>> http://www2.planeta.com/mader/ecotravel/coffeeag/campaign.html or http://www.greenbuilder.com/mader/ecotravel/coffeeag/campaign.html Responsible Coffee Campaign: Organic, Sustainable, Fair-Traded Public Announcement: No other commodity is grown and marketed internationally under the range of conditions found in coffee. The ramifications of these conditions on workers, their communities and their natural environments are profound. Because most of the coffee grown in the world's south is exported and because the market for coffee in major importing nations is segmented, northern consumers can shape how coffee is grown to an extent not possible with other commodities. By purchasing one brand of coffee over another, individual consumers initiate a chain of responses that impact southern farmers and workers. Institutional purchasers obviously have a larger impact. There are two goals of this campaign. One is to alert faculty, students and staff on U.S. campuses to the impact they could have on "southern" social and environmental conditions by asking their institutions to provide alternative coffees. The second goal is to supply information and sources to those interested in coffee. Often claims about "organic" or "bird-friendly" coffee confuse consumers. This information can be used by teachers who wish to use coffee as a case study of international trade in an era of globalization and technified agriculture. The Responsible Coffee Campaign offers readers a background on issues, an archive of coffee-related stories, a glossary of terms, additional readings and lists of coffee organizations and businesses. The campaign is online the Eco Travels in Latin America website at http://www2.planeta.com/mader/ecotravel/coffeeag/campaign.html or http://www.greenbuilder.com/mader/ecotravel/coffeeag/campaign.html. The Eco Travels website is proud to host a thinking person's guide to coffee drinking. The impetus for this campaign was a discussion over ELAN, the Environment Latin America Network, during May 1997. Participants included a range of voices, including those informed by first-hand experience with those engaged in coffee production. The consensus was that U.S. consumers could indeed play a major role in supporting the rising trend to grow coffee under more socially and environmentally responsible conditions. Your corrections and additions are welcome. Send them to Eldon Kenworthy at : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or by regular mail to: Prof. Eldon Kenworthy, Politics Dept., Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362, USA. -- http://www.greenbuilder.com telnet://fc.greenbuilder.com:3000 modem: 512.462.0633 --- Austin Green Building Conference Oct 30-Nov 2, 1997 http://www.greenbuilder.com/conference/
