Posted on May 13th, 2016 by Erin Mackey
The Lesson I Learned From Seeing My Mom Cleanup After Others By Sergio Lopez, CRS If you are used to paying an extra couple of cents for coffee then you probably know that May 14th is World Fair Trade Day. As I reflected this week on my passion for economic justice, solidarity and the fair trade movement I began thinking about my mom and the twenty years she spent as a self-employed professional housekeeper. Years before I knew anything about bring your kids to work day, this had already been a custom in our household. According to my mom, I was about four years old the first time she took me and my sister to clean houses with her. At
Posted on April 20th, 2016 by Erin Mackey
Living on the edge of climate change, coffee farmers around the world face an uphill battle against the coffee leaf rust crisis which has been exacerbated by extreme dry periods and prolonged rainfall. To learn more about CRS’ campaign highlighting the changing environment visit the interactive story here.
Posted on March 11th, 2016 by Erin Mackey
Ever wonder what goes into making an eggcellent Easter basket? Learn how you can fill your basket with fair trade and pass the Easter bunny test this year. As we celebrate new life this Easter season consider how fair trade supports the lives of farmers and artisans around the world. Remember, our partner Serrv gives a generous donation to CRS for every purchase.
Posted on February 18th, 2016 by Erin Mackey
Fundraising can sometimes seem like more of a hassle than it’s worth. There’s a lot of planning, logistics, and anxiety over how successful it will turn out to be. Yet, it’s a necessity on campus—whether for a spring break service immersion trip, a leadership conference, or just some extra money in your CRS Student Ambassador budget. Luckily, we have an easier alternative to traditional fundraising options: FAIR TRADE FUNDRAISING! CRS Fair Trade works with two partners, Equal Exchange and Serrv, to offer easy-to-do fundraisers with high quality products that actually make the world a better place at the same time. Get started today and choose from a Community Order with Serrv or a Catalog Fundraiser with Equal Exchange.
Posted on February 2nd, 2016 by Erin Mackey
Congratulations to Fair Trade Ambassador Anne Pacheco who worked to help her school, St. Martin of Tours Academy in La Mesa, California, become the first Catholic Fair Trade elementary school in the country! Continue reading to learn more about her story and the efforts made to gain this designation. There are hundreds of schools in Europe that are designated Fair Trade schools. Why is the United States so lagging with only 40 Fair Trade designated schools? The fact is that many lack the awareness and education of what fair trade is and the call to do justice to the people who grow our food and sew our clothes. There are many certifiers that follow fair trade principles. If Catholic or public schools
Posted on January 12th, 2016 by Erin Mackey
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. For campuses across the country this statement could not ring more true for schools that are leading the way in fair trade education and activism. At the forefront of this movement we see Catholic universities taking charge and playing a key role in this global effort. Among the top campuses leading the way is Providence College located in Providence, Rhode Island. From CRS Fair Trade Sales during the holidays to educational events throughout the year, the college supports fair trade and many other CRS initiatives. Deeply rooted in their Catholic, Dominican tradition, interest in fair trade stemmed from student’s desire to live out their faith and learn about its connection to the global
Posted on November 14th, 2015 by Courtney
CRS Fair Trade invites you to reflect on the journey that brought Mary and Joseph to the stable—and to call to mind all those communities around the world that continue to encounter poverty in their own daily journeys. This Advent, journey with us through prayer and short weekly reflections to be used in catechetical settings or at home with your family. We also have an alternative giving activity to engage your entire parish! Want to share these resources on your blog or parish website? We have banner ads you can easily embed! Prayers/Oraciones Include a prayer for our brothers and sisters in need around the world during your Advent celebrations. - Advent Wreath Prayer - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Nativity Scene
Posted on August 25th, 2015 by Angel Calvin
In light of the increasingly relevant dialogue surrounding climate change, this week’s post is a reflection written by Peter Buck on The Pope’s latest encyclical, Laudato Si’. Buck serves as the Senior Representative of Interfaith Program & Community Sales at Equal Exchange. There’s excitement here at Equal Exchange about Pope Francis’ encyclical letter on the environment, “Laudato Si’ (Praise Be): Care for our Common Home.” In the Pope’s encyclical, he makes a powerful call for urgent action on climate change and environmental pollution. These issues are of paramount importance to many, including us at Equal Exchange. A central theme of the Pope’s encyclical is that there can be no solution to the climate crisis without redressing the gross disparities of
Posted on July 20th, 2015 by Angel Calvin
The CRS Fair Trade program helps bring the core values of our faith to the choices we make as consumers. When your parish make purchases from CRS’ fair trade partners, you support artisans and farmers, and provide economic opportunities for people living in poverty. For every purchase, our partners donate a percentage back to CRS to support artisan and farmer organizations overseas. Here are five simple ways to get fair trade going in your parish! Bring faith formation to life through CRS Fair Trade resources for religious education programs, small faith-sharing communities and families. What is Fair Trade? Explains the basics of fair trade. The Parish Budget as a Moral Document reveals how and why parishes should engage in
Posted on June 18th, 2015 by Angel Calvin
Rising sea levels, longer droughts, erratic weather, and more severe natural disasters—these events make it increasingly difficult to hide an undeniable truth: that the global climate, is indeed, changing. All this is spurred by an ever-warming atmosphere largely due to human activity. We are all dependent on the earth in which we live. Providing food, water, energy—the earth is our basic source of life. But when we fail to protect the environment, we witness the result in an ecosystem that is facing greater challenges. We see the detrimental impact on local economies that rely directly on the earth—and this in turn hurts the viability of the global economy. As a result, we neglect the well-being of mankind, and this has
