From: Global Exchange Fair Trade (fairtrade@globalexchange.org)
Date: Thu Oct 17 2002 - 13:58:31 EDT
Dear Fair Traders,
As you may know, Global Exchange is campaigning for aground-breaking ballot
initiative in Berkeley that would require all brewed coffee sold in the city
to be certified as either Fair Trade, organic, or shade-grown. Measure O is
an historic initiative that will improve the lives of struggling coffee
farmers around the world and ensure the preservation of our shared
environment. If it passes successfully, it will pave the way for similar
initiatives in other cities, bringing social and environmental justice to
center stage. This is what we¹ve all been working for for years- through
campaigns against the WTO and other global rulemaking bodies to demand
that workers¹ rights and environmental protection are prioritized over the
rules of commerce! Below you will find our "Top Ten Reasons to Support
Measure O" and a list of "Frequently Asked Questions" about the measure.
Please join us in supporting this initiative by passing this information
onto interested friends and initiating similar measures in your own
community. To get started, contact Valerie, valerie@globalexchange.org or
415-255-7296x36, and see www.globalexchange.org/coffee
Thanks for your support for Fair Trade,
Deborah, Melissa, and Valerie
----1. Top Ten Reasons to Support Measure O 2. Frequently Asked Questions about Measure O
1. TOP TEN REASONS TO SUPPORT MEASURE O:
1. Farmers are in crisis. Millions of coffee farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are facing poverty, starvation, and loss of family farms. Many have fled their farms to seek work in cities or on other countries. This is because global coffee prices have plummeted to all time lows in recent years, far below the cost of production. This worldwide crisis has led to increased drug cultivation in Columbia and Peru. Fair Trade turns these problems around by ensuring a living wage and long term economic stability.
2. It will help save the rainforest. During the ³Green Revolution² in the 1970s- 80s, the US Agency for International Development encouraged coffee farmers to increase yields by replacing traditional shade farming methods with open Œsun grown¹ techniques. This resulted in the destruction of over 1.1 million hectares of pristine rainforest. Shade grown coffee preserves the rainforest, maintaining biodiversity and climate protection.
3. We all miss the songbirds. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has identified deforestation from industrial coffee production as one of the major threats to songbirds in the hemisphere. Shade-grown coffee maintains the canopy of diverse trees that provide critical habitat for birds and other native species. There are half as many songbirds in North America as there were before the beginning of the technification of the coffee industry in Central America.
4. It will keep our shared environment healthy. Sun-grown coffee requires large amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that poison the soil and water in farming communities. Organic production keeps the environment free of chemicals that wreak havoc on our soil and water and imperil the health of rural communities.
5. It's fair. Fair Trade Certification ensures that farmers receive a decent price over the long-term for their hard work and high quality coffee. Current world coffee prices are about $.50/pound for coffee that retails at $1/cup or $10/pound and higher. Fair Trade farmers receive at least $1.26 per pound for their coffee ($1.41 for organic), allowing them to cover basic needs such as food clothing, health care, and education.
6. It will increase consumer choice. Right now, consumers are largely restricted to purchasing coffee produced in ways that exploit workers and harm the environment. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of high-quality socially responsible, and competitively priced brands of coffee available. Measure O will give customers and businesses the opportunity to select from a wide range of high-quality, socially responsible coffees.
7. We need to support small farmers. In 2000, Fair Trade farmers produced 165 million pounds of, but sold only 30 million pounds on Fair Trade terms. In order to allow the Fair Trade system to function and expand, we have to increase the amount purchased by retailers and consumers. That¹s why we need Measure O.
8. Consumers need verification and corporate accountability. Recent corporate scandals show that we can¹t trust businesses to keep their accounting straight, much less to act responsibly. Clearly, we need outside monitoring to ensure corporate responsibility in the coffee industry. Independently certified Fair Trade, organic, and shade grown coffee are products we can trust.
9. Coffee Affects Everyone. Coffee is the world¹s second most valuable traded commodity - after oil- and the U.S. consumes a fifth of all of the world¹s coffee. More than 20 million coffee workers in 49 countries produce coffee. Socially responsible coffee allows us to trade equitably with these coffee farmers.
10. Berkeley is visionary in promoting economic, social and environmental justice. Just as Berkeley began a national movement by divesting from South Africa during apartheid, our city will now lead the national movement for Fair Trade, shade grown, and organic coffee. Measure O reflects the commitment of Berkeley residents to the environment and basic standards of fairness. In the future, we will look back with pride at Berkeley¹s visionary role in the transformation to a healthier environment and a more just society.
2. Frequently Asked Questions about Measure O
Q: What¹s wrong with coffee that isn¹t Fair-Trade, shade-grown, or organic?
Overproduction in the coffee industry, a result of IMF and World Bank structural adjustment policies, has caused a massive crash in coffee prices world wide. As a result, millions of coffee farmers are living in poverty. Problems include malnutrition, child labor, loss of family farms, urban migration, and increased drug cultivation. Intensive coffee production has also caused major environmental destruction through heavy deforestation and use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Q: Is this law legal?
A: Yes. UC Berkeley Professor Jesse Choper, a constitutional law expert at Boalt Hall, said the sale restriction is "simply a regulation in the name of good coffeeŠIt is a legitimate public interest and a nondiscriminatory business regulation."
Q: How would this law be enforced? A: City business and health inspectors already enter shops regularly. During the same visit, inspectors can enforce this law by simply asking to see the bags of coffee from which the shop brews its coffee.
Q: If the initiative passes, will our coffee cost more?
A: Berkeley cafés already sell high quality coffee that is the same price as Fair Trade, organic, and shade grown blends so raising the prices is not necessary. At most, the additional cost would be just pennies more per cup.
Q: Will this hurt locally owned businesses?
A: No. There are coffee shops in Berkeley that already sell nothing but Fair-Trade or organic coffee, and they are doing quite well. And with a law, all shops would be competing on a level playing field. Plus, these certified coffees taste great. People will continue to buy coffee as much as before. It does not affect the sale of ground coffee or beans.
Q: Will this hurt small farmers?
A: No. Fair Trade certification is free for farmers, and it provides a premium for organic coffee, which helps defray organic certification costs. Measure O will build demand for coffee certified as Fair Trade, shade-grown, or organic, therefore increasing income to farmers who already produce these coffees and allowing more farmers to get certification.
Q: What about the violation penalty?
A: The penalty language, standard for a misdemeanor, is identical to that of a Berkeley recycling law. It simply provides a range for judicial discretion, while setting a maximum cap.
Q: Have other cities passed resolutions like this?
A: Several cities have already passed non-binding resolutions stating that all coffee purchased by city government offices will be Fair Trade. These include Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Madison, Boston, Cambridge, and Oakland. The US Congress is considering a similar non-binding resolution right now.
Q: Who endorses this initiative? Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers € Gus Newport, Former Mayor of Berkeley € Medea Benjamin and Kevin Danaher Founding Directors, Global Exchange € Julia Butterfly Hill, Circle of Life € Organic Consumers Association € Tom Hayden € Alameda County Green Party € Aid Through Trade € Alliance Graphics € David Bacon, KPFA Labor News € Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee € Berkeley Grey Panthers € Buddhist Peace Fellowship € Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry's Homemade € Communication Workers of America, Local 9415 € Center for Food Safety € Elliot Cohen, Vice Chair, Peace and Justice Commission € Howard Chung, Berkeley Rent Board € Community Economic Development Program The Open University of Tanzania € Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology € Hopedance Magazine € The International Society for Ecology and Culture € Labor Committee for Peace and Justice € Mesoamerica Institute € Nicaragua Center for Community Action € Rainforest Alliance Conservation Agricultural Program € John Robbins € Rose Foundation for Communities & the Environment € The Social Equity Group € Van Jones, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights € Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick & Associates € Women for Peace € Rick Young, Attorney and Initiative Author, and others. --
Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign 415.255.7296 415.255.7498 fax 2017 Mission Street #303, San Francisco, CA 94110 fairtrade@globlexchange.org http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/coffee http://www.globalexchange.org/cocoa
############################################################# This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list <fairtradelist@globalexchange.org>. To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <fairtradelist-off@globalexchange.org> Send administrative queries to <fairtradelist-request@globalexchange.org>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon Oct 28 2002 - 02:52:34 EST