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Fair Trade News
Published Jan 10, 2006
Award-Winning Filmmaker to Premiere Fair-Trade Documentary at University of Puget Sound The University of Puget Sound was a logical choice for the screening because it is considered a leader among colleges and universities by sustainability advocates. It was the first university in the Northwest to offer fair trade coffee exclusively. "Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Product Certification" is the latest release from John de Graaf, the award-winning filmmaker responsible for such notable PBS programs as "Running Out of Time," an examination of overwork and time pressure in America, and "Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic," a humorous critique of American consumerism. When asked why he traveled the globe to create this film, de Graaf responded, "I believe knowledge is power. I wanted to create a film that was inspirational but balanced. Ultimately my goal is to reach out to people. Especially those that aren't part of the proverbial choir, and present the promise of product certification to a wider audience." The switch to fair trade coffees at University of Puget Sound was the result of a campaign by student-activists and Matt Warning, associate professor of economics at Puget Sound. The students and campus are featured prominently in the film. Professor Warning studies fair trade coffee farmers in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca and served as consulting producer on the documentary. One of the foremost experts on fair trade certification in the coffee market, he's been quoted in a variety of publications including The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Financial Times, SocialFunds.com and The Seattle Times. High resolution images of de Graaf, Warning, and a still from the film are available at www.ups.edu/pressphotos.xml Both de Graaf and Warning are available for interviews. BUYER BE FAIR: THE PROMISE OF CERTIFICATION, a one-hour public television documentary, takes viewers to Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, the U.S. and Canada to explore how conscious consumers and businesses can use the market to promote social justice and environmental sustainability through product labeling, with a focus on Fair Trade coffee and Forest Stewardship Council certified wood. "Buyer Be Fair" is a production of Fox-Wilmar Productions and the American University Center for Environmental Media, in association with the National Wildlife Federation. The film will also be shown on March 16 during the Environmental Film Festival in Washington D.C. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS: Director and writer, John de Graaf is the recipient of more than 100 regional, national, and international awards for filmmaking. Many of his programs address environmental subjects, including For "Earth's Sake: The Life and Times of David Brower," "Beyond Organic," "Green Plans," "Hot Potatoes," "Escape from Affluenza," "Genetic Time Bomb," "On Nature's Terms," and "Circle of Plenty." He is a frequent speaker on issues of overwork and over-consumption in America. De Graaf is the editor of "Take Back Your Time" and the co-author of the best-selling "Affluenza." He is also the co-chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Simplicity Forum, a national think tank for the voluntary simplicity movement. De Graaf has worked with KCTS-TV, the Seattle PBS affiliate, for 23 years, as an independent producer of television documentaries. He has taught documentary film production at the University of Washington and The Evergreen State College. De Graaf is the founder of the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival and former president of the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Network. Hana Jindrova, a producer and researcher on "Buyer Be Fair," is a documentary television producer and a scientist. She holds a M.S. in general biology, physiology and cell biology; and a Ph.D. in physiology and cell biology. She is the co-producer, with John de Graaf, of "Silent Killer: The Unfinished Campaign Against Hunger" and "Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Certification." She was content editor and science consultant on the public television documentaries "Hot Potatoes," "Beyond Organic," and "On Nature's Terms." Matt Warning teaches economics and international political economy at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. He has spent nearly 20 years studying rural communities in Africa and Latin America; since 2000 this work has focused on the fair trade coffee movement and coffee communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. He is a consulting producer for the PBS documentary, "Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Product Certification," concerning fair trade coffee and certified wood. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. - - - - CONTACT: Melissa Rohlfs, 253-879-2611 ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY: Founded in 1888, the University of Puget Sound is one of only five national independent undergraduate liberal arts colleges in the Pacific Northwest and the only one in western Washington. Its 2,600 students, drawn from nearly every state and 16 foreign countries, work closely with 212 full-time faculty and are highly engaged on campus in more than 70 student-led organizations, and in the community, with more than 75 percent volunteering for community service each year. Puget Sound hosts chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi and its graduates have been regular recipients of Fulbright, Rotary, Watson, and other fellowships, including two Rhodes Scholarships. Contact Information: Melissa Rohlfs, 253-879-2611 |
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