Taos Earns Fair Trade Town Designation

Good news from the Town of Taos. The Northern New Mexico community has earned the designation as a Fair Trade Town. In February 2008, Town councilors passed a resolution and enacted stringent guidelines to prepare for the coveted designation. Taos is the first Fair Trade Town in New Mexico, and the first in the Western United States. Now, which NM town or city will be next? There are already more than 300 communities in Europe recognized as Fair Trade Towns.

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 (right).          

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 about locating Fair Trade products go to TransfairUSA.org and FairTradeFederation.org. For more information on meeting city certification guides visit FairTradeTownsUSA.org. To view the town's Fair Trade Resolution visit:  TaosGov.com.

For more information contact:
Sara Stender,
Fair Trade Towns USA,
(828) 658-1340 or (802) 356-0551
sara@fairtradetownsusa.org
or
Steve Gloss,
Taos Fair Trade Steering Committee
Sustaining Cultures
(505) 751-0959
sgloss@sustainingcultures.org

Technorati Tags:Taos, New Mexico, fair trade, Fair Trade Town