| The Fair Trade Beat is a monthly update from TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S. The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees that products were produced and traded in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible way. When you buy Fair Trade Certified products, you support the well-being of families, communities and the earth. |
April 2008 |
• Get Involved --- Mapping the Fair Trade Movement!, Enter Shikari Flag Auction
• Tune in to Fair Trade --- 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, Fair Trade on Google Earth
• New Products and Places --- Wal*Mart Unveils Three New Fair Trade Certified Coffees
• Winning Campaigns --- Ugandans Come to Town
• Producer Spotlight --- Poco Fundo, Brazil (Coffee)
• From TransFair USA --- Now Hiring, Donate Today!
TransFair USA has been partnering with Fair Trade Towns USA and Fair Trade Resource Network to put together a map of the Fair Trade movement! Inside, you’ll find contact information for key Fair Trade allies. Look up your region and get in touch with Fair Trade advocates near you! Do you belong on the map? Contact Damien Droney at ddroney@transfairusa.org for instructions.
Enter Shikari Flag AuctionEarlier this year, a group of young committed individuals came up with an idea: get musicians to sign a flag and put it up for auction, with all proceeds going to the charity of the artist’s choice. Rock band Enter Shikari chose TransFair USA as their charity, so you now have an opportunity to bid now and win a flag signed by Enter Shikari. Be a part of this unique fundraising venture for worthy charities around the world!
Nearly 20 years after the book 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth got a generation talking about sustainable practices, a new edition hit the bookshelves this April 1st. Fair Trade advocates will be delighted to read chapter 21, “Support Fair Trade!” Through a special promotion, Fair Trade supporters can read the chapter here before buying the book and learning about the 49 other things they can do. Simple Things isn’t just a book; Check out their dynamic website which invites people to get involved and start some discussion about saving the Earth!
Fair Trade on Google EarthCelebrate Earth Day by exploring the connections you make all around the planet every time you buy a Fair Trade Certified product! In 2007, Google Earth unveiled their Fair Trade layer which shows the locations of Fair Trade producers around the world. Click here for directions to explore this feature of Google Earth.
As part of their Earth Month promotion, Wal*Mart released a new line of sustainable coffees this April 4th which includes: Sam’s Choice® Fair Trade Certified House Blend, Sam’s Choice® Fair Trade Certified Espresso and Sam’s Choice® Fair Trade Certified French Roast, which are now available at all 3500 Supercenter locations. All 4800 Wal*Mart stores will carry these coffees by the end of the month. Co-presented by Café Bom Dia and Sam’s Choice®, the coffees represent a huge win for the Fair Trade movement and will create tremendous impact on the lives of the 3,600 Brazilian Fair Trade farmers that produce the coffee. Café Bom Dia (http://www.cafebomdia.com/), the world’s first carbon neutral coffee company, is proud to offer these new Fair Trade Certified products to Walmart customers.
TransFair USA was lucky enough to welcome two different Ugandan delegations in the last month, one from the public sector and one from the private. First, the Vice President of Uganda Dr. Gilbert Bukenya came and spoke to us about challenges and opportunities in the Ugandan economy. Dr. Bukenya finished his speech by emphasizing the ability of Fair Trade to address the problem of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Only two weeks later, representatives from the Ugandan coffee cooperative Peace Kawomera came to our offices and shared their inspiring story. This cooperative of Ugandan Jews, Muslims, Anglicans and Catholics united in order to address common issues of poverty in their community. Peace Kawomera sells their Fair Trade Certified coffee through a unique partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee and a network of churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the US. For more information, visit mirembekawomera.com.
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Associação dos Pequenos Produtores de Poço Fundo (Poço Fundo) is an association of small-scale farmers located in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. Poço Fundo was formed from a collective desire to improve the living standard of farmers and to reduce poverty and emigration. In 1991, 76 families united to form the association, intent on increasing the productivity of their small plots and sustaining the quality of family-oriented agriculture in the region. Poço Fundo supplies Café Bom Dia with much of their coffee. |
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We're growing! TransFair USA is an entrepreneurial non-profit organization that is the only certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S. We seek talented individuals who are passionate about our mission and who bring a global perspective to work. If this sounds like your recipe for success, please visit our job listings page and "be the change you want to see in the world". TransFair is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Donate to TransFair USA today!As a non-profit, TransFair depends on the financial support of friends like you to expand our work empowering consumers and producers to build a more equitable and sustainable model of international trade. Click here to make a donation online, or contact our Development Department at (510) 663-5260 or via email at development@transfairusa.org for more information or to discuss your donation options. Thank you!
