speed in the U.S.
  Raise the Bar Hershey! Breaking News: Hershey commits to certified cocoa
  
• New York Times: A Matchmaker Helps Artisans Find Luxury Jobs
• Crowdsourcing.org: Dr. Bronner’s Launches Crowdfunding Campaign and New Educational Video on Fair Trade Palm Oil
• CSR Europe: Nestlé UK & Ireland double commitment to FAIRTRADE as KitKat 2-fingers is certified
• Fair Trade Resource Network: Canadian Fair Trade Network Opens Membership & Conference Registration
  
• Chicago Fair Trade: African Fair Trade Convention to be Held in Ethiopia
• CRS Fair Trade: Time to Celebrate: Fair Trade Campaigning Together
• ABC News: Deepen the Holidays Through Fair Trade Gifting
• CBSNews: Palestinian farmers turn to organic farming
  
• GOOD: Want to Learn More About Fair Trade? Here’s a Primer
  
• Justmeans: Socially Responsible Food Is On the Rise in the U.S., New Report Says
  
• Fair Trade Colleges & Universities: Fair Trade Campaigns Conference
  
• The Packer: Organics marketing meshes well with Fair Trade-certified programs

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THE FAIR TRADE ROUNDUP AND YOU!
•    Subscribe to our Fair Trade blog to receive new Fair Trade blog posts automatically.
•    News to share? If you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me.
•    Enjoy this Fair Trade Roundup? Then click the Like and Tweet buttons on the top right of this post to share with others. Thanks!

Check out our website for the whole list of actions, or follow us @gxfairtrade or on Facebook where we will deliver your daily action each morning at #fairtrade31.

Fair Trade Successes in Rural India: From Cycles of Drought to Cycles of Reuse

There was no water filtration plant in Barmer, Rajasthan when the Austin-based Fair Trade business Handmade Expressions started in 2005, with the goal of improving the economic livelihoods and social standing of artisan communities in rural India. In fact, there was and still is very little water at all there.

Rich art traditions run deep in Rajasthan, unlike the wells, and access to capital for infrastructure and technology improvements is limited. Geographically isolated and characterized by a harsh, arid climate, many people in Rajasthan struggle to make more than $1 a day. But from the start, Manish Gupta, the founder of Handmade Expressions, was interested in doing more than simply getting local people to sell him their products at a better price—for him and the local NGOs he has partnered with, Fair Trade has always been about holistic development.

The traditional block-print fabric bags the artisans in Barmer began to produce for Handmade Expressions quickly became one of their best-selling items. However, hand block-printing requires an immense volume of water to dye and print the fabric. This issue of resource management in the face of environmental and economic adversity is one that many underprivileged communities face—use water to support an income generating project at the expense of other survival needs, or suffer economic hardship?

Instead of leaving this question alone, Handmade Expressions has sought to make it obsolete by paying attention to local practices and needs, and putting the increased income made possible by Fair Trade to task.

This year, in partnership with a local NGO called SETU, the Society for Empowerment & Trade Uplift of Artisans, Handmade Expressions sponsored and helped install a water treatment plant in Barmer that allows for the recapture and reuse of the water used in block-printing and dyeing. The plant, inaugurated August 28^th, has the capacity to filter 2,000 liters of water each hour and each batch of water can be filtered and reused 15 times!

In addition, what is truly rewarding about this news is learning that Global Exchange has been able to have a direct impact on the success of Fair Trade and sustainable development in Rajasthan through our ongoing support of Handmade Expressions. Over the years, we have ordered hundreds of those very same block-print bags to give out to new members as our way of saying thank you. How inspiring then, for us at the Fair Trade stores to see the real changes we are supporting, and for our grassroots supporters to be able to look at the bag they got maybe even years ago, when they first became a member, and know they’ve been a part of such a successful movement for social and economic justice. It takes time and a lot of effort, but the accomplishments prove to us why we want to continue our work around Fair Trade—we all benefit and get to grow together, in solidarity.

TAKE ACTION!

Join Global Exchange for $35/year and we’ll send you a gorgeous customized Global Exchange tote bag from Handmade Expressions women’s cooperative in India, a No-Nonsense Guide to Democracy, Globalization or International Development and a bag of Equal Exchange chocolates!

Check out our website for the whole list of actions, or follow us @gxfairtrade or on Facebook where we will deliver your daily action each morning at #fairtrade31.

Today is Action #22…Build Your Own Fair Trade Day of the Dead Altar!

Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Meso-American holiday dedicated to the ancestors. Rather than mourning death as purely tragedy and loss, Dia de los Muertos honors both death and the cycle of life. The celebration acknowledges that we still have a relationship with our loved ones whom have passed away.

In Mexico, on Dia de los Muertos families and friends gather in local cemeteries to be with their loved ones and construct private altars, which contain everything from photos, favorite foods, and other memorabilia, in hopes that deceased souls will journey back for the Dia de los Muertos celebration.

Stop by your local Bay Area Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores for all you need to build your own Dia de los Muertos altar!

The San Francisco (map) and Berkeley (map) Global Exchange stores are stocked with everything from retablos to sugar skull molds and meringue power to paper marigolds. Be sure to check out our colorful collection of beautiful skeleton statues, hand-made in Mexico; we have Fridas, DJs, soccer players, CEOs, skateboarders, and more!

This year we have a beautiful selection of retablos, boxes or shrines with hand painted doors which open to hold hand carved figures in colorful scenes of daily life in Peru- such as markets, shops, harvests, weddings and other ceremonies.   Our retablos are made by internationally renowned retablos maker Claudio Jimenez Quispe. Originally from a family of retablos makers in Ayacucho, Peru, where he has trained large communities of retablos makers, he now works in Lima.  Come check out the work of one of the finest craftsmen in the world!

In San Francisco, Dia de los Muertos has been celebrated in the Mission district since the early 70s with art, music, performances and a walking procession, which help us contemplate our existence and mortality — a moment to remember deceased friends and family, and our connections beyond our immediate concerns. This years’ celebration will be held on Friday, November 2^nd. Find out more about the procession.

For those in the East Bay, the Fruitvale Dia de los Muertos celebration will be held on Sunday, October 28^th in the Fruitville Village. More information is available on their website.

TAKE ACTION!

Join Global Exchange for $35/year and we’ll send you a gorgeous customized Global Exchange tote bag from Handmade Expressions women’s cooperative in India, a No-Nonsense Guide to Democracy, Globalization or International Development and a bag of Equal Exchange chocolates!

Whether just one piece or in a set, Le Souk Ceramique tableware is a beautiful and meaningful gift for any couple.

Looking for the perfect wedding gift for your favorite newly hitched couple? In a global economy on overload from excessive, cookie cutter, sweatshop production, it can be hard to find something unique and functional for your friends, a gift that holds a story of partnership, community, and cultural heritage to celebrate the union of two people in love.

But it’s not hard at Global Exchange Fair Trade stores. As a non-profit  business rooted in the values of economic and social justice, we are just as excited as you are to share beautiful gifts with the ones we love. This wedding season we’re excited to feature  our best selling ceramic line from Le Souk Ceramique as that special gift to last a lifetime.

Le Souk artisans Marwa and Safa busy painting. Photo courtesy of Le Souk Ceramique.

Le Souk Ceramique produces all its ceramics at a small studio located in Nabeul, Tunisia, just a couple of kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.  All production is done by hand at the studio.  In both the shaping and painting of the ceramic artisans use no machinery, nor any decals or stencils.  Each piece is painted freehand with only food safe paints and glazes for the safety of consumers as well as that of employees. (See video of the artisans in action below.)

As the business explains on its website, the name “Le Souk Ceramique” is a combination of Arabic and French,  “souk” meaning  “marketplace” in Arabic.  In every town and city across Tunisia and North Africa, you will find a souk with items of traditional artistry–Nabeul is known for ceramics in particular.  Not unlike Global Exchange, souks are filled with color and texture and make for hours of adventure just wandering around!

So come wander into one of Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, Virginia or Washington D.C. to find the best wedding gift for your friends and loved ones.

Are you or someone you know getting hitched? In case you didn’t know, Global Exchange stores in San Francisco and Berkeley do gift registries!  Finally you can get all those amazing Fair Trade products you’ve been wanting all these years… and celebrate your union in solidarity with artisans around the globe! Just ask us at the store or give us a call and we’ll set you up!

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Video Bonus: Check out how Le Souk artisans make ceramics from start to finish.

Time for a garden party at Global Exchange!

Out West in San Francisco and Berkeley, we’re celebrating the bounty of summer with our beautiful handmade aprons and hot mitts from Guatemala–garden parties and barbeques can be Fair Trade events too!

The colorful handwoven aprons and hot mitts come from MayaWorks, a fair trade nonprofit organization that promotes economic development for Mayan women and their families by supporting a marketplace for their handcrafted goods. MayaWorks believes that community development happens through the economic development of women who otherwise have limited ways to participate and contribute to the economic health of their communities.

MayaWorks partners with over 125 artisans in 6 communities along the central highlands of Guatemala. All artisans are paid a fair wage for their work. Additionally they are supported through microloans to start their own businesses, literacy and skills trainings, and scholarships to send their daughters to school.

Maya Works Artisans. Photo copyright by Global Exchange.

Global Exchange has partnered with Maya Works to bring you their fine Fair Trade weaving in the form of aprons, potholders, pouches and more.  All products are 100% cotton, color safe and made to last.

Back East, the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores in the DC-area are currently featuring beautiful hand-made applique pillows – the perfect accent for your favorite summer reading chair or that new patio set you can’t wait to show off!

Photo Credit: Natural Habitat

These colorful pillows are hand-stitched by artisans in the Gujarat region of western India who are famous for their craftsmanship and have passed down their techniques for generations.  The pillow covers are a great example of the combination of a rich cultural heritage and an eye for contemporary designs. The embroidery and appliqué is done by women, often in their homes  (not in sweatshops), based in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This area lacks regular employment, and the migration of men to urban centers for work makes it difficult for the women who are left behind to support their families. The work provides a livelihood and additional income to the families as well as helps keep these ancient crafts alive.

Relax into summer with embroidered pillows from Global Exchange. Photo Credit: Global Exchange.

The art of hand embroidery for decorating fabric began thousands of years ago when women sewed together patches of material to make both attractive and functional items such as quilts and other textiles that archaeologists have found were traded along ancient routes around the world!  Today, it is an expressive art form for the rural or pastoral women in Gujarat. Each coverlet is an impression of creativity and love for creating an eye-catching work of art.  For you, they offer an alternative to a glut of machine-made, mass-produced goods, providing a connection to a sense of individual identity and the personal touch of the artisan making more than just an object of utility but sharing a piece of a heritage art form – that is what makes these pillows unique!

So come by one of the Global Exchange Fair Trade stores to get into the swing of summer! Have a great way to celebrate social justice this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Now, there’s upcycled plastic jewelry.

Upcycling is taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else, something high quality and useful.

Here are some examples now available at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco (map):

• The Salt Lake City-based group Ambre Industries creates high-design collections with low-impact materials from around the world. The jewelry is made up of between 40-100% recycled materials, resulting in a very “green”  yet modern product.
• Ambre Industries upcycled plastic line feature these hollow dew drop earrings, which are light, durable, and plastic! The intricate black designs are hand-knotted Raffia Palm leaf fibers, made by women between the ages of 18-24, from the remote village of Solukhumbu, Madagascar. This work of knitting lace-like configurations into jewelry pays for their college education. Sterling silver hooks complete the look of these elegant and contemporary earrings.
• This Eco-resin ring is 40% recycled material.  The royal stone Eco-resin gem is hand sanded and is the perfect modern hand accessory.
• Upcycling does not stop at plastic. These great new wristlets by Handmade Expressions are made out of 100% recycled fabric, plastic, and upcycled  cassette tapes! These bags are handcrafted by young adults with special needs from underprivileged communities  in metropolitan Delhi. The artisans are provided vocational training as a part of their overall development in order to inspire their creativity and help prepare them to become self sufficient in the future.

Upcycling is a great way to convert waste materials into usable products of high quality, keeping plastic and other materials that are non-biodegradable out of landfills, while also limiting new production pollution. Stop by the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco for these great new upcycled products and more!

Sachiko (far right), Gilbert (3rd from left), Courtney (2nd from left) with Global Exchange store staff.

The following was written by Global Exchange Fair Trade Store intern Sachiko Muraoka, who will be finishing her work here with us this week. We will be sad to see her go, but excited to see what great things she does next!

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On Saturday, July 23rd, the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in Fair Trade Town San Francisco hosted a Fair Trade Talk with Gilbert Ramirez from CoopeAgri in Costa Rica and Courtney Lang from Fair Trade USA. Gilbert’s town Pérez Zeledón is the very first Fair Trade Town in Latin America.

Before the talk, we all enjoyed tasty Fair Trade Peace Coffee. Yum! Then Courtney started off the event with a brief introduction to Fair Trade.

Next, Gilbert shared his experiences with and visions of his coffee and sugar cooperative, CoopeAgri, which at the beginning had more than 300 farmers. It is located in Pérez Zeledón, a biologically diverse city in the central valley of Costa Rica. By 2010, about 12,000 members have joined the cooperative, 65% male and 35% female members.

The cooperative was established in 1962, before the Fair Trade movement was established. CoopeAgri started a Fair Trade development model in 1994. They are committed to producing sustainably produced coffee and sugar. For example, their coffee mill conserves the use of water and energy and they practice forest protection programs. Most of their coffee is exported overseas, especially since their coffee became Fair Trade Certified in 1994.

Their coffee sales have increased dramatically over time, but they’re hoping to grow much more moving forward. The cooperative exports their coffee to more than 70 countries but their coffee is not being distributed in the United States as much as Gilbert would like. At this point, CoopeAgri exports 70% of its coffee to Europe and 16 % to the United States.

Fair Trade coffee farmer from CoopeAgri

Gilbert told us that they are aiming to export more coffee to the US and that during his trip here one of his main goals was to explore how to make this a reality. According to The Coffee Book by Nina Luttinger and Gregory Dicum, 1.5 millon cups of coffee is being consumed worldwide every day and the U.S. represents one-fifth of it. Given that the U.S. consumes more coffee than any other country, it makes sense that this is a critical goal to coffee cooperatives such as Pérez Zeledón.

Although Fair Trade has been promoted as a means to equalize the economic gap between developed and developing countries, Gilbert mentioned that Fair Trade can offer more personal connections besides its economic and environmental impacts. Fair Trade brings a direct connection between producers from the community, and buyers and customers. This is possible in part because the Fair Trade model cuts out the middlemen usually present in the conventional trade system.

House (before) CoopeAgri Fair Trade premium funded renovation

The Fair Trade model also helps fund community development projects, thanks to Fair Trade premiums producers receive. CoopeAgri provides a variety of benefits to its members, including social security and medical, housing funds which more than 70 families have benefited so far, and education and sports programs for children.

House (after) CoopeAgri Fair Trade premium funded renovation

The cooperative also provides some social services for community members who do not belong to the group.

CoopeAgri will commemorate its 50 years anniversary next year. We all hope they will maintain and increase their positive development. These days it is not difficult to find Fair Trade coffee in the United States, particularly in a city like San Francisco, with its numerous markets and coffee shops providing Fair Trade coffee. But meeting directly with a coffee producer…so not common!

This event gave me a better understanding of and new perspectives about Fair Trade coffee and its positive impacts on one producer community. Long-term relationships between cooperatives, importers, and customers are important.

A big thanks to Courtney and Gilbert for participating in this event. I’m looking forward to tasting CoopeAgri´s coffee in the United States in the near future. ¡Muchas gracias!

GET INVOLVED:

To keep up-to-date about Global Exchange store happenings & events, join our free Fair Trade Store e-newsletter here and “like” our Fair Trade Facebook page.

Shoes and sweatshops.

Finding ethical footwear is a challenge, but you’ll be happy to know that Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Store in San Francisco (map) is introducing a new line of beautiful and ethically designed espadrilles from a worker-owned factory in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The worker-owned factory was part of the larger “recovered factories movement” that occurred in the wake of Argentina’s dramatic economic collapse of 2001. As factories were closing and unemployment was growing, hundreds of workers were locking themselves inside their former work places and operating as a democratically-run cooperative.

Learn more about the “recovered factories movement” at this week’s in-store film screening and discussion of The Take, a documentary film by Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein (see details below).

The summery espadrilles, called Pauline by Ethical Soles, are handmade of cotton canvas by some of these revolutionary factory workers. The ethical soles come in chile pepper red, Caribbean green, and gray, and can be yours for a fair price of $58 a pair (or two pairs for $98).

“These products represent a revolution in the apparel industry,” says Paula Surraco, a designer who has worked with the co-op for five years.“When you buy these shoes, you are empowering the workers to forge their own economic lives, building a factory and a business they own and providing them with dignified labor and fair salaries and conditions.”

Want to know more about the Reclaimed Factories Movement? Join us this Wednesday night at the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store in San Francisco for an in-store viewing of The Take. FREE! And free wine will be served!

Where: Global Exchange Fair Trade Store. 4018 24th St. San Francisco, CA. 94114. (415)648-8068

When: Wednesday, August 10th. Film begins at 6 pm.

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

• ecouterre.com: Michelle Obama Wears Fair Trade
• nctimes.com: SMALL BUSINESS: Angell Bars bring ‘kitchen simple’ to the candy aisle
• confectionerynews: Cocoa shortage by 2020 unless industry acts now, warns Mars
• Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade Review: Origin Wine launches premium Fairtade wine as part of new launches at Vinexpo
• Fair Trade USA: Fair Trade Helps Farmers in Kenya Build Schools
• greenwichtime.com: Greenwich teen champions fair trade movement
• Guardian.co.uk: To profit or not to profit. Is that the question?
• dw-world.de: Filmmaker Romano uncovers chocolate’s dark secrets
• TeaneckPatch: Committee Seeks More Fair Trade Products in Local Shops
  Inc.: Gianna Driver, Founder of Gianna Fair Trade

Fair Trade Models from Human Rights Awards Gala 2010

FAIR TRADE MODELS TO APPEAR AT UPCOMING HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS GALA

Global Exchange’s ninth annual Human Rights Awards Gala is happening next week (June 1st) at the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco. 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 around the world. Find out who we are honoring this year by visiting www.humanrightsaward.org.

There will be many Fair Trade aspects to the evening, including:

• Fair Trade models: A bunch of us gals will be sporting Fair Trade outfits courtesy of Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores; dresses, scarves, jewelry and other accessories, and we (yes, we, I’m going for it!) will top our outfits off with a sash that reads “Ask Me About My Outfit”, an ice-breaking statement to encourage conversation amongst guests about Fair Trade.
  
• Fair Trade ice-cream! Ben & Jerry’s Co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield will emcee the event, and word has it they’ll be sporting tuxedos. Sweet! Yours truly will be helping to dish out Fair Trade Certified Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to all who attend, following an organic dinner of deliciousness.
• Silent Auction featuring Fair Trade gifts: Gourmet treats, handcrafted baskets & glassware and a whole lot more will be offered up for auction, all to benefit our human rights work.

If you’re in the Bay Area: We sure hope you come out next week to enjoy this exciting event!
To purchase tickets: Order online here
General event info: Visit www.humanrightsaward.org

If you’re not in the Bay Area: It would be great if you would help spread the word about the Human Rights Awards gala to your friends and family.
If you’re to ready spread the word, here are 3 easy ways to help:
1.    Share and Retweet this post using the buttons to the right;
2.    Send this Tweet out: Human Rights Awards Gala honors #pablosolon #javiersicilia Hosted by Ben & Jerry! Grab tix soon: http://ow.ly/512jQ #sf #sanfrancisco;
3.    Post this link to your Facebook Wall: www.humanrightsaward.org.

Thanks!

HERSHEY RALLY IN NEW YORK CITY 6/8

Have you heard about Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign’s upcoming rally in NYC’s Times Square, Wednesday June 8th at 10:30 AM?  Come join us in front of the Hershey Store and ask Hershey to make the switch to Fair Trade.

Who will be there: We are reaching out to local NYC social justice groups, students, schools and faith groups that care about this issue. Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign groups (Green America, Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Forum) and our other allies will be there as well.

For more information about the rally visit: www.raisethebarhershey.org/rally.

Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director Adrienne Fitch Frankel making a Fair Trade s'more

WE WANT MORE FROM OUR S’MORES IS BACK!

Are you ready for some summer fun?  We Want More from our S’mores is back, to help you kick off your summer in a fun, Fair Trade fashion.  After all, what says summer more than s’mores?  It’s a classic, essential summer treat.
Please help the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign reach the goal of making at least 1,500 Fair Trade s’mores.

Your delicious s’mores will help raise awareness and hold Hershey accountable for failing to eliminate child and forced labor from its supply chain and encourage the company to achieve Fair Trade certification.

How to participate
Plan your s’more event: Savor the chocolatey, gooey pleasure of Fair Trade s’mores anytime from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day weekend.  Include Fair Trade s’mores in your barbeques and campfires this summer.  Or plan a We Want More from Our S’mores event with friends, family, coworkers, or the neighborhood. Check out these videos to see how much fun you’ll have.
Let the s’mores be counted! Count the s’mores you eat and register them online.
During your s’mores gathering, collect signatures on petitions asking Hershey to step up and become Fair Trade Certified.
Screen the Dark Side of Chocolate. Before or after you make your tasty Fair Trade s’mores, show this film to educate others about child labor in the cocoa fields and explain why it is so important to choose Fair Trade Certified chocolate.

More info about We Want More From our S’Mores Campaign: Visit our website

Fair Trade Federation's new Executive Director Renee Bowers Photo Credit: FTF

SHOUT OUT AND CONGRATS TO FAIR TRADE FEDERATION
Thanks Mary from the Fair Trade Federation (FTF) for spreading the word about our Fair Trade blog in the Spring Edition of Networks, FTF’s quarterly newsletter.

Published quarterly, Networks is the official newsletter of the Fair Trade Federation, the trade association that strengthens and promotes North America organizations fully committed to Fair Trade. You can sign up for this newsletter here.

Also, congratulations goes out to Renee Bowers, the Fair Trade Federation’s new Executive Director!

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Article: World Fair Trade Day-My History with the Movement
Petition: Change.org Asks Celebrity Chefs to Make Fair Trade S’mores
Video Link: Fair Trade or watch it here: