Change the world by changing your breakfast!

How? Have a Fair Trade breakfast and help Wake up the World by educating friends and family about the benefits of supporting Fair Trade. A Fair Trade breakfast is a shared morning meal that features as many Fair Trade Certified products as possible.  Fair Trade USA has listed a few ways you can get involved.

Fair Trade San Diego advisory committee members Woke Up The World this morning with delicious fair trade treats at Cafe Virtuoso. Fair Trade goodies included coffee and tea from Cafe Virtuoso and banana chocolate muffins and a fresh red quinoa salad both created with love from Carolyn and Becca. 

As committee members enjoyed their tasty fair trade breakfast, they put the final touches on their event plan for the World Fair Trade Day event taking place this Saturday, May 7th, in downtown San Diego.   An event not to be missed!

Becca's Fair Trade Quinoa Salad Recipe (serves 4)
1 cup Fair Trade red quinoa
1 cucumber cubed
2 tomotoes cubed
1/2 jar of olives
1/2 jar of artichoke hearts
1/2 round of cotija cheese
chopped cilantro to taste
1 lemon squeezed

Cook quinoa as directed on package and let it cool.
Cube all the veggies, mix them together and squeeze in lemon
Crumble the cheese into the mix
Mix in the quinoa, Chill and Enjoy!

Carolyn's Fair Trade Banana Chocolate Muffin Recipe (makes 18)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 ripe Fair Trade bananas
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. Fair Trade vanilla extract
3/4 c. butter at room temperature
1/2 c. Fair Trade sugar
1/2 c. packed Fair Trade light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 c. Fair Trade chocolate chips
 
Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 18 muffin pan wells with paper liners.

In a medium-size bowl whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowel, use a fork to mash the bananas, then stir in the milk and vanilla extract
until well blended.

In  large bowl, use a mixer set on medium speed to beat together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Reduce mixer speed to low and blend in one-third of the flour mixture.  Add half the banana mixture and blend again.  Continue alternating between the flour and banana mixtures, until all the ingredients have been incorporated into the batter.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
  
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes.  Let the muffin cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To freeze the muffins, wrap them in foil or freezer wrap or put them in freezer bags. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
 
To reheat, place an unwrapped muffin  on a paper towel and microwave on high for 20 seconds.  Foil-wrapped muffins ca  be reheated in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.

Fair is Fair is…Fashion

By Courtney Wantink - FASHIONING CHANGE

Eco-friendly fashion has suddenly made a leap into areas I never could have predicted or imagined. But for a girl whose closet is full of thrift-store deals, I tend to ignore this progress. Well…I used to. However, my passion for fair trade and the positive effect it can have in so many ways has ignited in me an irreversible interest in all things ethical and eco-friendly. The fair trade coffee? Check. Fair trade chocolate? All stocked up. When it comes to fashion however, I find my fair choices to be more limited.

A relatively recent step by Fair Trade USA (formerly Transfair USA), as of December 2010, was to announce an Ethical Fashion Certification Label. This, of course, requires members to meet standards regarding the environment, labor/wages, manufacturing, and more. As of yet, there are only four approved retailers. While this is a great beginning, I know there are many others out there making great efforts to be ethical in their production of clothing. Both within and outside of the US, designers and brands are working to localize production, meet environmental standards, pay fair wages, and even create clothing whose life cycle is limitless. Such steps as natural dyes, sustainably-grown fabrics, and cradle-to-cradle design are emerging rapidly in an industry infamous for its impact on the world.

Through the course of my work at Fashioning Change, I’m finding that many ‘green’ brands exist that haven’t achieved the fair trade status - largely because of certification costs. Yet often, non-certified brands are equally fair and transparent in showing the life cycle of their products. It’s important, then to keep an open mind when searching for ‘fair trade’ apparel - it may not have the label, but could very well be doing many things right.

Fashioning Change is working to bring visibility to eco-friendly and ethical brands that have not necessarily achieved fair trade status. Part of our vision is to recognize those consumers who seek to truly be green and fair, and connect them with information that will allow them to both live and shop as such. We seek to look after health, the earth, and human rights all at once; we strive to implement a systemic change in the way consumers shop and retailers provide. Everyday brings more information, more retailers anxious to have a positive impact (and not just on their own bank accounts). Through Fashioning Change’s green shopping intervention app we will make it easy for shoppers to easily find authentic ethical and eco-friendly clothing and products (sign-up now for a sneak peak).

Fashion has always been an evolving industry- season to season I have scarcely been able to wrap my head around new trends. Regardless of what color you’ll put in your wardrobe this spring, the good news is that it CAN be ethical.

Fair Trade San Diego asks consumers to look for the fair trade label when making their purchases.  However, since fair trade clothing is so limited in terms of certification, (click here to see which brands are fair trade certified in the US) we encourage shoppers to make ethical choices when purchasing clothing. 

Maya Vinic – A Fair Trade Coffee Co-op in Chiapas

The University of San Diego and Catholic Relief Services (Mexico) have committed to an ongoing relationship with Maya Vinic, a fair trade coffee co-op in Chiapas, Mexico. This opportunity and process has been a unique journey for USD and CRS as partners for the purpose of educating university students and in creating a relationship built on the intention of solidarity with a specific fair trade coffee cooperative. 

Most recent developments will be the arrival of a cooperative member and CRS Mexico staff to San Diego on April 25th. USD, with the support of CRS West, have organized a cupping event through the gracious hosting of Cafe Virtuoso to explore the possibilities to diversify the market for Maya Vinic and to discuss the realities of trade and sales for fair trade cooperatives with local roasters and coffee shop owners. The trip will culminate with a presentation on the campus of USD given by the co-op member and CRS staff on April 26th at 6:30 pm in the University Center. All are welcome to attend.

For any info or questions, please email solidarityawareness@gmail.com or visit Fair Trade San Diego on our Facebook page.