October, 2003
A couple weeks ago we had our community sustainable development fair which drew a solid turn-out. Woody Harrelson and Julia Butterfly drove in on a bio-diesel bus and gave a few words which was cool cuase we rarely see any celebrities, especially active ones.
Michale Brochner from TransFair flew out from Oakland to speak and host a fair trade booth. Our camus group F.R.E.E. helped Michael throughout the weekend in setting up and working the fair trade groove. I had the chance to talk with with Miichael about TransFair, the labeling process and PRODECOOP, where he recently was. It was a great opportunity to meet more people involved in the fair trade movement and enjoy a beautiful sunny weekend outside.
So we are starting the campus campaign again, but it has been a slow process. I saw that P & G now offer a fair trade variety through MIllstone. This helps alot since one of our suppliers is P & G. Our main problem again will be financial due to overwhelming budgets cuts this year, public higher education is getting a royal screwing everywhere. So we might focus on more educational tactics this semester again to get the word out and generate more awareness. We still have chocolate bars left which will be used in a Holloween fundraiser to help pay the balance for our speaker last semester.
Wish I had more time to check out the bay area and the main offices. I did not make it to the fair trade expo in Cancun although it would have been a great opportunity to meet global fair trade partners and watch the collapse of the second WTO meetings. However I more than likely will be in Miami. Listened to Kevin on alt radio few days ago and once again was inspired by his words, especially the part about the radical vs reformist agenda and fair trade being ctitisized as still part of a capital dependency system. It was an encouraging speech. Thanks for the great work you all are doing. Send out an email if you know of a way to overcome our financial dilemna. Is it possible to purchase fair trade roughly at the same cost as regular brands?
May 22, 2003
We celebrated World Fair Trade Day on saturday in old town, cosponsoring the event with 10,000 villages. Local community radio KRFC made a pitch during the day.We had 5 different music acts and three speakers from 11- 4pm, it was a sunny day and the event generated alot of response. The bands played on a PA system in the old town square stage, many local vendors with related goods and plenty of passer-byers enjoying the afternoon. The event was alot of fun, the first in Ft. Collins. I'll send photos soon.
March 07, 2003 Campus News printed in the Colorado State Collegian
Fair Trade coffee served up on campus
by Kristy Fenton
Thursday was the National Day of Action for Fair Trade Coffee. Two students organized a campaign to dish out free 'fair' coffee samples and messages of awareness at the Lory Student Center Plaza.
"America is not just about greed," said Chris Mayer, natural resources graduate student and Peace Corp Volunteer, yesterday as he sipped a fair trade coffee sample in the early morning sun.
Alina Mendoza, spanish major, and Ed Lawson, anthropology and economics major, head a division of the student group Finding Racial and Economic Equality that focuses on fair trade and is fighting to make fair trade coffee the exclusive coffee served at CSU.
A fair trade system offers high quality products to consumers in the north while establishing consistent and fair prices for developing producers in the south.
Americans consume one-fifth of all the coffee in the world and coffee is the second largest import in America, oil being the first, reports Global Exchange on their Web site www.globalexchange.org.
"I was a Peace Corp volunteer in Honduras and it impressed upon me how unfair the system is," Mayer said. "I saw that there were a lot of inequalities among coffee producers."
"Before I went into the Peace Corp I drank brands like Folgers and Hills Brother's coffee," Mayer said. "Now I drink fair trade and it's superior in taste and in quality of production."
Fifty percent of all the coffee produced in the world is purchased by Proctor and Gamble, Kraft, Nestle and Sara Lee, who make brands like Taster's Choice, Hill's Brothers and Folgers, Mendoza said.
"They're only paid about 0.25/lb of coffee produced and that doesn't meet their cost of production. Fair trade certified coffee pays at a minimum $1.26/lb, so they're able to pay for things that we take for granted, like education and medicine." Mendoza said.
Georgetown University recently went 100 percent fair trade, meaning all the coffee served on campus is fair trade certified, Mendoza said.
CSU students and faculty may have had their first taste of fair trade coffee Thursday while listening to volunteers and the light hum of Latin American music.
"I think all the coffee on campus should be fair trade, the freedom of the consumer is at risk," said Rebecca McDannald, political science major.
Java Plaza, a local fair trade roaster and coffee house, 123 N. College Ave., donated 3 lbs. of fair trade coffee for the CSU event.
Nicaraguan coffee was served from Lawson's winter break trip, where he worked with a coffee cooperative called PRODECOOP through Global Exchange.
March 2003
Wednesday Alina and I prepared a presenation using "Santiago's Story", for a small crowd at the Fort Collins Public Library. There was a biologist who showed a presenation on neo-tropical migratory birds and the affects coffee plantation production has on bird populations. After , Alina did an introduction to socio-economic impacts, then we showed "Santaigo's Story", then I spoke a little about PRODECOOP and the Fair Trade market, and finally we opened it up for Q & A. Alina and I had a lot of fun and it was a excellent chance to talk to fellow community members about fair trade.
Yesterday went well. We tabled on campus from 9am- 2pm and served over 40 free samples and got just about that amount of signatures for our petition. Many showed interest in jumping aboard the campaign, so the event was an excellent recruiting opportunity. Made it a point, to focus on Folgers and our goal of getting them to buy a percentage of Fair Trade and then offer it to our university. We played some music from Nicaragua and had a bunch of info to hand out. The school newspaper covered it and printed a really good article that came out today with a picture and the Global Exchange website.
Spoke with Wendy the manager over at 10,000 Villages and we talked about having a display of Fair Trade crafts for "Fair Trade Fridays." She is going to gather a bunch of items and put them into a box for us to use as a visual, while we sell the rest of our chocolate and maybe some coffee as well. First "Fair Trade Friday," March 21st.
And we are to host Mary Adu Kumi, April 1st as part of a two week seminar event focusing on the political, economic, and social impacts of globalization. We will have slide show presentations, videos, teach-ins, speakers and entertainment. Should be alot of fun.
March 2003
Preparing for tomorrows's action. We will be tabling on campus with 'Fair' samples and Fair Trade information. We will also be conducting a Starbucks action. We will call the local Starbucks and be demanding one of the following:
1. ALWAYS stock Fair Trade (because they do not)
2. ALWAYS have Fair Trade brewed
3. Starbucks Headquarters commit to buying 5% Fair Trade
I got the local coffee house to donate 3lbs. Fair Trade certified, and will ask 10,000 Villages if we can use their dispenser.
Media: Our school newspaper sucks!! Kristy who wrote the article is an ally, but when she turned in the article the editor-in-chief doctured the whole message. I would expect nothing else for a school newspaper that inserts Walmart junk coupons the very same day an article is printed on a new consumer movement 'Fair Trade'. Politcal bureucratic horseshit is what it amounts to. For some reason 'Fair Trade' is a bad word, people are just really ignorant about the issues. They think it is radical or nonsensical. The whole reason why there is a school newspaper is to EDUCATE, not alienate.
I need to form a media committe to handle press releases, because I am overcommitted, plus it costs $1-$2 per page. Student organizations are not allowed to use the fax machines, or at least not our student org. "Fair trade Fridays" will start after spring break, which is next week. I am to talk to a manager at 10,000 Villages today and see if they want to do something with "Fair Trade Fridays" as well.
February 2003
Coffee campaign is running along. Our coffee committee team has increased to 3. We are tabling for March 6. Direct Action has been discussed but not confirmed. Possibly a fax jam for P & G.
Good news! I have made a coalition with a school newspaper reporter. We are trying to get a series printed on the economic and political impacts of globalization. Tomorrow's article will be on Fair Trade! Hopefully we will have a couple articles printed in the school newspaper surrounding Fair Trade. Not much luck with local city newspapers on getting my article printed. However, the local news channel is running a series on Fair Trade at the end of March. I am to speak with a manager over at Ten Thousand Villages later on today about the news channel series. As for "Santiago's Story," this will be ordered very soon.
I am trying to build this coffee campaign, but its been hard to recruit individuals. All the liberals on campus are focused on anti-war/peace actions and environmental justice. We are trying to educate others on the connections between this war and the anti-globalization movement. The Action Awareness campus group are young activists and to them "Earth Day" and war are more important than Fair Trade. We formed a new social justice group, FREE (Finding Racial & Economic Equality), to be more focused on globalization issues. Both AA and FREE are comrades and work together, but have different focuses. I am hoping that this newspaper article will generate some more campus interest for Fair Trade and FREE. Needless to say it's hard recruiting for Fair Trade. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Please.....
Thinking about orchestrating a "Fair Trade Friday," for every friday. There would be an educational booth, with samples and the opportunity for students to buy fair trade products ( i.e. leftover Divine chocolate, Zapatista Coffee). The money would be used to fund speakers and events. Any suggestions on this would be appreciated as well.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGIAN "Fair Trade coffee served up on campus" by Kristy Fenton March 07, 2003
Thursday was the National Day of Action for Fair Trade Coffee. Two students organized a campaign to dish out free 'fair' coffee samples and messages of awareness at the Lory Student Center Plaza.
"America is not just about greed," said Chris Mayer, natural resources graduate student and Peace Corp Volunteer, yesterday as he sipped a fair trade coffee sample in the early morning sun.
Alina Mendoza, spanish major, and Ed Lawson, anthropology and economics major, head a division of the student group Finding Racial and Economic Equality that focuses on fair trade and is fighting to make fair trade coffee the exclusive coffee served at CSU.
A fair trade system offers high quality products to consumers in the north while establishing consistent and fair prices for developing producers in the south.
Americans consume one-fifth of all the coffee in the world and coffee is the second largest import in America, oil being the first, reports Global Exchange on their Web site www.globalexchange.org.
"I was a Peace Corp volunteer in Honduras and it impressed upon me how unfair the system is," Mayer said. "I saw that there were a lot of inequalities among coffee producers."
"Before I went into the Peace Corp I drank brands like Folgers and Hills Brother's coffee," Mayer said. "Now I drink fair trade and it's superior in taste and in quality of production."
Fifty percent of all the coffee produced in the world is purchased by Proctor and Gamble, Kraft, Nestle and Sara Lee, who make brands like Taster's Choice, Hill's Brothers and Folgers, Mendoza said.
"They're only paid about 0.25/lb of coffee produced and that doesn't meet their cost of production. Fair trade certified coffee pays at a minimum $1.26/lb, so they're able to pay for things that we take for granted, like education and medicine." Mendoza said.
Georgetown University recently went 100 percent fair trade, meaning all the coffee served on campus is fair trade certified, Mendoza said.
CSU students and faculty may have had their first taste of fair trade coffee Thursday while listening to volunteers and the light hum of Latin American music.
"I think all the coffee on campus should be fair trade, the freedom of the consumer is at risk," said Rebecca McDannald, political science major.
Java Plaza, a local fair trade roaster and coffee house, 123 N. College Ave., donated 3 lbs. of fair trade coffee for the CSU event.
Nicaraguan coffee was served from Lawson's winter break trip, where he worked with a coffee cooperative called PRODECOOP through Global Exchange.
Februrary 25, 2003
Our coffee campaign is running along and the committee has increased to three. We are tabling for March 6. Direct Action has been discussed but not confirmed. Possibly a fax jam for P & G.
Good news! I have made a coalition with a school newspaper reporter. We are trying to get a series printed on the economic and political impacts of globalization. Tomorrow's article will be on fair trade! Hopefully we will have a couple artciles printed in the school newspaper surrounding fair trade. Not much luck with local city newspapers on getting my article printed. However, the local news channel is running a series on fair trade end of March.
I am trying to build this coffee campaign, but its been hard to recruit individuals. All the liberals on campus are focused on anti-war/peace actions and environmental justice. We are trying to educate others on the connections between this war and the anti-globalization movement. We formed a new social justice group (Finding Racial & Economic Equality) to be more focused on globalization issues. Both AA and FREE are comrades and work together, but have different focus. I am hoping that this newspaper article will generate some more campus interest for fair trade and FREE. Needless to say its hard recruiting for fair trade. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Please.....
I am thinking about orchestrating a 'fair trade' Friday, for every week. This would be an educational booth, with samples and also the opportunity for student to buy fair trade products( i.e. leftover Divine chocolate, Zapatista Coffee). The money would be used to fund speakers and events. Any suggestions on this would be appreciated as well.
Have a great day and thanks for all the help so far.
In Solidarity -Ed
December 29, 2002
Our campaign represents two activist groups (AA & FAIR) on the Colorado State University campus. I am posting to build coalitions with all of you. This past semester Action Awareness worked on a variety of campaigns including campus sustainability. animal rights-BFC, and the anti-war/peace movement. I am excited to announce that we have launched a new organization on campus (FAIR), who will focus on social justice campaigns icluding fair trade, WB bond boycott and hopefully many others. We are looking forward to participating in the "Divine Sweathearts" campaign and were looking for any local campus representatives in the area like CU-Boulder or CU-Denver who would like to split the $1000 purchase.
