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Action: Make Your Town a Fair Trade Town

Last year, when Media, PA became the first Fair Trade town in the US, we reported in our summer Co-op America Quarterly on the Fair Trade town trend in Europe (which has more than 250), and hailed Media as a hopeful new sign for Fair Trade in the US.

Today, we're happy to report that Brattleboro, VT became the second US Fair Trade town over the summer, and what's more, Fair Trade advocates across the country can now turn to our allies at the newly launched Fair Trade Towns USA campaign for help in making their town go Fair Trade.

Launched just yesterday in celebration of Fair Trade month, the new Fair Trade Towns USA Web site offers tips and guidelines for anyone who wants their town to go Fair Trade.  To be recognized as a Fair Trade community, Fair Trade Towns USA offers five goals, including formation of a local steering committee, widespread media attention and public support, and passage of a local resolution in support of Fair Trade.

To learn more about the Fair Trade Towns campaign, visit their Web site, and if you help your town go Fair Trade (or take any of the other action steps mentioned above), be sure to tell us about it.

Visit FairTradeTownsUSA.org »

News: Cafe Campesino -- Fair Trade Coffee since 1998

We wrapped up our interview with Tripp Pomeroy last Monday, and then Tripp jumped on a plane to Nicaragua, for one of his many visits during the year to the cooperatives that grow the coffee roasted by his business, Café Campesino. Such close relationships across the supply chain are a hallmark of Fair Trade.

"Café Campesino works directly with small producer cooperatives in Nicaragua, East Timor, Ethiopia, and around the world, to purchase and import some of the best organic green coffee beans in the world," says Tripp. "We then bring the green beans to our headquarters here in Georgia, where we roast 'em to-order and ship 'em out to coffee houses, markets, restaurants, fundraising groups, and individuals all over the country."

Find out how a pile of dirt inspired Tripp and his partners to create Café Campesino (almost a decade ago!) by reading our latest interview. 

Read Tripp's green business interview »

Resources: Order print copies of our Guide to Fair Trade

Earlier this summer we told you about our new online Guide to Fair Trade.  Now, we're pleased to inform you that we've updated and expanded the guide, and we've printed copies that you can use to educate your friends, family, colleagues, and community, or hand out at local events. 

The guide gives you tips for spreading the word about Fair Trade, and resources for finding hundreds of Fair Trade products (wine, sugar, olive oil, sports balls, textiles, crafts, musical instruments, and much, much more) in your own community, or with a simple click of a mouse. 

To download a copy of the expanded guide, visit our Fair Trade Web site, or to order copies of the printed version, contact us at fairtrade@coopamerica.org.

Find Fair Trade resources and
download the guide »