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World Fair Trade Day in Daley Plaza: Friday, May 7

2010-05-05T17:53:00.003-06:00

World Fair Trade Day 2010
Friday, May 7
9-6

Join thousands of fair trade supporters, learn about fair trade and shop more than two dozen fair trade exhibitors offering gifts, jewelry, home accessories, stationery, coffee and chocolate and this annual celebration of World Fair Trade Day in Daley Plaza.

Proudly sponsored and organized by Chicago Fair Trade and the city of Chicago's Department of Environment.

Chicago becomes a Fair Trade City

2010-02-16T19:30:00.002-06:00

Big News. Last Wednesday, February 10 the Chicago City Council voted in favor of designating Chicago a Fair Trade City, demonstrating the city's commitment to expand support for fair trade in the metropolitan area.

Chicago Soccer offers Fair Trade soccer balls

2009-12-19T09:19:00.003-06:00

Beginning this weekend Chicago Soccer is planning to offer fair trade soccer balls in its store. Go buy one for the soccer enthusiast on your Christmas list and thank the owner for supporting fair trade.

Chicago Soccer is the official store of the Chicago Fire. It's located at 4839 N. Western Avenue (Western near Lawrence) in Lincoln Square. Store hours are Chicago Monday-Friday 10:00am - 8:00pm; Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm; Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm.

You can also find fair trade soccer balls and other sports balls at the Greenheart Shop in Wicker Park.

Alternative Gift Fair at Loyola University

2009-12-01T19:23:00.001-06:00

Alternative Gift Fair
December 2-3
11 AM - 4 PM

CFSU Lobby
1125 W. Loyola Ave.
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola Ave. and Sheridan Rd.

The Alternative Gift Fair provides the Loyola community with an ethical shopping experience that supports eco-fair trade and social enterpise vendors. This year's fair involves a variety of local vendors, many of them members of Chicago Fair Trade (http://www.chicagofairtrade.org), including:

Ten Thousand Villages
Maya Essence
World Shoppe
Greenheart Shop
Mata Traders
Woman Craft
Solidarity Clothing
Malia Designs

Great gifts: handicrafts, apparel, chocolate, coffee and other items from around the world. Your chance to be an ethical consumer this holiday season.

Sponsored by Ministry, Student Environmental Alliance and Oxfam Loyola

CFT GlobalFest, Oct 28

2009-10-06T18:55:00.004-06:00

Please come to a benefit for Chicago Fair Trade honoring our South Asian partnerships

GlobalFest
Wednesday, October 28, 5:30-9:00 PM
Roosevelt University Congress Lounge
430 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL

Featuring a fair trade fashion show and silent auction along with the presentation of CFT's Changemaker Award.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online.

For more information contact Nancy Jones at 312-212-1760 or njones@chicagofairtrade.org.

Fair trade coffee at the office, fancy and green

2009-09-13T20:55:00.002-06:00

A Chicago-based vending company called The Classic Group provides options for greener delivery of coffee through a single cup coffee service/machine. Metropolis Fair Trade, Organic or Intelligentsia options are available. They also offer a free in office trial. Seems like it would be better for bigger offices. For Chicago companies this looks like a chance to go green, Fair Trade and local all at the same time. Check it out.

Fair trade is in the news...on Public Radio anyway

2009-04-20T13:06:00.006-06:00

Fair trade was noticeably abuzz in the news on public radio today in Chicago. This morning I heard a brief discussion in response to the decision made recently by two large chocolate companies, Cadbury and Mars, to go fair trade. Both companies have announced that they will include labor and environmental standards in their sourcing guidelines or establish fair trade criteria in their codes of conduct. The report also led to a discussion on the status of the fair trade movement worldwide. Although growing, as evidenced by these announcements, fair trade product purchases still represent a very small percentage of overall global trade or consumerism worldwide (perhaps .5% of food/product sales in the UK).

Then later, I was listening to one of my favorite public radio programs, WBEZ's Worldview. There was a good interview on the status of free trade vs. fair trade in the context of current debates about a free trade agreement with Colombia in Canada. There was discussion about a growing number of fair trade deals being negotiated in different countries. These generally include attention to labor and environmental standards and social improvements as a result of trade. The interview also discusses the human rights situation in Colombia, which is an important element of this debate given the startling number of trade unionists killed in Colombia in recent years.

Take a Fair Trade Coffee Break

2009-04-14T12:26:00.004-06:00

Saturday, May 9th is World Fair Trade Day and I will be joining tens of thousands of Fair Trade supporters in celebrating by making a small commitment to enjoy one or more Fair Trade products at home with family and friends.

World Fair Trade Day is an international celebration of all things Fair Trade, whether it's the Fair Trade Certified products you enjoy at the supermarket or Fair Trade handicrafts from artisans around the world.

When we support Fair Trade, we not only support the people who make the items we consume and enjoy, we also support the environment, women's rights, children's education, cultural dignity and peace building. That's a powerful thing to do by choosing Fair Trade products!

Please join me in choosing Fair Trade and helping to set the record for World's Largest Fair Trade Break this May by enjoying a simple action at home in celebration of World Fair Trade Day.

Whether it's with a cup of Fair Trade Certified coffee with your morning paper, a gift from Fair Trade artisans or a bouquet of Fair Trade Certified flowers for a loved one this Mother's Day, please join me in choosing Fair Trade.

Just click here to make your pledge and help us reach 55,000 for Fair Trade on World Fair Trade Day 2009!

New Commerce Secretary: A Supporter of Fair Trade?

2009-04-10T19:59:00.010-06:00

From Yahoo! News:

Obama trade pick vows 'fair trade' push

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US commerce secretary nominee Gary Locke, the first ever Chinese-American US governor, vowed Wednesday to pursue "fair trade" with countries like China and South Korea if confirmed to the post.

But he sidestepped a lawmaker's call for "a brawl" with Beijing on currency and trade issues and an invitation to criticize a US-South Korea free trade deal that one senator said was digging an ever-wider trade deficit.

Locke, whose nomination requires Senate confirmation, promised the Senate's commerce committee he would fight to protect US intellectual property rights and vigorously enforce the rules of existing US trade pacts.

"More than free trade, though, I believe in fair trade," he said in the confirmation hearing.

"That means we must enforce our trade agreement and place a high value on environmental, labor and safety standards," he said, warning that failure to do so was "putting American workers at a competitive disadvantage."

If confirmed, Locke would run a giant agency tasked with enforcing US trade laws, but also managing the transition to digital television later this year as well as the 2010 population census that will decide the states' share in federal monies as well as their representation in the US Congress.

Senators repeatedly quizzed him on those subjects as well as on thorny trade issues, including the commercial relationships with China, Colombia, Mexico and South Korea and concerns about protecting intellectual property rights.

More...

And From the Wall Street Journal:
MARCH 30, 2009, 6:07 P.M. ET

Locke Vows to Push for 'Fair Trade'
By AMY SCHATZ

WASHINGTON -- Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in an interview that he will push for "fair trade" and said countries seeking open trade with the U.S. should abide by "minimum standards" for environmental and safety regulations.

"I've always believed in fair trade. I believe it's appropriate that there's minimum standards that other countries should abide by if we're allowing their products to come in to the United States," Mr. Locke said during an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"If the apple growers of Washington State have to abide by all these environmental and health and human safety standards and the workers of other countries don't have to, it puts Washington State apples at a disadvantage," said Mr. Locke, a former governor of Washington State. "Same thing with Boeing airplanes. If other countries are able to significantly subsidize the cost of development and production of an airplane then it puts Boeing at a competitive disadvantage and it hurts the aerospace workers of America."

Mr. Locke's comments, during an interview on his first day on the job, echo the sentiments of many congressional Democrats and U.S. unions skeptical of the benefits of free trade. They have called on the administration to curb access to the U.S. markets for countries with less stringent environmental and labor safety rules.

Congress recently cited safety concerns as the justification for blocking access for Mexican trucks on U.S. highways outside a border zone. The Mexican government retaliated by slapping tariffs on about $2.4 billion worth of U.S. products ranging from grapes to toiletries. President Barack Obama is trying to defuse the conflict.

More...

NPR interview, "Commerce Secretary Sounds Off On Trade, Census"
Listen

Celebrate World Fair Trade Day in Daley Plaza, 5/4

2009-04-10T19:51:00.005-06:00

World Fair Trade Day 2009 is a salute to the people and organizations who have dedicated themselves to making Fair Trade what it is today, a solution not an issue. Fair Trade is not just about poverty, it's a solution to poverty, Fair Trade is not just about climate change, it's a solution to environmental degradation and bad practice. Fair Trade is not just about protest, it's about change. Change that’s long overdue.

It’s a Big Day for the Planet. Unite with millions of people and be the powerful voice of positive change. Tell the world you want an end to poverty, an end to climate change and the beginning of sustainable living. World Fair Trade Day is your global stage.

The official World Fair Trade Day is Saturday, May 9th but Chicago Fair Trade will be in Daley Plaza Monday, May 4th! The emcee will be Jerome McDonnell of Chicago Public Radio's World View. Stop by the plaza between 10am and 6pm to celebrate, learn more about fair trade, and purchase fair trade products!

Read last year's press release.

Fair Trade booths will include:
Mata Traders
Rangi Mingi Gallery
Divine Chocolate
GreenHeart
Malia Designs
Third World Shoppe of Ft Wayne Friends
Market Place of India
Maya Works
Five Accessories
Happy Talk Products
Sweet Beginnings
Kiichpan
Woman Craft
The Fair Trader
Kallari Foundation
AFSC Olive Oil Project
World Shoppe

CFT GlobalFest, May 14

2009-04-10T19:45:00.006-06:00

All are invited to Chicago Fair Trade's annual benefit, Globalfest. This year's benefit will honor the organization's partnerships in Latin America.

Featuring Peruvian Fair Trade producers

and a presentation of the first annual Chicago Fair Trade Changemaker Award

Thursday, May 14, 5:30-9 PM
Zapatista Restaurant
1307 S. Wabash Ave.

Become a member of Chicago Fair Trade. Support efforts to build the movement for fair trade in the Chicagoland area and make Chicago a Fair Trade City.

Join CFT on Facebook.

Loyola University Chicago is a member organization of Chicago Fair Trade and a sponsor of this year's Globalfest benefit.

Chicago Fair Trade works to reduce global poverty by increasing support for fair trade through education, advocacy and consumer campaigns.

October is Fair Trade Month

2008-09-26T11:28:00.002-06:00

Fair Trade is highlighted in the U.S. during the month of October. For those in the Chicago area, Chicago Fair Trade will be organizing a variety of events and activities to promote fair trade during the month.

Here is a calendar of upcoming events sponsored by CFT during Fair Trade Month:

October 5-7: Coffee producer tour with Rigoberto Contreras Diaz
Co-organized with Catholic Relief Services Midwest with a focus on outreach to Chicago's Latino community. Schedule to be confirmed, but meetings are likely to take place at St. Pius church, with business leaders, with Erie House and Home Town Associations in Pilsen.

October 20: CFT member meeting at Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn
Help organize and mobilize the campaign to make Chicago a Fair Trade City.

October 21: Green Drinks Panel on Making Chicago a Fair Trade City at Jefferson Tap, 325 N. Jefferson, 5:30-8:30 PM

October 22: Screening of "The Fair Trade" film at Loyola University Chicago

Fair Trade Fiesta at the Funky Buddha Lounge

2008-09-26T11:26:00.001-06:00

Join Chicago Fair Trade at the Funky Buddha Lounge to support our Chicago Marathon Runners and to raise funds for Fair Trade, a market-based system that guarantees producers a living wage and uses environmentally sound practices, supporting human dignity, empowerment, and lasting change. Our marathon runners are raising money to support fair trade outreach her in Chicago and development projects on three continents.

Friday, September 26, 2008
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Funky Buddha Lounge
728 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL

Donate to Nadim and Andrea online at www.chicagofairtrade.org

Space is limited.
Buy advance tickets @ www.chicagofairtrade.org
Appetizers, Raffle, Music & Dancing
All you drink organic beer and wine
Entry: $35 donation per person

More info: 312-212-1760 or njones@chicagofairtrade.org

Debate viewing will be available at this event.

The Fair Trade Movie

2008-07-26T18:12:00.003-06:00

I just heard about this new fair trade documentary recently about one person's journey of awareness (in more ways than one) with the trade justice movement.

From the website: "The Fair Trade movie is an innovative documentary film by Burning Heart Productions director Lauralee Farrer recounting the story of successful fair trade entrepreneur Tamara Johnston. Johnston, devastated by the tragic death of her fiancé, makes a bargain with God to postpone suicide in exchange for a meaningful life. She quits her job at Dreamworks, her twin sister Shelby quits her job teaching art history at California State University at Los Angeles, and brother-in-law Steven quits his job at JPL in order to spend their days making soap for their start up fair trade skincare company Anti-Body. Johnston becomes an activist for human rights and social justice causes, but despair over her loss remains unabated for several years. As she nears the deadline of her bargain, a trip to Kenya for Heifer International allows her to visit the fair trade co-op in Togo, Africa, from which Anti-Body buys its organic shea butter. There, she finds a surprising answer to what is required of her in exchange for a sustainable life."

Other recent films on fair trade:
Black Gold
The Price of Sugar

Good educational resource on fair trade:
Coffee, Corn and the Cost of Globalization by the Mennonite Central Committee

Run the Chicago Marathon and support fair trade

2008-07-26T18:10:00.002-06:00

Join the Chicago Fair Trade marathon team and run on behalf of farmers and artisans overseas.

Chicago Fair Trade is one of many charities participating in the Chicago marathon's official charity program.

Please NOTE: At this stage, runners must already be registered to participate in the marathon; if you know anyone running the marathon who is not yet participating in the charity program... please spread the word!!! The Chicago marathon is October 10.

Run the marathon with Chicago Fair Trade (CFT) and support the following development projects in Uganda and Guatemala through CFT's Faces of Fair Trade iniative:

Mirembe Kawomera (Delicious Peace) Coffee Cooperative, Uganda:
Funds raised through the marathon will support the improvement and expansion of the cooperative's small school. Mirembe Kawomera is an interfaith coffee cooperative in Uganda with Muslim, Jewish, Protestant and Catholic Christian members.

MayaWorks Literacy Program: http://www.mayaworks.org/
MayaWorks supports women and men striving to improve their lives despite obstacles such as grinding poverty and illiteracy. MayaWorks groups are organized in many Guatemalan villages because of the considerable strengths of Mayan women, their traditional weaving capabilities, their desire to learn modern business practices, and their determination to benefit their families and communities. Mayaworks pursues global partnerships with these communities through the promotion and purchase of colorful, attractive, affordable products of the Mayan artisans.

Fair Trade offers the possibility for building stable communities through sustainable development. It’s about breaking the cycle of poverty!

Are you registered for the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon October 10th??? ( Marathon registration is closed now but still time to join our team.) Whether you are a first time marathoner or have experience, Chicago Fair Trade offers a training program through its partnership with CARA that will help you meet your goals!

Chicago Fair Trade participants raise money to benefit both producers in other countries and local educational work. In exchange for their fundraising efforts.

Participants commit to a Fundraising minimum: $750

Team members each commit to raising funds to support CFT's work to educate and promote fair trade as well as supporting global producers. In addition to making a difference in reducing global poverty, runners will receive:

Membership in Chicago Fair Trade!

Chicago Area Runner's Association! (CARA) marathon training program:

Super Clinic with expert speakers geared toward your level of marathon experience

17 weekend group training runs at a variety of paces and locations

Reduced entry to CARA’s Ready to Run 20 Miler on September 21st

Mid-week group runs to keep your running on track
Free weekly speed workouts for participants who are experienced marathoners

A special discount to all participants in CARA’s 2008 Spring Half Marathon Training

Great Nike tech shirts for the first 3,000 participants

A subscription to Running Times magazine to motivate you

24-hour injury prevention hotline provided by NovaCare Rehabilitation Center

Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon for first time participants

Participant Information Guide with training schedules, times, dates, locations, contacts and other details.

Discounted admission to the 27th Mile Party on October 17th

Exclusive access to CARA tent on Race Day which includes gear check, port-o-potties, massage therapy, food, water, Gatorade, Goose Island beer!

Weekly e-mail messages with tips on training
Pre race party at the Funky Buddha lounge.

The satisfaction that you are helping to reduce global poverty!

TAKE THESE STEPS

Register for our team: Fill out the registration form and send to fairtraderunner@gmail.com
Questions? email or call 312-212-1760.

Fill out the registration form online.

Chicago Sun-Times Comments on Fair Trade

2008-07-08T17:14:00.002-06:00

With fair trade, we all come out winners
Chicago Sun-Times Commentary July 7, 2008

You've probably seen the fair-trade labels on products like coffee, tea, chocolate, and on some clothes and crafts.

Now a campaign is under way to make all Chicago a fair-trade city. Organizers with Chicago Fair Trade are calling on the City Council to pass a resolution in support of fair trade and to encourage city departments to buy fair-trade goods.

A handful of exclusively fair-trade stores, about 30 Web-based fair-trade businesses and many other shops and restaurants serve or sell fair-trade products in the Chicago area. But the goal is to encourage the establishment of at least one fair-trade store in each of the city's 76 neighborhoods or, ideally, one per 10,000 residents.

It's a noble idea to support products that are made with minimal harm to the environment, knowing that the workers who picked the coffee beans or the cotton were paid a fair and living wage. More than 200 European cities, including London, and a few in the United States support the fair-trade movement. This includes passing resolutions, local governments purchasing fair-trade products and promoting the growth of fair-trade businesses.

But fair trade should also be about the United States practicing fair-trade policies. The bulk of the government's agricultural subsidies are given for five major crops in the United States -- corn, rice, soybeans, wheat and cotton. The subsidies are allotted on a per-acreage basis that primarily benefits large agribusiness and result in overproduction. The surplus is dumped at cut-rate prices on the world market.

The harm done to farmers in the developing world is staggering.

Consider cotton farmers in West Africa: From 2001 and 2005, they lost $382 million in exports because of America's self-serving agricultural policies -- policies that don't even benefit most small American farmers. Three-quarters of American farmers receive no subsidies because they are not growing these particular crops.

Eliminating U.S. cotton subsidies would increase income for some 10 million Africans by 2.3 percent to 5.7 percent, according to Oxfam. This would dramatically improve the lives of African farmers, who subsist on less than $2 a day. If poor countries could increase their share of exports by just 1 percent, Oxfam projects, some 128 million people would be lifted out of poverty.

The United States already gives Africa billions of dollars in the form of food and medical aid, but adopting strong fair-trade policies would help grow Africa's local economies. It's the old maxim: Give a person a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish and he never goes hungry again.

Unfortunately, Congress missed a chance to move toward more reasonable fair trade policies earlier this year when it passed a Farm Bill that included the usual market-distorting agricultural subsidies.

Today, fair-trade cotton from Africa may be found in a dress sold in a fair-trade shop in Chicago, and fair-trade coffee from Latin America is now available in Starbucks, Costco and even Target. As economies become more interconnected around the world, supporting fair trade is one small way Americans can become better global citizens.

WHERE TO BUY FAIR-TRADE PRODUCTS IN THE CHICAGO AREA
Ten Thousand Villages, 719 Main St., Evanston; 121 N. Marion St., Oak Park; 499C Pennsylvania Ave., Glen Ellyn; 960 Harris Road, Suite 1B, Grayslake www.tenthousandvil lages.com
The Fair Trader, 1623 E 55th St., Chicago www.thefairtraderchicago.com

Greenheart, 746 N. La Salle, Chicago www.green heartshop.org

To see a complete list of fair-trade cafes, restaurants, vendors and shops in the Chicago area go to:

http://chicagofairtrade.org/shopping

TRADE Act in Congress: Take Action!

2008-07-05T20:39:00.003-06:00

New trade legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress last month that lays out a concrete plan for comprehensive reform in the way trade agreements will be negotiated in the future as well as the review and re-negotiation of existing trade pacts such as NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO according to fair trade principles and benchmarks. The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act is co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine. Write your congressperson and ask that they become a co-sponsor of this landmark legislation.

The fair trade movement in the U.S. is generally far too concerned about promoting the consumption of fair trade products; this often distracts from the important work of organizing efforts to change the trade policies that create the need for alternative trade approaches. This legislation represents a major chance for the fair trade movement to direct fuller attention at reforming the policy environment and power structure that creates the inequality, trade imbalances and shortcomings that have become so endemic to the dominant model of neoliberalist economic globalization.

Chicago Fair Trade GlobalFest

2008-06-11T19:08:00.006-06:00

Join Chicago Fair Trade to
Celebrate World Fair Trade at Globalfest

Saturday, June 21 featuring
Inti Raymi and De Hurricane band

Little Black Pearl
1060 E. 47th Street

7 pm - 11 pm
7pm-9pm: Fair Trade Market Place
8pm: Program Begins

Inti Raymi or “Festival of the Sun” is a musical group that has been promoting the music and culture of the Andes here in the Midwest since 1986. De Hurricane - Haling from the exotic isle of Dominica, Cleve “Hurricane” Jean Jacques has been a professional musician since he could remember. Hurricane’s musical career began at the tender age of fourteen, when he was performing as lead guitarist and vocalist for the Island’s leading band.

Tickets: $25 advance / $35 at the door
Ticket includes Hors d'oeuvres and one drink ticket.
Buy tickets and sponsorships at: www.chicagofairtrade.org

Chicago Fair Trade is growing the fair trade movement in the metro area. Through increasing consumer demand and retail suppliers, we contribute to sustaining communities around the world. Attend and support efforts to raise awareness of the need for trade justice.

Loyola University Chicago is one of nearly 60 member organizations of Chicago Fair Trade and a Trading for Justice Promoter sponsor of this event.

Delicious Peace: Hope on a Platter (or in your Cup)

2008-03-17T23:49:00.004-06:00

Last week I attended an event which hosted a coffee cooperative delegation from Uganda. The name of the cooperative is Mirembe Kawomera, which means Delicious Peace. This is an especially inspiring and encouraging fair trade initiative. What makes it unusual is that it is an interfaith cooperative, gathering Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Catholic Christian coffee farmers together to put aside their differences and share a livelihood towards peace and sustainability in their country. I was so struck by this local grassroots and transnational effort that combines economics with peacemaking (as E.F. Schumacher would say, "Economics as if People Mattered"). The cooperative's coffee is sold in the U.S. by California-based Thanksgiving Coffee.

The event featured four panelists representing each of the different faiths represented in the cooperative and a representative of Thanksgiving Coffee. They shared the vision and history of the project and discussed in real honest ways some of the challenges they face in the Fair Trade marketplace. For instance, while Thanksgiving Coffee has ordered more and more coffee from the cooperative in recent years (from one container in the first year in 2005 to three last year) they have been unable to sell a majority of the coffee from year to year. I asked a question inviting the panel to discuss the limitations of fair trade from the producer's perspective. One of the panelists indicated that fair trade was good when coffee prices are low because it provides a stable and higher price. However, when prices are high(er), as is the case now, it makes little difference since it provides a fixed price. In other words, not only is it constrained by market realities that influence consumption, it also does not adjust to market shifts in terms of pricing in order to indicate that Fair Trade is really a better deal. At the current point, he mentioned that the Fair Trade premium is only five cents. This was a refreshing moment to understand the benefits that that can exist through Fair Trade and the kinds of relationships that are possible. It was also a meaningful exchange on how Fair Trade can really be made fair in the eyes of the producer. Overall, I was just blown away by the hope-filled endeavors of this coffee cooperative which demonstrate our overriding potentials for understanding, human harmony and interdependence.

Comercio Casi Justo

2007-12-04T23:28:00.000-06:00

So, it's been quite some time since I've made any posts. Awhile ago I said I would make some comments about some of the growing pains of the fair trade movement.

In the last few years, as the fastest-growing niche in the coffee market has continued to expand, the ways that fair trade coffee products are available to consumers is diversifying. Fair trade coffee is not only available from Starbucks (just one blend called Cafe Estima) and Dunkin Donuts (its espresso beverages are made with fair trade beans) but also in the grocery aisle where you'll find a handful of fair trade coffees mixed in with the more conventional brands and blends. For instance, Target now has several fair trade coffees available from its Archer Farms brand. Millstone, owned by Procter & Gamble, sells a fair trade coffee rarely available at larger grocery chains and usually as long as customers have asked for fair trade. It's called Mountain Moonlight. You might also encounter a variety of coffees that appear to be somewhere in between fair trade and organic, like the shade grown and bird-friendly coffees sold by Seattle's Best and other brands. Then there's the boutique coffee places like Intelligentsia (now, having opted out of the fair trade certification regime, is marking many of its coffees "direct trade" having created its own label through a process they claim is better than fair trade but that does not include third-party verification). Beyond that, you also have the more politically oriented coffee or fringe retailers like Just Coffee or Cooperative Coffees that see themselves as more movement-based rather than market driven. These guys may not use the Transfair certification model (complaining that it's become too institutionalized) and they promote themselves as 100% fair trade as compared to the part-time or maybe they'd say half-assed fair traders like Starbucks and others.

All of this says that there's definitely a market for fair trade coffee and a growing one. But things are seeming a little out of whack; the movement is spliting and its getting harder for the consumer to know if a company's commitment to fair trade is authentic or just another aspect of the trend of the corporate greenwashing we see so much of these days. Depending on the way you look at it, fortunately or unfortunately, it is getting more and more popular for companies to want to promote or see themselves as socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. And the fair trade/green movement should receive a lot of credit for pushing things in this direction. But the public relations guise of fair trade assigned to a company like Philip Morris doesn't really cancel out the corporation's misdeeds and other dirty investments - just out of offering one fair trade blend among all of it other coffees and products. Let's be honest, doesn't it really mean that the company is extending its product line to make more of a profit from a new set of consumer preferences? If so, what about the fair traders who wish to see an economy as if people matter? Under what arrangements is it happening this way? Is it even happening? Well, I guess so. The more fair trade coffee being sold, no matter who is selling it, does mean, or theoretically should mean, that more producers are getting more decent and stable prices for their coffee. But it also seems to reveal that when you buy the Millstone brand you are affirming a market-based, consumer-driven arrangement that is more about making ethical consumers feel better about themselves than about making life marginally better for coffee producers. What are the implications of market-driven forms of social justice being played out through the now viable, somewhat mainstream approach of fair trade? What's that you say? I thought fair trade was supposed to be more concerned with the reality of the poor producer...?

100% Fair Traders vs. Part-Time Fair Traders

2007-08-19T15:41:00.000-06:00

There's been a lot of discussion lately over the authenticity of a roaster's commitments to fair trade when only some of their product is available as fair trade. Catholic Relief Services keeps a decent list of the 100% fair trade enterprises that it works with. I'll admit being puzzled as to why CRS is not a part of the Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program but this is a fairly comprehensive list of the 100% fair traders in the U.S.

I'll say more another time about trends and arguments in the fair trade coffee certification debate as certain roasters either defect from or simply opt out of the Transfair system by setting up their own, often termed "direct trade," certification standard (i.e. Starbucks, Intelligentsia, Just Coffee). These changes represent a growing split in the fair trade coffee movement.

Easy Ways to Get Fair Trade Coffee at the Office

2007-08-19T15:13:00.000-06:00

As interest in fair trade has grown--mainly through attention to fair trade coffee--consumers are looking for and demanding more convenient ways to purchase fair trade.

Here are some ways that I know of that you can order pre-measured 12-cup brew packages for the office:

From the Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program (Equal Exchange is one of those outstanding fair trade pioneers and a 100% fair trade business). Try their pillow pack coffees.

My dad told me about a local roaster in his area that provides similarly prepared packets of a fair trade Guatemalan coffee. The only drawback with this company is that they also throw in industrial size coffee filters which were too big for my office coffee maker. We started cutting the filters down to size, but eventually it sort of cancelled out the added convenience of having the ready-made pouches for making a quick pot in the a.m. They declined to stop sending the filters since this is the way the boxes are prepared for most of their clients. Check out Ferris Coffee & Nut based in Grand Rapids, MI. Scroll down to their fair trade coffees. When you order, make a request for the 12-cup coffee packets.

Of course, convenience can often mean more waste. And in this case, it probably does, because of the additional packaging required for making individual pouches. Still, if the added convenience provides a way for you to convince folks in your office to make the shift to supporting fair trade--give it a try. After all, let's face it, not everyone knows how to make a good pot of coffee.

Later on, once the commitment to fair trade has taken hold in your office find a local roaster and begin enjoying the ritual of scooping out the appropriate amount to be brewed (1 to 2 teaspoons for every six ounces of water) from a pound of their fair trade coffee.

UMCOR Project News from Marengo, IL

2007-07-30T22:46:00.000-06:00

My wife's family attends a Methodist church in Marengo, IL. Awhile ago, her dad introduced me to a guy who was in the process of setting up a fair trade coffee ordering co-op for their congregation. His name is Brian Standley. I asked Brian to send along an update on his and others efforts within their church to promote fair trade (see below). Brian said that if anyone is interested in learning more about doing something like this in their church he would be happy to share more with them. Just post a comment on the blog and I'll put you in touch with him.

I will make an effort to share fair trade success stories like this and feature other interesting trade justice initiatives on the blog from time to time.

Here is what Brian tells us about the UMCOR Fair Trade Co-op at Marengo Methodist:

We started the Co-Op soon after Halloween. Our Wesley Fellowship Group did a Halloween Outreach for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters where we gave out free coffee and hot chocolate. I volunteered to get the coffee and hot chocolate. I had heard about the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Coffee Project some time ago and was always curious about how it worked. Now I had an excuse to try it out. Both the coffee and hot chocolate were reasonably priced and (of course) delicious. We had many happy kids and parents that night (it was kinda cold). Afterwards, I had some extra coffee left over, so I hit on the idea of giving it away to the congregation to see if there was interest in beginning a co-op. I seperated
it into 1/2 pound bags, made my pitch during church, and gave it away on a Sunday in November 2006. Some people were a little shocked that I wasn't charging anything for the samples. Then I stood back and waited for the response. Within a few weeks, people started asking me when there was going to be more coffee. With the holidays approaching, I decided to wait until January to make our first order.

On January 14th, I put an order form in the worship bulletin offering one choice of regular coffee and one choice of decaf (both whole bean or ground). I also let people know that tea and hot chocolate was available as well. The response was better than I had anticipated. Sixteen people made orders that day and since then we've had three more orders totaling over $1,100 of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. The church is also now buying the coffee for fellowship hour from the UMCOR Coffee Project.

I've made some tweeks in the process since that first order, but it basically remains the same. About every six weeks, I choose one regular and one decaf coffee and create an order form. I leave the order form by a container in the lobby for people to place their orders any time during the six week period. The week orders are due, I put a reminder in the bulletin and I set up a "Taste of Justice" stand-up display in front to the ordering container to jog people's memories. The coffee normally comes in a week to ten days later and we hand it out after worship services.

Lately I've been putting notes and cards in peoples bags reminding them of the next ordering date and encouraging them to share their coffee with their friends and neighbors that don't go to our church. With our next order I will be putting in stories about the farmers they are helping to give them some connection to their buying choices. It's my hope that folks will begin
to see this not just a way to get a great cup of coffee but also begin to see the impact of all their purchases and begin asking, "what would Jesus buy?"

As we approach the one year anniversary of the co-op in November, I'm going to try to have a Fair Trade Sunday to re-engage folks in the purpose (and the people) behind the coffee. The experience has truly been a blessing in my life. I spent some time within the coffee growing regions of Guatemala, so I can see in my mind's eye the faces of those we are helping. It's such a simple thing: an honest day's wage for an honest day's work for a product we can't even grow in this country (with all due respect to Kona). Who could argue with that?

The UMCOR Coffee Project (along with seven other denominational efforts) is part of the larger Interfaith Coffee Program administered by Equal Exchange.

A Coffee Tale

2007-07-30T22:21:00.000-06:00

My friend Ted Erski teaches in the earth science department at McHenry County Community College in Crystal Lake, IL. A coffeeholic and geographer, he has developed an amazing course called the Geography of Coffee. He also finished his first self-published novel called Salavandra: A Coffee Tale. Ted did several readings from the book in area cafes that support fair trade. I asked him to write up a synopsis of the book and his interests for the blog. You can order the book from Amazon.com or download a free audio copy.

"My current professional interests lie in globalization, social development and the interplay amongst economics, politics and the environment. I'm most interested in how coffee, an ostensibly simple commodity, connects consumers in the developed world with producers in the developing world. To this end I created a course called “The Geography of Coffee.” The nuanced, politically and economically charged character of this global commodity also inspired my first novel, Salavandra: A Coffee Tale. The story is about a revolution on a coffee-producing island. More significantly, however, it offers readers a critique of US trade policy, globalization and international labor conditions.

I use the novel in my geography classes. Here are three questions I ask my students about the text:

1. Compare and contrast communication infrastructure and access to information and technology between the developed and developing world as represented in the first three chapters of Salavandra. What might the term "the digital divide" mean in the context of Salavandra's first three chapters?

2. In Chapter four, what symbolizes the conflicting view about the value of natural resources between the developed and developing world?
Thinking about Chapters four through six, describe how Salavandra illustrates that access to information can level the playing field for advocates of working people in the developing world.

3. Thinking about chapters seven through nine, how does Salavandra illustrate that politics and business often work together, and what is often beneficial to consumers in the developed world can actually harm producers in the developing world?"

Ted became an individual member of Chicago Fair Trade (www.chicagofairtrade.org) in May.

Take Action: Oppose Free Trade Agreements & Fast Track Renewal

2007-05-31T21:03:00.000-06:00

I just returned from a delegation to El Salvador about a week ago. U.S. influence, through CAFTA and other means, over El Salvador's now dolarized economy has had disastrous effects on the poor of this small, densely populated Central American country (about the size of Massachusetts packed with around 7 million people). Many of the producers and activists our group had the opportunity to speak with stated that El Salvador no longer has any viable crops that trade well on the world market. Coffee and other commodities are no longer the strong exports they once were due to changes in market prices & oversupply problems in the global economy, in addition to agricultural subsidies awarded to farmers in the U.S. and Europe that aggravate already pronounced trade imbalances. One mantra we heard repeated time after time is that currently El Salvador's biggest export is people. According to an investigation performed by the Jesuit University of Central America (the UCA), 700 people (finding no options for enough work to feed their families) leave El Salvador headed for the United States every day. Many end up stuck in Guatemala or Mexico along the way. Last year 14,000 Salvadorans were deported by the U.S. government. Deported individuals are often viewed as outcasts and sometimes criminals in the communities they return to. So, the primary contribution to the Salvadoran economy now (like the experience of Mexico/NAFTA) -- supporting many poor families in El Salvador at varying degrees -- is the arrival of remittances from family members in the U.S.

Remittances have created a new system of dependence on family incomes now being earned in the U.S. -- income that is not able to be gathered or generated by activities in the country due to lack of jobs and inappropriate/insufficient economic policies, programs or infrastructure, leaving many people in the society idle. The main message from everyone we talked to is that migration is destroying the family in El Salvador and beyond that the entire country because of the profoundly negative consequences for the economy. In general, there is a lack of response by the government because of the powerful dynamic of remittances from the U.S. along with other economic directions taken as a requirement of the free trade agreement.

Global Exchange and other groups have launched campaigns in oppposition to the country-specific free trade agreements currently being debated by our Congress aimed at the Peruvian, Colombian, South Korean economies. The U.S. should change its trade policy in order to avoid further complications that stem from a sinfully unfair global trading system that pursues a preferential option for the rich.

The same action alert also calls on Congress not to renew the Bush administration's fast track trade authority. Furthermore, Global Exchange has most recently called for a moratorium on free trade agreements with hopes to force our lawmakers and politicians to revise or remake our trade policy according to fair trade standards and specifications.

Radio Interview: Live From the Heartland this Saturday, May 5

2007-05-03T19:13:00.000-06:00

So, in case you haven't noticed by now I'm from Chicago. And this Saturday, May 5, I'll be on WLUW's (88.7 FM) Live From the Heartland at 9 a.m. It's broadcast from the Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park, practically an institution for progressive causes in the city for many years. I'll be talking about the fair trade movement and also have a chance to promote Chicago Fair Trade's World Fair Trade Day event on May 12 (see posting below from 5/1). The interview will likely address some of the differences between "Fair Trade" and "Direct Trade," a new trend among coffee roasters and retailers (i.e., Intelligentsia, Whole Foods, Starbucks). Hopefully, we'll get into some suggestions of ways people can take action to promote trade justice as well. Listen in.

Coffee Cultivation & Commodity Environments

2007-05-02T22:38:00.000-06:00

According to “traditional” methods, coffee is grown under a canopy of fruit and hardwood trees that provide a cover of mixed shade (WRI 1998-99, TED 2000). Under ideal conditions, this agro-ecosystem of shade-grown coffee can sustain a large diversity of bird species and small mammals (TED 2000). The agricultural habitat of forested coffee groves involves a small-scale production scheme that provides subsistence opportunities and addresses natural resource conservation goals with the sustainable harvest of shade trees for fuel and nutritional needs. This is in contrast to the dominant, higher-yield production method, which often involves removing forest to plant a monoculture crop grown in full sun. This method, usually referred to as “sun-farming” or “technified” cultivation, requires that fertilizers, dangerous pesticides and herbicides be applied often and has become the preferred approach on large coffee estates and plantations. Sun-farming practices have contributed to coffee becoming “the second-most heavily pesticide-sprayed product in the world (after cotton)” (Cycon 2001). Twenty percent of Guatemala’s coffee area is under technified production, compared with 40 percent in Costa Rica, 69 percent in Colombia, 17 percent in Mexico and 8 percent in El Salvador (Sorby 2002).

On most of Guatemala’s large coffee estates, varieties of high-quality Arabica are grown and harvested on highly managed shaded monoculture plantations, a modernized agriculture, high-density production scenario that requires chemical application, different from the often diversified plots of small-scale traditional coffee farming. The most common shade tree in Guatemala is gravilea (Australian oak), which tolerates heavy pruning for firewood; also, amate admired for the compostable quality of its broad leaves, as well as native trees like cuxin. Other trees common to a rustic, polyculture coffee shade forest include banana, avocado, and citrus trees such as lemon and orange. More and more, macadamia, a nut tree known for its environmental benefits, is suggested as a potential shade tree for Guatemalan coffee, and as a secondary or replacement cash crop. Even growing flowers among coffee is an increasingly common practice with the advent of organic production.

Background on the Coffee Crisis

2007-05-02T22:22:00.000-06:00

Attention to environmental sustainability in coffee production has formalized measures for soil and water conservation, including composting, terracing, reforestation and diversification. Indeed, since the circumstances of the coffee industry have worsened with expansive, high-yield production leading to capitalist crisis, a rationale for highlighting and returning to traditional methods of smaller-scale cultivation has emerged in the form of a specialty coffee industry with new markets for “sustainable” and “Fair Trade” coffees. Presumably, commodity environments for Fair Trade and sustainable coffees not only foster an environment conducive to subsistence and family labor, but also to natural resource conservation. In some countries rustic coffee farms have been classified as forests or are viewed as important buffer zones around biosphere reserves. On the other hand, technified cultivation of coffee, by removing pre-existing forest or crops, is viewed as fragmenting the landscape and eliminating the natural capital elements of a seemingly pre-capitalist space. Cultivation categories, like organic and other commercial polycultures, fall somewhere in the middle of a hierarchy of coffee production methods as hybrid forms of agriculture.

A massive drop in coffee prices in recent years has had a devastating impact on the economies of Latin American countries, particularly those of Central America. Though the coffee industry is not unaccustomed to periods of crisis and other market side effects that influence commodity slumps, gluts and booms, the current situation is particularly severe. With prices hanging steady at historic lows for most of the past four years, social costs have been great in many coffee-producing areas. In Guatemala devastating loss of work has led to conditions of starvation and increased migration (Hernández Navarro 2004; Brosnan 2003). Causes of the global coffee crisis can be traced to processes of agricultural modernization and increased competition that have resulted in world over-production as well as a discontinued system of quotas that once steadied the price of the commodity worldwide. Changes in coffee production introduced almost fifty years ago created a trend toward intensive monoculture cultivation on large plantations. Increased yields associated with this production method have contributed to a 200 percent increase in worldwide coffee production since 1950 (WRI 1998). Moreover, in the early 1990s the World Bank advised Vietnam to increase its output of low quality coffee for export. Amazingly, the country has achieved a 400 percent increase in production over approximately 10 years (Eco-Exchange Jun-Jul 2001).

In its 2002 report Mugged: Poverty in Your Cup, Oxfam International determined that global coffee exports had fallen by $4 billion over five years (Sep 2002). Rainforest Alliance reports that in countries like Guatemala, where coffee has been the leading export for decades and “700,000 families or 20 percent of the population have coffee-related jobs,” total exports fell by a half in the first year of the coffee crisis (Eco-Exchange Jun-Jul 2001). Guatemala’s National Coffee Association (ANACAFE) estimated a loss of $300 million in revenues as the crisis began (Eco-Exchange Jun-Jul 2001). With thousands of coffee pickers now unemployed, many have migrated to Mexico or the United States in search of work. Indeed, families in the highlands of Guatemala have few employment opportunities other than coffee plantation labor. The Guatemalan government indicates that there are more than 250 thousand unemployed due to the coffee crisis; out of 1.8 million agricultural sector jobs in the country, only 145 thousand have formal employment (Prensa Libre Nov 12 2003). Exacerbated by the dramatic fall in coffee prices, unemployment in agricultural areas of the country has surpassed 50 percent.

Meanwhile, North American consumer campaigns for Fair Trade coffees, with their boycotts and public protests, have propelled Fair Trade advocacy to the status of “pet project of the anti-globalization movement” (New York Times Nov 3 2002). Even so, a 2002 joint report of the Inter-American Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development and World Bank captures the recent tendency of market-oriented development groups to embrace Fair Trade as an acceptable niche solution to the coffee crisis.

Stages of Coffee Production

2007-05-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

Fair Trade Arrangements in Coffee Production

2007-05-02T22:02:00.000-06:00

According to the Fair Trade model as it relates to coffee production, groups of small-scale producers or producer collectives, as new social movements and innovative participants in the global economy, are said to have the potential to move up the commodity chain and gain control over production and distribution of coffee in markets (i.e. extension of credit and technical assistance allowing for increased control and involvement in stages of processing before export). Hypothetically, this should put certain groups, namely cooperatives, in a position to contest the established regime and challenge elite control over production and social reproduction. Sustainable means of production (i.e. Fair Trade, organic and shade grown) establish new productive spaces that rely on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to replace middlemen and act as social brokers for the guarantee of premiums paid to farmers and certification of Fair Trade criteria. In theory and in some instances, this provides conditions for a sort of assisted autonomy based on a peasant-centered, family-oriented approach that combines economic development with subsistence goals toward self-sufficiency and self-determination.

What is Fair Trade?

2007-05-01T23:40:00.000-06:00

“Fair Trade” is gathering recognition as a groundbreaking approach to development, symbolizing the integration of human rights, ecological and economic concerns. Through attention to social responsibility, environmental sustainability and market profitability – the concept of a triple bottom line – Fair Trade suggests potential to make attainable the intent and efforts exhaustively discussed by proponents of sustainable development. As defined by the social justice and environmental groups that support it, Fair Trade promotes the capacity of consumers to change the world based on opportunities for “equal exchange” and “economic justice” achieved through forms of “ethical consumption” that respond to notions of a “popular economy.” Fair Trade is characterized as a “a new ‘people to people’ form of international aid” (Van Loo 2004) that “sidestep[s] world market forces” (Bordreau 2004) and provides producers “a sweet deal” that facilitates “a human link” (Roosevelt 2004) involving long-term commitments of direct trade, as long as there is transparency in the democratic management of cooperatives and public information is made available to consumers (Waridel 2003). Buying products with the Fair Trade label is characterized as “an easy way to make a positive impact” on the lives of producers (TransFair 2003).

An abstract of what's to come

2007-05-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

"Fair Trade" is gathering recognition as a groundbreaking approach to development, symbolizing the integration of human rights, ecological and economic concerns. Through attention to social responsibility, environmental sustainability and market profitability - the concept of a triple bottom line - Fair Trade suggests potential to make attainable the intent and efforts exhaustively discussed by proponents of sustainable development. With this blog I hope to explore and evaluate the effects of Fair Trade as a development concept and potential policy trend. What makes Fair Trade "fair" and who defines the notions of fairness and equity from which it is pursued? Is it only just "fair enough" to address the social and environmental concerns of protesters in the anti-globalization movement as well as new categories of "ethical consumers" from wealthy countries in North America and Europe? As a movement, Fair Trade is both a conduit for and response to the content of free trade bashing. Its idealistic supporters see Fair Trade as "alternative," while technocratic interlopers define it as a market niche. The remarks on this blog will include an evaluation of Fair Trade as a sustainable development approach as well as a critical investigation of the practical aspects of implementing conceptual development strategies like Fair Trade, through the analysis of arrangements in coffee production for Fair Trade and other markets. As it currently exists, Fair Trade is the fastest growing niche in the specialty coffee sector, giving consumers the opportunity to express solidarity with their purchasing power while reinforcing a new market-led version of social justice. Many factors influence the reliability of Fair Trade benefits as they are distributed to the producers that participate in markets for these certified, specialty coffees. Producers able to sell their coffees to the organic, Fair Trade market do so according to numerous principles and rigorous standards that respond to consumer preference and quality concerns.

As someone in support of efforts to "make trade fair" (Oxfam campaign slogan), my original intention was to rely on and respond to debates that pit Free Trade vs. Fair Trade, pursuing a sweeping comparison of these divergent trade strategies that would hopefully reveal and emphasize all of the presumed goodness associated with the latter. Yet, on closer examination the progressive force of Fair Trade is beginning to reveal its own contradictions. After all, it is unavoidable that Fair Trade, while promoted as a robustly alternative, participatory and principled approach, functions within a conventional market-based framework, adheres to the same neoliberal logic and follows similar patterns associated with the dominant free trade orientation that Fair Trade activists usually rant about.

Is it time for Fair Trade Plus?

5/12: World Fair Trade Day

2007-05-01T21:19:00.000-06:00

I am involved with Chicago Fair Trade (CFT), a newly formed not-for-profit organization seeking to build the movement for fair trade in the Chicago area. For my first posting I wanted everyone to be aware of an upcoming event to celebrate World Fair Trade Day in Chicago.

Join CFT at the HotHouse on May 12. Participate. Help grow the movement. CFT seeks support for its efforts to raise awareness of the need for trade justice worldwide, including the lauch of a local campaign to make Chicago a "Fair Trade City."

CFT’s membership includes non-governmental and faith-based organizations, fair trade businesses, educational institutions, student groups and individual activists.

Buy a ticket to the World Fair Trade Day event and sign up to become a member today at www.chicagofairtrade.org!