Fair Trade and Faith Groups

a guide for churches, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations in Boulder, Colorado
A guide to help you and your congregation support fair trade and help Boulder to become a Fair Trade Town What is fair trade? Fair Trade products are exactly that. Fair. Farmers and workers are fairly compensated for their labor. Yet fair trade is much more than paying more for coffee beans and tea leaves; its a way of doing business so that the producers are encouraged to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities. Fair trade offers a choice to consumers allowing us to have a more equitable relationship with those who provide what we consume. What is a Fair Trade Town? The first Fair Trade town was Garstang, England and in the last 10 years another 1,000 towns, cities and even countries have followed in Garstangs footsteps. Fair Trade Towns strive to raise awareness of how most trade is inequitable and how fair trade addresses this imbalance. In doing so, they bring together the local community in a common goal to reach out to the broader, global community. There are established criteria to become a Fair Trade Town, including forming a steering committee to organize the campaign, actively engaging community organizations and retailers offering fair trade products, raising awareness through local media and working with the council to pass a resolution in support of fair trade. Fair trade and faith Fair trade obviously sits well with living by our faith and values, and in fact many churches were pioneers within the fair trade movement and they continue to play a leading role around the world? There are a variety of ways in which your congregation can play its part in Boulder. Switch to fair trade Offer fair trade coffee and tea after services and during meetings. Some fair trade products are easily available at the grocery store (especially tea and coffee), whereas others (fresh fruit, wine, flowers, eco-palms and altar cloths) are available only at certain stores. Equal Exchanges interfaith online store offers coffee, tea, hot chocolate, sugar and other fair trade products for fellowship hour after services. See the retailer list below for further suggestions of where to buy fair trade products. Talk about fair trade Fair trade relates to so many topics you are probably already talking about, such as social justice, global inequalities, and looking after the environment. Simply mentioning fair trade introduces to a discussion a positive and practical suggestion of how to live according to our values day by day. Fair Trade Month (October) and World Fair Trade Day (mid May) are great times of the year to focus on fair trade. But it can easily be included during religious and cultural celebrations such as Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving especially because these are occasions when we take the time to reflect on how to live according to our faith. Whether it is during the sermon, Sunday school or social gatherings after Sunday service, there are many opportunities to include fair trade. You may like to look back over past themes and see where the inclusion of fair trade could be added to give your congregation a clearer sense of how they can make a difference. There is a wide range of informative material from videos to brochures, hand-outs and posters. Many national church/faith-based associations offer these materials specifically relating to their faith and with examples of their own activities to support fair trade. The list of national associations below links directly to webpages about fair trade and their work in fair trade. Make it easier for your congregation to buy fair trade products Fair Trade stalls can easily be included at Christmas fairs and other events. There are even fair trade retailers, such as Equal Exchange and Trade As One, that cater specifically to churches and faith groups. Hungry for Change is a fair trade box scheme (similar to CSA or Organic boxes) that is available by monthly subscription. It allows your congregation to buy fair trade products that may not be so readily available in local stores (such as rice and quinoa) and it also offers an element of surprise to their weekly grocery shopping. More information is available at tradeasone.com/get_involved/hungry_for_change. Trading Posts also from Trade As One is a simple way to set up a Learn more about making Boulder a Fair Trade Town: boulderfairtrade.org Questions? Email Howard Vickers, Boulders Fair Trade Town Coordinator: boulderfairtrade@gmail.com 1/4

Fair Trade and Faith Groups

a guide for churches, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations in Boulder, Colorado
fair trade stall on your premises. Starter kits offer a variety of products with display accessories. tradeasone.com/get_involved/trading_post. Add fair to what you already do Not only is it easy to add fair trade to conversations, but its simple to make an activity a fair trade activity. Take a look at the links to see how fair trade can be incorporated into these events... Reverse Trick or Treating: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/703/t/9669/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=6515 www.fairtraderesource.org/2009/08/24/free-kits-for-reverse-trick-or-treating-now-available/ Fair Trade Christmas Caroling www.crsfairtrade.org/2008/12/fair-trade-christmas-carols-to-sing-and-share/ Fair Trade tasting sessions www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2009/f/ft_wine_action_guide2010final.pdf CROP Hunger Walks www.pop-elca.net/smat.html Connect with fair trade in Boulder You are in very good company when it comes to supporting fair trade - a range of community organizations are already helping Boulder make trade fair. Whether through public events or joining Boulders Fair Trade Steering Committee there are ample opportunities for your congregation to connect with other fair trade supporters in Boulder. What to do next... Talk with others to find out what is already being done and to explore how it could be taken a step or two further. You may like to connect with those responsible for buying refreshments managing the Sunday school coordinating social justice and educational activities deciding service or project topics Get in touch with us to start a conversation on what fair trade means to you and your congregation and how we can support you to become more active in fair trade. Whether its helping you identify the right materials for Sunday school or putting you in contact with fair trade retailers or even fair trade producers, we are happy to help you. Where to buy Coffee & tea: almost all grocery stores in Boulder - just look for the fair trade logo. Cookies: www.natural-nectar.com Flowers & plants: www.oneworldflowers.org Wine: Petty John's Liquor and Wine & Baileys Wine & Spirits. Alter cloths: www.livingthreadshaiti.com & www.creativehandnepal.com/collection.php?category_id=158 Palms: www.ecopalms.org There are many stores that stock fair trade products. You can find a map of these shops in the Boulder area at www.fairtradetownsusa.org/towns/co/boulder There are also stores specifically created for faith-based groups such as Equal Exchanges Interfaith Store (interfaith.equalexchange.com) and Trade as One (www.tradeasone.com). Faith-based educational materials A wide range of materials are available from Equal Exchange, Trade As One, Traidcraft and other organizations; the below resources offer a taste of what is on offer

Learn more about making Boulder a Fair Trade Town: boulderfairtrade.org Questions? Email Howard Vickers, Boulders Fair Trade Town Coordinator: boulderfairtrade@gmail.com

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Fair Trade and Faith Groups

a guide for churches, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations in Boulder, Colorado
Win Win Solutions: An Introduction to Fair Trade and Cooperative Economics Equal Exchanges curriculum offers 120 pages of engaging classroom activities. The flexible structure allows teachers to easily incorporate one or two classes into current lesson plans, or use the whole curriculum of four units. www.equalexchange.coop/win-win-solutions-1 Changing Lives with What We Buy Trade As One offers a 4-lesson curriculum entitled Changing Lives with What We Buy: A Study on Christian Faith, Consumerism and Fair Trade. The educational pack includes study guides and videos. Resources are available on their website. http://tradeasone.com/churches/curriculum Abundant Life - Harvest Worship 2011 These resources are inspired by the stories of jute workers and fish farmers we work with in Bangladesh. The prayers, reflections, preaching notes and hymn ideas form a complete act of worship, or can be used individually as a contribution to other services www.traidcraft.co.uk/publications_and_resources/church_resources Videos about fair trade and faith There are many films of varying length available to show at video nights or as part of a service. Start by looking at what your denominations national association has on its website (see list below). All the fair trade websites mentioned here also have videos that discuss fair trade often in terms of faith. Searching on YouTube or Google is another good way to find freely available videos. The below videos give a sense of what is available... Interfaith Program Video: Agent of Change This short video from Equal Exchange is a great conversation starter and introduction to fair trade. From the mountains of Nicaragua to a congregation in the United States, this video traces coffee and the impact of our consumer choices. http://www.equalexchange.coop/interfaith-program-video-agent-of-change Fair trade works: Traidcraft in Bangladesh Elaine Willmore travels to Bangladesh to see fair trade in action. This video was first shown on BBC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCy1iAwkXUs&feature=player_embedded Faith and Fair Trade - Kuapa Kokoo Interfaith cooperation in the fair trade cocoa farming community of Bayerebon Number 3 in Ghana. The farmers in the village benefit from fair trade, while it also provides a common platform for positive interfaith relations to be built upon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkltKhSAEvw Materials for event displays, services and activities Liven up your stall or presentation display with posters and brochures available from Equal Exchanges interfaith store (interfaith.equalexchange.com). Find out about fair trade and your faith A wide range of faiths are actively supporting fair trade as the links below show. If you dont see your spiritual group below, visit the website of your national association or google the name of your church and fair trade. American Friends Service Committee afsc.org/category/topic/fair-trade Catholic Relief Services www.crsfairtrade.org Learn more about making Boulder a Fair Trade Town: boulderfairtrade.org Questions? Email Howard Vickers, Boulders Fair Trade Town Coordinator: boulderfairtrade@gmail.com 3/4

Fair Trade and Faith Groups

a guide for churches, synagogues, and other faith-based organizations in Boulder, Colorado
Episcopal Relief and Development www.er-d.org/resourcesagm Lutheran World Relief www.lwr.org/fairtrade Mennonite Central Committee washington.mcc.org/advocate/coffee Presbyterian Church USA www.pcusa.org/enough American Jewish World Service ajws.org/hunger/better_beans.html United Church of Christ www.ucc.org/justice/coffee-project/understanding-fair-trade.html United Methodist Committee on Relief new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/hunger/fair-trade Unitarian Universalist Service Committee www.uusc.org/content/promoting_fair_trade Whats Jewish about Fair Trade? (Fair Trade Judaica, USA) fairtradejudaica.org/learn/whats-jewish-about-fair-trade/ A Jewish Guide to Fair Trade (Fairtrade Foundation, UK) www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2009/j/jewish_community_resource.pdf Islam and Fair Trade (Fairtrade Foundation, UK) www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2011/i/islam_and_fairtrade_download.pdf An Islamic perspective on fair trade (Islamic Relief Worldwide, UK) www.islamic-relief.com/InDepth/2-6-an-islamic-perspective-on-fair-trade.aspx Fair trade organizations and resources Fair Trade USA transfairusa.org/resource-library Fair Trade Federation www.fairtradefederation.org Fair Trade Resource Network www.ftrn.org Fair Trade Foundation (UK) www.fairtrade.org.uk/resources/default.aspx

Learn more about making Boulder a Fair Trade Town: boulderfairtrade.org Questions? Email Howard Vickers, Boulders Fair Trade Town Coordinator: boulderfairtrade@gmail.com

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