Top Ten Ways to Make a Fair Trade Difference

by zarah

Published September 28, 2008 @ 08:44AM PT

You’ve been reading a lot about facts, figures and the background of Fair Trade. You’ve learned of the impact it has had on millions of small-scale producers and even consumers all over the world. Maybe Fair Trade is a new concept to you and reading this blog has really opened up a new world and you want to know how you can be part of the movement. Or maybe you’ve heard of Fair Trade before and have even bought Fair Trade Certified coffee at your local supermarket, but want to do more. Well, I enjoy your enthusiasm so in honor of that here is a list of Top Ten Ways to Make a Fair Trade Difference. The instructions are easy. Read. Do. Repeat if Necessary.

1. Buy Fair Trade Products

Practice your purchasing power and buy Fair Trade products. From chocolate to wine and even the shoes you wear, Fair Trade is all around and can be part of your daily life. And don’t just buy Fair Trade for yourself: give the gift of Fair Trade to others. It’s as easy as looking for the TransFair label or looking for companies that are part of the Fair Trade Federation.  For help, check out Co-op America’s directory of Fair Trade businesses.

2. Ask for Fair Trade Products at your Local Stores and Cafes

If you don’t see Fair Trade products on the shelves of your local store or on tap at your local café, don’t be discouraged, just ask. Fill out a comment card, start a petition or go directly to the store manager. When you do this be informative and  persistent, but above all, be friendly.  Store managers are often responsive to their kind patrons so a simple request can go a long way. Check out Global Exchange’s sample letter or join Co-op America’s Adopt-A-Supermarket Campaign for help.

3. Join a Campaign

From sweatshop-free apparel to ending child slavery in the cocoa industry to demanding rights for marginalized groups around the globe – Fair Trade campaigns span a wide range of issues.  Particularly concerned about farmers in Peru? Want people to get involved for rug makers in India? Develop your own campaign for a Fair Trade issue that affects you.

4. Students: Organize a Fair Trade Network at School

Get your cafeteria to serve Fair Trade food or your campus café to serve exclusively Fair Trade coffee, tea, and even sugar.  Encourage your sports department to use Fair Trade sporting equipment.  All this starts with the collective voice of the students. There’s no stronger message than empowered youth empowering the disadvantaged.

5. Teachers: Incorporate Fair Trade into Your Curricula

Get your students involved in social justice by teaching Fair Trade in the classroom.  A great way to stop injustice is to teach your students about compassion and understanding and the implications that unfair trade has had on the world around them. (For me, it was learning about Fair Trade in high school that got me advocating for the movement in the first place. Thanks Mr. Elinson.)

6. Get Fair Trade into your Place of Worship

Faith-based communities were early proponents of Fair Trade, with the Mennonite Central Committee eventually founding Ten Thousand Villages. By serving coffee and tea at services, community members are combining their values with ethical consumption, and learning about the importance of working together for a common humanity in the process.

7. Build a Fair Trade Coalition in your Community

Either by bringing together existing Fair Trade organizations or building a coalition from the ground up, promoting Fair Trade in your community is a crucial way to get the Fair Trade word out. Fair Trade coalitions have been coming  together to get local businesses to carry Fair Trade products, get Fair Trade products into schools, offices and hospitals, and get people around town, including the media, talking. Coalitions have even gone as far as having a resolution passed to officially support Fair Trade in the community and be declared a Fair Trade Town.

8. Fundraise using Fair Trade Chocolate

Do you have fond memories of raising money for the school band or play by selling chocolate. Little did we know that the main company providing that fundraising chocolate, World’s Finest Chocolates, source their chocolate through methods which involve child labor. To think, children selling chocolate picked by enslaved children – what isn’t wrong with that picture? Luckily, there are Fair Trade chocolate fundraising options. Raise money for your school while knowing that a child in Côte d’Ivoire isn’t missing their opportunity at an education.

9. Host a Fair Trade House Party

Kid ‘n Play aren’t the only ones who love a house party. When you host a Fair Trade house party, you’ll get other people to love Fair Trade too. Similar to a Tupperware party, but with fewer plastic containers, Fair Trade parties give you a chance to educate your guests about socially conscious consumption while eating and having fun. Serve tea and fruit and have a sample of artisan goods to see and your guests will see what Fair Trade is all about.

10. Experience Fair Trade Firsthand

Find a Fair Trade community that interests you and visit the real people behind the movement. Participate in a Fair Trade coffee harvest and help pick the coffee you drink in the morning. Visit a basket weaving community and see the intricacies and labor it takes to weave one beautiful basket and the pride on the face of the artisan once their craft is finished. By experiencing the face of Fair Trade, you get to truly see the difference that you can make in your own community and the world over.