Good News From Fair Trade Towns USA

I spoke with the national coordinator for Fair Trade Towns USA and lots of help is coming our way! They will be e-mailing me a list of merchants that are already qualified under their terms of a Fair Trade retailer. One point all of the executives made was that the products that are labeled Fair Trade must be certified by either Trans Fair or the Fair Trade Federation. This is to ensure that the producers and buyers maintain their Fair Trade practices. Both organizations employ 3rd party audits to hold both buyer and seller accountable to the standards of Fair Trade and the contractual agreements they entered into. In addition to a list of the merchants, they are also sending me a list of community members that have been buying Fair Trade directly from either Trans Fair or the Fair Trade Federation. These people will make great resources for us during the semester. The more people we have on our side, the easier this is going to be. And yes, we will be getting a care package shortly with literature (pamphlets and handouts) and DECALS! Yeah! There is also the possibility that they might be able to send us so DVD's on Fair Trade that we could use for a community presentation. I will keep you all posted as I increase my interactions and conversations with Mr. Goldsmith and the Fair Trade Towns USA organization. Take care and GREAT WORK EVERYONE!!!!