|
 
|
|
The
Fair Trade BEAT - TransFair USA e-newsletter
|
|
|
|
In
This Issue:
|
August 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
What do the EU, Jersey, and the small town of
Media, Pennsylvania have in common?
|
|
|
|
*
|
What's New? Fair Trade Vanilla and Herbs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
Peace Coffee: Featured Company Partner
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
Help get Fair Trade flicks out into the mainstream
|
|
|
|
*
|
Coming Soon -- Fair Trade Month!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The EU, New Jersey, Media, Pennsylvania have all
recently passed resolutions in favor of Fair Trade.
This July, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Fair
Trade and Development with an overwhelming majority. The text calls
on the European Commission to come forward with a recommendation
and step up public support for Fair Trade.
***
And in New Jersey, members of the South Jersey Fair Trade Alliance
worked with legislators to pass Assembly Resolution 178, which
makes Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea, and chocolate available in
the NJ State House Complex.
***
The tiny town of Media, Pennsylvania (pop. 5,500) has declared
itself America's First Fair Trade Town. Borrowing from the Fair
Trade Towns program in the UK, Fair Trade supporters met a variety
of criteria before proclaiming Media a Fair Trade town. They worked
to pass a city council resolution in support of Fair Trade, ensured
that Fair Trade coffee and tea is offered in local government
meetings and offices, saw that a range of Fair Trade products are
available in local restaurants and businesses, secured media coverage
for their Fair Trade campaign, and convened a steering committee to
ensure continued commitment. Which US city will be next?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to Peace Coffee for winning the
Reader's Choice Award for Best Coffee in the Twin Cities! Says the
City Pages:
"Wake up and change the world. Put a little peace in your cup:
Peace Coffee's French Roast, satiny dark, so rich and hefty you
want to sip and savor it with a spoon. These premium beans are
tenderly roasted in small batches, then delivered to stores not by
gas-guzzling trucks but by fleece-and-flannel-clad peddlers on
bikes (some toting 400-pound trailers 40 miles daily). Peace
employees earn median hourly wages well above minimum. Peace Coffee
retails for a measly $9.95 a pound, for styles ranging from light
bright Guatemalan to deepest, blackest espresso."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This just in -- Check out FAIR TRADE, THE STORY, an
inspiring 8 minute video on Fair Trade with killer music, beautiful
shots of Fair Trade communities, and even an interview with Stone
Gossard of Pearl Jam! Watch the video at http://eq.tv.
***
Tell PBS you want to see BUYER, BE FAIR on TV! http://www.buyerbefair.org/
On August 20th, PBS stations throughout the United States will be
receiving a satellite feed of a new documentary, BUYER BE FAIR: THE
PROMISE OF PRODUCT CERTIFICATION that shows why we need product
certification to ensure fairness and sustainability in a
globalizing economy.
TAKE ACTION: call your local PBS affiliate and encourage the
program director to tape BUYER BE FAIR during the satellite feed on
August 20 and schedule the program (preferably in prime time)
during October's Fair Trade Month or soon after. Ideally, you
should make the call between Monday, July 31st and Friday, August
11th, during the time when most PBS programmers are making their
October schedules.
Just find your state at the link below, then click on your station
and you will be at the station's website, where you'll find contact
information. Try to talk to the person who makes the program
schedule if you can.
Please tell your station programmer to record BUYER BE FAIR from ET
513 at 2030 to 2130 hours on August 20th. They'll know what you
mean. Please be very friendly and supportive and let them know you
appreciate public television.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vanilla -- Used in baked goods, sodas, candies,
syrups, ice cream, soy milk, yogurt, and perfumes, vanilla is one
of the most labor-intensive agricultural products in the world, and
the U.S. is its largest consumer. TransFair is excited to certify
Fair Trade vanilla, bringing hope to vanilla farming families
struggling in a volatile, low-priced marketplace. Go here to read
more about our vanilla program: http://www.transfairusa.org/content/about/pr_060626.php
Chamomile, Hibiscus and Mint -- Yes, you can now enjoy a cup of
Fair Trade Certified herbal tea and bring the benefits of Fair
Trade to even more producers worldwide; these FTC herbs are sourced
from Egyptian producers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
QUESTION: As large mainstream companies and retailers
begin to offer Fair Trade Certified products, is there a danger
that the Fair Trade standards will erode?
(In this Dear Abby-esque column, we invite readers to submit
burning questions for us to answer. Bucket Boy, for your
information, is our pet name for the figure on the Fair Trade
Certified label.)
Submit your questions to Jean at jwalsh@transfairusa.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, it's almost time for the 3rd Annual Fair Trade
Month this October. During Fair Trade Month, Fair Trade products go
on sale, retailers promote the heck out of 'em, Fair Trade farmers
come from Africa, Latin America and Asia to tell their stories,
advocates advocate, and the media goes wild.
Oh! And consumers have a chance to win a guided tour of spectacular
Costa Rica to meet the farmers behind Fair Trade products. Twenty
additional winners receive a basket of Fair Trade Certified
products. Keep your eyes out for the Discover Fair Trade contest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
