Dedicated to raising awareness and building demand for Fair Trade in the Bay Area.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 3:31 PM
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posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 1:49 PM
http://sfist.com/2008/01/07/come_help_bart.php
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 1:00 PM
Do you ride BART to work? Do you enjoy a warm cup of Fair Trade Certified coffee as part of your morning commute? Well now you can do both and help raise awareness about Fair Trade as part of the BART Rider Thank You Day program.
Each year, BART gives back to the community by offering a series of free promotions to its riders. Sometimes it’s a free ride on BART, others it’s a sample from Jamba Juice or half-off your next purchase from a local bookseller. This year, BART will be teaming up with TransFair USA and Tully’s Coffee to make Fair Trade the centerpiece of its Rider Thank You Day program and a key component of its overall social justice and sustainability mission.
On the morning of Thursday, January 31st, volunteers in BART’s six busiest stations will hand out over 50,000 coupons for free Fair Trade espresso from Tully’s Coffee to commuters on the morning rush. This will be the culmination of a month long promotional campaign within BART including banners in all the stations, regular messages on all of the next train signs and possibly even advertisements within the trains themselves.
Needless to say, this is an historic moment for our movement in the Bay Area and a tremendous opportunity to encourage all of BART’s riders to make Fair Trade Certified coffee a part of their daily routine. BART is providing the platform, Tully’s is providing the coffee and we need you to provide the support! We will need 6 teams of 10 volunteers to make this event a success and we can’t do it without your help.
Are you available for a few hours before work to help us take advantage of this historic opportunity? Please volunteer today! For more information or to volunteer, please contact James Guzzi, 510-663-5260 x. 309 or email jguzzi@transfairusa.org. And mark your calendars!
Thanks!
Jamie
PS. Do you or your organization have friends in the Bay Area? Please help spread the word!
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 5:12 PM
If you participate, please join the online tally of flyers distributed.
Visit http://store.gxonlinestore.org/ or www.reversetrickortreating.org to order.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 9:59 AM
Shop Fair Trade for the Holidays!
The 19th annual Ten Thousand Villages International Gift
Faire features Fairly Traded, high quality art and handmade
goods from Ten Thousand Villages, a non profit job creation
and marketing program for artisans in 30 developing countries.
Friday, Oct. 12 9am-8pm & Saturday, Oct. 13 10am-4pm
Lincoln Glen Fellowship Hall
2700 Booksin Ave. San Jose 95125
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 1:57 PM
I was recently forwarded this link to a new website that is spreading awareness about fair trade Judaica products! http://www.fairtradejudaica.org Below is an excerpt from their website:In exploring the world of fair trade Judaica upon our return home, conversations with friends as well as owners of Judaica stores confirmed that there was much interest in promoting and purchasing fair trade Judaica items. Simply put, none of us had even known that this was possible.
Through long and involved Google research, it became clear that there are many Judaica items being made by fair trade producer groups around the world and marketed by non-profit organizations as well as companies.
Many of these products are used during holy days and rituals as we give blessings of thanks for the food we have, the freedom we’ve gained, and so much more. How wonderful that we can celebrate these riches in our lives by providing the makers of these products the opportunity to experience more freedom in their lives, earning a decent livelihood and working with dignity.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 10:08 AM
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 4:40 PM
We are so excited to host this event with the Dolores Park Movie Night guys! They have graciously volunteered to set up the screening and sound equipment for this viewing. Invite your friends, come early to get a good seat and taste some Fair Trade goodies!
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 10:13 AM
What: Drinks, snacks, socializing and learning about Fair Trade
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 5:42 PM
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 12:29 PM
The Fair Trade Federation is pleased to invite interested retailers, wholesalers, and friends to our 2007 conference, Changing Hands: The Work of Fair Trade.
Those with a hand in positively changing the lives of those in poverty are invited to join us in
On Sunday, June a exhibition of fair trade products will be open to the public on
The conference website, www.fairtradefederation.org/conference.htm, is now live with:
- Registration Forms
- Schedule of Events (to date)
- Accommodation and Travel Suggestions
For more information, contact FTF at 202-636-3547 or conference@FairTradeFederation.org .
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 3:01 PM
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Sponsored by TransFair USA
Theme: Kids Need Fair Trade!
Some Ideas To Get You Started: What does Fair Trade mean to you? Why do you think we need Fair Trade? How does Fair Trade benefit kids in Africa, Asia and Latin America? How is life different for children in the U.S. and farming children in other countries?
Rules: Submit a drawing, picture, or collage no larger than the size of a 4" x 6" postcard. You can use any medium you'd like - crayons, pencils, watercolor, computer generated imagery, pictures, or Fair Trade product packaging. Be creative and have fun!
Who can enter: There are three categories for the World Fair Trade Day Art Contest.
Deadline: Entries must be received by May 15, 2007!
How to Enter:| By Mail: TransFair USA World Fair Trade Day Art Contest 1611 Telegraph Ave. Ste 900 Oakland, CA 94612 By email: You may email your scanned art entries to WFTD@transfairusa.org. | |
Cool Prizes!
Start submitting your entries now!
How will the winners be decided?
That's the best part. YOU, your friends and family get to decide which entry wins. We'll post the top 10 entries right here on our website on May 21 for folks to vote on.
When will the winners be announced?
Voting will happen online from May 21 to May 31. Winners will be determined on June 1, 2007. The entry with the most votes wins!
Good luck!
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 1:01 PM
On April 4th 18 Bay Area Tully's Coffee locations began using Fair Trade Certified Organic coffees in all of their espresso and ecaf espresso drinks. This is a big step for a company that previously hasn't been very enthusiatic about Fair Trade. If the new Fair Trade espresso drinks do well in the Bay Area, we could see FT espressos in every Tully's store! While Tully's is an out-of-town chain cafe in competition with many of our favorite endependently-owned local shops, they are starting to make more of a commitment to Fair Trade. If you'd like to show your support of Tully's new 100% Fair Trade espressos, stop by one of the Bay Area locations, found here:
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 9:43 AM
I recently found a new business called Fair Trade Sports located in Seattle. They are the first sports equipment company in the US to launch a full line of Fair Trade sports balls!
Check out their website: http://fairtradesports.com/
More info:
Fair Trade Sports is your source for premium quality sports balls that help at-risk children around the world. 100% after-tax profits go to children's charities.
All our sports balls are certified to be stitched by adult workers, paid fair wages, and ensured healthy working conditions. We offer guilt-free soccer balls, footballs, rugby balls, volleyballs, and more.
Together, we can break this cycle of poverty and oppression.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 11:36 AM
Come down to Grandma Mary's Organic Farm for an evening of friends, food, music, fiesta, and cultural exchange. Come bid farewell to Thai fair trade rice farmers P'Samrat and Paw Man who are returning home after a two week trip promoting fair trade and sustainable agriculture throughout the US.
Where:
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The Black Gold opening weekend was a success! The figures from the Roxie are excellent - we had a full house on Friday with a strong showing the rest of the weekend. In fact, it did better this weekend at the Roxie than it has done opening weekend in any of the other major cities (NY, Seattle, etc) where it has opened! The Roxie even decided to hold it over an extra week!http://blackgoldmovie.com/
After Oil, coffee is the most actively traded commodity
in the world, with $80 billion in retail sales. But for
every $3 cup of coffee, a coffee farmer receives about
3 cents. Most of the money goes to the middlemen,
especially the four giant conglomerates which control
the coffee market.
Tracing the path of the coffee consumed each day to
the farmers who produce the beans, BLACK GOLD asks us
to "wake up and smell the coffee", to face the unjust
conditions under which our favorite drink in produced
and to decide what we can do about it. BLACK GOLD
provides shocking inside view of commodity trading and
offer a compelling introduction to the "Fair Trade"
movement galvanizing consumers around the globe.
Serving as the media centerpiece of a national
campaign promoting Fair Trade coffee, BLACK GOLD
demonstrates the role of the left media as a tool for
shaping public culture and, by extension, in altering
the existing economic paradigm. Ultimately, the film
forces us as Western consumers to question some of our
basic assumptions about our consumer purchases and the
effects on the rest of the world.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 10:41 AM
---Fair Trade From the Farmer To You---
• Anna Lappe- Bestselling author and renowned public speaker on food politics and sustainable agriculture, and named among the fourteen forward-thinking Who's Who in Time Magazine's Eco-Guide, Anna has been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, O Magazine, Organic Style, and Vibe.
• Ubon Yuwa – A rice farmer and leader in the organic movement in
• Tristan Lecomte- is the founder of Alter Eco a leading Fair Trade business that carries a line of one-hundred percent fair trade and sustainable food products sold at retail locations throughout Europe,
• Joshua Kaizer-Joshua Kaiser is one of the leading organic tea importers in the
• Maya Spaull- Maya is the tea and rice Account Manager at TransFair
Samovar Tea Lounge, with two flagship locations in
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 1:55 PM
mmmm... chocolate!
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 4:27 PM
"Do you want to save the world? How about a Fair Trade banana covered in Fair Trade chocolate spread? Very tasty and completely just." That's what many people heard at San Francisco's Embarcadero on Saturday when the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition gave away Fair Trade Products to hundreds of people to raise awareness about the variety of Fair Trade options available.
The event was part of World Fair Trade Day, and our coalition was one of many organizations to participate. We brought a huge assortment of Fair Trade teas, coffees, bananas, chocolate, and sugar. We would explain the concept of Fair Trade to people who knew nothing at all, and allow people to take something that looked interesting to them. "Look for the label" was our simple message, and people in general were very excited by the variety of products and the ease with which you can identify a product as "Fair Trade Certified". We also handed out 100 Where-to-Buy lists for the San Francisco and East Bay Areas, giving people an easy way to find the FT products that they had just learned about. Overall, we feel we made a lasting impression on many people. One enthusiastic woman grabbed a Fair Trade candy bar and said,
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 12:54 PM
Last week, the San Francisco Bay Guardian awarded the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition with the Community Activist Award as part of their annual Small Business Awards. Along with being written up in last weeks Guardian, five of our coalition members got to attend the awards ceremony hosted by the Guardian founders Bruce and Jean Brugmann. Here is an excerpt from their press release:
Greg Burton of the BAFTC accepted the award on behalf of the coalition. He explained the concept behind Fair Trade and about the work the coalition is doing. He even got a chance to talk about our hope of becoming the first Fair Trade City. It was inspiring to hear about the work of all the other winners as well. The event was a lot of fun with food, drinks and lots great company! Check out the article: http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=449
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 7:46 AM
The backstory:
The Reaction:
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 11:45 AM
Coffee to the People Cafe was crammed with people wanting to learn about Fair Trade Chocolate and sample the many variations available. An estimated 60 people came specifically for the event, and many other casual cafe goers were attracted by the sights and smells of brownies, cookies, fondue, chocolate bars, and chocolate-covered coffee beans.
A special surprise was announced during the tasting. To demonstrate the rapid growth of the Fair Trade market, Edouard Rollet of Alter-Eco unveiled four new chocolate bars that his company is planning to launch in June of this year. Some people claimed that the new Alter-Eco bars were the best chocolate at the tasting.
The result of best chocolate of the tasting (based on votes from people at the tasting) was Sweet Earth Chocolate Pepermint Crunch, which was semi-dark chocolate with a strong flavor of peppermint and a crunchy texture brovided by brown rice.
The Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition planned this event to increase consumer awareness of the Fair Trade products available at supermarkets. We are not an official organization, we have no funding, and we are not very large. We are simply a group of volunteers who spend a few hours a week planning events like this one. If you like the idea of getting involved in the Fair Trade movement in a very unofficial way, with no commitments or requirements, write to us and we will tell you when our next meeting is.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 5:52 PM
JJ Keki, the founder and director of the 400 member Peace Kawomera Cooperative, a Fair Trade Cooperative in Uganda, will be speaking on Sunday, March 19 at 3:00 PM in the Covenant Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. This cooperative has demonstrated a remarkable partnership of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian coffee farmers from Mbale, Uganda. The purpose of this speaker tour is to show support for Fair Trade and interfaith alliances as a way of building peace in the world.
posted by Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition @ 6:59 PM
