Before Ric of Groundwork decided to get one of his blends fair trade certified, he said he sometimes saw certification as “a preventative act” – to ensure that less-informed people didn’t think Groundwork was a “bad” company.

I see his point. Just as there are people who blindly subscribe to one-sided, so-called “free trade” principles espoused by the right, I’m guessing that there are some kids these days who go to a Coldplay concert, hear about fair trade, then single-mindedly decide all non-100%-fair trade companies are slave-driving assholes.

As most of my blog readers know, this isn’t true. Fair trade certification isn’t without its shortcomings. The one that bugs me most is that, for coffee, ONLY co-ops can get fair trade certified, as of now. This means that big farms that hire outside workers cannot get certified — even if they treat workers kindly. Individual farmers, too, are unable to get certified. You can imagine how nice coffee companies who’ve been doing business with these plantations and farmers for years would be reluctant to cut ties with them, just cuz they can’t get certified under current rules.

Sadly this is what companies like Starbucks use as an excuse (PDF) for not buying more fair trade coffee. Starbucks will complain that they can’t be an all fair-trade company, because certification isn’t avaliable for large plantations.

So why doesn’t TransFair, the company that licences US companies’ fair trade products, push to allow plantations to get fair trade certified? Because there’s already a lot of fair trade certified coffee that’s NOT being bought at fair trade prices, due to lack of buyers.

So why’s there so much fair trade coffee left over? Because companies like Starbucks aren’t buying more fair trade certified coffee. If big companies like Starbucks bought more fair trade coffee, orgs like Transfair and FLO, which certifies farms as fair trade, would have the funds and impetus to certify plantations.

But because many big companies choose to buy only enough fair trade coffee to greenwash their company — Starbucks, for ex, makes only 1.6% (a stat unpublished on the web) of its coffee purchases fair trade — these nonprofit orgs just don’t have the resources to go about certifying plantations. Like most nonprofit orgs, FLO and Transfair have to be pragmatic, putting their money and resources where they’ll have the most impact — which, right now, are co-ops.

It’s become a real Catch-22. Fair trade certification is limited by financial constraints. But the companies that could ease these constraints point to the current limitations of certification as a reason for not increasing their fair trade purchases.

Yes, it’s a complicated situation. But if Starbucks wanted to, it has the money and power to resolve it. The mermaid often complains that for a company its size, there just isn’t enough (PDF) fair trade certified coffee around to satisfy its needs. Well — Starbucks — How ’bout coming back to us with that complaint AFTER buying a lil more of the fair trade certified coffee already out there? THEN we can talk seriously about getting big-farm plantations certified.

Meaning — No one’s asking Starbucks for a 100% conversion at this point. Behemoth companies like Starbucks have pretty much precluded that possibility, since their meager fair trade purchases won’t allow for more certification to occur. But there’s nothing stopping Starbucks from buying more fair trade coffee, making it a bigger part of the corp’s purchases.

Nothing, except corporate greenwashing and reluctance.

(Yes, I know Starbucks is pushing its own C.A.F.E. pracitices thing. More on that tactic later.)

Filed in: starbuckschallenge starbucks coffee fairtrade flo transfair

8 Comments | Email this post

Ok all you anti-Buy Nothing Day people over at Pandagon. Shop if you must, but shop local — especially if you live in San Fran. Via the SF Chronicle, I found out about San Francisco’s Shop Local First Week, from Dec. 5 to 10.

Why’s it important to patronize local shops? In a Chicago neighborhood study, local stores returned $68 for every $100 to the local economy, while chain stores returned only $43 of $100. If you live in San Fran, you have lots of options: go here, here, here and here for resources. If you live in LA like me, however, the options seem to be limited, but not nonexistent!

As a grad student, I’d like to start with books. One indie bookstore owner was quoted as saying that “If people just buy 12 out of 20 (books at independent stores), that’s all you have to do and we’ll be fine.” Apparently, Borders returns only $13 out of every $100 spent to the community, while independent bookstores returns $45. BTW — The LA Borders have been switching over their cafes to Starbucks’ owned Seattle’s Best. I guess dominating Barnes & Noble wasn’t enough for the mermaid.

Anyway — May I introduce you to my fave indie bookstores:

Beyond Baroque. 681 Venice Blvd. Venice. 310.822.3006. Prolly the most avant-garde bookstore in the LA area, this shop’s also the most notoriously difficult place to actually shop — but also the coolest. Unless you can make it there on Fridays from 11AM to 6PM — its offical store hours — get there during a reading — The store’ll be open before, during, and after those. It’ll fulfill all your experimental poetry chapbook desires –

Dawson’s Book Shop. 535 N. Larchmont Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.469.2186. An antiquarian bookstore with lots of great rare books about Los Angeles, and a lil gallery with interesting modern photography. The owner’s also a great supporter of experimental poetry. We used to have cool readings here, before Andrew, who organized the readings, quit organizing to spend more time with his band –

Book Soup: 8818 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood. 310.659.3110. My fondest memory of this place is a talk and Q&A by Lauren Greenfield, photographer and author of Girl Culture. The staff there has great taste — I recommend their recommendations. Parking’s tough, so try to get there via public transport. It’ll be well worth the effort.

Dutton’s Brentwood. 11975 San Vincente Blvd. Los Angeles. 310.476.6263. I haven’t been here in a lil while cuz the last time I was there, the cafe dude was rude to me and it pissed me off. However, don’t let that scare you away from the bookstore itself! It’s a real book browser’s paradise. The stacks are narrow, but packed with cool stuff, and — the disgruntled cafe guy aside — I’ve found the people there to be very knowlegeable, helpful and friendly.

Skylight Books. 1818 N. Vermont Avenue. Los Angeles. 323.660.1175. I love this place, but I haven’t been there in a while cuz it’s simply too far away from my fossil-fuel hating heart. But I love how they’re a self-described “fiercely independent” bookstore, and I wish I coulda been there for the Bret Easton Ellis reading earlier this year.

These are just my five faves — There are many others, and I hope they stay around. I also know we have some amazing indie kid’s book stores in la la land, but as a happily child-free girl, I don’t keep track of those. Feel free to mention them in the comments, however :)

Filed in: books bookstore losangeles local shopping

4 Comments | Email this post

Finally — The MSM has now acknowledged that Starbucks’ employees are unhappy about the mermaid’s anti-union tactics. I think it’s the “No latte, no peace” chant that finally caught the MSM’s attention!

According to the Wall Street Journal’s article, the National Labor Relations Board alleges that Starbucks tried to block workers at 3 NYC outlets from union activities. A hearing’s set for Feb. 7. The Starbucks Workers Union says 15 Starbucks officials are charged with numerous anti-union acts.

Even the NY Times reported the charges and a picket line held by baristas in NYC last Friday. Apparently, labor organizers picketed a Starbucks in Union Square to push the chain to recognize the workers’ union. The union wants rights to organize and guaranteed 30-hour work weeks for employees so they can get health benefits.

The US union struggle, however, has been going on for a while now. Back in May, Starbucks employees brought complaints in front of the National Labor Relations Board, after former employee Sarah Bender said she was fired from Starbucks for union activities.

I’d like to repeat once again that the Starbucks’ union also wants the mermaid to increase its fair trade certified purchases –

Update, 3/8/06: Starbucks settles with the IWW Starbucks Workers Union!

Filed in: starbuckschallenge starbucks coffee fairtrade union

0 Comments | Email this post

Whevever I critique American Apparel CEO Dov Charney’s questionable ass-grabbing tactics, I get comments and emails demanding to know if I prefer companies that abuse workers in sweatshops.

Um — Are those my options?

No, they’re not, thanks in part to the Garment Worker Center in our very own downtown LA. This anti-sweatshop, pro-union center helps garment workers to organize and resolve work problems, while educating them about wage and hour laws, health and safety regulations and discrimination.

If you’re reading this, you likely support fair labor practices. Bring that concern to the workers in LA, home of the largest garment industry in the country! This Friday, you can find out what’s going on right at the source, at the “Shop With a Heart at the Garment Worker Center” event:

**Update, 11/29/05: There will be no alcohol! Boo plus hoo :( This, however, opens up the possibility for a myriad of post-event drinking sprees –

Filed in: gwc sweatshop losangeles garment fairtrade union

0 Comments | Email this post

Met Dawn for lunch at the Westwood Native Foods today — for yummy vegan food without the Real Food Daily price tag. I got a Bali Surf Burger, Dawn got Tijuana Tacos, and we split both. Cost for the eats plus a chai latte for Dawn: $15 and some cents, after my KCRW Fringe Benefits Card discount!

Of course, I used this trip as another opportunity to take another Starbucks Challenge or three. There are, by the way, 3 Starbucks on Westwood within walking distance.

The first (left), on Olympic and Westwood, almost failed the challenge when the barista first said fair trade wasn’t brewing, then tried to charge me extra when I asked for a French press. Luckily, a coffee master jumped in with his eggnog-latte-bespattered apron to save the fair trade day.

The second, on Westwood and Missouri, was PERFECT — by the book — the way all Starbucks Challenge experiences really should be, according to Starbucks’ official, marketed policy. I asked for a fair trade coffee, and the barista said “I can French press one for you.” Five minutes later, I had my fair trade coffee, and a second non-sexual crush on a Starbucks barista (go here for deets on the first crush).

The third, on 1161 Westwood (left), was technically challenged by Dawn — I was on the sidelines, taking pictures. To the right’s the barista who shiftily told Dawn “I don’t think we have any in store,” clearly reluctant to bother checking.

I’m kinda wondering why so many Starbucks seem to be out of fair trade coffee lately (see here, here, here, here, here, and the comments here and here). I mean, I’d rather not think all these baristas are lying about their stores’ fair-trade-less-ness. Is it possible that customer demand has overwhelmingly surpassed Starbucks’ meager 1.6% of fair trade purchases? Or is Starbucks’ distribution system really this shitty?

Oh wait, I mean, I’m very thankful I got a couple cups of fair trade coffee from Starbucks today, finally. What’s up with my glass-half-empty ‘tude? This challenge is slowly killing my innocent optimism –

Filed in: starbuckschallenge starbucks coffee csr fairtrade vegan nativefoods westwood

6 Comments | Email this post

Visited “A Tropical House” at the Hammer Museum, per Treehugger’s recommendation. Made by Jean Prouvé, this house, installed in Brazzaville, capital of the Congo, in 1951, was super portable due to its proto-Ikea flatness, and way more practical in the Congo climate than the heat-trapping concrete buildings expat French bureucrats were living in at that time.

Wish I coulda walked into the house — woulda found out how conducive the holey building is to napping — but I was only allowed to gaze in from the outside through my zoom lens –

I actually had to speedily run in and run out of hammer, cuz dogs aren’t allowed in — and I’d made my sis wait outside with Joey. Luckily, students get free admission, so I didn’t have to pay for my short visit.

The exhibit’s been extended till Jan 2006 (via blogging.la), so I’m guessing it’s pretty popular?

Poor Joey. I gave him my Hammer admission sticker as consolation.

Hammer Museum. 10899 Wilshire Blvd. 310.443.7000

Filed in: museum architecture hammer

0 Comments | Email this post

207 challenges taken in 28 states (welcome Nebraska!) and 13 countries, with 170 blogs participating!

5 days to go, and 5 more reasons to take the challenge!

1. You wanna see if Starbucks employees had time to read their email over Thanksgiving.

2. You want on the spiffy Starbucks Challenge map.

3. You live in Alabama or Utah, and wanna represent.

4. You could really use some free, organic fair trade certified coffee.

5. You’re a masochist and enjoy hearing “no.”

Wondering if things improved at Starbucks this second month? I just did the stats: Nationwide, the fair trade success rate has GONE DOWN since the first month of the challenge, from 59% to 49%!

I’m proud to report, however, that the stores in California have improved — a whopping 4%, from 55% to 59%. This anomaly was mostly due to the work of Roger, gone green, an uber-challenger who’s made it his mission to personally educate the baristas he runs across, scaring them into compliance.

It’s pretty clear that most store managers have no clue about the fair-trade-on-demand policy that Starbucks so proudly displays on its website. Perhaps a lil more embarrasingly, Starbucks employees evidently don’t care to check out their website — or read their emails, for that matter. Legendary service, my ass.

But before Starbucks’ CSR department offers to send out yet another ineffective email, The promised LA meeting’s been set up! If you live in the LA area, are free Friday, Dec. 16 from 10 until about noon, and would like to put in your two cents, email and let me know — ASAP, cuz spots are limited.

Filed in: starbuckschallenge coffee csr fairtrade starbucks

0 Comments | Email this post

Woke up excitedly to celebrate a brand new holiday: Buy Nothing Day! And as if on cue, Joey, the lil pup I’m dogsitting, tore apart a dollar bill. Here she is, with her handiwork. I taped the buck back together, but you can see the rip.

Then I checked my email — to discover yet another reason why I don’t subscribe to the LA Times. In a very dubya-like matter, the LAT editorial today celebrates the “United Shoppers of America“: “It’s easy to deride consumerism. Yet the crowds at the stores today and in the weeks to come will not just be grasping for the latest mass-marketed gadgets and gewgaws. They will be taking a leap of faith and making a vote of confidence in the resilience of the U.S. economy.”

Idiots. Since when’s buying useless crap a subversive act?

Joey and I went for a walk, and I thought about taking the Starbucks Challenge. The way they’ve been going, I figured my chances of actually getting (and paying for) a fair trade cup o’ joe was pretty slim. After all, the Starbucks in Anaheim near my mom’s place flunked another challenge I took yesterday. The barista said they didn’t have any fair trade coffee in store.

But Joey pulled the other way, so I grabbed a free LA Weekly and we trotted on home. Check out my morning’s toil, to the right.

My mom and sis are on their way up here — We’re gonna watch a movie I borrowed from a friend. All in all, it’ll be a nice day — and I won’t be a penny poorer –

Filed in: buynothingday consumerism money starbuckschallenge starbucks coffee fairtrade crossword dogsitting

5 Comments | Email this post

At an Indonesian restaurant last Friday, I asked my date what he recommended — He’d been there before, I hadn’t. He suggested ordering a couple dishes to share — and immediately, I rebuffed both his picks.

You know, cuz they had chicken in them. I’m not a big fan of eating these feathered friends, mainly because the thought of hormone-fed, antibiotics-packed flesh grosses me out, but also cuz I met such nice chickens during my last NoCal visit. What if I end up eating the funny looking one with the white feather ‘fro?

I don’t eat red meat or pork either — due to the above issues, plus unresolved mad cow fears, plus everything I read in Fast Food Nation. I do, however, eat seafood. I simply can’t give up sushi.

Now I know we have fishing-related environmental issues in the world — and that lots of fish end up ingesting antibiotics too. Umbra wrote about this a few years back — and things haven’t changed significantly, as far as I can tell.

So what to do? On the Audobon website, I checked out the Seafood Lover’s Guide, complete with a PDF Seafood Wallet Card detailing what fish to enjoy, be careful of, or avoid.

So detailed, in fact, that I found this fishy list rather daunting. Which is why I cut off everything except the “Avoid” section. I figure I can just start by excising the unlucky 13 on that list from my diet. It won’t be hard — it’s not like I ever ate monkfish or shark anyway. And no tuna — prolly my fave fish — is on the list, except for bluefin, which I can’t afford, really.

And I even glued the lil list on to the clothing tag to my moreTrees tank, to make the wallet card more durable.

Back to Friday: we ended up getting a shrimp dish and a tofu dish. I didn’t have my handy card yet, so I’m not sure whether or not the shrimp was imported. But if it were, I’d have liked to just order my tofu delight without going into a long explanation about why I’d rather not get the shrimp dish even though I eat seafood.

He was a very nice, understanding boy. I just like ordering my own food –

Filed in: fish sushi seafood date vegetarian

4 Comments | Email this post

In the US, Starbucks is known for its generous employee benefits, cuz part-time baristas get medical insurance and other cool stuff. But I guess the Starbucks workers in New Zealand don’t feel the mermaid’s been generous at all. Starbucks “partners” from 10 different stores in NZ walked out today, asking for higher wages. (Thanks for the tip, tailos!)

Their complaint, according to campaign coordinator Simon Oosterman: “Starbucks workers start on $10 an hour, only fifty cents above the minimum wage. Workers hours are not guaranteed and can, and have been, cut from 40 to 20 hours. In Australia, Starbucks workers earn almost $5 more per hour than their New Zealand workmates. We are only asking for $2 more per hour.”

With a lil help from XE.com, I figured out that the workers are asking for what would be a starting wage rate of $8.33 USD, up from the current $6.94 USD.

I have no idea how that compares to the pay rates in the US, but I do know that Starbucks works to bust unions here — which helps explain why only 300 out of 80,000 workers globally are unionized.

BTW — Last year, the relatively new Starbucks Baristas Union (organized in New York with IWW IU/660) joined Global Exchange’s call to Starbucks to up its fair trade certified purchases to 5 percent of its coffee.

Currently, 1.6% of Starbucks’ coffee is fair trade certified.

Update, 11/29/05: Now the Starbucks workers in NYC have charged Starbucks with union busting.

Filed in: starbuckschallenge starbucks union strike fairtrade coffee

3 Comments | Email this post