Tomorrow, May 10, is World Fair Trade Day! And in celebration, World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break happens tomorrow afternoon. Technically, the event happens at noon on the west coast — but any time in the afternoon will do to count towards the total.
So caffeinate wit fellow fair trade activists. In L.A., you’ve got two events to pick from:
>> Fair Trade LA will have a booth all day at the “Revel with a Cause” Santa Monica Festival at Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., in Santa Monica. Go not just for the coffee, but for the solar-powered music performances, recycled crafty activities, international cuisine served on biodegradable plates, and more.
>> Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena will provide hot and iced fair trade beverages - along with chocolate and other samples — to all visitors who celebrate the coffee break with them at 3pm tomorrow. Just stop by the store at 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena. There, you’ll even be able to buy fair trade flowers for Mother’s Day.
Fair trade activities will continue throughout the weekend:
>> Later tomorrow night, celebrate the launch of a partnership between Ten Thousand Villages and Anti-Body to support a new fair trade coconut oil co-op in Liberia. Wine and appetizers will be served. When & Where: May 10 at 7 pm, at Ten Thousand Villages, 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena.
>> On Monday, Jacqueline Decarlo — author of “Fair Trade: A Beginner’s Guide” and former director of the Fair Trade Resource Network — will speak. When & Where: May 12 at 7 pm, at Ten Thousand Villages, 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena.
>> On Tuesday, Jacqueline Decarlo will speak again. When & Where: May 13, at 7 pm, UCLA’s Royce Hall, Room 156, 752 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:24 am
You’ve posted a lot of great articles on some of the controversy surrounding Fair Trade before (Geoff Watts interviews, to be precise). Great work there.
But as “green LA girl”, how do you see a program dealing with social and economic issues — and not environmental issues — qualifying as “green”?
Seriously, and I’m only being half facetious, shouldn’t they be “brown” or “black”??
People have a frequent misconception blurring the lines of environmental goods and social/economic progressiveness being one and the same. Sometimes they can be at odds with each other, let alone independent.
After all, Fair Trade coffee doesn’t necessarily mean “organic” or ban all use of pesticides.