Ever gone to Starbucks and wondered about all the places your coffee has been before it was poured steaming hot into your mug? Neither did I until I began to understand exactly what Fair Trade Coffee is and what it holds the potential to do. If you happen to be one of those lucky quasi-narcoleptic coffee addicts like myself, then you probably understand what I say when I speak of the importance of coffee to busy people. Even if you're not that busy, and you find yourself reading this article sipping tea in front of your television, there is still the potential to find some common thread of interest in what Fair Trade can achieve.

Interestingly enough, coffee is the second most traded commodity after crude oil. With that in mind, it should become quite clear that the coffee trade has an enormous impact on an enormous amount of people. The average coffee bean typically goes through about a half dozen middle-men before it arrives in a coffee shop. The coffee farmer who spent countless hours toiling away in his/her fields oftentimes makes only six hundred US dollars a year. Can you imagine living on only $600 a year, let alone trying to raise a family on such an income? I am a lowly college student, and even I cannot. Now where Fair Trade comes into the picture, and where you can have an impact, is in advocating a more direct and equitable trading relationship between coffee farmers and coffee consumers.

Essentially, Fair Trade coffee cuts out many of the middle-men involved in the shipping process. By creating a more direct relationship between growers and consumers, both parties stand only to benefit. The grower is able to earn a more livable wage, while the coffee drinker at the same time enjoys a more flavorful cup of coffee.

Recently, a small number of highly motivated people on campus began circulating a petition to persuade Sodexho, the multi-national corporation that feeds our campus as well as the surrounding prisons, to begin offering Fair Trade coffee throughout our campus. Put rather bluntly, the effort is essentially grass roots, and as such, requires the help and support of people like yourself. So, if you care about equitable trading practices and social justice, or just want a tastier cup of coffee, then tear off the attached petition and begin collecting signatures.

For more specifics take a look at the statement on the detachable sheet. To make a difference, sign it and get your friends to sign it. When you've gathered a hefty amount of signatures, drop off your sheet in the Amnesty International mailbox in the Davies student organizations complex. What could be a better opportunity to do something good for yourself while at the same time being socially righteous?

A coffee connoisseur who cares ~ John Zanetti