Berkeley set to become the 19th Fair Trade Town!

With many Fair Trade supporters in the crowd, the Berkeley City Council passed a Fair Trade resolution at their July 13th meeting to make Berkeley a Fair Trade town! The Fair Trade Berkeley steering committee members and City Manager’s office have worked very hard over the past year to craft a "Best-in-Class" Fair Trade Town Resolution and City Ordinance.

Steering committee member Dagny Tucker, expressed appreciation to Berkeley city officials and citizens for passing the resolution and upholding Berkeley’s history of being a leader in just choices as the resolution works alongside Berkeley’s long list of other important purchasing laws (sweatfree,precautionary principle, etc).

You can see a video of Dagny's speech here http://bit.ly/9iDDCl



An official declaration celebration will be held in August.The mayor and city council are set to attend. Details to come, so keep checking the blog!

See East Bay Express' article about the Resolution http://bit.ly/9W5m1d

See the actual resolution http://bit.ly/abFdPS

Berkeley becomes a Fair Trade Town July 13th @ 7pm - Please Attend!

Hello, Fair Trade Berkeley Friends and Supporters!!!!

I hope this message finds you well amidst fun summer events. I'm writing with Good News!!!

Since our last visit with the Berkeley City Council, members of the Fair Trade Berkeley steering committee have been meeting with the City Manager's office, crafting what seems to be truly a "Best-in-Class" Fair Trade Town Resolution and City Ordinance. We can feel very proud of Berkeley for continuing to keep the bar high and for insisting on an ordinance that works alongside its long list of other important purchasing laws (sweatfree, precautionary principle, etc.)

Please plan to show your appreciation by attending the Berkeley City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 13th, 7-7:30pm. This will be QUICK this time (hooray!) because the resolution is on the Consents Calendar (the first 15 minutes of the meeting). Essentially, the City Council will "consent" to the resolution barring no objection from the public. Fair Trade Berkeley steering committee dynamo, Dagny Tucker, will be present to offer a less-than-2 minute testimony, expressing our appreciation.

By attending, you will visibly represent growers and producers around the world, along with local retailers, faith communities and consumers who understand that Fair Trade choices made locally create world-changing impacts globally.

Please mark your calendars for:

NEXT Tuesday, July 13th, 7-7:30pm.

Location: 2134 MLK Jr Way, second floor.

This is exciting....we hope to see you all there! Thank you for all your support! Three Cheers for Fair Trade! Stay tuned for details about our Fair Trade Town celebration in August...