This program will explore the fair trade movement at all levels.

Speakers:

Polly Monear, who holds a BFA in painting from the University of Iowa, has served as Volunteer Coordinator for Ten Thousand Villages of Austin since 2005. Founded in 2004, Ten Thousand Villages of Austin is a volunteer run, fair trade 501 (c) (3) non-profit retail store providing income to artisans from more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories. In 2008, Monear travelled to India and Nepal with a group from Ten Thousand Villages visiting fair trade artisan groups. She has been a member of the Texas Fair Trade Coalition since 2006 and has served on its steering committee since 2008.

Bob Cash is state director of the Texas Fair Trade Coalition. For the last twelve years he was a staffer in the Texas House of Representatives. Previous to that, he was on the staff of the Harris County Democratic Party, the Seafarers International Union, and the Harris County AFL-CIO. He likes to point out that he once had "a real job" as an industrial worker for twelve years and was a member of the United Steelworkers Union. The Texas Fair Trade Coalition (TFTC) is a diverse, nonpartisan, coalition of unions, environmental advocacy groups, consumer groups, family farmers, religious organizations, women's advocacy groups, low-income and immigrant advocacy groups, professors, students, public interest and fair trade groups. TFTC promotes democratic control over fiscal and social policies, social justice, workers' rights and livable wages, and sustainable development in trade policy, in Texas and worldwide.

http://texas.sierraclub.org/austin/

Location