mmoschool: New:: Choosing Between Ethical or Fair Trade Clothing link
about 2 hours ago
FairIndustry: ... I think fair trade is still considered an 'alternative lifestyle' kind of thing, like being a hippie or pot smoker.
about 9 hours ago
lucywin: To trade or not to trade: let it be fair trade #ftf09
about 14 hours ago
AnnabelleKayy: Or coffeeee?!!!! Ahhhh have to result to the free organic fair trade coffee in our sixth form!! Noooooooo I'm buying some tomorrow!!
about 16 hours ago
solobasssteve: #ftf09 question - which is the 'fairer' trade: buying 'fair trade' bananas from south america, or not buying bananas at all?
about 16 hours ago
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Four Corners of the Earth, 5401 W. Vliet St., sells fair trade items from all over the globe. |
 | By Julie Lawrence   OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Julie Lawrence |
| Published May 2, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. |
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Saturday, May 9 is World Fair Trade Day and for the 48 hours that encompass a global day, millions of participants in hundreds of cities in more than 70 countries celebrate with breakfasts, talks, markets, live performances, a lift, fashion shows, carnivals, festivals, processions and protests, to drive Fair Trade and campaign for justice in trade and promote sustainable social and environmental policy.
It's an especially exciting day in Milwaukee, which was the first large city in United States to become a Fair Trade City in 2007. Since then, several other cities including San Francisco and New York have followed suit.
Sachin Chheda, the director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, points to Milwaukee's to "forward thinking political leadership" as a major impetus for our leadership in fair trade awareness.
"(Ald.) Tony Zielinski has been a huge champion and has sponsored every piece of legislation that the common council has passed," says Chheda.
Zielinski called the city's fair trade status "the right thing to do from a human rights standpoint because of the horrible sweatshop conditions that produce far too many products that make it into this country."
He continued, "But fair trade is also important because sweatshop practices in other countries are costing Americans family supporting jobs, and government must use its purchasing power to lead the way to social justice."
Becoming a fair trade city means that the city agrees to a set of principals, including passing a resolution of fair trade support and several local businesses offer fair trade goods, as businesses like Four Corners of the World Fair Trade Store, Sven's European Cafe, Future Green, Fair Trade For All, Outpost and others in Milwaukee have done.
What it doesn't mean is that every product sold must comply with those standards.
"We interpret fair trade broadly," says Chheda. The Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition considers more than officially certified items because only a few products like coffee, bananas, sugar and chocolate have an actual certification process in place.
"We want people to purchase sustainable, local, made with union labor, too."
In doing so, he's helped organize the second annual Milwaukee Fair Trade Crawl on Saturday, May 9.
The crawl begins at Outpost, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., at 10:30 a.m. with Mayor Tom Barrett and visiting fair trade artisans from Peru. Although many other Bay View businesses are participating, the crawl continues on to more than 30 locations throughout the city. Click here for a full list.
Shoppers who visit at least six shops can return to Outpost at the end of the day to win prizes, including Wigwam socks, Cafe Fair, Equal Exchange and Sven's coffee, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, and fair trade wine.
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4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by justapalooka on Aug. 18, 2009 at 8:49 a.m. (report)
FunkyBrewster... Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo.
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Posted by ft4all on Aug. 16, 2009 at 11:02 a.m. (report)
I recommend reading this book: Not For Sale. The author is a journalist who spent 2 years traveling around the world, documenting cases of abuse and slavery. Once you read this book, you'll never shop the same way again. You can get a copy at Fair Trade For All on 5201 W. North Av. Milwaukee (across from US Bank). You can also see the documentary.
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Posted by ft4all on Aug. 16, 2009 at 10:56 a.m. (report)
There are several fair trade stores in Milwaukee, such as: * Fair Trade For All on 52nd & North * Future Green in Bayview * Lutheran Church store on Capitol Dr.
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Posted by FunkyBrewster on May 4, 2009 at 4:23 p.m. (report)
You want fair trade? You feel like we have exploited poor countries that are forced to use sweat shops. You feel guilty? Fine. Take a vacation to Mexico! By the time you are done spending a ton of dollar on gringo tax maybe your job or project back home will be undercut by illegals working for minimum or less under the table sending their kids to the schools you paid for and sending the dollars back home by the time thats over you probably shouldn't feel that guilty anymore and focus on looking out for you and yours. Cause believe me the rest of the world isn't looking out for us they are looking out for themselves just like they should be. They come here for OUR MONEY, they don't want US traveling to their country they want OUR MONEY traveling there. Same for the rest of the world! These public protests demanding illegals be treated as legals kills me. If a bunch of pot smokers did the same thing and gathered smoking pot they'd all be arrested. Why don't they arrest the mob of illegals? Why have these laws we don't enforce. What about the people from every other country but Mexico waiting in line to get in... are they just schmucks because they actually don't try getting smuggled in some ship freight container? It would be a lot worse for a gringo to be caught working in mexico than a latino illegal in the states! TRUST ME! Why is that fair? Why can't I go to Canada and work? I am not a doctor or in telcom! Why can't I go to Canada and wash dishes in Vancouver? Should all the expats living in vancouver rally!? LOL. Cough. STOP BEATING OURSELVES UP OVER EVERYTHING AMERICA WHILE WE FORGIVE BLINDLY ANY WRONG FROM AROUND THE WORLD! What do you want to do? What is your Idea of Free Trade? Screw up The United States of America so bad...until we are just like every other player hating country that is greedily eyeing us up and just hoping for our demise? Just handicap ourselves help everyone else until everything is fair? Until everyone is equally poor and rich.Global Communism? These Goals Scare Me! You can't rule the world with emotion! The world will rule the emotional! It's ruled or be ruled! If our emotions make us forget that we are destined to be ruled. The entire planet has been looking the gift horse in the mouth way too long folks! Is Fair Trade saying we are the ones looking the gift horse in the mouth? As an american I haven't even seen one in my life!? Or wait is that what the statue of liberty was? Or wait all the dozens of non combatant soldiers from around the world rallying to our support in iraq? Yea I really feel I owe a lot to Japan for observing in Iraq. Maybe people think we should make trade fair just cause they like their spicy food! WE ARE THE GIFT HORSE! THE REST OF THE WORLD NEEDS TO STOP LOOKING AT OUR MOUTH! Fair Trade and the others petitioning for even more makes me sick. This 1 more peso mentality. 1 more peso is good advice. It means always ask for one more peso because why not you might get it. Words of Wisdom Words To Live By. No more sucker. No more gringo money tree. Yea right... No country on earth is more charitable, fair, or kind in aiding other countries than the USA and they want more to make TRADE FAIR? No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth---straight from the horses mouth.
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