Dear USFT;

After two wonderful years, my time with USFT has come to an end. As of August 31, 2012, I have stepped down from my position as a National Coordinator to focus on my studies for my final semester of undergraduate study at the University of Maryland: College Park.

In the summer of 2006, I attended Justice Action Week in Baltimore City, MD and first learned about fair trade in a presentation at Catholic Relief Services. I remember graduating high school thinking that I would never be involved with fair trade again, when in reality, it has become my life. I entered college as a Pre-Med/Biology major, hoping of one day becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon and I will be graduating from the University of Maryland this December with a degree in Government and Politics, and plans to stay in the fair trade world.
About two and a half years ago, I learned about USFT from my advisor at John Carroll University (where I was going to school at the time) and he recommended that I apply to be on the Coordinating Committee. After applying, I was soon there-after elected to be the Northeast and MidAtlantic Coordinator for the 2010-2011 school year. I was enthusiastic about being a part of a National Student Organization that served as the students’ voice for the fair trade movement. After a year of being heavily involved with USFT, I was “promoted” to a National Coordinator position. From the fair trade coffee sales I hosted in high school with my youth group to becoming a National Coordinator this past year, the connections and friendships I have established are life-long. The planning and attending of countless conferences and events may have been physically taxing, but what I learned from each experience is priceless.
USFT has grown leaps and bounds since I became involved two years ago, and I am thrilled to be “passing the torch” to two young women who are model activists and leaders, as well as students here at the University of Maryland; Joanna Agin and Emily Dooley. Joanna and Emily have been very involved with USFT over the past year, and I have great confidence that they will be able to fulfill their duties as National Coordinators. They can be reached at Joanna@usft.org and Emily@usft.org. USFT will also be taking on two new regional coordinators – Gabrielle Rovengo(Northeast) and Jessica Nicolao (MidAtlantic). If you know of anyone who is interested in serving on the Coordinating Committee, please email coordinatingcommittee@usft.org.
The 2012-2013 year will be a very exciting year for USFT. As you may know, we have recently joined the Fair World Project as a special program, and through their assistance, we will be hiring a part time Organizer to help us restructure USFT and come up with a more sustainable plan for the organization as a whole. We are in the middle of the hiring process at this time, and we ask for your continued patience during this time of transition – with new leadership coming in and a new Organizer, we will be quite busy, but we are always here for you! Through this partnership with the Fair World Project, we will be able to strengthen our organization as a whole.
My time coming to an end with USFT is bittersweet – however, I plan to stay involved with the fair trade movement. I will be around to help with the transition to the new Coordinating Committee over the next few months. If you need to reach me, feel free to email me (mlouzon@terpmail.umd.edu) or call me ((443)883-5226).
Thank you again for your continued support and for all of the memories!
Until next time,

Maria Louzon

Today I took the Vermonter (beloved Amtrak train!) to Amherst, MA for the 2012 Northeast Organic Farmers Association Conference. I arrive around 4pm, was waiting for a bus, and a cabbie drove up and offered me a ride — for free! Most people would not accept such an offer, but hey, it’s Amherst, what can go wrong, right? About 10 minutes after I got in the taxi, I arrived at UMass Amherst. I went to set up my tent (I’m camping since it’s cheaper than paying for a room in a dorm)….and there was no one here…. it was very weird – definitely ghost-town-esque. Anywho, I explored campus a little bit, did some homework, and here I am. Apparently it’s supposed to thunderstorm tonight? Who knows.. I’m locked inside of a concrete building at the moment. Be sure to follow us on twitter — @fairtradecampus . I’ll try my best to post throughout the day tomorrow! 

I’m really excited about this conference — Kerstin from the Domestic Fair Trade Association is here, as well as Michael Skillcorn from Dean’s Beans. They have tons of workshops lined up — check it out here: http://www.nofasummerconference.org/ 

I can’t believe I’m down to my last 20 days as a National Coordinator. My time with USFT has been great, and it definitely is a bittersweet last month. I will be around here and there, but I need to focus on my studies since I will be graduating in December. Look for more information on how to stay in touch with me once I “graduate” from my position with USFT.

Remember – fair trade is a MOVEMENT not a brand -

PEACE-

Maria Louzon, National Coordinator for USFT

This summer has been quite hectic. As my last summer as a National Coordinator for USFT I have really been trying to make the most of it. In June, I attended the Food Chain Worker’s Alliance conference in NYC. I was struck by the moving stories of workers in our flawed food system. I work in the food industry here in DC, and it’s quite amazing how much discrimination occurs…even after years of legislation that was created in order to end discrimination. Somehow, businesses are able to weasle the most out of as many people as they can, even if it puts lives at risk.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to take a train trip through the Northeast. First stop – New Haven! I visited with one of my best friends from college and we had a great talk about what I want to do post graduation. Second stop – Boston! I had a great time exploring the city and tasting all of the delicious fair trade goodies they have there. I then ventured to Burlington, VT; one of the first Fair Trade Towns.

I had never been to Vermont before, but let me tell you, it’s BEAUTIFUL! I stayed with my roommate at the Northeast Fair Trade Stakeholder Council Meeting in Minneapolis (and now, close friend), Sandy Wynne. Sandy has a beautiful home just a block for UVM. What a cute town, too! While in Vermont, I attended another “food” conference at UVM: ” Leading The Necessary [r]evolution for Sustainable Food Systems: AMPLIFIED”.

After almost two years with USFT, it is great to attend conferences and run into other comrads in the fair trade movement that I am proud to call my friends. It is really amazing how close you can grow to folks, even if you only see them a few times a year…at conferences! At the conference at UVM, I realized how much of a role fair trade plays in our food system. Not only does it give us the opportunity to give workers the rights they deserve, but also provides consumers with a wholesome product. We need to hold corporations in the food system just like as we do with fair trade certification bodies. If we only hold certifying bodies accountable, our food system will continue to become more and more broken.

It is my hope that over these last few months of college I will be able to establish and leave a lasting legacy for those who follow. I thank everyone for all of my experiences thus far, and I look forward to more to come!!

This Summer, join Fair World Project, student activists from United Students Against Sweatshops, United Students for Fair Trade and leaders in the movement for social justice for workers and producers across the Dominican Republic for an unforgettable close-up look at the origins our clothes, sugar, coffee, and many of the other commodities and people we depend on before we finish breakfast. 

We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly …before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured. This is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize this basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

July 10 – 18
Media Institute Altagracia
and
Creativity Factory (Session 1)

July 22 – August 6
Social Justice and Organizing (Session 2)

August 8 – 20
Social Justice and Organizing (Session 3)

Highlights:

● Meet the inspiring leaders of Alta Gracia, the first ever living-wage union-made factory producing college logo apparel. This article in The Nation and this fun video made by United Students Against Sweatshops share the history, or check out this short documentary film.  Come see for yourself how more than a decade of student worker solidarity continues to transform the Free Trade Zone and community of Villa Altagracia.

● Gain a first-hand understanding of the bigger picture of human rights in the global economy direct from organizers in the factories and fields.

● Meet students from all over, feed your creativity, fine-tune your organizing skills and have time to develop your game plans in an inspiring new setting. Build alliances with a network of amazing students from campuses across the country who are fighting for change, just like you! 

●  Beaches! Rainforest Rivers! Hikes in the hills of Villa Altagracia! Bachata, Merengue and Salsa! Karaoke in Spanish! Learn to cook Delicious Dominican Food! Art! Action!

● Soak in the local culture with home-stays and hang-out time with families in Villa Altagracia. 

● Trips include all necessities (food, housing, transport, interpretation,) except airfare (and your drinks are on you!). 

A few weeks ago, we attended the North American Fair Trade Stakeholder Summit in Minneapolis. As students, we feel that our role in the fair trade movement is an integral portion for the movement to stay authentic. The summit was full of discussions concerning the current state of fair trade, and how we can move forward — with or without certifiers. As you know, we released a statement this past fall denouncing the largest fair trade certifying body in the US — Fair Trade USA, and we continue to stand by this statement. Read our statement here.  We stand with small farmers, and we invite you to support Equal Exchange’s campaign to re-authenticate the fair trade movement.

We have a new fiscal sponsor — the Fair World Project!! We are looking forward to furthering our already establish partnership, and through the tools and experiences they can give us, we hope to become an even stronger organization.

For example, in the UK, fair trade sales have increased by 12% between t 2011 and 2012, totaling the equivalent of 2.05 billion dollars. Considering that a severally depressed UK is willing to pay a premium for products that have been sustainably manufactured shows a definite and heartening shift in mindset among consumers from first-world countries.

Why, suddenly, have fair trade products surged in popularity? According to Joe  Satran of the Huffington Post, the reasons are two-fold. One, more and more consumers are demanding products that are made in an ethical manner. As the public becomes more privy to the unsavory things happening behind the scenes, all along the chain of production, they’ve become aware that their consumer choices do make a difference in how both the environment and workers around the world are treated.

Another interesting reason that fair trade products have experienced an unprecedented surge in sales is that more and more very large companies that offer consumers an array of products are diving into the fair trade certified market. One example is the ice cream company Ben and Jerry’s, which committed to using fair trade ingredients in 2010. As such, consumers who’ve already bought these brands for years are simply continuing to be loyal to the products they already enjoy.  Other examples include Cadbury’s

In the final analysis, the success of fair trade in the grocery store is heartening because it demonstrates that it’s not just consumers who care about where their food comes from and how, precisely, it’s made. It’s bigger corporations who are starting to care, too. As more and more consumer products companies jump on the fair trade bandwagon, the notion that fair trade means good business becomes increasingly apparent.

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities advice.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

Only 3 weeks are left to nominate organizations for the first inclusive “Best in Fair Trade” Awards for North America nonprofits & businesses.

http://www.fairtraderesource.org/wftd/best-in-fair-trade-awards/

The public can nominate (by March 31), and vote, for U.S. & Canada organizations doing exemplary work in Fair Trade in 5 categories: Most positive change in a producer community; Outstanding long-term commitment to producers; Best support of the Fair Trade movement; Most effective public education program; Most effective advocacy for trade policy reform.

FTRN created the contest since no awards existed to honor organizations across all major Fair Trade recognitions. Winners will be celebrated during World Fair Trade Day in May!

Nominate, or self-nominate, nonprofits and businesses before March 31. The public will then vote for any finalists during April.

Thanks for showing your support!

Saturday morning began bright and early at 8:00 a.m. with a breakfast, and a plenary session with Abel Fernandez, a worker representative from CLAC/CONOCADO. The first workshop session theme was “global trade issues”, and included workshops given by Global Trade Watch, and Food & Water Watch and National Family Farm Coalition. The second session was themed around “varying perspectives on fair trade workshops.” Workshops were given by Alta Gracia workers, Catholic Relief Services, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.
Saturday afternoon began with a lunch and networking session, and was proceeded by a Fair Trade Marketplace. Vendors at the Fair Trade Marketplace were: Just Haiti, Malia Designs, Mayan Hands, SERRV, Ten Thousand Villiages, Global Mamas, Pulsera Project, Dr. Bronner’s, AltaGracia, Hand Crafting Justice, Ethix Merch, FTRN, CRS, and Theo Chocolate.

The third session was themed around “activism on your campus”, and workshops were presented by Fairly Educated, United Students Against Sweatshops, and the Real Food Challenge. The third session was followed by a Divine Chocolate Tasting, and a facilitated discussion.Overall, Saturday was a very jam-packed and productive day for all those who attended.

The stamina of Saturday continued to Sunday morning for those who could stick around till noon. The Sunday morning session was themed around “campaigning on your campus”, and workshops were given by Alta Grace Apparel/Ethix, and Divine Chocolate/Green America.

On behalf of the USFT Coordinating Committee, we would like to thank all of those who attended the 9th Annual National Convergence, presented a workshop, and participated in the Fair Trade Marketplace. We had a great weekend, and hope you all did as well.

This post was written by Sasha Pillow Petroni, one of our National Coordinators.