Mother's Day Roses Raffle

Our friends at the International Labor Rights Forum are hosting the Mother’s Day Roses Raffle to offer people throughout the United States a chance to send a special gift to a loved one while also advancing the rights of women in the Latin American rose industry.

In case you aren't aware, there are 40,000 flower workers in Ecuador and over 100,000 in Colombia, working to grow, harvest, and package the roses and carnations sold in the United States. More than half of them are women who commonly face labor rights violations including sexual harassment, pesticide-related illnesses, and forced pregnancy testing. Proceeds from the raffle will support the legal, health and safety, and advocacy work done through ILRF's Fairness in Flowers Campaign.

Each entry costs $10. With a $30 donation, participants will not only get 3 raffle entries, but ILRF will also send a fair trade chocolate bar and a special card letting a loved one know that a donation was made in their name. Four winners will be chosen at random from the raffle to receive a fair trade bouquet. Winning entrants will be notified by May 5 and the four lucky recipients will be congratulated on the ILRF website and e-newsletter on May 12.

Tickets can be purchased at unionvoice.org/laborrights/events/MothersDayRaffle.

World Fair Trade Buzz

World Fair Trade Day is coming up May 10th. Sweet! We're actually a proud sponsor this year! There's some great stuff happening, including the World's Largest Coffee Break. If you and your peops like drinking Fair Trade coffee, you should think about joining in the fun. How hard is it to drink coffee anyway? You gotta check out the Fair Trade Resource Network...they've got all the info about events happening in your area, ways to get involved (in the coffee break and other stuff) and it's just the #1 go to place for World Fair Trade Day.

Oh, and we got in on the WFTD action ourselves...we're handing out $10 Coupons to use in our Online Store when you shop anytime now through WFTD (and spend $50 bucks or more.) I know, $50 bucks?! But hey, think of the savings! That's like a free bag of coffee, or 2 1/2 jumbo Fair Trade chocolate bars, all FREE! If you're looking for a Mom's Day gift, then this is the perfect time to shop. Oh, Mother's Day is May 12th in case you're wondering.

Check out our World Fair Trade Day page for all you need to know about WFTD 2008!

Check out the newest DVD addition to the GX Online Store!

A timely examination of human values and the health issues that affect us all, ¡Salud! looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls ‘one of the world’s best health systems.’ From the shores of Africa to the Americas, !Salud! hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health—and the complex realities confronting the movement to make healthcare everyone’s birth right.

BUY IT HERE!

Fair Trade, Organic and Good for the Planet!

Yesterday was Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate the Earth than to thank people for choosing a sustainable commute by offering free Fair Trade coffee in compostable cups. Mother Nature would be so proud.

A few members of the Global Exchange crew teamed up with BART (Bay Area Transit System), TransFair USA,the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition and other Fair Trade advocates to brave the early morning skies to pass out coupons for free Fair Trade coffee from Tully's coffee shop to BART commuters.

This event was a great opportunity to increase awareness about Fair Trade and to thank riders for choosing a sustainable commute. People were flocking to the coupons, happy to hear the words "free" "cup" and "coffee" uttered in the same sentence. They walked away eager to claim their coffee with the knowledge that the cup they are drinking is fair to the farmers and friendly to the earth.

Hope everyone had a lovely Earth Day. How did you celebrate the Earth? While you reflect on that, here are some green facts provided by TransFairUSA on the benefits of giving away those 50,000 coupons:

1. 50,000 BART riders prevent 1,150,000 pounds of greenhouse gases and harmful air pollutants from emitting into the atmosphere each day.

2. 50,000 compostable coffee cups reduce petrochemical plastic use by 12,500 pounds.

3. 50,000 cups of Fair Trade Certified coffee help provide approximately $16,000 of additional income to small-scale farmers, supporting more sustainable livelihoods.

FTF in TX

This year, Austin, Texas isn’t just the hot spot for dedicated indie music types, à la The South By South West Music Festival. From April 4-6, Austin will be swarming with your fellow Fair Traders at the 2008 Fair Trade Federation Conference. This annual conference is a forum for Fair Trade Federation (FTF) members, partners and friends to come together to share Fair Trade ideas, showcase different Fair Trade items, discuss current issues in Fair Trade and most importantly to discuss the future of the Federation and the Fair Trade Movement. They eat, drink, and breathe everything Fair Trade all weekend long! Phew!

Over the past twenty years, the FTF has brought together leaders in the field of fair trade and social enterprise to advance the movement and to provide practical, skill-building workshops. The Fair Trade movement is constantly growing and evolving, so the need for different members to come together to discuss this evolution is crucial in order to stay current and tackle any new challenges the movement may face.

This year’s schedule of events offers many different workshops including one entitled Amplifying Fair Trade Awareness Among Ethical Consumers, which includes the Online Store’s very own Tex Dworkin discussing how the “Fair Trade movement’s complimentary, but distinct, message stands out and captures the attention of a growing number of consumers interested in responsible consumption”.

If you happen to be in town for the event, we encourage you to check it out and join your fellow Fair Traders and make your contribution to the future of Fair Trade! Don't forget to say hi to Tex!