The news conference celebrated Fair Trade Day and honored Milwaukee as the nation's first fair trade city.,”Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed Monday Fair Trade Day in Milwaukee at a press conference held at City Hall.

The news conference celebrated Fair Trade Day and honored Milwaukee as the nation's first fair trade city.

The fair trade title indicates that labor and environmental standards are held up during the production of a product.

In July, the Milwaukee Common Council passed a resolution to give the city a fair trade label. But the Fair Trade Towns campaign, a group that's mission is to support and grow the fair trade movement in the U.S., has a specific set of goals for cities to complete before they receive the fair trade title.

As of August, the Fair Trade Towns campaign said it had not seen evidence of Milwaukee's completion of its goals. However, Alderman Tony Zielinski, of District 14 on the south side, who proposed the resolution, said the Common Council was willing to work toward the Fair Trade Town campaign's goals.

Zielinski said Monday his resolution's two goals are to prevent exploitation of farmers and to protect the environment.

Barrett said city politicians are looking at fair trade on a micro level and discussing and promoting the importance of allowing farmers to receive profits for their goods.

"We in Milwaukee are proud to be the first fair trade city, and hopefully, Chicago and Seattle will follow," Barrett said.

At the news conference Barrett gave a plaque declaring Milwaukee's mission to promote fair trade to Paul Rice, CEO of TransFair USA.

TransFair USA is a nonprofit organization that acts as an auditor between U.S. Fair Trade-certified companies and the international suppliers. TransFair USA is the only third-party certifier of fair trade products in the U.S., according to the organization's Web site.

Erin Ford, special projects coordinator for Organic Valley, a cooperative of family farms, attended the event to discuss the cooperative's efforts in fair trade.

"This day brings awareness to a lot of people about fair trade," Ford said.

Rice said businesses and politicians in the community act as pioneers in the fair trade movement by supporting fair prices for farmers who may be in poverty.

"For many years people didn't think Americans cared about the plight of the world," said Rice.

Rice said he has seen consumers today view their purchase of products as an expression of their values.

Rice said the purchase of coffee and other fair trade products by Americans are helping send farmers in impoverished countries to universities and their children to school.

"A cup of coffee can help keep kids in school and help the ecosystem," said Rice. The movement is awakening the powerful American consumer to these spending powers, Rice added.

Rice said large businesses like Roundy's and Whole Foods, along with smaller coffee shops, helped initiate Milwaukee's fair trade movement. He said these stores took the initiative to sell fair trade products before the fair trade movement became popular.

Barrett said he's seen a real momentum in Milwaukee consumers purchasing fair trade products.

Katie Ernst, shift supervisor at Starbucks at 1610 W. Wisconsin Ave., said she has encountered customers who will only drink fair trade coffee, including some who request the store's Cafe Estima Blend even on days when it's not being brewed.

The press conference was sponsored by Alterra Coffee Roasters, Outpost Natural Foods, Four Corners of the World, Future Green, ARGAND'OR, the MT. Meru Coffee Project, United Students for Fair Trade and the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition.

“