December 1

"Is it possible to achieve social and economic justice through the marketplace?  

What are the advantages and limitations of a 'politics of consumption' that focuses on our purchasing choices (e.g., certified fair trade products and sweat-free apparel)?"

Dan is the author of Brewing Justice.  Here's a quote about his book...

"The idea of fair trade in a global economy is central to contemporary debates over neoliberalism, globalization and the rule of the free market. But what are the coordinates of the fair trade moment; what sort of alternative does it offer for producers and consumers? Daniel Jaffee is at once a fierce proponent of fair trade but also a critical voice. How, he asks, can fair trade coffee be in and against the market? With one foot in the Central American coffee fincas and the other in the intellectual world of Karl Polanyi and his disciples, Daniel Jaffee has on offer a very heady brew. Brewing Justice is a pioneering study of the variety of fair trade movements; a prospectus for a more radical vision of fair trade--an alternative sort of market; and a vital contribution to contemporary debates over free trade, the global agro-food system and the so-called 'movement of movements'. A tour de force."

--Michael Watts, University of California, Berkeley

November 3

Surely we want corporations to "go green" -- but by shopping at BIG BOX corporations, are we helping or hurting our communities?

"With 1.4 million employees worldwide, Wal-Mart's workforce is now larger than that of GM, Ford, GE, and IBM combined... When ranked by its revenues, Wal-Mart is the world's largest corporation..." (Michael Shuman, quoting Simon Head)

"The world's largest new Green Machine: Wal-Mart. They have started a sustainability initiative that is bound to influence the behavior of their massive customer base, and they've almost instantly become the world's biggest seller of organic milk and the biggest buyer of organic cotton. They're pulling ideas (and consultants) from everywhere, from NGOs to Amory Lovin's Rocky Mountain Institute. What's next?"  -- Rebecca Blood

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October 6

Join the conversation, then see the ideas in action!

Sept. 8*
(2nd Sat.)

 “How might we operate in a ‘Flat’ world?”

Here’s a quote offered by Norma Bauer from The World Is Flat by New York Times business writer Thomas L. Friedman. 

"As the world starts to move from a primarily vertical-command and control-system for creating value to a more horizontal-connect and collaborate- value-creation model... societies are going to find themselves facing a lot of very profound changes all at once...  These changes won't just affect how business gets done... They will affect how individuals, communities, and companies organize themselves, where companies and communities stop and start, how individuals balance their different identities as consumers, employees, shareholders, and citizens, how people define themselves politically, and what role government plays in managing all of this flux."

Norma poses some interesting questions we might explore:

• How does this flat world interface with the value of buying locally?

• What, if anything, can people to do to prepare for this?

• Is there a way for organizations to benefit from this newly-flattened world?

• Can we realistically define ourselves as consumers, citizens, shareholders, employees when everything's changing?