Remembering author Miranda Paul’s Oct 29, 2019 visit to Fond du Lac Schools.
Clubs & Organizations, Community Engagement, Diversity, Fair Trade
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
by Anne Lemke, Moraine Park Technical College
On October 29, in celebration of Fair Trade Month, the Moraine Park Technical Fair Trade College and Just Fare Market hosted a wonderful education event!
Over 600 Grades 3-5 students and teachers from FDL and NFDL elementary schools, Riverside, STEM, and Friendship, and 50 plus community members enjoyed an amazing story from One Plastic Bag Author Miranda Paul!
The evening event also included educational community partner displays focused on the Fair Trade Principle of “respecting the environment” from Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, CD Smith, FDL Audubon, Sustain FDL, UWFDL Fair Trade University and FDL Fair Trade Towns!
Miranda Paul has been a teacher in Gambia as well as the owner of a Fair Trade store in Green Bay. Her presentation focused on two of her books, “One Plastic Bag” and “I am Farmer.” One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia tells the inspiring story of five women who creatively dealt with their village’s plastic trash problem. Despite limited resources and ridicule, Isatou and her friends persevered for more than a decade, eventually realizing economic empowerment through their recycled plastic purse project.
I am Farmer, written in collaboration with Baptiste Paul, is the true story of how environmentalist Farmer Tantoh is transforming the landscape in his home country of Cameroon. When Tantoh Nforba was a child, his fellow students mocked him for his interest in gardening. Today he’s an environmental hero, and bringing clean water and bountiful gardens to the central African nation of Cameroon.
A big thank you to Just Fare Market for their Fair Trade education leadership and education grants from CSA and FDL Area Foundation in bringing Miranda Paul to visit for Fair Trade Month! Each 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom also received a copy of One Plastic Bag and were able to get their books autographed by Miranda!
See lots more amazing event photos here!
November 13, 2019by Anne Lemke
Community Engagement, Fair Trade
Fair Trade Activities!
Celebrate Fair Trade Month at Moraine Park- Tuesday, October 29!
- Global Fair Trade Market from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.
- Local environmental sustainability organizations will be on site starting at 5 p.m.
- Keynote speaker, Miranda Paul, author of the inspirational story of the women of Gambia, “One Plastic Bag”, begins at 6 p.m.
More details can be found here, or by emailing alemke2@morainepark.edu.
Make Fond du Lac a Traffic Free Zone
Action Sunday, September 25, 2016
FOND DU LAC – A group of Fond du Lac volunteers has been working to make Fond du Lac a traffic-free zone.
This does not involve banning certain types of cars, buses or trucks or constructing more roundabouts. It does not mean rationing drive time on the road or even constructing another railroad bridge.
This initiative is about bringing awareness to the crime of trafficking in people for sex or labor, learning what is being done in our community, and how the community can help.
For a long time, the fair trade community, as well as the faith community, have been aware of exploitation of vulnerable people outside of the United States of America. Some fair trade businesses were organized specifically to rescue people from enslavement, while others are working to eliminate trafficking by attacking its causes.
Bethany Karbowski of Equal Exchange was quoted at a human trafficking roundtable on June 21 in Portland, Oregon, as saying: “Poverty is one of the root causes of trafficking. When there aren’t better alternatives for people in rural areas, human trafficking increases — especially in agricultural areas. Having a stable price allows farmers to stay on their land, allows for better education opportunities and a better quality of life to keep families together.”
In Fond du Lac, Nancy Irizarry is the co-chair of the Wisconsin Anti-Human Human Trafficking Consortium. Through the Community Church, Irizarry has organized summer conferences and numerous smaller gatherings to grow awareness. Her presentation on Human Trafficking Awareness Day in January at the Fond du Lac Public Library had more than 80 attendees.
This energy led a group of representatives of local nonprofit organizations to work together for “How to Make Fond du Lac a Traffic Free Zone.” This half-day educational event will be Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at Moraine Park Technical College’s Fond du Lac campus. This event was specifically planned for October as a part of educational opportunities available during Fair Trade Month.
Representatives from the American Association for University Women-Fond du Lac Branch, Congregation of the Sisters of St Agnes, Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town, Just Fare Market, Moraine Park Technical College, Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac and the Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund have been meeting since January to discuss how to make this an interesting and informative event for the Fond du Lac community. These organizations are pooling their time, talent and resources to be able to be more effective in informing and protecting our citizens.
Since trafficking is such a complex and multi-faceted issue, additional educational presentations will be scheduled throughout the upcoming year.
Citizens and youth grade six and up accompanied by a parent are invited to gather at the MPTC cafeteria beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 8. Participants will receive the program for the morning, some simple Fair Trade refreshments and may begin visiting the vendor and organization booths.
At 9 a.m., Anne Lemke, grant manager at MPTC — who has been instrumental in MPTC becoming a Fair Trade College — will welcome the group and introduce the first speaker, Elizabeth Marczak, Product Development Specialist for SERRV International, speaking on the topic, “What Fair Trade is doing to combat the Global Crime of Human Trafficking.”
A panel discussion, focused on statewide and community efforts to combat trafficking, moderated by Nancy Irizarry and including representatives from ASTOP, Solutions Center, St. Agnes Hospital, the Fond du Lac Police Department and the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s office will follow.
The remainder of the morning, will be an interactive “Stay Out of Traffic” experience. This will give opportunity to work through a possible human trafficking scenario by finding resources from local agencies who could help if you were in the situation presented in the scenario. Fair Trade vendors including Just Fare Market, Gallery and Frame and Living Light Studio, as well some of the nonprofit partner organizations, will have booths to visit.
Another way to learn about Fair Trade this October is to take a Fair Trade Journey to the businesses who sell Fair Trade products in Fond du Lac. From Oct. 1 through 31 all are invited to get acquainted with Fair Trade products offered at 10 local businesses. Visit five or more businesses and fill in your passport to be eligible for a prize drawing.
The participating local businesses are the Blue Goose Coffee House at Horicon Bank, Common Grounds Coffeehouse/Erbert & Gerbert’s Bistro at Marian University, Gallery and Frame Shop, Just B Still Massage Studio and Green Café, Just Fare Market, Living Light Studio, Moraine Park Technical College Bookstore, ReachOut & Solid Grounds Coffee, Urban Fuel and Village Market Specialty Foods.
For more information on the event and Fair Trade in the Fond du Lac area, visit fonddulacfairtradetown.wordpress.com.
Fair Trade Week to be observed in Fond du Lac
“Be an Agent for Change” is the 2016 theme for World Fair Trade Day.
Initiated in 2001 by World Fair Trade Organization members, World Fair Trade Day is observed around the world this year on May 14. Fair Trade is an agent for change.
It is a tangible solution to poverty eradication, a good tool for sustainable development, and importantly Fair Trade promotes social justice. The Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town steering committee acknowledges local businesses that can be found throughout the community who make Fair Trade products available so that Fond du Lac area residents can also Be Agents of Change:
Just Fare Market, at the Old Mill Plaza in Peebles, will feature selected artisan work from the Americas, Asia and Africa/Middle East beginning on May 9 and the entire week before World Fair Trade Day. In store displays will include information about the artisan groups and the impact that Fair Trade has on the lives of the producers.
Customers who visit Just Fare on May 14 will receive a free Fair Trade gift with a purchase of $25 or more. Some of Just Fare’s products most popular with customers are olive oils from Palestine, Starfish Project jewelry from Southeast Asia, which is made by women who survived human trafficking and organic cotton and wool socks with the organic fibers sourced in Nicaragua, Peru and Argentina. The socks are manufactured in the U.S. in states where the textile industry has disappeared.
Urban Fuel Cafe, also located at Old Mill Plaza in Peebles, has registered for the World Fair Trade Challenge from May 13 to 15 with an aim to have the biggest Fair Trade coffee break on earth. Owner Terri Deanovich will count the number of cups of Fair Trade Coffee consumed on those days.
Kyle Freund, Digital Content Manager with Fair Trade America, visited Urban Fuel recently. His Madison office is also participating in the coffee break challenge. Urban Fuel is now the place to purchase Fair Trade wine. They are newly offering Six Hats-certified Fair Trade wine from South Africa.
Festival Foods, at 1125 E. Johnson St., continues of offer a wide variety of organic foods. Some of these foods also carry a Fair Trade Certification mark indicating fair prices, fair and safe labor conditions, direct trade, democratic and transparent organizations, community development and environmental sustainability.
Blue Goose Coffee House, at the Horicon Bank, 854 E. Johnson St., is managed by Mary Weishapple. She said that bank and coffee house employees “understand and believe in the mission of Fair Trade and are happy to be doing their part in supporting small scale coffee farmers.” The Blue Goose will offer samples of fair trade coffee on May 13 and 14 to introduce customers to fair trade offerings.
Common Grounds Coffee Shop at Marian University, 45 S. National Ave., reports they are proud to offer Fair Trade products and to take part in supporting Fair Trade at Sodexo on Marian University Campus. Letting others know about Fair Trade and talking to our students about its importance in our world makes a difference in our future.
Living Light Studio, at 314 Fourth St., has a direct trading relationship with traditionally skilled pottery makers in San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua. Beginning in 2006, Howie Zanto, Liz Woodworth-Zanto and pottery partners Connie Ramthun and Bill Volkert traveled to Nicaragua to personally select the clay artwork and purchase the pieces directly from the artists. This relationship has helped the artisans in this little village greatly expand their market into the U.S. and beyond. This Fond du Lac team has found it gratifying to help preserve a cultural art form and know that the lives of the artisans have improved year after year as a result of this trading relationship.
Julie Balson, owner of Gallery and Frame Shop, LLC at 94 S. Main St., began offering some Fair Trade products in her store in support of Fond du Lac becoming a Fair Trade Town. The shop feature pottery from Mexico, steel drum art from Haiti, various types of metal art, and hand carved boxes. Pottery and metal art are some of our best selling items. Balson has lent her front window and window designer for displays of Fair Trade products in her expansive Main Street windows during October, Fair Trade Month.
Village Market Specialty Foods, located at 806 S. Main St., is known for a vast array of organic foods and personal care products. A Fair Trade Certification label is frequently found on foods such as bananas, avocados, coffee, tea, chocolate and others that come from countries with a more temperate climate than the U.S. The Village Market produce manager has connected with wholesalers who consistently can supply the store with Fair Trade bananas, avocados in season, and other produce where the producer’s and growing and harvesting conditions are known. They also make an effort to find fairly traded personal care products like oils, popular grains like quinoa, and herbs or superfruits for supplements.
Old Pioneer Road Gift Shop at Fond du Lac’s Historic Galloway House and Village at 336 Old Pioneer Road began offering some Fair Trade products in the 2015 season. A limited selection of Fair Trade goods will continue to be offered, recognizing the progressive outlook of Fond du Lac as a Fair Trade Town. Executive Director Kymberley Pekrul reports that the gift shop has been designated by the Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors’ Bureau as the official Fond du Lac County souvenir site. In addition the store offers a variety of local handcrafts and foods.
The Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Steering Committee invites the community to support these locally owned businesses especially during the week of May 9 to 14 in celebration of World Fair Trade Day. For more information, visit fonddulacfairtradetown.wordpress.com.
MPTC achieves Fair Trade status, offers events
Action Sunday, Sunday, October 4, 2015 Section A, page 2
Moraine Park Technical College has become the first technical college in the U.S. to achieve Fair Trade status. The designation was granted by Fair Trade Colleges & Universities USA this past summer and will be celebrated during Fair Trade month in October.
“The college’s mission is to prepare students for success in a diverse and globally connected world,” said Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president. “Our interest and designation as a Fair Trade school demonstrates our commitment to exposing and teaching our students about social and ethnic values and struggles.”
Fair Trade is a global trade model that promotes the purchase and sale of goods produced ethically and fairly. It ensures fair wages, safe working conditions and environmental sustainability while prohibiting forced labor. Fair Trade products such as coffee, tea, chocolate and greeting cards are available at all three Moraine Park cafeterias and bookstores.
Brenda Schaefer, social science instructor/service learning coordinator at Moraine Park, said it was her students’ effort that helped the college receive this designation.
“My ethics course took this on as a service-learning project as we learned about the value of Fair Trade and the inequalities and ethical implications of cheap labor and the effects of globalization in our society,” Schaefer said.
During the processes, students worked with College vendors and food service providers and drafted a resolution for implementation. “The students learned how to work with vendors and learned about the processes involved at Moraine Park so the resolution could be accepted. It was a great experience and a great effort for everyone who was involved.”
To celebrate Fair Trade month, two Lunch and Learn events will be held at the Fond du Lac campus. “How Can You Know Fair Trade is Fair?” will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in room O103. The Fair Trade designation will be explained, Fair Trade products from Just Fare Market will be available and door prizes will be given. The keynote speaker will be Serena Sato, from SERRV International in Madison.
The second Lunch and Learn, “Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Chocolate,” will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in room A112. This event will feature an excerpt from the BBC film, “The Dark Side of Chocolate,” products from Just Fare Market, door prizes and Fair Trade chocolate chip cookies made by Moraine Park culinary chef James Simmers. The keynote speaker will be Kathleen Stetter, UWO Emeritus Faculty and Just Fare board member.
For more information on Moraine Park’s Fair Trade designation, visit fairtradecampaigns.org.
For more information about the Moraine Park Fair Trade events, visit morainepark.edu/events.
Celebrate Fair Trade Month – October 2015
Fair Trade Month will be celebrated in Fond du Lac from October 1–16 with something new – a Fair Trade Crawl. The public is encouraged to participate. Locally owned shops and cafés who carry some Fair Trade products are highlighting featured products for you to learn more about Fair Trade in Fond du Lac.
Participating local businesses are the Blue Goose Coffee House at Horicon Bank, Common Grounds Coffee Shop at Marian University, Gallery and Frame Shop, Just B Still Massage Studio and Green Café, Just Fare Market, Living Light Studio, Moraine Park Technical College Bookstore, ReachOut & Solid Grounds Coffee, Urban Fuel and Village Market Specialty Foods.
The Fair Trade Crawl theme is “Know Your Producer; Know Your Product.” This theme encourages people to think about where their products come from and the human beings who make them. Although fair trade networks focus mainly on fighting poverty in developing countries the organizers of the event recognize the importance of treating all workers with fairness, including those in the United States.
Crawl participants may start at any of the participating businesses, where they will receive a “Crawl Passport.” At each stop, Crawl shoppers will be encouraged to look for that venue’s “featured product” and record the product’s name in their passport. Shoppers who find the featured products at five shops are invited to leave the completed passport at one of the stores to be entered in a drawing at that store for a gift certificate or prize package. The passports must be completed by the end of the business day on October 16.
Fair Trade handcrafts will be on display during the month of October. The Gallery and Frame Shop will once again feature handcrafted items which are sold at Living Light Studio, Just Fare Market, Old Pioneer Road Gift Shop at the Galloway House and Village, and Gallery and Frame Shop. In addition some of the many Fair Trade food and personal care items sold at Festival Foods and the Village Market will be in the window display.
New this year the Share Fine Art Galleries at 228 South Military Rd., Fond du Lac will also display special Fair Trade artisan pieces from Living Light Studio and Just Fare Market during the month of October.
Also being celebrated during Fair Trade Month will be the declaration of Moraine Park Technical College as the first Fair Trade technical college in the country. This announcement will be made on October 7 at MPTC during a Lunch and Learn session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The guest speaker at that event will be Serena Sato, Marketing Director of SERRV International – addressing “How do I know that Fair Trade is Fair?” On October 21 at another Lunch and Learn event at MPTC, a presentation entitled “Shining a Light on the Dark Side of Chocolate” will be presented by Kathleen Stetter, board member of Just Fare Market. The public is encouraged to participate in all of these events. Fair Trade month events have been organized by Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town, Just Fare Market, and the Moraine Park Technical College Fair Trade Committee.
Human trafficking event held Saturday
A presentation about human trafficking will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 at Fond du Lac Public Library’s Eugene G. McLane Meeting Room.
What is Human Trafficking? Do I Support It without Knowing It? will include guest speaker Nancy Irizarry, co-chair of Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Consortium.
The event is sponsored by Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Steering Committee and is planned in support of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In 2007, the U.S. Senate designated Jan. 11 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery and human trafficking worldwide. Although it is a U.S. initiative, the United Nations has begun to highlight this topic and work towards global awareness.
On Dec. 10, Fond du Lac City Council issued a proclamation against human trafficking, acknowledging that it will not be tolerated in the area.
For more information, visit fonddulacfairtradetown.wordpress.com or contact Carol Smith at infofairtradefdl@yahoo.com.
Fair Trade Month events presented the next two weeks.
Action Advertiser, Sunday, October 19, 2014
Connected by Coffee, a new documentary described by Video Librarian Magazine as “An eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at the real world of coffee…Highly recommended” will be screened at two locations on October 22. This is the first comprehensive film about coffee since the 2006 release of Black Gold. Moraine Park Technical College will screen the film in room A112 from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm and Marian University will show the film in the second floor Stayer Center Amphitheater from 6:30-8:30 pm. Two of the people in the film will be available via modern technology for Questions and Answers after the Marian showing.
On Saturday, October 25, the public is invited to a free continental breakfast at the former Gift N’ Gab at Old Mill Plaza from 9:30-11:30 am. Anak, an artisan from Village Works in Cambodia will make a presentation about the work and impact of this Fair Trade organization.
On Wednesday, October 29, from 11:30 am -1:00 pm, Moraine Park Technical College, Fond du Lac Campus will host a presentation by Nancy Irizarry, Co-chair of the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Consortium. She will speak about Human Trafficking and ways Fair Trade organizations are preventing human trafficking as well as helping victims escape sex slavery. The presentation will be in Room A112.
Connected by Fair Trade – October is Fair Trade Month
During Fair Trade month, people all across the world come together to learn about and celebrate Fair Trade. In our local area, Just Fare Market, Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town, Moraine Park Technical College, UW-Fond du Lac, and Marian University are connecting to educate and celebrate with a number of special events throughout the month. We encourage everyone to attend these important events to learn more about how our support of artisans and farmers in developing countries can truly make a difference. All events are free and open to the public.
MPTC Lunch n Learn
• Moraine Park Technical College – FDL Campus (Room A112) October 1 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. What is Fair Trade and how does it impact the lives of artisans and farmers in developing countries?
Fair Trade Film Showing “Connected by Coffee” An inspiring and thought-provoking look into the lives and history of the people who grow the coffee we drink.
• UW-Fond du Lac Prairie Theater October 7 – 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Moraine Park Technical College – FDL Campus (Room A112) October 22 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
•Marian University Stayer Center Amphitheater October 22 – 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Meet & Greet: Anak of Village Works
• Old Mill Plaza (Former Gift n Gab Coffee Shop) N7645 N. Peebles Lane, Fond du Lac October 25 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Join Just Fare Market in welcoming Anak, an artisan from Village Works in Cambodia, visiting the U.S. on a special tour sponsored by SERRV.
Human Trafficking Presentation
• Moraine Park Technical College – FDL Campus (Room A112) October 29 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Human Trafficking Presentation featuring guest speaker Nancy Irizarry, Winnebago County Social Services Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center and Co-chair of the WI Anti-Human Trafficking Consortium.
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| Fair Trade Month Celebrations in October 2013Black Gold shown on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the McLean Room at Fond du Lac Public Library.
Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.”Our hope is one day the consumer will understand what they are drinking. Consumers can bring a change if awareness is given to consumers. It is not only on coffee, all products are getting a very low price – and the producers are highly affected.” http://www.oromiacoffeeunion.org |
The Price of Sugar will be shown on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the McLean Room at Fond du Lac Public Library.On the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, tourists flock to pristine beaches, with little knowledge that a few miles away thousands of dispossessed Haitians are under armed guard on plantations harvesting sugarcane, most of which ends up in US kitchens. Cutting cane by machete, they work 14 hour days, 7 days a week, frequently without access to decent housing, electricity, clean water, education, healthcare or adequate nutrition. The Price of Sugar (2007) follows a charismatic Spanish priest, Father Christopher Hartley, as he organizes some of this hemisphere’s poorest people, challenging the powerful interests profiting from their work. This film raises key questions about where the products we consume originate, at what human cost they are produced and ultimately, where our responsibility lies. Written by Louise Rosen Ltd. |
May 9, 2013 Declaration Ceremony naming Fond du Lac a Fair Trade Town
City Council President Sam Meyer and City Manager Joe Moore accepted the Declaration Certificate from Jim Hubbard of the Fair Trade Town Steering Committee naming Fond du Lac as the 32nd Fair Trade Town in the U.S. Mr. Moore commented that the assembled group of about 50 people represented awareness of diversity of people across the globe. Jim Hubbard indicated that this designation shows the progressive nature of the city of Fond du Lac and represents the first step toward building awareness until everyone in Fond du Lac understands Fair Trade.
Jim Hubbard explains the process for becoming a Fair Trade Town and discusses the benefits of Fair Trade.
Fond du Lac to celebrate Fair Trade Town designation
What is Fair Trade?
• Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative is a community-based organization.
• Its mission statement is, “As a Fair Trade Town, Fond du Lac encourages its citizens to be conscientious consumers who advocate for the principles of Fair Trade.”
• More information is available at fonddulacfairtradetown.wordpress.com.
Fond du Lac has been named the 32nd Fair Trade Town in the United States and the third in Wisconsin.
A declaration ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center, 160 S. Macy Street. The event is hosted by Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative and the City of Fond du Lac. City Manager Joe Moore, Fond du Lac City Council members, Fair Trade businesses and organizations, and members of the Fair Trade Town Initiative steering committee will participate.
The public is invited. Refreshments will include Fair Trade coffee, chocolate and bananas.
The Fond du Lac City Council passed a resolution in support of Fair Trade Town Fond du Lac on Jan. 23. The Fair Trade Town designation is accomplished by meeting criteria set by Fair Trade Towns USA. Criteria include identifying a specific number of businesses and organizations that sell or serve Fair Trade products, having an active steering committee, and sustaining a community awareness program.
Participating businesses and organizations will display “Proud Supporter — Fair Trade Towns USA” in their windows. Many businesses identify Fair Trade products with special signs. Numerous local retailers are interested in adding products to their inventory, according to an event pres release.
Fair Trade supporters in the Fond du Lac area include Blue Goose Coffee House, Common Grounds Coffee House at Marian University, Festival Foods, Gallery & Frame Shop, Gift N’ Gab, Living Light Studio, Just Fare Market, Solid Grounds Coffee Shop-Reach Out Books, Solid Grounds Coffee Shop-Spirit of Life Church, Treasures Unlimited Gift Shop-Lutheran Homes and Health Services, Village Market, Ascension Lutheran Church, Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, First Presbyterian Church, Holy Family Catholic Community, Hope Lutheran Church, Memorial Baptist Church, Open Circle Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Pilgrim United Church of Christ.
“Earning the Fair Trade Town designation is just the beginning,” said Ellen Swan, Fair Trade Town Initiative chairperson. “By choosing Fair Trade products to sell and serve, businesses and organizations have shown that as a community we want global relationships based on fairness and mutual respect, and products that seek to protect the environment and build healthy, stable communities in the developing world.”
Fair Trade has been part of the Fond du Lac landscape for several years, with First Presbyterian Church, Holy Family Catholic Community and Pilgrim United Church of Christ leading the way by selling and serving Fair Trade products. The Just Fare Market opened at First Presbyterian Church in 2007 and expanded and relocated to Peebles Lane in 2011.
City Council Passes Fair Trade Town Resolution, from the Action Advertiser – Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Fond du Lac’s Fair Trade Town Initiative got a boost on January 23 when the City Council approved a resolution declaring Fond du Lac to be a Fair Trade Town. Fond du Lac meets the criteria set by Fair Trade USA, which includes identifying at least eight businesses or organizations that sell or serve Fair Trade products. While a City Council resolution is not required, it is encouraged by Fair Trade USA. Jim Hubbard, Fair Trade Town Steering Committee member, presented the resolution to the Council on behalf of the Initiative.
JUST FARE MARKET FEATURED ON TV – Fond du Lac Reporter, January 15, 2013
Just Fare Market, N7645 N. Peebles Lane, Fond du Lac, will be highlighted on Green Bay’s Channel 5 “On the Road” on Sunday, January 20. The feature will air between 6 and 8 a.m. “On the Road’ focuses on places of interest in the Green Bay station’s viewing area. Just Fare Market is one of several businesses selling Fair Trade products and is a leader in the Fair Trade Towns Initiative. The Initiative includes community awareness of Fair Trade products and seeks to gain Fond du Lac’s certification as a Fair Trade Town.
According to Fair Trade Towns Initiative sources, “Choosing to purchase Fair Trade products means endorsing an economic system that provides opportunities for producers to lift themselves out of poverty. Fair Trade provides assurances to consumers that producers are paid fair prices for their products and labor. In addition, Fair Trade provides a set of requirements that assure consumers that strict standards have been met to protect the environment, build economic sustainability, empower women, and allow opportunities for education, poverty alleviation, and health care.”
For information on the Fair Trade Towns Initiative, visit http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org or contact Ellen Swan, chair of the Fond du Lac Fair Trade Towns Initiative steering committee at ellen_swan@hotmail.com.
Fair Trade Towns Grant – Fond du Lac Reporter, December 16, 2012
The “Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative” has recently been awarded a $500.00 grant from the national Fair Trade Towns USA/Fair Trade USA for support of building our local Fair Trade Town campaign. The Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative is an all-volunteer grassroots organization formed to raise the profile of the Fair Trade movement and promote Fair Trade products in Fond du Lac. As a Fair Trade Town, our mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, that foster mutually beneficial relationships between producers and consumers, and that demonstrate the contribution of Fair Trade to a more sustainable world through international commerce. “Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative” is a member of Fair Trade Towns USA, a national network of towns, cities, and other municipalities demonstrating their commitment to the principles of Fair Trade. Billy Linstead Goldsmith, National Coordinator of Fair Trade Campaigns, said of the Fond du Lac Grant award: “It is my pleasure to inform you that the grant proposal that was submitted on behalf of the Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town campaign has been approved! I am excited to see how you are able to utilize this infusion of resources to further grow the Fair Trade movement in Fond du Lac and beyond.”
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What it means to be a Fair Trade Town – Action Advertiser, October 19, 2012
Gail Bennett-Christian will talk about “What it means to be a Fair Trade Town” on Monday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. in the McLane Room at Fond du Lac Public Library. The event, sponsored by Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative, is free and open to the public. Samples of Fair Trade coffee and chocolate will be served.
Ms. Bennett-Christian is on the National Steering Committee for Fair Trade Towns, USA, a committee member of Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition, and co-owner of Fair Trade For All, a Fair Trade store in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. “Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative” is an all-volunteer grassroots organization formed to raise the profile of the Fair Trade movement and promote Fair Trade products in Fond du Lac. As a Fair Trade Town, the mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, that foster mutually beneficial relationships between producers and consumers, and that demonstrate the contribution of Fair Trade to a more sustainable world through international commerce. “Fond du Lac Fair Trade Town Initiative” is a member of Fair Trade Towns USA, a national network of towns, cities, and other municipalities demonstrating their commitment to the principles of Fair Trade.
Fair Trade Banana producers Make Oct 16 visit in FDL during U.S. tour. Action Sunday, October 14, 2012
For every two pieces of fruit that cross the US border, one is a banana. Jorge William Restrepo and Felipe Echeverri Zapata, workers from Bananeras di Uraba, a Fair Trade banana estate in Colombia will stop in Fond du Lac on Tuesday, Oct 16 during a 14-day speaking tour to promote the national Go Bananas for Fair Trade campaign.
Fond du Lac is one stop during their trip through the United States before participating in the Fair Trade Campaigns Conference in Chicago, Il. Other stops during their visit include Madison, Minneapolis, Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, and Chicago. Their trip is sponsored by Fair Trade Towns USA and they will be accompanied by the National Organizer during their time spent in the U.S.
Fair Trade is a comprehensive approach to social and economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability among farming communities in the developing world. Restrepo and Zapata’s visit will give Fond du Lac residents a deeper understanding of the workings and impact of Fair Trade.
