New England Culture Fest
Posted by Contributor on 04 Oct 2008 at 7:00 am | Tagged as: Fair Trade
Submitted by Roger Garufi
Lunatic Fringe plays at "The Nation's Premiere Fair Trade Event" in Lowell, MA
The 5th Annual New England Culture Fest took place on September 7th, in Lowell, MA. The festival, billed as the nation’s premiere Fair Trade event, is produced each year by a not-for-profit organization called Second World. According to their website (www.second-world.com), the group’s mission is to bridge the gap between the first and third worlds. They achieve this by producing a number of Fair Trade related documentaries and outreach events. There is even a retail component to their efforts, and their store at 172 Middle St. in downtown Lowell offers a beautiful selection of Fair Trade products and artwork.
Green Mountain Coffee has sponsored the New England Culture Fest for the last three years, and we were proud to be on-site again this year. The festival brings together a wide cross-section of sponsors, vendors, artists, community leaders, businesses, musicians, and activists, all united under the concept of supporting and promoting the Fair Trade model. The sights and sounds of the festival swirled around us all afternoon, as we handed out free samples of our delicious Fair Trade Organic House Blends, and our current seasonal offerings, the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice, and Autumn Harvest Blend (both of which are Fair Trade certified as well, as are all of our seasonal releases).
Naturally, sponsorships and sampling opportunities are designed to promote our brand, and sharing our quality products with loyal customers and new consumers helps to establish awareness. But many events carry with them a message, and the message of the New England Culture Fest is one that needs to be heard. By choosing to support the efforts of Second World and the New England Culture Fest, Green Mountain Coffee is helping to educate consumers about the needs and benefits of sustainable business practices like the Fair Trade movement.
The 6th Annual New England Culture Fest is tentatively scheduled for September 5th 2009. Once again, downtown Lowell will come alive with the message of Fair Trade — hope to see you there….