Calling young poets...

Fair Trade Delmar Campaign invites local children to enter a Chocolate Poetry Contest.

Write a poem inspired by CHOCOLATE and win...chocolate (of course!) and other Fair Trade goodies, plus a book about Fair Trade for your classroom or school library. Winning poems from three age categories will be published in the Bethlehem Spotlight and online on this blogspot.

There will be one winner each in the categories: Grades K-3, 4-5, 6-8

Revised final deadline for entries is Friday April 23rd.

Prizes will be awarded at the Fair Trade Chocolate Sunday event being held at Delmar Reformed Church on Sunday May 2nd - see here for details.

For full competition details, including where to send your entries, click here.

Fair Trade schools

Fair Trade Delmar Campaign enjoyed being part of a World Rally at Bethlehem Middle School last Friday evening. It was a great opportunity to meet kids, introduce them to the ideas behind FT and invite them to try some Fair Trade hot chocolate (made up with locally produced milk) as they thought about the question "How can we make a fairer world?"

We also displayed information about Fair Trade Schools - a thriving movement in the UK (where there are thousands of participating schools) but a new concept here in the USA. Much like the Fair Trade Towns movement, schools commit to meeting five goals:

1) Form a steering committee;
2) Write and adopt a whole-school Fair Trade policy;
3) Buy, use and promote Fair Trade products within school;
4) The whole school learns about Fair Trade issues;
5) The school promotes and takes action for Fair Trade in school and in the wider community.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Fair Trade school, please get in touch: fairtradedelmarny@hotmail.com

Sharing the love

Make Valentine's Day extra-special this year - "share the love" by treating your sweetheart to a fair trade gift.

You can find gifts and jewelry locally at:
Peaceful Inspirations, Four Corners, Delmar
Ten Thousand Villages, Stuyvesant Plaza

And Fair Trade chocolate at:
Delmar Health Hut, Delaware Ave, Delmar
Delmar Reformed Church FT sales table, Four Corners, Delmar
Delmar United Methodist Church, Kenwod Ave
- Equal Exchange FT sale 2nd Sunday of every month (including this Sunday, Feb 14)
Honest Weight Food Coop, Central Ave, Albany
Hannafords, Delaware Ave, Delmar
Price Chopper (Slingerlands bypass)

Here are some lovely cards to download:
Celebrate an Organic Valentine's Day!

And why not ask your local liquor store or favorite restaurant to source some Fair Trade wine?

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Fair start to the New Year

Although we are well into January, it's not too late to make a New Year's Fair Trade resolution.

You probably already have a commitment to choosing the FT option when buying coffee, tea, chocolate and cocoa. But did you know that there are many other FT products out there? Fruit, flowers, wine, sugar, rice, nuts, spices...

If you cannot find these FT products at your local store, please ask! Let the store manager know that you are eager to buy more Fair Trade products and that he/she will earn your customer loyalty by stocking them.

Consumer demand for FT has had a huge influence on manufacturers and retailers in the UK: Fair Trade is definitely mainstream in the British market.

The same change can happen here in the US - but we need to ASK for that change.

Happy New Year!

Fair Trade chocolate sampling

Fifteen members of the Students for Peace and Survival group at Bethlehem High School got together yesterday to learn about Fair Trade. I hope they enjoyed this short video, Fair Trade the Story. Some informed discussion followed. As for the chocolate tasting, I know that went down well - Equal Exchange Milk, Dark with Almond and Extra Dark (71% cacao) Chocolate were enthusiastically sampled. As one student said, "If all Fair Trade chocolate tastes as good as this, I'm definitely buying Fair Trade!"

You can buy Fair Trade chocolate in Bethlehem at:

Delmar Reformed Church (Equal Exchange)
Delmar Health Hut (Divine)
Slingerlands Price Chopper, Organic and Natural section (Equal Exchange, Green & Blacks Maya Gold)
Hannafords

Everyone loves a parade!

The 3rd annual Bethlehem Holiday Parade takes place in Delmar this Friday, Dec 4th, from 6pm. Starting at the Town Hall, floats and fire trucks will parade up Delaware Avenue to Four Corners.

Fair Trade Delmar Campaign will be taking part, handing out FT chocolate and information. Come and cheer us on - or even better, join us.

If you need a cup of Fair Trade hot chocolate to warm you up after the parade, head to Delmar Reformed Church which is holding an Open House and will be glad to welcome you.

And if you are looking for holiday gifts, check out Peaceful Inspirations, open until 8pm this Friday and offering a 15% discount on Fair Trade Christmas ornaments.

Buy Fair, Buy Local for the Holidays

Holiday giving brings joy to our loved ones - and it can really benefit our local and global community, too. How about making up a basket of Fair Trade goodies for someone special this year? Here are some places in Bethlehem where you can buy Fair Trade:

Peaceful Inspirations - gifts
Delmar Farmers' Market at Delmar Presbyterian Church (Delaware/Cherry Ave), Saturdays 9am-1pm - gifts, coffee
Delmar Marketplace - coffee
Delmar Health Hut - coffee, chocolate, personal care products etc
Delmar Reformed Church (not-for-profit table) - coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts etc
Hannafords (organic and natural section) - various
Price Chopper (organic and natural section) - various

And while you are out shopping, why not take a FT break at one of these cafes:

Perfect Blend
Java Jazz
Four Corners Luncheonette
Brueggers
Dunkin' Donuts

Keep on supporting Fair Trade all year round and help build a fairer more sustainable world.