| STAY CONNECTED TO THE MOVEMENT |
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| Jobs in Fair Trade |
Work with FTRN:
Interns - Now recruiting for summer positions, in DC or remotely, on media, campaign coord. & program
development. For more information on interning with FTRN, check out the FTRN internships.
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Mark Your Calendars! |
March 27 - 29, 2009
Portland, OR
May 9, 2009
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| Find & Post Fair Trade Events |
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March 2009 |
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Let's Get Excited for World Fair Trade Day!
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World Fair Trade Day - It's Action Time!
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Hey fellow Fair
Traders,
It's action
time! We're about two months away from
World Fair Trade Day 2009 and have a rather 'grande' order in front of us - we
need at least 50,000 Fair Trade Break participants to gain back the World's
Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break record from Finland, and we are counting YOU!
Use our free materials, such as the poster & flyer pictured at right, to spread the word.
If judging from the
amazing success of YOUR efforts in 2008 is any indicator, we can break the
record. If we can inspire 100 people to
attend 500 events, doubling last year's North American events, we can make the
50,000 mark! I believe in Fair Trade and
the power of the 'tipping point.' So
join the FTRN team and our amazing sponsors to make history happen this year.
Click to our FT Break Action Guide to get started on
WFTD09 organizing!
Here
are five simple steps to get started.
1.
Get
a few friends or family members together and start a brainstorm about what you
can do this year.
2.
Join
our national organizing and media conference calls in March, share ideas with
new and seasoned organizers. Learn more on
our FT
Break Action Guide page.
3.
Download
Fair
Trade Break Action Guide for creative ideas, inspiration (even Fair Trade
recipes, yum!)
4.
Register
your event on our online Events
calendar so that others can join you.
Once registered, you qualify to receive various free Fair Trade items to
provide at your Fair Trade Break event.
We're
here for you, so don't hesitate to get in touch. Visit
our FT
Break Action Guide page for all of the resources that you'll
need to get started. Happy organizing!
~ Shayna Harris
National Outreach
Coordinator, WFTD09
wftday@gmail.com
(917)
464-5558
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World Fair Trade Day - Free Resources Available NOW!
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We invite you to begin ordering in print, and downloading, our free materials for WFTD. Check out the full list of posters, flyers, postcards, stickers and FT items in our WFTD Toolkit. If you register your event in March on our Events calendar, you may qualify for a free soccer ball, music bell, dancing girl pin, coffee or business advice.
For a sneak preview of a few postcards and giveaway items, read on. 
Mail or distribute these postcards to your contacts for a Fair Trade Dessert Break. Use the space on back to publicize your local event details.
Organize a Fair Trade Handcrafts Break using this postcard. Celebrate with music by coordinating a drum circle. Register your event soon to receive a free Fair Trade music bell!
Get some exercise during a Fair Trade Soccer Break. Register your event soon to receive a free Fair Trade soccer ball!
The first 500 people to register events on our Events calendar will get a free Dancing Girl pin, Fair Trade from Kenya, courtesy of Global Crafts.
Visit
our FT Break Action Guide page for all of the resources that you'll
need to plan a great Fair Trade Break!
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Fair Trade Institute Celebrates 2nd Year
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The internet's most complete resource
for academic papers and research just on Fair Trade turned 2! Fair Trade Institute, a comprehensive online collection of Fair Trade publications, is
a collaborative effort between the Fair Trade Institute, based in  Switzerland,
and FTRN. Participation in the site grew
substantially this past year to 236 registered users, 321 publications listed, and
291 Fair Trade authors listed. In the
past year, FTI added a feature for cataloging expertise in the FT community, by listing research
fields or positions of people in the FT community.
With a shared interest in education and critical analysis about Fair
Trade, the Fair Trade Institute and FTRN have compiled this online collection. Visitors can search for publications,
add their own
publications (with a link to the article) locate specific expertise for a research or consulting project, and manage their professional
information and expertise available to the Fair Trade community.
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Sustainable Businesses Do Better During Downturn
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By practicing environmental sustainability, a key Fair Trade principle, Fair Trade organizations have an advantage over others during these financially challenging times.
Left, a Fair Trade producer for Handmade Expressions prepares newspaper for recycled bags, pictured below.
 A new study by global
management consulting firm A.T.
Kearney indicates that firms with "true commitment
to sustainability" outperform industry peers.
"The most sustainability focused companies may well emerge from the
current
crisis stronger than ever," said the authors of the analysis,
"Green Winners: The Performance of Sustainability-Focused Companies in the Financial Crisis ," A.T. Kearney released in February 2009.
Peace Coffee delivers Fair Trade coffee by bike, even in Minnesota's cold winter!
The report is the latest that backs the assertion that green products and services as well as the firms that produce them will show resilience through the
economic downtown.  The new research goes a step further and provides data on
market performance for firms whose business approach emphasizes sustainability.
Larry's Beans, of North Carolina, relies on vegetable oil to power its bus.
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| Fair Trade News |
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FAIR TRADE WINE COMES TO AMHERST, MA, A FAIR TRADE TOWN.
The Amherst Fair Trade Coalition helped celebrate the arrival of Fair Trade wine to their town in February. Amherst
Brewing Company began serving Fairhills wine sourced from Argentina, Chile, and South Africa. The restaurant is hosting a Fair Trade wine tour on March 4th.
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At FTRN, our work is not done until Fair Trade is practiced in every household.
Please make a contribution today to help us continue to develop the materials that are essential in effecting people-powered change for Fair Trade.
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