What is "fair trade"?

"In today's world economy, where profits rule and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, crafts producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle and gives them a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity. Fair Trade encompasses a range of goods, from agricultural products from the global South such as coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas, to handcrafts including clothing, households, and decorative arts."

The annual Fair Trade Holiday Gift Market dates for 2009 are Nov. 27 – Dec. 3. We need approximately 40 volunteers!! Please sign up at the ECM or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to volunteer.

The annual Fair Trade Holiday Gift Market in November 2008 raised approximately $19,000. Most of these dollars were sent to cooperatives in countries where two dollars is the average daily wage. In addition, local vendors were able to provide unique items. Alternative gifts were also available with cards to send to recipients, telling them a contribution had been made to Habitat for Humanity or the Heifer Project. 45 volunteers helped make this year's gift market possible!

We welcome new members for the Fair Trade team.

2009 Fair Trade Holiday Market:

Fair Trade Holiday Market

Market offers fairly traded arts and crafts from local and international artisans that make unique holiday gifts while also helping artisans in need.

(Lawrence, KS)— Lawrence’s annual Fair Trade Holiday Market has been a favorite place for local residents to find unique holiday gifts for loved ones that also help support disadvantaged artisans here and around the world.

The Fair Trade Holiday Market will feature fairly traded handcrafts, apparel, chocolate, dry goods and much more.

Vendors at the sale this year include Equal Exchange, A Greater Gift, Ten Thousand Villages, Women’s Bean Project and local businesses such as Two Hands Worldshop, First Weavers and Silver Condor Jewelry. The market will also feature crafts from Lawrence’s sister city El Pappaturro in El Salvador. Donations can be given in a person’s name as an alternative gift to organizations such as UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity and Heifer Project, who will be selling holiday cards.

The high quality crafts, textiles and clothing sold at the sale are handmade by artisans from 35 countries around the world, including underprivileged parts of the U.S. Fair Trade is an alternative to conventional trade that takes measures to ensure products are produced in safe and healthy working conditions and that artisans maintain control of their businesses through cooperatives. Artisan cooperatives often choose to devote a large percentage of their profits to community development projects including schools, hospitals and other important infrastructure. Fair Trade also takes steps to establish sustainable methods of production. This innovative triple bottom line approach respects People, Planet and Profit as opposed to conventional trade where profit alone rules but often fails to provide incentive to respect the people producing goods and the planet providing the resources.

This year Lawrence Fair Trade will be hosting several fun events and educational activities in conjunction with the market.

On Friday and Saturday November 27^th and 28^th from 10am to 4pm on the main level of the ECM visitors to the market will find chair massages and freshly baked chapatti and crepes which can be had for small donations to benefit Comfort the Children International.

Also on Friday and Saturday, November 27^th and 28^th from 10am to 4pm Lawrence Fair Trade will be sponsoring a Kids Corner on the main level of the ECM. The Kids Corner will be staffed with several responsible adults who will guide kids through fun arts and crafts activities. Parents are then free to shop at the market upstairs.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, December 1^st and 2^nd from 5:15 to 7:00 pm Lawrence Fair Trade will be hosting a screening of films about international trade and the Fair Trade movement.

For more information please contact Alicia Erickson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ,

785-969-3482.

2009 Priorities

We'll be doing the Holiday Market again, but other possibilities include:

• Teaming up with KU Students Against Sweatshops for their Workers' Rights Consortium Designated Suppliers Program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_Rights_Consortium)
• Teaming up with Lawrence Fair Food to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (http://ciw-online.org)
• Starting a FT Coffee on Campus campaign
• ....? What else? Come with ideas to share! Hope to see some of you there!

For meeting information, please contact one of the coordinators:

• Alicia Erickson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
• Meredith Walrafen ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
• Hadley Gailbraith ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
• Anna Hoard ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )