Ron Kirk, President Obama’s pick for U.S. Trade Representative, is in “no hurry to rush pending trade pacts to Congress,” reports Reuters. Well, that’s nice to hear for once. a little background… On July 26^th 2007, in a midnight session of Congress, President Bush was given a new tool for his Global Trade belt; ‘fast track’ (officially known as Trade Promotion Authority) gives the President license to write up his own trade agreements with countries around the world. Congress has the power to vote up or down on the agreements, but they can’t touch the actual rules. Bush (and his Trade Rep. sidekick) took the authority and ran with it, passing dozens of free trade agreements like CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), and agreements with Chile, Singapore, Morocco and more. (Global Trade Watch, an arm of the public interest group Public Citizen, has published a great e-book on the history of fast track). Trade unions, along with many public interest groups, continue to oppose these free trade agreements, and have called for a freeze on all new legislation of their kind. a new way for trade? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Red. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) introduces the TRADE Act."][/caption] It appears that the tide is beginning to turn. Fast track expired two years ago, and so far our new President is not as trigger-happy with trade agreements as his predecessor. Lawmakers and citizens alike are also calling for a new direction in U.S. Trade policy. On June 24^th, Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) introduced the TRADE (Trade Reform Accountability Development and Employment) Act in the House of Representatives with 106 co-sponsers. The TRADE act calls for Congress to reexamine all current Free Trade agreements, evaluate their overall impact on both U.S. and trade-partner citizens, and chart a new path towards trade agreements that benefit workers and the environment. Check out the video below in which Lori Wallach, director of Global Trade Watch, explains what it’s all about. It’s been a long battle to slow down the Free Trade machine, and to hear remarks like these from Kirk certainly warms our Fair Trade loving hearts… "We'll bring them up (for approval in Congress) when we get them to the point that they meet the criteria that the president has laid out for me of having trade deals that reflect our values on labor and the environment, that help us meet his objective, which is still getting America back to work and turning this economy around,” Looking forward to a new day for trade.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fko4wdPhppI]

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." -Robert Burns  Sometimes, even the noblest consumers can’t put their values into action. Life is filled with obstacles: misleading advertising, prohibitive prices, et cetera. So here at FTL, we’d like to do our part in making your Fair Trade dreams a reality. We’re sending our correspondents out into field to see just how easy it is (or isn’t) to purchase the Fair Trade products we’ve heard all about. Check back as we explore this wonderful town--NYC--and all the socially just goodies it has to offer. Don’t let your commitment to Fair Trade, well, gang agley. EPISODE 1: STARBUCKS Walk around the city a bit and you just might notice an emerging chain of coffee shops. You know, the one with the fish-lady-queen-goddess? What’s it called again...oh yeah, Starbucks! Unless you recently woke from a 19-year coma--like this guy--you probably know that Starbucks is the biggest name in coffee. You can’t sneeze in New York City without hitting a Starbucks. Walking in, you’re surrounded by warm earth-tones and beautifully (if a bit illegibly) written quotes about friendship, commitment, and the rejuvenating powers of coffee. So let’s grab a nice heartwarming cup of Fair Trade brew. Where to? “Easy, right? Just step up and order a cup’a’joe!” Not so, idealistic consumer.  Among the endless variety of coffees sold by Starbucks, only one blend is Fair Trade Certified (certification provided by TransFair USA), namely, Café Estima. So if you’re just looking for a bag of coffee to take home to your Fair Trade home, check the racks and find Estima. Proceed to counter etc… What if you’re not in the mood for a bag of beans? What if you want (gasp) a cup of FT coffee? Well, here things get a little sticky. Every store chooses a “Coffee of the Day” from which they make all the day’s brews. Of course, given the many blends to choose from, your Starbucks probably won’t be serving Estima the day(s) you walk in. But fear not! Here’s a little-known secret about shopping at starbucks. According to company policy, if you can find a bag of any particular blend on the racks at the store, you can hand it to the barrista and ask him/her to brew a cup for you. So as long as you can find a bag of Estima, you’re good to go. Just to prove it, here’s a letter I received from Starbucks when I inquired about this a couple years ago (slightly modified to accommodate posting): From: "Customer Relations" <info@starbucks.com> To: "Isaac Raisner" <izzermizzy@juno.com> Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:09:27 -0700 Subject: Response from Starbucks Coffee Company - Case # 4481046 Hello Isaac, Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company. We strive to give customers the option of enjoying a cup of any of our available coffees in our stores, including a cup of Café Estima (Fair Trade Certified) coffee. If, at any time, you would like a cup of brewed coffee other than those offered as Coffee of the Day, you may inquire if the store can accommodate your request in a coffee press. There may be times when our store partners are unable to accommodate your request for a particular coffee because of, for example, the crush of business and the realities of our fast-paced retail environment. Thank you for contacting Starbucks. If you have any further questions or concerns, please email us at www.starbucks.com/customer or call (800)-235-2883 to speak with a customer relations representative. Best Regards, Colleen N. Customer Relations   Starbucks Coffee Company -------------------------------------------------- Voila! It’s that easy. Be aware that not all barrista’s have heard of this rule—matter of fact, most of them haven’t. Do not get upset at these barristas, do not shove a printout of this email in their faces. Rather, calmly explain to them what it is you want, maybe ask a manager to help. If they don’t understand, and 20 customers are showing their teeth behind you, be considerate. It’s not only the farmers we’re trying to respect. Stay tuned for the next installment of… NOTES FROM THE FIELD!

After eight long months of legal battles and recounts, Al Franken will finally be seated in the United States Senate.  That pushes the Democrats up to 60 seats, the magic,  filibuster-proof number that means it's time to kick-butt and take names. What should be first on the Democrats' to-do list?  How about supporting women and girls in Afghanistan. (Ok, maybe not first--health care is pretty important--but definitely top ten.)  California Democrat Barbara Boxer is about to introduce The Afghan Women Empowerment Act (S. 229), a piece of legislation that will: "provide critical resources for Afghan women for literacy education, technical and vocational training and health care services that would reduce maternal and infant mortality. The bill will also fund programs to protect women and girls against sexual and physical abuse, abduction, trafficking, exploitation, and includes emergency shelters for women and girls who face danger from violence."  

Sign this pledge on Change.org (sponsored by the U.N. Foundation) to tell your Senator to co-sponsor the act today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  Al Franken can draw a perfect recreation of the United States.  Watch this video, it will blow your mind. 

  The best thing about working for a Fair Trade organization (besides the bountiful supply of FT chocolate) is seeing the faces behind the products—the artisans, the farmers, the activists.  Today at our GGP offices in New York we had the profound privilege of welcoming Sameena Nazir to spend the day with us, and I have to say--it was better than a life-time supply of chocolate. Sameena is a committed human rights activist and founder of the Potahar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA), an organization that works to empower Pakistani women and communities through education, rights training, advocacy, skills training, income-generation and other worthy projects.  Right now she is focusing her efforts on the population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Swat Valley region, a group that has been growing ever since violence broke out between government and Taliban forces in late April.  It was fascinating to hear her insight on this phenomenon, which now affects over 3 million people—including 66,000 pregnant women.  What most people forget, she noted, is that a human rights framework must be incorporated into development work, especially when dealing with internally displaced populations.  Feeding people is great, but we also need to make sure that these people are given their rights as human beings—the right to move freely throughout the country (right now IDPs are not allowed to travel to Islamabad), the right to a voice in the peace process, the right to an education, and the right to a life without violence.  Although schools sit empty for summer break, the government is still not allowing IDP children to fill those chairs and receive the education they need, the education they deserve. In addition to sharing her insights, Sameena reminded us that we are not powerless to alleviate the poverty and human rights abuses occurring in Pakistan.  We talked about some simple ways for Americans to make a difference, and I assured her they would be posted on our blog.  So here it is, Sameena Nazir and GGP’s list of action items:

1. Support marginalized and internally displaced women by purchasing PODA handicrafts:  this is not a shameless self-promotion, this is life or death, prosperity or misery for the women who rely on these handicrafts for their livelihoods.  Sales provide wages and opportunities for women in Pakistan, and for many who have been uprooted from their homes, serve as a source of hope, stability and self-confidence.  Instead of sitting all day in refugee camps, women artisans can make something beautiful and productive for themselves and their communities.
2.   E-mail your Senators and Representative telling them to take action to stop violence against women worldwide.  The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) is an important piece of legislation that needs your support.  If passed, the U.S. government will create a comprehensive 5-year plan to reduce violence against women in 10-20 diverse countries identified as having severe levels of violence against women.  As Sameena said, “Women have a right to a life free from violence.”
3. Donate to PODA:  PODA is a leader in human rights activism and community empowerment, and their mission could use all the support it can get.  Like many communities and organizations in the developing world, PODA has suffered from the global recession, and could use a boost in these troubling economic and political times.

  To soak up all the wisdom that Sameena shared with us today, stay tuned for the video version of our conversation, which will be posted shortly to Fair Trade Local and our website, www.globalgoodspartners.org.

For all you Fair Trade skeptics, and for those of you who need some reaffirmation, I highly recommend perusing a recent photo essay released by Foreign Policy magazine.  The essay provides important  insight into the state of child labor around the world, and sends a clear reminder that the alternative to Fair Trade is often grim, oppressive and dangerous.  [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="As the recession hits the developing world, child labor is on the rise"][/caption]   Thanks, Foreign Policy, for revealing the effects of the global recession on the world’s children, and for giving us a potent reminder that a purchase is not just a purchase.  When you buy Fair Trade, you’re giving a living wage to parents so children are sent to schools—not factories.