Talk:Taos, NM "A Fair Trade Town"

Source: http://www.taosgov.com/documents/Fair_Trade.pdf

Town of Taos Fair Trade
“Buy Fair, Buy Local”

The Town of Taos has earned the designation as a Fair Trade Town. In February 2008, Town council members passed a resolution and enacted stringent guidelines to prepare for the coveted designation. Taos is the first Fair Trade Town in New Mexico, the first in the Western United States, and the fifth nationally.

Fair Trade is a rigorous third party certification guaranteeing excellent products for consumers: goods produced in a sustainable fashion; safe and healthy working conditions; no slave, forced or child labor; the encouragement of long-term relationships between producers and buyers; and an internal structure for producers that allow decisions about profits to be made democratically. "We know the importance of Fair Trade and recognize our responsibility to help educate others, including art and culture tourists, about the importance of Fair Trade," said Town of Taos Mayor Bobby F. Duran. "We view buying fair and buying local as objectives that are not in competition but are complementary. For example, in Taos, customers can buy Fair Trade coffee through our local Taos Roasters -- either directly wholesale, or retail through our numerous coffee houses or grocery stores," continued Duran.

"Fair Trade is a market model that allows farmers and producers of goods a fair price for their products, and establishes economic sustainability and security for entire communities," said Chris Pieper, Chair of the new Town of Taos Fair Trade Steering Committee, and owner of the local Mudd & Flood Mountain Shop.

"It is also a designation that means people are being treated better relative to buying non-Fair Trade items," said Steve Gloss, founder of Sustaining Cultures, a nonprofit educational organization in Taos focusing on cultural awareness.

"Now, we must actively educate our local consumers - and visitors - to change our purchasing habits by 'voting with our hands' when we reach for that pound of coffee, bananas, or bunch of flowers for Mother's Day," said Gloss who was the impetus for the town's resolution.

Fair Trade goods are increasingly available in Taos as more retail outlets and grocery stores are carrying Fair Trade lines. Products are easily identified with the TransFair seal.

With adoption of the resolution, the Town of Taos joins only five other cities and towns in the United States who have become Fair Trade Towns. There are over 300 communities in Europe who have adopted these guidelines to become Fair Trade Towns.

Fair Trade Town U.S.A. status requires the qualifying community to have:

• Passed a resolution supporting fair trade.
• Offer a range of readily available fair trade products in the area's shops and local cafes and catering establishments.
• Numerous workplaces and community organizations that use fair trade products.
• Media coverage and popular support for the fair trade city campaign.
• A local fair trade steering committee to ensure continued commitment to fair trade city status.

For more information on meeting city certification guides visit http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org.

Currently, the Town of Taos Fair Trade Steering Committee is organizing. The effort is currently focused on

• Developing a Taos Fair Trade Directory
• Selecting educational materials/films and developing a Taos Fair Trade presentation for consumer, merchant, government, organization, and school outreach/education/motivation
• Prioritizing a focus for a series of community presentations
• Working with Town of Taos staff/departments to secure their understanding and participation in Fair Trade including procurement practices overall
• Getting members of the Taos community to ‘shop with their hands’ and support ‘Buy Fair, Buy Local’ — including signing up to support Fair Trade in a variety of ways