Fair Trade Drive Newsletters
October Newsletter
Hello Fair Trade Drive Supporters!
Vancouver’s *Fair Trade Drive* is pleased to be bringing you our October newsletter, aimed to inspire, educate, and connect all our local supporters with each other, and with the wider international movement of Fair Trade. It’s a thrilling time to be involved, and we are happy to have you with us!
Local News:
The Fair Trade Drive is busy working to have Vancouver City Council formally endorse Commercial Drive as North America’s first Fair Trade Zone. . . Please write Mayor Larry Campbell or your favourite city councillor and let your voice be heard! Let them know why you support the Fair Trade Drive.Address: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1V4, Phone: 604-873-7621, Fax: 604-873-7685, Email: larry.campbell@vancouver.ca
Commercial Drive Entrepreneur Runs for City Council
Speaking of city councillors, Kevin Potvin, one of the first supporter of the Fair Trade Drive and owner of Magpie Bookstore on the "Fair Trade Drive" is taking a run at becoming an independent. Kevin wrote a supportive article about the Fair Trade Drive in his paper The Republic. He also has some interesting things to say about cooperative business in this article at The Globe and Mail.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051019.wkevinpotvin19/BNStory/specialSmallBusiness/We wish you the best of luck Kevin!
On the Canadian Front
The Fair Trade Drive was recently featured in the *Canadian Fair Trade Network’s *newsletter, called *“Fair Trade Synergy”*
CFTN’s mission is to increase the market share of Fair Trade products in Canada; in this way we hope to further social justice and environmental sustainability internationally. By linking Canadians, one of CFTN’s aims is to “connect individuals and organizations who advocate for Fair Trade in Canada with individuals and organizations who work on similar initiatives, such as ethical trade, labour rights, women’s issues, social justice, and environmentally sustainable trade” One of their current projects is promoting the Fair Trade Trick or Treat Kit for Halloween. Millions of workers, many of them children, are suffering under conditions of slavery and torture in Africa and elsewhere. “During Halloween, companies like Mars, Hershey, and Nestle enjoy their BIGGEST sales to children. Unfortunately, chocolate is no treat for the hundreds of thousands of child cocoa labourers that work helping their families on farms or even toil as slaves.” The kit includes 36 individually wrapped pieces of Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate, each one prominently bearing the Fair Trade Certified label. Also included in the kit you will find a spooky door sign proclaiming your home a Fair Trade Trick or Treat household, a pack of postcards to distribute along with each piece of candy, and information on how your friends and neighbours can get involved. Buy your Trick or Treat Action Kit by visiting the Global Exchange Online Store: http://www.globalexchangestore.org Read more on the Canadian Fair Trade Network…
http://www.fairtradenetwork.ca/If you would like a PDF download of Fair Trade Synergy click on this link. (This is a large file so it make take a while if you have a slow connection)
http://www.fairtradenetwork.ca/Synergy%201.3.pdfIf you just want read the Synergy article about the Fair Trade Drive, we have reproduced it here on our website.
http://www.fairtradedrive.org/articles.htmlInternational
October is Fair Trade Month in the United States. TransFair USA hopes to raise consumer awareness and increase sales of Fair Trade Certified products. Already, over 32,000 retail locations offer Fair Trade Certified products in the US.
http://www.transfairusa.org/Fair Trade Facts
There are two chief umbrella organizations that the majority of Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs) around the world currently belong – Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) and The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT). FLO permits more than 800,000 producers, workers and their dependents in more than 45 countries to benefit from Fair Trade certification. Fair trade labeling organizations Fair trade products are increasing in number and you can do your part by lending your purchasing power, energy, time, and skills to the Fair Trade movement.
The world’s first Fair Trade Town was declared in 2000 in the north of England, and the movement has quickly grown to over 100 cities with active campaigns in both Ireland and Belgium.
Q: What can I do to support Fair Trade?
Suggestion: Ask your local retailer to carry a Fair Trade product.
Fuzzy about the priniciples of Fair Trade?
Read them here on our Website: www.fairtradedrive.org
Take care, and hope to hear from you, Fair Trade Drive Vancouver, B.C.
“The fair price is a solution. It has given us the chance to pay a good price to our farmers. Those who are not in Fair Trade want to participate. For us it is a great opportunity. It gives us hope.” -Benjamin Cholotío
Links
http://www.fairtradevancouver.ca/http://www.transfair.ca
http://www.garstangfairtrade.org.uk/
http://www.oxfamireland.org/html/campaigns/fair_trade.html
http://www.eftafairtrade.org/efta.asp