KGNU Local Radio on Fair Trade in Boulder & Costa Rica

The Boulder Fair Trade initiative was recently featured on the local independent radio station (for Boulder, Denver and surrounding areas): KGNU (www.kgnu.org).

The piece focused on how one of the Steering Committee members is travelling to Costa Rica to meet with Fair Trade producers and the organizers of a Fair Trade Town (Pérez Zeledón) in Costa Rica.  The trip will be an excellent opportunity for Boulder to connect with Pérez Zeledón, so that we can start to share ideas and experiences.

It will also allow Cristina to bring back personal experiences of Fair Trade producers to share with Boulder.  In fact we hope in the future to invite producers and organizers from Costa Rica so that Boulder can hear more directly about what is happening in producer countries.  We may also be able to arrange video-conferencing calls so that producers and consumers can get to know each other and come to better understand how Fair Trade works.

Maeve Conran interviews Cristina Aguilera and Howard Vickers about Fair Trade at about 15 mins into the program.   You can listen on line at http://www.kgnu.org/cgi-bin/programinfo.py?time=1296140400

Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

Retailer/Business Map on Fair Trade Towns USA website

The first retailers and businesses have been added to the map on the Fair Trade Towns USA website.  http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/towns/co/boulder/

Fair Trade - Retail Database
This is the first step so that Boulder residents can find where to buy Fair Trade products.  This list includes stores, cafes, restaurants and other retail outlets.  The map is a Google map embedded in the Boulder page on the Fair Trade Towns USA website (www.fairtradetownsusa.org/towns/co/boulder).  Businesses can complete a short questionnaire online at http://tinyurl.com/bftt-retail-form.  If you represent a Fair Trade retailer in Boulder, please do complete the questionnaire.

Greater Involvement

The database is really just the first step – next we want to involve retailers in the campaign.  This could be through membership of the steering committee or in a less formal role.  It could also be through participating in events to raise awareness of Fair Trade, such as on World Fair Trade Day (May 14, 2011).

Starting a Conversation

If you are already selling Fair Trade products or if you are planning to in the future, then please do contact Howard Vickers (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com) to start a conversation about how you can become a part of the Boulder Fair Trade initiative.

If you would like your store, cafe, restaurant or other business to be inlcuded on this map, please complete the online form at http://tinyurl.com/bftt-retail-form

Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

World Fair Trade Day (Saturday May 14, 2011) - Boulder Events

Ashley (ashley [at] beadforlife.org) is organizing a city-wide event for the weekend of World Fair Trade Day (Saturday May 14, 2011). 

It’s still in its early stages of planning, but it will involve various Fair Trade retailers and organizations to show Boulder how widespread Fair Trade already is in this city.  It will be in several locations and it will give Fair Trade shoppers a clear sense of just how many Fair Trade products are available in Boulder and where you can buy them.  

Please do contact me or Ashley if you have any suggestions or would like to be involved in this event.

Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

Places of Worship and Boulder Fair Trade

Faith organizations have played a pioneering role in Fair Trade and they continue to support Fair Trade projects in developing countries.  I hope that by engaging with the local congregations in Boulder, the campaign to make our city a Fair Trade Town will gain considerable strength and momentum. 

We will shortly be emailing and phoning Boulder churches, synagogues, the mosque and other faith-based organizations to invite them to join us in supporting Fair Trade in Boulder.  In the meantime, here are some thoughts on how we can collaborate. 

Events and activities

Events (whether meetings, discussion groups, sermons, introductions to Fair Trade etc), will allow congregation members to explore what Fair Trade is for them and for their church and to shape their participation according to their faith.  The question is, what kind of activities would be best suited to faith groups and how can we support them?  A couple of ideas…

·         Sermons – especially for celebrating Fair Trade Month (October) and Fair Trade Day (May 16, 2011). 

·         Informational events – such as an introduction to Fair Trade

·         Group discussions – perhaps as part of social justice discussions

Making it more tangible

Although it’s early days, it’s clear that we offer more specific suggested activities that can be tailored to each place of worship.  Clear outlines or plans for different types of events will help faith groups arrange activities.

·         Purpose or aim – is it an informational event?  What will attendees know/understand/do afterwards?  Is it a thought-provoking event – something to reflect upon?

·         Overview & schedule – what is the outline of the event, including time, date, location, number of attendees etc?

·         Mini-activities – what activities will take place within the event?  Perhaps listen to a speaker, watch a video, coffee-tasting, recipe demonstration, prayer, discussion,

·         Resources – what content (text, audios, videos, photos) can be used? 

·         Guests – who (from outside of the faith group) can be invited to attend?  Perhaps a Fair Trade retailer with experiences in Africa or Latin America.

·         Faith Specific – how does it specifically relate to the organization’s faith?  (see below resources).

·         Budget – will it cost anything to do or can it be organized in a voluntary way?

Resources

The Fairtrade Foundation in the UK has some very good guides for faith organizations, including suggestions of activities and appropriate prayers… http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns/fairtrade_places_of_worship/default.aspx

In Australia faith organizations can become recognized as Fair Trade Faith Groups and the requirements give some suggestions of what places of worship can do to support Fair Trade.  See http://www.fta.org.au/get-involved/worship for further information.

There are already many websites that have very good resources specific to a particular faith…  

UMCOR                 http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/hunger/fair-trade/

AJWS                     http://ajws.org/hunger/better_beans.html

GAMC                    http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/enough/

UUSC                    http://www.uusc.org/fairtrade

LWR                       http://www.lwr.org/fairtrade

How can you initiate something?

If you would like your church, synagogue, mosque or spiritual group to play a more active role in this campaign, please do email me (address below).

Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

FTTB Meeting Minutes 2011-1-11

FTTB Meeting Minutes 2011-1-11

Press Release: Fair Trade Boulder heads South to Forge Friendship with Farmers

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Connecting with Costa Rica: Fair Trade Boulder heads South to Forge Friendship with Farmers
Boulder, CO, January 21, 2011 - - Boulder Fair Trade campaign sends ‘ambassador’ to Cost Rica to meet agricultural and artisan producers.  Trip raises awareness of Fair Trade in Boulder and brings our city closer to the people behind the everyday products we buy.

Boulder’s Cristina Aguilera will join Fair Trade representatives from across the country on a trip to Costa Rica in late January to see first hand how Fair Trade benefits farmers and handicraft producers.  The trip will connect Boulder with Costa Rica’s only ‘Fair Trade Town’, Pérez Zeledón, and share ideas and experiences to further the Fair Trade cause.

The trip will especially connect women across cultures; women producers gain from Fair Trade because a more level playing field allows them to excel in farming, business, and community-leadership roles.  “I hope to connect with women in Costa Rica so I can help foster cultural and business relations with women in Boulder” says Aguilera, “in the future I hope we can invite representatives of Costa Rican Fair Trade to visit Boulder or to speak in Boulder through video-conferences.”

Over 20 towns and cities across the US have become “Fair Trade Towns” in recognition of their citizens’ commitment to support farmers in developing countries.  “Becoming a Fair Trade Town is much more than just buying Fair Trade certified coffee…” says Howard Vickers, the coordinator of Boulder’s Fair Trade campaign, “the Fair Trade Town initiative will bring Boulder’s residents together and help us to connect with other progressive communities around the world.”  

Aguilera is a committed Fair Trade supporter and as a member of the campaign’s steering committee, she will help make Boulder the next ‘Fair Trade Town’.  She is a retired BVSD teacher born in Cuba and raised in the United States, so is experienced in bridging cultures and helping others connect to new ideas and people.  

The Boulder Fair Trade initiative to make Boulder a “Fair Trade Town”, brings people together through the support of farmers and craftsmen/women in developing countries.  Fair Trade products enable producers to build sustainable livelihoods through higher prices, environmental protection, fair wages, and community projects.  

Press Resources
Boulder Fair Trade                      www.boulderfairtrade.org
Fair Trade Towns USA                www.fairtradetownsusa.org
Fair Trade USA                          www.fairtradeusa.org
What is Fair Trade?                    http://tinyurl.com/fairtrade-overview
Fair Trade impact                       http://tinyurl.com/fairtrade-impact

Contact

Cristina Aguilera                                         

Committee Member of Boulder Fair 

Howard Vickers

Trade Coordinator for Boulder Fair Trade
   

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Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach Howard Vickers by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

The Designation Plan

The short term aim is to get the Boulder registered as a “Fair Trade Town” by the Fair Trade Towns USA (www.fairtradetownsusa.org).  There are five main requirements:

1. Form a steering committee
2. Involve Fair Trade retailers and demonstrate that 20 stores are selling Fair Trade products
3. Engage the broader community and demonstrate that 20 organizations or companies are committed to serving/consuming Fair Trade products (eg coffee or tea).
4. Gain media attention of local activities and events
5. Pass a council resolution supporting Fair Trade and the Fair Trade Town

Where are we now?

Let’s take a look at where we are now in Boulder and what remains to be achieved in order to gain the designation.

Goal	Requirements/Indicators	Current Status	To Do
1. Steering Committee	List members	List needs updating; most minutes already online	Update list and post all minutes to blog & Facebook
2. Retailers	List of 20 retailers selling at least 2 Fair Trade products	List has many retailers, but needs verifying	Update list and verify products offered
3. Boulder Community	List of 20 organizations or workplaces serving Fair Trade coffee/tea	List has some organizations, but could be broader	Extend/broaden list of organizations, especially faith-based and student-based
4. Media coverage	Coverage in local media	Some articles about local retailers	Document previous coverage and gain new media attention – especially about Fair Trade Town campaign
5. Council Resolution	Resolution passed by City Council	Initial contact made with some council members	Extend contact and discuss timetable for resolution

There is much more to the “Fair Trade Town Boulder” campaign than the official designation, but it is an important first step.  It is also a process that naturally leads on to further growth and development of Boulder’s Fair Trade community.  After an initial period of making sure that goals 1 and 2 are achieved and documented, we will quickly move onto engaging Boulder in the campaign and therefore increasing the media coverage.  I think and hope that greater participation of faith organizations and the local student body will give Fair Trade a considerable boost in Boulder. 

Stay up to date with the Fair Trade Town Boulder campaign online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog (www.boulderfairtrade.org)

You can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator

The Road Ahead

As the new coordinator for the project to make Boulder a “Fair Trade Town”, I want to start the new blog with a post that maps out the future path for the campaign.

Project Phases

I see the project in three phases:

1. Short Term – Gaining the FTT Designation – Boulder already has some requirements (see below) fulfilled, so we just need to pull it all together and submit the application
2. Medium Term – Community Building – we should broaden and diversify the community and make the project more visible to Boulder and beyond.
3. Long Term – Being a Fair Trade Town – further into the future Boulder can consider what kind of FTT it wants to be.  This is certainly an ongoing project – more of a journey than a destination. 

Coordinator & Champions

Our plan is to have a central coordinator (me) and several area-specific coordinators or ‘champions’.  For example, Marissa, the Faith Organization Champion, will invite churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith organizations to participate in the campaign.  She will help organize faith-based events and encourage the faith organizations to engage with the project.  My role as the coordinator is to initiate this process, guide the overall activities and support Marissa along the way. 

Events

Our activities will be focused on organizing events.  Events will raise awareness of Fair Trade and the Fair Trade Town campaign in Boulder.  They will be hosted at public events (perhaps the Farmers’ Market or BIBA fairs) and also at individual organizations (such as churches or universities).  They will likely include

• Guest speakers – perhaps farmers visiting Boulder or live video-conferencing via Skype
• Local retailers – presenting their products and sharing their experiences
• Supporting information – videos, posters, brochures

Fair Trade has its own dedicated events, such as World Fair Trade Day (May 14, 2011) and Fair Trade Month (October 2011), so we will hold special events to celebrate these occasions. 

North-South Linkages

Fair Trade has a more open supply chain than usual trading relationships, because information about the producers often accompanies the products to allow the consumers to know more about what they are buying and what the impacts of their buying habits are.  As a Fair Trade Town, Boulder has an opportunity to support this and foster greater connection between our local consumers and the geographically distant producers. 

Engagement through Information

I hope that by blogging about how the campaign is progressing, we will inform and engage the whole city.   The meetings’ minutes will be posted here on this blog and so will the plans, events and activities.  Twitter and Facebook will help this become a more inclusive and multidirectional flow of information, so please do help make this happen by connecting with us online as well as in person at events.  You can stay up to date online via…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• This blog

And you can reach me by email (boulderfairtrade [at] gmail.com).

Howard Vickers

Fair Trade Town Boulder Coordinator