February 20, 2003
Published in Yale Daily News
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=21863
Yale to use sustainable coffee
BY KATHERINE STEVENS
Staff Reporter
Beginning in September, Yale residential dining halls will fill their coffee makers with Fair Trade java.
Wednesday morning, the Yale Sustainable Food Committee voted unanimously to replace all non-flavored coffee with Fair Trade coffee, which comes from companies that pay coffee growers a living wage. The change reflects lobbying efforts by students and is part of a larger international Fair Trade movement to ensure living wages for coffee farmers. "I'm really happy about this for the symbolic value," said Matthew Nickson '03, who led the Yale Fair Trade campaign. "This decision in itself probably won't have much of an effect on coffee growers. But hopefully it will have a snowball effect -- and other universities will follow suit. It's a good thing Yale has made a responsible choice."
Professor Leslie Brisman, a Fair Trade advocate, said it is important that "fair trade certified" stickers be placed on Yale's coffee-brewing equipment to provide publicity for the cause. In doing so, Brisman said he hoped Yale students will be inspired to make a difference in other ways.
"I have faith in the ability of Yale students to change the world. My great hope is that this will spearhead other Yale students to find responsible forms of globalization," Brisman said. "Coffee is the easy one. The hard thing is getting students to buy clothes and toys that are fair trade -- but coffee is the only one right now."
Nickson said he will meet with Ernst Huff, associate vice president of student financial and administration services, on Friday to figure out the logistics.
"We're over the hurdle to make the decision to move forward," Huff said.
Brisman said it was important for Yale to stand behind this cause. He said Fair Trade coffee seems to be the only noncontroversial issue on campus.
But some have said the Fair Trade coffee movement does not go far enough. In November, Sharleen Maldonado, chairwoman of the U.N. Border Economic Development Council, said the plan shows "good heart." But she said Fair Trade falls short of economic justice approaches recommended by the Economic Justice League.
"No matter what, Fair Trade only addresses green beans, and believe me, that is not where the profit margin exists," Maldonado said.
Copyright © 1995-2003 Yale Daily News Publishing Company, Inc.
November 14, 2002
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=20747
YCC advises switch to 'fair trade' coffee Resolution calls for replacing dining hall coffee
BY KATHERINE STEVENS Staff Reporter
For coffee, free trade does not necessarily equal fair trade. Wednesday night, the Yale College Council unanimously passed a resolution recommending that Yale Dining Services replace all non-flavored coffee with "fair trade" coffee. YCC member and resolution author Matthew Nickson '03 said he has been talking to many members of the administration about replacing the current coffee offered in dining halls with the fair trade coffee. Nickson is a former Yale Daily News editorials editor.
For coffee to be "Fair Trade Certified" by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization, coffee farmers must be assured a base price of $1.26 per pound of washed arabica, regardless of fluctuations in the New York "C," or coffee, market. In its resolution, the YCC cited an MSNBC report that showed Nicaraguan farmers receive $0.20 per pound on the local market.
Yale's regular coffee is a blend of washed arabica, and the decaffeinated coffee is a blend of 100% Columbian arabica.
"Right now there's a tremendous glut of coffee in the world's market," Nickson said. While Nickson said he would prefer if the YDS paid for the coffee change out of their budget, he added that he personally would not mind a small hike in meal plan payments to show support for fair trade. The YCC resolution, however, called for no increase in the dining plan payment.
"We're only talking a four dollar increase per student, if that," Nickson said. Yale currently purchases its coffee from Northeast Coffee Roasters, which also sells fair trade coffee. YDS pays a surcharge on every pound of coffee Yale purchases rather than paying for coffee-brewing equipment.
"There'd be about a $2 up-charge per pound," Nickson said.
Nickson said Associate Director of Dining Services Charles Bennett told him Yalies drink about 9,000 pounds of coffee a year, including flavored coffee, though exact figures are confidential.
Nickson said that since no fair trade flavored coffees currently exist, the same standards would not be required until such coffees come into existence. "The reason I don't want to replace [flavored coffee] is because I have nothing to replace it with," Nickson said. "The YCC can make a difference by showing University Dining Services and the administration... [that there are] moral implications for fair trade coffee that argue strongly for its implementation."
Copyright © 2002 Yale Daily News Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
Notes from previous campaign coordinator Michele Kennedy
March 28, 2001 Jorge Cuevas from Mexico came to speak about fair trade coffee in Mexico! Yay!
March 21, 2001 About five weeks ago, I discussed my senior essay research (on ft coffee) at a dinner hosted by Yale's Social Justice Network. Since then, spurred on by increasing interest in the fair trade movement, a campus group has sprung up and is organizing around an upcoming event next Wednesday: Jorge Cuevas is coming to speak! So, we're hoping to rally up a great crowd.
June 22, 2000 Last semester, we had a few protests at Yale in front of the new Starbucks right near campus. We attracted many interested people and handed out and discussed information about fair trade, sustainable coffee crops, cooperatives and the flaws in Starbucks' approach and dominance. Additionally, we got several customers to march into the store with fair trade request cards, much to the dismay of the store manager! We were asked to relocate, but I think we definitely made a lasting impression on that particular store. Also, we were going to have a demonstration in support of the national protest more recently, but that was cancelled in light of the Starbuck's decisions to implement a fair trade brand. Though we distributed many of the fair trade postcards and encouraged students to give them to both coffee shops and groceray stores in the area, the ft coffee campaign was muted becausewe (meaning Yale STARC people) put a lot of effort into getting folks down to D.D. for the IMF/WB event. That was really successful and turned out to be awesome, but it took a lot of our energy.
When we meet at the beginning of the upcoming school year, I think we'll set up a game plan that will include ft coffee action.
February 10,2000
YALE STUDENTS CHALLENGE CORPORATE PRACTICES Contacts: Kathryn Kline (203) 436-0231 Arthur Liou (203) 562-3162
Yale students affiliated with the Student Alliance to Reform Corporations (STARC) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) are taking action during the next week to protest international labor abuses and unfair trade practices. Actions are planned in conjunction with the national Closing the Gap campaign, USAS's ongoing campaign to ensure decent working conditions for workers producing licensed university-logo clothing, and the national Fair Trade Week organized by STARC.
February 10, Fair Trade Week events will continue as students raise awareness about the damage that Starbucks' coffee purchasing policy inflicts on farmers and the environment. Activists will gather outside of Starbucks on Chapel St. to give away fairly traded coffee and distribute information about Starbucks' current policies. Fairly traded coffee allows farmers to earn decent wages and is often grown using fewer pesticides and with less soil depletion than plantation-grown coffee.
