Lead for Change Blog

National Conference: Registration & Program Highlights

August 2, 2011

With the first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference less than six weeks away, we are eager to let registrants know what they can expect to take home.

Churches & Communities Engaging through Fair Trade Webinar Recording

July 18, 2011

Hear from pastors, theologians, Fair Trade experts and the Fair Trade Towns leadership on why and how churches are becoming powerful partners in the movement.

Webinar recording for Churches & Communities Engaging Through Fair Trade Now Available!

July 18, 2011

Approximately 138 million Americans regularly attend church. Their combined income is $2.5 trillion. If they all made just one Fair Trade purchase, they would impact millions of families striving to lift themselves out of poverty. For many, their faith motivates them to be concerned about issues of poverty, justice and human dignity, and yet too […]

National Conference: Apply for a Travel Stipend Today!

July 7, 2011

  Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference Friday – Sunday, September 9 – 11, 2011 The Hub Conference Center, Philadelphia, PA   We know that attending a conference can sometimes be a burden on a volunteer’s pocket, so we are pleased to be able to offer financial assistance for the Fair Trade Towns & […]

Save the Date: Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference

June 7, 2011

Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference Friday – Sunday, September 9 – 11, 2011 The Hub Conference Center, Philadelphia, PA Free Registration! Join us for the first ever Fair Trade Towns & Universities National Conference this Fall! The conference will bring together Fair Trade campaign organizers who are promoting and advancing Fair Trade in […]

Congratulations to Chicago!

May 5, 2011

By Guest Blogger Nancy Jones, Executive Director of Chicago Fair Trade & member of the Fair Trade Towns USA National Steering Committee “Imagine Chicago as a Fair Trade City!” That was the theme of a meeting three years ago when we first charted a course to reaching this goal. Now, we are realizing this achievement […]

Fair Trade Farmers Share Their Story!

April 28, 2011

Tune in to Fair Trade USA’s live USTREAM broadcast this Friday to hear farmers share their stories about Fair Trade On Friday, April 29, at 9am PT/12pm ET, you’re invited to tune in to our live USTREAM broadcast on the Fair Trade Certified Facebook page to hear from four international coffee and cocoa farmers about how […]

Be Part of the 1,000th Fair Trade Town Celebration!

April 7, 2011

What will happen? At 2pm on Saturday, June 4, 2011 Fair Trade Towns will declare sequentially from East to West across time zones to celebrate 1,000 Fair Trade Towns worldwide. If you are a Fair Trade Town or are likely to declare status between now and then you can be a part of this thrilling, […]

Have a Fair Trade Mother’s Day

April 4, 2011

Our good friends at Trade As One are running a great program to Fair Trade your Mother’s Day with the places of worship in your community. See the program outlined below and check out their website for more details. The Idea To help your congregation purchase meaningful gifts for the important women in their lives […]

Have a Divine International Women’s Day!

February 13, 2011

By Guest Blogger Amanda White of Divine Chocolate USA March 8, 2011 marks International Women’s Day and in honor of the occasion, Divine Chocolate is celebrating the incredible women cocoa farmers of Kuapa Kokoo.  We’re working with the Fair Trade community around the country to offer an exciting opportunity to support our women farmers while […]

Fair Trade Firsthand: Fair Trade Towns Leaders Go to Origin

February 11, 2011

Last week a delegation of volunteers from Fair Trade Towns throughout the United States got to see the effects of their hard work firsthand on a Global Exchange reality tour of Fair Trade cooperatives in Costa Rica. Why Costa Rica?  Well, it just so happens that Costa Rica is home to the first Fair Trade […]

Emma Willard – The 1st FT High School in the USA!

December 22, 2010

We are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishment that the students and faculty at the Emma Willard School have achieved. Fair Trade Towns is proud to part of the group that established the criteria for both Fair Trade Schools and Universities. Below is a post from one of the student-leaders who brought this vision to fruition. […]

Shop Fair, Give Fair Challenge

December 15, 2010

By Guest Blogger: Carmen Iezzi We all know that the holidays are a time for reconnecting with family and friends. They are also a time to connect with our global community. When you support Fair Trade, you become part of a network of people dedicated to facilitating change for disadvantaged artisans and farmers. As a […]

Reflections from the 4th International Fair Trade Towns Conference

December 12, 2010

By National Coordinator, Billy Linstead Goldsmith Having the opportunity to travel to the 4th International Fair Trade Towns Conference in Germany was an energizing and inspiring opportunity. Although it was my first, the connection of shared vision and common work made it feel like I had been in attendance at all of them. It is […]

Teaneck, NJ FT Town #21 Puts Jersey Back on Top!

October 22, 2010

By Guest Blogger Dennis Klein A visit to a local florist 18 months ago aroused my interest in Fair Trade, but it was the conversation with the proprietor that impressed me most. We both recognized our common commitment to thinking globally and acting locally – in retrospect, the seed of a nascent collaboration. We started […]

Announcing FT Towns Small Grants!

September 30, 2010

We are thrilled to announce the first ever Fair Trade Towns Small Grants program! Our goal is to provide organizers with much needed resources for building capacity, diversifying their outreach, and ensuring the long term health and viability of the campaign. There will be three levels of grants available and we ask that anyone planning […]

Berkeley & Boston, FT Towns Numbers 19 & 20!

August 23, 2010

From Guest Bloggers Lauren Van Ham & Savanah Eichfeld The momentum continues to grow across the country for Fair Trade Towns USA. Berkeley and Boston continue generating exciting movement forward by becoming the 19th and 20th Fair Trade Towns in the USA. The following come from lead organizers from the two campaigns. Please join us […]

Conway, MA Becomes the 18th FT Town!

July 8, 2010

By Guest Blogger Tom Spiro Residents of the Town of Conway became aware early in 2010 of the effort by Fair Trade towns USA to help cities and towns across the country become Fair Trade Towns. Conway Town officials decided to join the movement and ask the citizens and businesses of their local municipality to […]