Sustainable+Trade

Part Three- "Two Current Sustainable Trade Issues"
A. "The impact of the 2010 earthquake on Chile's economy" by Stockholm Group- Tonya B. "The negative impact of bottled water companies" by Paris Group- Cheri Lewis

__**Part One- "What Sustainable Trade Is" by Athens Group- Helen Avis:**__ Hello from Athens! Our group has spent time gathering information on what Sustainable Trade is, what countries responsibilities are, and what individuals responsibilities are. I have completed an annotated bibliography and posted it on our site. I would be happy to post it here and/ or add to it. I have a NCSU student who has been very involved, a Doha seventh grader that has been very involved, a Doha seventh grader who has contributed some, and a Hawaii student that I haven't heard from in awhile. I am still unsure about exactly what we are doing by merging but I know that my group will be excited to have more help! We look forward to working with you all!
 * 1. A summary of the work done in your city group**

The NC Sustainable Energy Association.(2010). Retrieved from http://www.ncsustainableenergy.org/events/ncsea/display/104- retech2010renewableenergytechnologyconferenceexhibition This is NC’s site on sustainable energy and trade. It is up to date and full of information.
 * 2. Additional information that you found on your own**

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development.(2010). Retrieved from http://ictsd.org/ This is a huge site with tons of international information having to do with trade and development. There are links to research studies, new articles, and other informational websites.

A Sustainable world class airport. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.hawaiiairportsmodernization.com/34/protecting-hawaii This site describes how Hawaii feels a responsibility to create building projects using stainable resources. It has a link that talks about a country’s responsibility in taking care of itself by using sustainable products.
 * 3. Annotated resources (links, videos, articles)**

Environment and trade in a world of interdependence. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.iisd.org/standards/entwined.asp ENTWIND is a project lead by the Swedish Environmental Reasearch Institute which works on researching sustainable trade. This page gives standards for private and public sectors are affected by sustainable trade.

Global strategies local change. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.sustainablecommodities.org/publicpolicy This site is published by the group Sustainable Commodity Iniative. They give a clear idea of some of the voluntary standards that countries can adhere to for sustainable trade as well as information on forming partnerships and how to promote sustainable commodities.

How Did media become fair trade?. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.firstfairtradetownusa.org/towns This site explains how Media, PA became the first fair trade town in the US. It bullet points the criteria for doing so.

Petrone, Maurizio. (2009). Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming. January 25, 2010. http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html This is a list of 50 things that individuals can do to help the environment.

The Wto doha development round. (2010, January 29). Retrieved from http://www.euractiv.com/en/trade/wto-doha-development-round/article-157082 This article provides a good, brief history and the key issues of the Doha Round.

The Cairns group. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cairnsgroup.org/ This is a site devoted to the Cairns Group. This is a group of 19 developing and devolved countries that are trying to reform agricultural trade. Members of the Group are: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.

Stainable trade. (2010, January 29). Retrieved from http://www.euractiv.com/en/socialeurope/sustainable-trade/article-117546 This site explains trade and social issues, and discusses how developing countries’ objections were primarily due to concerns that environmental negotiations might restrict market access for their goods.

Countries must take an active role in the sustainability of their natural resources. There must be a certain example set by countries that this is a priority and that these resources are of value. If this is done in the arena of trade then countries have the opportunity to lead through example. If countries only trade with other countries who are taking sustainability into consideration then other countries will jump on board. If underdeveloped countries have difficulty then there should be help through international organizations for them because it would make a significant difference in their overall well being. If the undeveloped countries are properly managing their natural resources then they will be able to draw from these resources in the future leaving them with an opportunity to increase their value and develop their country.
 * 4. Your opinion about a country's responsibility**

Individuals should be interested in sustainable trade because there should be an interest in maintaining the planet and their country’s natural resources. We as individuals have a responsibility to take care of what we have and to leave as little of a mess as possible. This is the same basic principle that I am teaching my two and three year old. You clean up the mess that you make and leave a path of as little destruction as you can. So often it is difficult for Americans to think about where products were made, how they were made, and who made them because we are bombarded with options to consume. There are so many products available to us that we can not possibly understand the ramifications of each one. If there were some sort of awareness on packaging that made it easier to tell which products were available through sustainable trade than individuals may be able to make more of a difference.
 * 5. Your opinion about an individual's responsibility**

__**Part Two- "Globalization and Sustainable Trade" by Istanbul Group**__ Inquiry question: What is a nation's responsibility to it's global trading partners? Judge the best way for nations to participate in sustainable trade, either through fair trade or free trade.

Because of the interconnectedness of our global economy, actions on a local level can have a profound impact on the world at large (and at the same time, world trade can have a profound impact on the local level), and because of this interconnectedness, the World Trade Organization (WTO) serves to regulate trade around the world. For the past 15 years, the WTO, World Trade Organization has served as the "overseer of world trade." This organization of 153 members settles disputes between countries as well as guides decisions about the impact of trade on working conditions, the environment, and foreign investment.A major issue that the WTO must acknowledge is the conflict between supporters of free trade and the supporters of fair trade. As countries work together and trade together, they must agree on the ways in which to trade.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

Less developed countries that have resources and skills that are sought after can benefit from wealthier countries with greater purchasing power. The sustainability of the less-developed countries can be ensured when fair trade policies are enforced and these counties are able to become economically self-sufficient. With fair trade, these countries are able to receive greater value for their commodities and tend to becoming more environmentally responsible in the production and export of their products. Free trade is a concept that promotes unrestricted trade among countries. Proponents of free trade assert that this form of trade promotes economic growth. Over time, free trade will benefit all nations who take part in free trade. Oftentimes, consumers think that they are doing right by buying only local or only fair traded goods, but both of these extremes can prove harmful to the people who are dependent upon our consumerism. For example, buying goods that are only made in the U.S. hurts trade with other countries. At the same time, buying goods that are fair trade goods can hurt farmers in places such as Africa. Subsidies can artificially inflate the economies there and force many people out of work. In effect, the economy slows and thus remains dependent on foreign subsidies. Free trade (the other extreme), often leaves behind the small, local businesses we know and love because they cannot compete with the larger conglomerates.

Fair Trade is an economic partnership and a system of exchange that hopes to create equality between countries. It's a way to empower the poorest countries. Fair trade originated in 1946 when Edna Ruth Byler visited a sewing class in Puerto Rico where she found that the women there created beautiful lace while living in poverty. Byler brought these pieces back to the United States to sell and she then returned the money directly back to the groups that made the lace. Her work became Ten Thousand Villages and opened its first fair trade shop in 1958. Fair trade awareness and sales have increased for the past ten years. A few products that are now sold through fair trade are home decor, clothing, jewelry, coffee, tea, chocolate, and fruit.  So, which comes first: the individual or the nation? The answer is the nation. Striking a balance of a sustainable economy free from unfair wages and working conditions as well as economic independence can only result if we balance free and fair trade. The extremities of each will only further complicate the lives of the unfairly paid worker or the farmer who can't compete with subsidies. Striking a balance is difficult because it involves bureaucracy and agreement. The individual can play a key role in supporting this balance by acknowledging and supporting companies, conglomerates, and subsidies that don't exploit workers. Before they rush to buy coffee or a candy bar, individuals must understand the subsidy programs that are implemented in other countries.

Resources: World Trade Organization. (2010). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 13, 2010, from Grolier Online [|__http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0315505-0__] __[] [] [|http://www.fairtrade.net]__/ __[|http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/trade-and-the-env...] []__ Free trade. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from [|__http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free__] trade __[] []__ - The history of Fair Trade

__[]__ - Promoting Fair Trade

=

 * __Part Three A- "First Current Sustainable Trade Issue"/ "The impact of the 2010 earthquake on Chile's economy" by Stockholm Group- Tonya__ 1. A summary of the work done in your city group** Hey all from Tonya from the Stockholm group! Our main focus is //What short term and long term impact does the earthquake of 2010 have on international trade practices of Chile?// We have a few questions that our group is trying to answer. Our Research Questions: What exactly is sustainable trade? What are some products that come out of Chile? How has the 2010 earthquake negativity affected the production of these products? How has the 2010 earthquake positively affected the production of these products if at all? What other counties benefit from the products that Chile produces and how does the earthquake affect these countries? I have had many participate except for one! All of us have done some sort of research regarding the impact the earthquake has had on the copper industry in Chile. My NCSU undergrads have done a FANTASTIC job on helping out with this project. And once I changed the blueprint to the new improved one the Doha and Hawaii students started to tag along:) So...so far so good. I am waiting for Wednesday to gather everyone's work on one discussion page to create our PowerPoint. If any of you find info on the Earthquake in Chile you think has to do with sustainable trade the resources would be a big help! I will do what I can to help!======

=

 * 2. Additional information that you found on your own** [] This page talks about how the earthquake has affected the Chile Industry. The prices of copper have skyrocketed in the past month since the country has been hit with a huge natural disaster. It was amazing to read that the mines were mostly untouched even though they were hit with a massive earthquake.======

=

 * 3. Annotated resources (links, videos, articles)-We have found a lot….So I am only going to post a few on here. You will see the rest in our PowerPoint** Here is a video referring to the Chile earthquake. It shows the unpredictability of a natural disaster. Key things I take from the video: It was more powerful than the earthquake than Haiti. It destroyed roadways, bridges, parking decks, and homes. When linking this to the economy you have to consider the cost of all the damage. Businesses where also damaged, and that affects trade. Resource: [] These maps are preliminary damage assessment maps. Again, this shows how unpredictable a natural disaster can be. If you zoom in on the maps, you will see certain areas that were damaged or flooded. For example, the first map shows a broken pipe and that there was a fertilizer spill. Economically someone has to pay to clean it up. That fertilizer was probably for crops which will affect the trade that farmer has with others. Resource: [|http://publicintelligence.net/eu-chile-earthquake-preliminary-damag...] []... This source discusses that Chile's recent earthquake may cause economic ripples within the country. Chile is the world's chief exporter of copper and also a major agricultural supplier of things like wine, grapes, and pears. The recent earthquake has disrupted both the copper and agricultural industries. [] A little hard to follow but.. This article discusses that even though the earthquake did not totally destroy Chile's copper mines, it has affected the price of copper. The price has been rising due to the quake and hit it's highest peak on March 1st. [] This is a YouTube video that basically just shows how strong the earthquake was. The epicenter of the quake was right on the coast so, there were Tsunami warning for many surrounding countries. Buildings in Santiago (the nearest city to the earthquake) shook for 10 to 30 seconds, and lost communication and electricity [] In this article, it tells of how the earthquake affected the copper trade. Chile is the world's biggest copper miner, but because of the quake, 4 major mines were suspended. This suspension affects about 20% of copper production. Chile's mining minister said it could take two days for mining to resume. [|http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/international/chilean-earthquak...] This article is about the Chilean earthquake causing more damage then we think. The earthquake was so powerful that it seems to have moved earth's axis and increased the earth's rotation speed.======

=

 * 4. Your opinion about a country's responsibility** We all know that natural disasters can hit at any given time anywhere in the world. Therefore, I believe it is the countries responsibility to know how to act when those disasters occur. A country that is known for having earthquakes should have backup plans for when something strikes. There should be evacuation plans, shelters, food banks for people to utilize. As for trade, a country should know what do to when a natural disaster hits to prepare their goods.======

=

 * 5. Your opinion about an individual's responsibility** AS individuals I think our responsibility to make sure your home, family, friends, and community is safe when a natural disaster hits. Creating first aid kits, getting what is needed from the stores. It is also an individuals responsibility to help rebuild and volunteer! If everyone pitched in, I think the rebuilding process would be easier and get done faster. OK...Here is Stockholm's final PowerPoint! I hope that you like it! [[file:CHILE.pptx]]======

**Part Three B- "Second Current Sustainable Trade Issue"/ "The negative impact of bottled water companies" by Paris Group- Cheri Lewis**
The Paris group discovered that free trade is sucking the natural resources (forest, water, river basins) on our planet dry. The planet’s resources are quickly being depleted by fisheries, logging companies, and bottled water companies. Companies like Nestle, Coca-cola and Pepsi are leading the world in the sale of bottled water. We wanted to** take a closer look at these private drinking water companies. Where are they getting their water from anyway? What kind of damage are they doing to the environment? How can countries make the business of bottled water more sustainable? How can individuals do their part to support bottled water brands that are sustainable? What does the individual need to know in order to make informed decisions about bottled water? Megan, from Qatar, discovered through her research that ** the number of plastic bottles thrown away each year is dramatic and the amount of fossil fuels used to manufacture and transport the bottles is tremendous. Also, the plastic used for bottled water contains dioxin which not only causes people to get sick but is a big threat to our world as well. To help, people are trying to reuse their water bottles or recycle them and it does make a difference but to really help our environment everyone has to contribute.

On top of this information, Cheri discovered there are companies that are trying to be more environmentally friendly. For example, a citizen in New York decided to bottle water from the tap and sell it. This company is helping to protect the natural waters and springs around the world, but the bottling process is still there. Cheri also discovered that the purchase of bottled water has steadly begun to decrease. Mostly in part to the awareness that the plastic bottles are harmful to the environment.

The resources used by Paris group are listed below:
 * 1) Different kinds of water- @http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/5467759/
 * 2) Fuels used when making water bottles- @http://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html - the fuels that are used when making bottles
 * 3) What to do about the problem with water bottles- http://imparo.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-a...
 * 4) Dioxins in the water bottle and the damage it does to the environment- []
 * 5) Reasons that bottled water is not good for us- http://www.mnn.com/food/markets-groceries/stories/5-reasons-not-to-...
 * 6) Disposing of water bottles- http://www.mnn.com/food/markets-groceries/stories/5-reasons-not-to-...
 * 7) Alternatives to water bottles and facts about them- @http://www.squidoo.com/waterbottles
 * 8) Options on what to do to keep safe- http://www.fitsugar.com/Plastic-Water-Bottles-Really-Bad-Environmen...
 * 9) Information on the water companies- @http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1125
 * 10) Number of bottles used and the information on the bottles- @http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Water-bottl...
 * 11) Facts about the safety, regulation, distribution, origin and consumption of bottled water- http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:_NXAHhrt4IsJ:www.pbs.org/front...
 * 12) Report that tap water is cleaner than bottled- (http://www.blogtactic.com/2009/05/bottled-water-vs-tap-water.html)
 * 13) Stats on bottled water users and objections to bottled water- []
 * 14) Los Angeles Times news article about how one New Yorker decided to bottle the town’s tap water- []
 * 15) Top selling UK water companies in 2008- []
 * 16) Article discussing how the sale of bottled water has decreased- []

Paris group felt that there are certain responsibilities that belong to countries and individuals in making sure that the business of bottling water can be made more sustainable. The government could help by supplying communities and public areas with more water stations so that people can fill up reusable water bottles instead of purchasing bottled water. These could be placed in recreational areas and outside as well as inside of public buildings that are frequented often. Countries could also provide communities with more recycling centers and encourage people to use them to discard of water bottles. On top of providing more recycling centers, countries should provide pickup for recyclable products. By creating pickup for recyclable items, jobs would also be created. In the town of Kenly, recycling water bottles is encouraged but not mandatory. In order to recycle them, they must be taken by individuals to certain centers. No one wants to take the time to travel and do this, but it is necessary. If countries will pass laws that require the recycling of certain materials then the environment can be taken care of and the world would become less wasteful in the process. Not only this, but jobs would be created as a result of enforcing these laws. Another option, but certainly not the best, is for countries to create higher taxes on bottled water as to deter the amount of purchases made. A more positive spin on this suggestion is to offer tax incentives to those who purchase these items but can show proof of recycling. Laura also offered two viable solutions that could make bottling water more sustainable. C ountries could produce public service announcements on TV after researching how bottling water affects our environment. They could also support patents for more environmentally friendly mini plastic bottles.

The individual can obviously help make bottling water more sustainable by doing their part and recycling, regardless of pickup or self service. Individuals also have the responsibility to make wise environmental purchasing decisions. They can do this by purchasing reusable water bottles instead of buying new plastic ones each and every time they get thirsty. The individual is responsible for understanding the dangers and un-necessary damages caused by bottled water. As individuals, we must become informed citizens of the world. This is our responsibility.


 * Research from the Cario group**

[|http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/trade-and-the-env...] The World Trade Organisation (WTO) promotes free trade for the gain of private interests, over and above our health and the environment. It is fatally flawed and is moving the world in the wrong direction - away from peace, security and sustainability. By stalling on issues that are crucial to poorer countries, the WTO faces a crisis of legitimacy.

[] This website has some standards for sustaining trade and it has a little bit about Doha...thought it might be interesting!

**a PDF file of a report put out by the United Nations Environment Programme and it has several assessments for different countries along with recommendations. It's long, but somewhat interesting to browse through.** [] df Sustainable trade is a trading system between countries that does not hurt the environment or social conditions but does promote economic growth.

Trade is vital to global economic development.

In Doha in November of 2001 there was a new round of multilateral trade negotiations launched. It provided a mandate for negotiations on twenty-one subjects and restates its commitment to sustainable development. Its purpose is to offer a greater accessible market for countries that are still developing.

Information from: []

The country’s responsibility to its individual citizens and to the world are that the country is doing what is best for everyone involved. They want to bring money into their own country, help develop struggling countries, and keep the environment safe at the same time.

What is an individual’s responsibility to their country and to the world? As individuals people have to make decisions about how to support sustainable trade. Like in the USA right now the economic situation is not in a good position, and people are losing jobs and having trouble finding work. Individuals have to make decisions about what is best for our country and the people in it. It is better to buy the shirt from China that is $12 dollars or is it better to buy the shirt that was made in the USA that is $25. We need to support out economy so that more jobs will be available and the people in our country will not suffer due to sustainable trade. Although in many aspects it is necessary.