Contact: Colleen Crosby colleen@gofairtrade.net

April 10, 2002

I am currently on the national Fair Trade Task Force and have recently been spending a lot of time working on a panel presentation at the National Convention for the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Along with this panel we are working on a Barista Manual to educate on Sustainability issues, including Fair Trade Certified.

Additionally, we are working with Barrios Unidos to setup a cafe featuring Fair Trade Coffee and hosting next month a coffee cupping with a group of seven people from Nicaragua's Fair Trade Coops.

We are completing a documentary on the subject entitled "IN OUR HANDS". It will debut at the SCAA convention during our panel. Then May 17 Barrios Unidos will be showing it during their social day called Visions of the Future. May 29 it will be distributed to various social powerhouse people and also YES magazine. Additionally, TACA airlines will be showing it on some of their flights.

June 19, 2001

We have another live remote with DTA and LIVE radio, una fiesta para Comercio Justo. The radio station will be giving away a Harley Davidson motorcycle at our cafe on pacific avenue, the stations says the giveaway pulls thousands of people. The announcer will once again be asking Fair Trade questions from the listeners.

May 9, 2001

I am working on establishing a LIVE remote between the Young Coffee Farmer in Colombia and the youth groups at Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz. An annual meeting of the young coffee farmers is being arranged for June. I thought would could establish a LIVE remote camera (satellite or computer) for both the US Latino youth and the Colombian coffee farmer youth to speak to each other about FAIR TRADE, coffee's effects in each communities lives. I would love to listen on youth talk about their cafe experiences with young coffee farmers concerned about surviving from their coffee farms-----WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO LISTEN IN ON THIS CONVERSATION?

Congressman Sam Farr may be attending also.

March, 2001 ATT Channel 4 played a video documentary on Fair Trade also during March. That ran four times a day, everyday in March. Interviews with Santiago in Nicaragua, Paul Rice, myself (Colleen Crosby) and Rey Robles. I will send you a copy of the video.

February 9, 2001 Patagonia Event on Fair Trade--Paul Rice from Transfair USA spoke as well as myself and Celeste and Rey. That occurred February 9 this year. Barrios Unidos assisted with video taping the event. The event was replayed severaltimes each day on community cable television for the entire month of March.

January 6, 2001 UCSC's Marriot managed cafe at Crown has gone FAIR TRADE. And the coffee tastes great!

Now, you can watch Santiago's Story while working out at 24 Hour Nautilus Internet bikes during January. And why, because of a little help from some friends.

With help of friends at Barrios Unidos, we were able to get the local community channels to air Santiago's Story. Manuel heads the video and computer department of Barrios Unidos, he worked with Transfair to obtain an appropriate quality video for television. He is also on the board for Community Television and was able to obtain the necessary support for airing the video--it will be televised all month long. ______________________________________ December 14, 2000

In January I will be going with Transfair USA on the Costa Rica and Nicaragua Fair Trade Field Study trip.

Sunday, I spoke regarding Fair Trade Certification at the UNICEF Human Rights Day event in Watsonville. People were of course very supportive---its so connected to Human Rights.

Tommorrow night I will be speaking on Fair Trade again at another church activity.

The Peace and Justice commission has gotten approval from the fathers of the parish to work on educating the parishners regarding Fair Trade certified coffee at our church.

UNICEF committee is very supportive of Fair Trade Certified coffee and is working hard on educating members and friends on the subject.

______________________________________ Tuesday, July 25, 2000

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ENCOURAGING THE PURCHASE OF FAIR TRADE COFFEE

Whereas, in the context of the global economy, our consumer choices unknowingly affect communities and the environment in all corners of the earth; and

Whereas, many people are looking for more socially conscious and environmentally responsible ways to conduct their lives, which do not degrade people, animals or the environment; and

Whereas, most small coffee farmers receive market payments for their harvest which are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt; and

Whereas, the City of Santa Cruz is aware of the dire situation of poverty in coffee producing areas of the world; and

Whereas, intensive coffee farming also leads to environmental problems, such as the contamination of air and water supplies through pesticide poisoning, deforestation and the extinction of some bird species through habitat destruction; and

Whereas, Fair Trade Certified coffee works to correct these imbalances by guaranteeing stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound, providing much needed credit at fair terms to farmers and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming; and

Whereas, Fair Trade Certified coffee encourages the cultivation of coffee under a shade canopy which preserves trees and birds, as well as coffee grown under organic conditions; and

Whereas, with the profits generated from receiving a fair wage, farmers can invest in community development, health care, education, and environmental stewardship.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa Cruz that it hereby encourages consumer awareness of Fair Trade issues and encourages the purchase of Fair Trade Certified coffee.

___________________________________________ _________________

COUNCIL POLICY 29.14

POLICY TITLE:FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED COFFEE--PURCHASING GUIDELINES

POLICY STATEMENT:

Preference shall be given to the purchase of Fair Trade Certified coffee whenever it is available at no more cost or within 10% (ten percent) of other available coffee.

AUTHORIZATION: Council Policy Manual Update of July 25, 2000

___________________________________ from Colleen Crosby, Co-Owner, Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co. and Santa Cruz Friends of Fair Trade, SantaCruzFriends@aol.com

I guess Santa Cruz is very unusual. We had tremendous support from our City Council. The Mayor made it easy for us to present the information at the City Council Public hearing. We were the First agenda item on a very long list of items. The Mayor and the City Manager's Assistant knew that our speakers for Fair Trade were approaching a public forum for the first time and being first on the agenda would help ease the fear of speaking publicly.

I introduced our group of Fair Trade supporters, then the city played the news video from Channel 46---it was a very educational segment on Fair Trade Certified Coffee. The video played over the cable system for all television viewers who were watching the city council meeting. After the news video, Sarah (a student) addressed the City Council. She spoke on the need for government and consumer support of Fair Trade Certification and Fair Trade Products.

While Sarah spoke Ruth (a Cafe Manager) held up a 3 feet by 4 feet poster of the Fair Trade Certified label. Big enough for the last row of the audience to see, it was a packed house in the City Chambers! Sarah then introduced Celeste and Rey. Rey (a barista) had worked four months on several coffee plantations last year. He spoke about his life on the plantation, how he worked 20 to 30 days without a day off, how he carried 50 pound sacks on his back at the end of his workday (the hike to town took two to three hours while carrying 50 pounds on his back). He described his adobe home---no inside plumbing, no electricity, etc. He spoke in Spanish and Celeste (another Cafe manager) translated his answers. Unfortunately, we do not have a copy of his speech.

Both Celeste and Rey felt by speaking up they were helping friends and family they knew in Mexico. Because this issue was so important they were able to muscle up the courage to address a large public and a city council. It took a lot of guts for everyone to speak, and everyone did so well.

At the end of our presentation, the council voted. All supported the Fair Trade Certified Resolution. All supported the Fair Trade Certified City Purchasing Policy.

_____________________________________

Sarah's speech given at the Council meeting:

Most everything you buy is produced by someone else. All too often, that someone is a Third World citizen working for very low wages, an estimated 20 million rural people work on coffee plantations. We know that people in dire economic straits generally do not make environmental decisions based on long term planning. Yet we cannot speak of environmental protection without taking into account the people that live in the environments we are discussing.

According to a Sentinel News article, subtitled "Mega cities burdened with poor may dominate the 21st Century," a vast population shift is taking place in much of the world, from the joblessness and hunger of the countryside to the false hope offered by living in the squalor of burgeoning third world cities. Purchasing certified fair trade products helps to stave this exodus of rural poor.

More than half of the global coffee supply is collectively produce by small-scale farmers. When you purchase Certified Fair Trade coffee you are helping more than 700,000 [ed: 550,000] small, disadvantaged farmers in Northern Latin America alone [ed: around the world], you are helping them get back on their feet and trade their way out of poverty with a renewed sense of pride.

What is TransFair?

Transfair USA is the only organization providing independent, neutral, third party certification of Fair Trade practices in the United States. TransFair also educates consumers about international trade and economic development issues. By educating consumers and building support for Fair Trade products, TransFair seeks to reduce world poverty and promote sustainable economic development around the world.

How does certification work?

Similar to organic certification, TransFair USA monitors the entire product supply chain from tree to cup, verifying that Fair Trade criteria are fully implemented. The certification process includes annual inspection visits to each Fair Trade producer group, ensuring that only family farmers organized in democratically run organizations can sell their coffee to the Fair Trade market. These on-site visits also verify that farmers are receiving the fair price for their coffee and that sustainable farming practices are being encouraged.

On this end of the market, TransFair monitors Fair Trade importers, roasters and retailers here in the US to ensure credibility and integrity of their Fair Trade products.

Though many roasters pay above the fair trade price for many of their coffees when the coffee market is average to high, Fair Trade Certification guarantees that the farmer receives a fair price even when the commodity price hits its lows. The crucial advantage of fair trade certification is that the premium price paid actually funnels down to the farmer.

Only the "Fair Trade Certified" monitoring process guarantees that premium price is equitably distributed so that the farmers truly receive their fair share. Paying a premium alone does not guarantee this equitable distribution; monitoring and certification are the only guarantees that farmers received their fair shares.

ONLY the TransFair "Fair Trade Certified" seal on the package guarantees the consumer that the coffee purchased has benefited the farmer.

Enough quality coffee exists in the fair trade market that consumers can enjoy these products now and responsible roasters can become involved by becoming a certified roaster thus helping to further the success and scope of this movement. Many of these farmers have been selling quality coffee