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Jeff
On February 14, FTRN produced Webinar 121: “Should Hired Labor Plantations Be Included in Fair Trade?”. The 2 panelists were Ed Canty, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Fair Trade Organic Coffee Buyer; and Rodney North, Equal Exchange, The Answer Man – Information for the Public & Media. You can download the 50-min recording of webinar 121, or register for upcoming webinars, at FTRN webinars.
Some of the speakers’ main points from the webinar include comments below. (more…)
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Jeff
Fair Trade Resource Network and World Fair Trade Day sponsors have some more free product offers to motivate you to get organized for WFTD 2012. Soaps, chocolates, nut butters, T-shirts, postcards and stickers are only available while supplies last.
Post your event on the Events Calendar to get instructions for ordering free & discounted goodies.
See all special offers, and other WFTD planning & education resources, at WFTD Toolkit.
We will continue to post WFTD updates on our website and in our monthly e-newsletter.
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Jeff
In January 2012, Equal Exchange launched an online campaign to “ask companies, organizations and consumers to choose authentic, small farmer-centered Fair Trade.” The online campaign has received over 2300 public supporters as of February 14, 2012.
The campaign states that “It is time to reaffirm our commitment to the authentic Fair Trade movement that we have collectively built for 25 years in which small farmer co-operatives play a central and vital role. The corporate, plantation model put forth by TransFair/Fair Trade USA is not Fair Trade.”
The campaign is in part a response to the major event from fall 2011, when Fair Trade USA announced it was splitting from Fair Trade International (FLO), and beginning to allow hired labor plantations and independent farmers (not organized into coops) into its Fair Trade Certified system in products like coffee, cocoa and more. Fair Trade USA has posted a list of public supporters for its new plan, Fair Trade for All, on the Fair Trade for All “Call to Action” page.
See Equal Exchange’s online campaign
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Jeff
Fair Trade Princeton declared in the end of December as the 26th Fair Trade Town in the U.S. and 5th in New Jersey. That makes New Jersey back on top with the most declared towns of any state. Camila Tellez, then only 14, of Princeton Township started the campaign in 2010. She was captivated by the notion that Fair Trade is not a donation. It’s trade, not aid.
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Jeff
On January 31, FTRN produced Webinar 120: “Should Unorganized Farmers Be Included in Fair Trade?”. The 2 panelists were Rodney North, Equal Exchange, The Answer Man – Information for the Public & Media; and Michael Sheridan, Catholic Relief Services, Director of the Borderlands Coffee Project (based in Ecuador). You can download the 50-min recording of webinar 120, or register for upcoming webinars, at FTRN webinars.
Some of the speakers’ main points from the webinar include comments below. (more…)
