Fair Trade Campaigns Hosts 2020 National Conference Virtually, March 18-21
Growing risk of COVID-19 in California pushes conferences online
Fair Trade Campaigns Hosts 2020 National Conference Virtually, March 18-21
OAKLAND, Calif., March 18, 2020 /3BL Media/ – Fair trade advocacy organization Fair Trade Campaigns will host its annual national conference, a multi-stakeholder gathering of fair trade supporters virtually this week. The conference was originally planned in Pasadena, CA, but shifted to virtual programming to ensure the health and well-being of attendees during the escalated risk of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Programming will mostly stay the same but be broken up into shorter segments and spread over four days instead of three.
The conference will mobilize farmers, workers and artisans, NGO leaders, students, citizen advocates, and companies to convert their passion into community-wide action through new and innovative approaches to advocacy. Attendees will hear from sustainability and social justice leaders, Cara Chacon VP of Social & Environmental Responsibility at Patagonia, and Paul Rice, Fair Trade USA CEO, as well as speakers from Kroger, Wholesome Sweeteners, Fast Company Magazine, Forbes, Fashion Revolution, and Fair Trade Los Angeles.
Attendees can register for a discounted rate of $75 until March 18th and tune in online. They will be encouraged to participate in virtual workshops and talks on a diverse range of topics including sustainable fashion, migrant rights and immigration, technology and innovation, and diversity and inclusivity in advocacy. The interactive online sessions present the opportunity not only to listen and learn but connect and co-create with renowned leaders. All session content will be available for viewing 60 days after the conference.
This year’s event builds on the momentum of the 2019 National Conference in Chicago, which convened nearly 400 local, national, and international leaders in sustainability and social justice and launched the inaugural Fair Trade marketplace with 13 brand partners. This year representatives from over 300 campuses and communities from Fair Trade Campaigns' US network will be in attendance, as well as fair trade stakeholders from across the globe.
“This is a major moment when we come together to celebrate fair trade,” said Billy Linstead Goldsmith, Director of Fair Trade Campaigns. “As with all of our national and local efforts to instigate change and broaden the movement, obstacles in our path will not deter us, as we take this opportunity to adapt and change our tactics to ensure continued engagement. By staying the course and coming together virtually, we can help to lift communities across the world out of poverty and propel conscious consumers to carry the torch in a new age of activism.”
“After starting with 11 Fair Trade Certified styles in 2014, Patagonia now offers more than any other apparel brand. This is a way not only to create a more equitable and safe working conditions for the people who make our clothes but to generate better pay and foster community participation,” said Cara Chacon. “As a leading supporter of worker safety and equity, we’re proud of our commitment to fair trade and being part of a movement that is shifting our global supply chains toward positive transformation.”
Conference Session Highlights:
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Discover & Discuss: Fair Trade Advocacy Case Studies from students
Registration for this gathering is open to the public. Visit Conference.FairTradeCampaigns.org for more information, or register here. Members of the press are encouraged to attend virtually. Interviews with keynote speakers and leaders in the fair trade movement may be arranged by request. For more information please contact kmartin@fairtradeusa.org.
Please note, if you had previously registered for this conference please visit this post for travel guidance.
About Fair Trade Campaigns
Fair Trade Campaigns recognizes towns, colleges, universities, schools, and congregations in the U.S. for embedding fair trade practices and principles into policy, as well as in the social foundations of their communities. Project collaborators include Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade America, and Fair for Life, third-party certifiers of fair trade products in the United States, and the Fair Trade Federation, a North American trade association of organizations fully committed to fair trade. Visit FairTradeCampaigns.org for more information.
