Also contact: Tony LoPresti, tony@revisionproject.org
April 2003
Upcoming event! El Teatro Campesino & Reuben Rios The Global Coffee Crisis and the Fair Trade Movement
Come one, Come all! This is a show that's made for a movement! Come learn about the global coffee crisis and discover the Fair Trade student movement
El Teatro Campesino will theatricalize and Reuben Rios will bring the stories home
MAY 1ST 6:30 pm College 10 Dining Hall Extension This show will use the political imagination to articulate the basicprinciples of Fair Trade and its significance as an alternative to corporate-centered globalization. More important, this will be an opportunity to learn about and engage the student movement that has been demanding conversion to Fair Trade on campuses across the nation. El Teatro will portray the coffee crisis and the Fair Trade response through one of their powerful and hilarious actos, and Reuben Rios will give a narrative account of his experiences organizing a Fair Trade cooperative in Colombia called Jovenes Agricoltores. Other speakers will make brief presentations as well, and the Latin American Music Ensemble will contribute their groove. Admission is free... Food is free... the experience is free. Born on the picket lines of the 1965 grape strike led by the late Cesar Chavez, El Teatro Campesino uses cultural performance to educate and inspire workers to struggle by theatricalizing both the oppression they face at the hands of agribusiness and the collective power they wield through a union. In a national tour, El Teatro brought the struggles of the UFW to American society as part of the pivotal popular education campaign that cultivated support in the public sphere. El Teatro remains a theater company dedicated to social change. The theatrical form developed by El Teatro-- short, mobile performances designed to address an issue, satirize the opposition and present a potential solution-- is still used today, most recently in collaboration with such organizations as Global Exchange in the public power campaign and the October 22nd INS abuse campaign.
Comercio Justo, founded in 2001, is dedicated to educating students about Fair Trade and expanding access to certified products on campus and in the community. A group of 25 UCSC graduate and undergraduate students have been pursuing a campaign since January of 2003 to convert the campus to a 'Fair Trade coffee zone'. After gathering petition signatures from 20% of the student body and receiving a memorandum of commitment from the administration, officials have given word that they will begin a conversion to Fair Trade this Spring at the coffee carts, and by Fall 2003 in the dining halls.
July 2002 (Tony Lopresti)
The petitiions to P&G are an easy thing to do. Something a bit more creative would be to create some sort of document that the administration, all the colleges, and all the departments would sign asserting that they refuse to buy Folgers coffee until they offer Fair Trade. I have seen Folgers around campus at little faculty coffee machines, and in lounges, etc. I just think that this might provide some substantial pressure on P&G because it would indicate that students and a younger generation are involved. In any case, we will probably not start up actively on the P&G campaign until December. Thanks for the updates and encouragement
- Notes from previous campaign coordinator Max Boycoff-
May 24, 2001 (Max Boycoff)
Comercio Justo: Steps toward socially responsible consumption at UC Santa Cruz
After too many discussions, papers and presentations a group of students at UC Santa Cruz decided it was time to move from theory to practice. Comercio Justo organically evolved from a combination of students who had spent time living and researching in Latin America and others committed to social action in the US took. Our first project is the task of increasing the volume of Fair Trade Certified coffee sold on the UC Santa Cruz campus.
We quickly realized our local Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company was already selling Fair Trade Certified coffee in a few campus cafes. The roots of the alternative paradigm were already in the ground. We then worked with café buyers to encourage them to offer more fair trade coffee. We also believed that these cafes would respond to consumer demand.
We launched a campus wide education campaign in late April. The focus of the campaign was a petition. The petition served a duel purpose: 1. Educate members of he campus community about the idea of fair trade and the way that our choice of coffee today affects the livelihoods and landscapes of farm families around the world. 2. To demonstrate to campus officials who manage the concession contracts and coffee shop owners that this campus is committed to fair trade. After a month we have accumulated over 1,200 signatures, close to 10% of the student body. Many campus cafes have increased the volume and variety of fair trade coffees and the general awareness level is on the rise.
Still work remains. Most of the coffee sold on campus is not fair trade, organic or shade grown. We have been in contact with Peabodys Coffee Company who owns and manages four coffee carts on campus and they have indicated an interest in the ideas of promoting these sustainable coffees. At the present they remain uncommitted. Untangling the complex of corporate and university relationships in the dining commons remains another challenge. But there seems to be some genuine interest and understanding here as well. Sedexho-Marriott opened a café attached to a dining commons this fall. The café, called Banana Joes, serves only fair trade coffee.
While the coffee crisis rages across coffee producing nations around the world, people in the US search for meaning in their daily lives. Fair trade may play a part in both movements. Direct trade guarantees farm families a living wage for their high quality coffee and consumers are connected to the hands and trees that make this golden bean.
Wording for our petition:
FAIR TRADE COFFEE FOR UC SANTA CRUZ As a member of the UC Santa Cruz community and/or patron at Peabodys coffee carts and campus cafes, I would like the opportunity to drink Fair Trade Certified coffee at these establishments and all dining commons on the UC Santa Cruz campus. I understand that most coffee farmers receive a market price for their coffee that is less than their costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Fair Trade works to correct these imbalances through direct trade and by guaranteeing a minimum price for the small-scale coffee farmers' harvest. With the profits generated from receiving a fair wage, coffee growers and their cooperatives are able to invest in community health, education and the development of sustainable agricultural practices. Fair trade is generally both certified organic and grown under shade trees, conditions that help maintain the biodiversity and environments of coffee growing regions. I do not mind paying up to an extra ten cents per cup of Fair Trade coffee to endorse a system that guarantees a living wage and supports the livelihood of small-scale farmers. I ask you to serve fair trade coffee at all establishments on campus, including Peabodys coffee carts, campus cafés and dining commons.
November 29, 2000 (Max Boykoff)
Currently, there are a number of fair trade activities happening in Santa Cruz. Probably the single largest local move is Santa Cruz Roasting Coffee Company's decision to carry and heavily promote fair trade coffee. If youare not already in touch with Coleen whe is spearheading efforts there I will be happy to forward her email to you. There is also an informal network of people who talk about fair trade, the Coalition for Nicaragua (which both Max and I are members of) presentations that I have made to various courses, and grad and faculty researching the issue.
I am less familiar with the protest and activism end of thing here. But would be willing to help coordinate a group interested in this issue. People stop by my office periodically to talk about it usually for a research paper or assignment. I would be willing to try to get a group of interested parties together early in January the quarter will end here on the Dec 7th so not much will happen before this time. My hopes are that I could get help form a group and that leadership would emerge from this group and I could play more of a supporting and advisory role.
February, 2000 (Tara, stara8@cats.ucsc.edu(
We've started a fair trade coffee campaign at UC santa cruz, asking peabody's to carry fair trade coffee. The manager told me that they have carts at UC Sam Diego too, and the city college. If any one in that area would be interested in coordinating a campaign, I think it would give us more leverage in asking Peabody's to carry Fair Trade. If anyone is interested let me know.
