1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know from house stuff Works 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: Clark and there's Child's Wi Chuck Bryant. This is the 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: five hundred and something time that I said that, Oh yeah, 5 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: we're not to the sixes yet, are we? No? No, 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: it's gonna be a little while. What are we mid five? Yeah? 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: I don't know. Like we hit five D word around 8 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: January D of January. It's a lot of knowledge we're 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: doling out for free, folks. We're like, we're in like 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: like five twenty maybe, Yeah, I thought there might be 11 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: more than that. Um, you're doing okay, I'm great, good? 12 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: How are you okay? Like my back hurts a little bit, 13 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: and Yumi is convinced that it's a kidney infection onset, 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: so she's like, you need to drink a lot of 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: apple cider, vinegar and baking soda diluted in water and 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: cranbery juice. That's what I'm doing. And water. Yeah, that 17 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: went too, But I've got stuff diluted in water, so 18 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: that counts. But it's um kind of rough. You know, 19 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: I don't know that your coffee counts? Is water? No, 20 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: it does actually, you know that the whole you should 21 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: drink eight eight ounce glasses of water a day. You 22 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: can factor in coffee. Yeah, and it's totally made up, 23 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: Like there's no one's ever said that you really should 24 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: do that. It just kind of came on as like 25 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: an early meme, I guess. And there's never There's not 26 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: any evidence that an adult human living in a temperate 27 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: climate of average health couldn't survive without any additional water 28 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: on a daily basis, because we get it from things 29 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: like food and other stuff. I think the idea is 30 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: that you benefit from drinking water. Again, there's not necessarily 31 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: any scientific evidence. That pretty much made up. I'm not 32 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: so sure. I'm telling you look it up back to you, Okay, 33 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: all right, we'll have a look up off. Okay. Um, 34 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: But that's not what this is about, Chuck, Nor is 35 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: it about my possibly um impending kidney infects in hospitalization. 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: It is about the idea that everyone around the world 37 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:14,839 Speaker 1: deserves to make a decent, sustainable living wage, agreed, or 38 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: should at the very least get a should see the 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: fruits of their labor in a fair way. Yeah, this 40 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: kind of flies in the face of something called um capitalism. 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: The free market system a little bit, because in the 42 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: free market system, one of the big things you have 43 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: is pretty much every man for himself. Now, everyone in 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: a free market system, a completely theoretical, unfettered free market system, 45 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: has the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of his or 46 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: her labors, has the opportunity to make a decent, livable wage. 47 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: But one could also argue that the bounce of power 48 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: has tipped so far in favor of a consolidated, internationally 49 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: connected few that at that's just not a real possibilitynymore, 50 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: that theory that theoretical version is now an impossibility, right, 51 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: I think, hey, Mountain, that might be a good time 52 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: to recommend to people to go listen to our previous podcast, 53 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: Is the free market really free? Oh? Yeah, that's a 54 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: good one. Wasn't that the name of that one? That 55 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: was a good one. That was a good one. Um. So, 56 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: because this balance of power has tipped so far post 57 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: pretty much post World War two is when it happened. 58 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: There are there are some people out there who have 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: come up with the idea that maybe we should go 60 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: an extra mile and make sure that the people who 61 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: are actually making all the things we enjoy, For example, coffee, wine, 62 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: soccer balls. People who bananas, bananas, it's a big one. 63 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: People who actually make these things get a an income 64 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: that is like something that anyone who is on the 65 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: receiving end of these bananas and coffee would recognize as 66 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: a livable amount of money in return for what they're 67 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: doing us. That's right. This is not a call for communism. 68 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: This is a call for fair pay via something called 69 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: fair trade. And um, the idea is that uh, you 70 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: and I and whoever else wants to support this kind 71 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: of cause might not mind going into their local and 72 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: we're gonna use coffee a lot, because that's one of 73 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: the big daddies. Yeah, that's might not mind going into 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: their their coffee shop or their grocery store wherever you 75 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: hunt down your coffee and paying a little bit more 76 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: for your coffee. It's got that fair trade stamp on 77 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: their knowing that ultimately the worker who picked those beans 78 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: is going to be cared for in a you know, 79 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: humane fair way. It's gonna get a decent amount of 80 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: money for their for their product. Um, and you you 81 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: kind of hit something on the head when you said, 82 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: seeing that fair trade label, there's a really big distinction 83 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: between a product that carries a certified fair trade label, yeah, 84 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: and something that's marketed as fairly treated that means nothing. 85 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: It means absolutely nothing like that that they might as 86 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: well say, like the contents inside are orange and green maybe. Yeah, 87 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: it's the whole mislabeling, misleading, misleading labeling of things, which 88 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: is just like the organic deal certified organic versus these 89 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: you know, this crap food that will say like contains 90 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: naturally uh natural ingredients or things like that. Emily has 91 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: to fight spedal all the time with her company because 92 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: she's one of the people that tries to only use 93 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: you know, fair trade ingredients and certified organic. And she 94 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: gets angry every day when she sees products body products 95 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: that slap something on their label like naturally good and 96 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 1: people think that means it's all natural or all natural. 97 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: That doesn't mean that it's organic or all natural. It's 98 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: it needs to be regulated more in it. And it's 99 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: so that's such a cynical thing to exploit, Yeah, like 100 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: thing that really meant something at one point in time 101 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: for dollars, you know, to to market something that doesn't 102 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: mean anything, it's actually not good for you, and marketing 103 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: it as good for you while using and already established 104 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: UM consumer trusted label or phrasing. It's just that's said. 105 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: It's one of it's one of the wrong things in 106 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: the world. But let's just say that that's why a 107 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: fair trade people, fair trade groups have UM. They jealously 108 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: guard their h there UM labels. Yeah, so that when 109 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: you do see them, you can't trust what's going on. 110 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: And they'll you know, companies at mislabeled or mislead with 111 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: their labels also make their labels look like the other 112 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: labels even and the font and the color is just 113 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,720 Speaker 1: like it's so underhanded, it's really awful. So let's talk 114 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: about the background of this alright. It started in the 115 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties with something called Alternative Trade Organizations a t 116 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: o S, not the Fraternity a t S. They were 117 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: doing beer bonds and you know other things. Uh, I 118 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: couldn't say what I was gonna say. I think everybody knows. Uh. 119 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: They were humanitarian groups that started this, and basically they 120 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: wanted to alleviate poverty in developing nations by cutting out 121 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: middlemen between small producers in the north Northern hemisphere and 122 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: small businesses in the southern hemisphere. More profits directly going 123 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: to workers who picked the bean again with coffee, and 124 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: then I guess over time they found that this this 125 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: process could work. But you really do need middlemen, right 126 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: So yeah, not always, but depending on where you are 127 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: in the process or right, but if you're using the 128 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: existing I guess trade routes and system of trade that's 129 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: been established globally in the world, um, you there are middlemen. 130 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: Like you. You have a coffee grower in Ethiopia, he 131 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: can't get that to you. You know in New England, 132 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: you do need a middlement. What they figured out with 133 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: fair trade is that you can certify the people in 134 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: between to make sure that the money is getting to 135 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: the producer. And rather than cutting out the middleman to 136 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: increase the income of the of the original producer in 137 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: the developing country, you go to the consumer on the 138 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: consuming and and say, hey, you mind paying a little 139 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: more for this and in return, we will guarantee you 140 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: that this the person you who made this coffee that 141 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: you're enjoying, gets that money. That extra money, like you 142 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: are basically essentially sending it to this guy, and we're 143 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: the ones who are going to make sure that happens 144 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: and We're gonna do so through this labeling. That's right. 145 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: Uh In is actually when the labeling itself was born 146 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: with a Dutch ato called uh soladara dad. Is that 147 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: not right? Solidad as you see, we got yet another 148 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 1: like email about our pronunciation. We try people, that's part 149 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: of the charm of the show. Some people don't like it. 150 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: I unders in um so solidaridad from uh from the 151 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: Dutch region of the world, from Amsterdam, from the Netherlands, 152 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: from Holland, from all those places. They said, you know what, 153 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: we should label these things, help people out when they're shopping, 154 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 1: get them in the main street markets without compromising. You know, 155 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: the trust that consumer has in these products. And that 156 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: is basically where fair trade was born. And we do 157 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: have one stat here in two thousand one, not super recent, 158 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: but just to show you and how people pay for coffee. 159 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,359 Speaker 1: Coffee fluctuates in price. It's like you know, any commodity. 160 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: So uh in two thousand one the price stepped really 161 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: low and the coffee growers were receiving only about forty 162 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: five cents per pound for coffee, but fair trade coffee 163 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: buyers paid a dollar twenty one per pound that year 164 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: to ensure that these people, despite the fluctuations, were able 165 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: to keep the lights on for their business. Essentially, because 166 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: every fair trade organization sets a minimum price, a minimum 167 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:09,079 Speaker 1: fair price that their their producers are gonna get no 168 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: matter what, no matter what the market does, no matter what. 169 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: And I believe if the market goes up, they get 170 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,199 Speaker 1: they get the higher of the two, but at the 171 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: very least they're getting that minimum price for their product. 172 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: So what is an f l O. This is sort 173 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: of how it starts or how the process itself starts, 174 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: or you want to talk about that. Yeah, alright, the 175 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: fair Trade Labeling Organization. So that's that's one of them. 176 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,959 Speaker 1: There's there's a number of labeling organizations, like there's Transfer USA, 177 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: there's a European European Fair Trade Association, right, And apparently 178 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: I guess the f l O is like the the 179 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: agency that oversees the agencies. That's the impression that I have. 180 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: But basically say that you want to um, say that 181 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: you you are a coffee roaster, and again we're going 182 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: with coffee because that's the big one, and you say, hey, 183 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: I really want to get in on this fair trade 184 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: action for whatever reason. It doesn't matter if you want 185 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: to increase your own sales or whatever. It doesn't matter. 186 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: You can't exploit this process, right, No, but that's the thing, like, 187 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,079 Speaker 1: like the coffee roaster can be like, you know, everybody's 188 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: into this fair trade thing, and I think I can 189 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: sell a lot more if I go through this process, 190 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: So let me do it. And they contact the FLO 191 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: or a labeling organization. They say, great, we will sell 192 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: you a license for ten thou pounds of fair trade 193 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:34,199 Speaker 1: coffee beans. So it's a contract for a set amount. Now, 194 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: what they could do is set the coffee roaster up 195 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: with an already certified fair trade UM producer and supply chain. 196 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: Or they can go in and say we can go 197 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: ahead and certify your existing supply chain and producer. And 198 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: that's what they do. The the coffee roaster pays for 199 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: that license, sends the f l O out, They go 200 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: through the supply chain make sure that all this money 201 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 1: is going back to the producer who is expected to 202 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: get it right. Yeah, And they actually send people, human 203 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: people visit farms to ensure that all their business practices 204 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: and their farmers are adhering to these procedures. And not 205 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: only that, they also add a dash of like sustainability, 206 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,080 Speaker 1: like they're that they're not using like horrible environmental techniques 207 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: for stuff. And but yes, basically to make sure that 208 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: this producer isn't just like a you know, dull disguised 209 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: as like some some dude, you know, like they're going 210 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: to do some detective work and once they figure out 211 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: that everything's legit and it falls into the fair trade standards, 212 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: which we'll talk about later, then that's certified, the license 213 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: is exercised, and that ten thousand pounds is delivered and 214 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: that guy can put that on the ten thousand pounds. Yeah, 215 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:48,960 Speaker 1: and it's not always just a one time visit. They 216 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: can also follow up with periodic inspections to ensure that, 217 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: you know, that you keep up with that kind of 218 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,319 Speaker 1: governance and you didn't just like pull a fast one 219 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: on them and you know, get out your house in 220 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:03,079 Speaker 1: order for one day, you know. While and there there's 221 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: the licenses. Usually there's like there's a contract involved, like 222 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: so the middlemen who are involved have to participate in 223 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: these standards. And one of the standards is you have 224 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: to sign like at least a six month contract usually, 225 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: which is actually kind of a lot for these producers 226 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: because a middleman can be like, oh, this guy's selling 227 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: it for way cheaper. I'm going over to him. You know, 228 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: this producer is guaranteed six months of going to this 229 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: middleman and um and getting the money from them. Well yeah, 230 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: and like you said, six months doesn't sound like much, 231 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: but I get the feeling that it was just like 232 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,680 Speaker 1: it's the wild West out there. Yeah, you know, like 233 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: you can drop someone from day to day. Yeah. Well 234 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: they can be like, well, this guy's selling for a 235 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: penny lesson you force this guy down, and now this 236 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: guy is down to two cents, So you go to 237 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: another guy and be like, this guy's down to two cents. 238 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: You can just play as many small farmers as you 239 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: want against off against one another and and drive prices 240 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: down as low as you want. That. Fair trade prevents 241 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: that from happening by forcing middleman to to sign a contract. Yeah, 242 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: so that's one of the tenants. Um. Another is direct 243 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: trade between the producers and buyers. So they try to 244 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: eliminate the middleman when they can. In Central America they 245 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,079 Speaker 1: call the middleman coyote. Yeah, I mean, I thought that 246 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:14,200 Speaker 1: was interesting. Um. So in order to do this, they 247 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: encourage these farmers to get together and form co ops 248 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: export co ops band together. You know you've got a 249 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: little more power. Um. So something that that he points 250 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: out here too is that the exporter, if it's a plantation, 251 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: the fair trade standard requires that national laws governing the 252 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: minimum wage UH and regulations covering the conditions be upheld 253 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: and the workers rights are all upheld as well. So 254 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: that's when you're not I guess forming a co op 255 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: no um, but fair trade tends to encourage co ops 256 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: democratically run co ops. Um. But yeah, they're they're they're 257 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: they're not necessarily completely opposed to the idea of certifying 258 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: something that's run as a plant takes rather than a 259 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: co op, as long as the workers are treated well. 260 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: And one of the other things they do, like if 261 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: there is a if they do run into a plantation 262 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: system and the workers are fine, everything's good, they attach 263 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: what's called the social premium. So if you are, say, 264 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: there's a chocolate importer called Double Chocolate, the U B 265 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: B l E. I think it's in the UK, and 266 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: they they sell fair trade and chocolate, and they on 267 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: their site they were saying that they pay an extra 268 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 1: um I think two hundred dollars a ton of cocoa 269 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: per ton of cocoa. And that's just a social premium 270 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: that's on top of whatever the market prices or whatever 271 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: the minimum fair trade prices, whatever is higher. In addition 272 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: that they pay an extra two hundred bucks right off 273 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: the top for a ton of cocoa. And that is 274 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: that doesn't necessarily go right back to the um the producer. 275 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: It goes back to the producer's community, and it is 276 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: used for things like scholarships, water projects, and notation projects 277 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: like schools whatever. Um. But it's that social premium is 278 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: an addition to raising the individual's income, it raises the 279 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 1: well being of the entire community. Yeah. Well with the 280 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: idea too that that's just gonna be good for everyone's 281 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: business ultimately. Well, yeah, that's the thing. That's that's where 282 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: it's kind of it turns capitalism in on it on itself. 283 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 1: Like the idea that you can democratize through capitalism is 284 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 1: a huge like neo con idea. Yeah, and I mean 285 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: it's true, like it does work. Um, but they're saying, 286 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: but we need to do that through a certain measure 287 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: of Marxism, right. It's kind of kind of funny. Yeah. Uh. 288 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: And the final tenant, which you already sort of mentioned, 289 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: was the minimum prices for farmers. The idea what they 290 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: want here is obviously to make sure that the price 291 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: that the farmer gets is more than the cost of production, 292 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: because you know, everyone's out to make a dollar here 293 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: and there. Um. And so they actually take a survey 294 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: um to make sure that the you know, the price 295 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: is right on the money, and it covers things like 296 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: the cost of living, um, cost of production, and even 297 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: the cost of complying with the fair trade standards. So 298 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: they roll that in there as part of their accounting 299 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: as well. Yeah, and we should say also, um, it 300 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: is the to purchase a license for fair trade and stuff. 301 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: It's on the ultimate I guess distributor, the coffee roaster 302 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,440 Speaker 1: in the case of coffee, UM, or the chocolate producer 303 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,959 Speaker 1: in the case of cocoa, purchases whatever. Um. And before 304 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: I think until two thousand and four, like it was 305 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: free if you were the actual person producing like the 306 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: raw material the good like the coffee or the cocoa. 307 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: But then the flo said, you know what, we need 308 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: to charge you guys a little bit too. So I 309 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: think that further encourages co ops because a small farmer 310 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: in in. You know, Ethiopia can't necessarily afford whatever it 311 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: costs to be in the system. Okay, that makes sense. 312 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,159 Speaker 1: And let's let's take a second here, chuck um to 313 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: remind people exactly what the disparity is between the people 314 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: who eat the chocolate and the people who produced the cocoa. So, 315 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 1: say you were living in Teamore or Lesti in Southeast 316 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: Africa in two thousand five, guess how much you're annual 317 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,119 Speaker 1: income would be expected to be. Well, what am I 318 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: doing in my growing You're just a president of it. 319 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,360 Speaker 1: You're doing whatever you want, but you're you're an average. 320 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: I have a petticab. Okay, you have a petticab since 321 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: you live in Teamre or Lestie. I think I'm saying 322 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: that right, lest one of the two man, I hope 323 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:31,959 Speaker 1: I'm saying that right. You made four d in two 324 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: thousand five for the whole year and two in Malawi. 325 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: You made five six dollars in Somalia's six hundred dollars 326 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 1: in Congo six seventy five for a year. A year, 327 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: three hundred and sixty five days of labor, or a 328 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: large portion of three sixty five days. Take Christmas off 329 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 1: in the petticab by the all right, three hundred and 330 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: sixty four days of labor got you four hundred bucks, 331 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: and teamore or lesti um on the high end in Naritria, 332 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: you made up whopping nine in seventeen dollars. In the 333 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: United States and two thousand five average US citizen spends 334 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: a hundred and fourteen dollars a day spends. Yeah, so 335 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,360 Speaker 1: that's that's the concept of fair trade is like, you 336 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: have this extra couple of dollars, pay it for this, 337 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: and we will make sure that that guy in Eritrea 338 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: gets it, and he's going to benefit, and in fact, 339 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: the whole world will benefit because there's that whole democratic 340 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: peace theory where like supposedly there's a correlation between democratization 341 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: and a decrease in war and belligerence between nations. So 342 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: who knows, it could just be beneficial for everybody. Yeah, 343 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,239 Speaker 1: and this isn't welfare. This isn't uh give taking from 344 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: the rich and giving texting the rich and giving it 345 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 1: to the poor who you know can't get off their 346 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: butts and go work. These are people working very hard 347 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: at their job that you are ultimately benefiting from. When 348 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: you take that step of coffee that you're enjoying, and 349 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: it's it's like we did it in our own country 350 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: when we started enacting, like saying hey, kids shouldn't work 351 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 1: in factories and they should make eight cents a week. 352 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: We did it here in the fair trade label ensures 353 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:16,439 Speaker 1: that wherever your product is coming from around the world, 354 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: that the same thing is going to be you know, happening. Yeah, 355 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,880 Speaker 1: it's it's intervention exploitation. But they're still critics. Yeah, there 356 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:28,200 Speaker 1: are definitely critics and criticisms um in with fair trade, 357 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: and I mean they're legitimate too. Yeah, I mean not 358 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: a lot of criticisms about people saying, hey, you shouldn't 359 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: do this and take care of workers. Probably there's probably 360 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,920 Speaker 1: a handful of people out there that think that it's 361 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:43,159 Speaker 1: more the um but generally, yeah, it's a criticism of 362 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 1: fair trade in the fair trade organizations, not of the 363 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: people who are actually, you know, producing this stuff. Yeah, 364 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 1: basically saying you're ignoring the basic tenets of supply and 365 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: demand in a way because you're you're attaching an inflated 366 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 1: price above the market value without doing anything else right, 367 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: and because it's difficult to kind of get these things 368 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: to market more difficult than than a regular thing. There's 369 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: been a real focus on things like coffee or bananas, 370 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: so in these areas where you can grow coffee and 371 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: can grow bananas, since fair Trade is saying, hey, if 372 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: you grow this stuff and you do it the way 373 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: we want you to, you'll get four times what you 374 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: know you're getting paid. Without us, more people are gonna 375 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: flock from cotton to coffee, and there's gonna be an 376 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: oversupply and that's ultimately going to drive prices down for everybody. Right. 377 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: Another criticism is that fair trade generally UM addresses these 378 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 1: co ops that we were talking about, and maybe if 379 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: you were just a single farmer, that's like, I don't 380 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,400 Speaker 1: want to be in a co op, but I still 381 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: want to be fair trade. It's a little more difficult, 382 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 1: and UM these co ops just like anything else, when 383 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: you get more than two people together in a room, 384 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: there is a possibility for greeting corruption. So some of 385 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 1: these co ops have been attacked for mismanaging fair trade proceeds, 386 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: and UH supporters say, you know what, we can only 387 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: do what we can. We're trying our best. We're not 388 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: saying we're going to solve the world's poverty problems. But 389 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: what we are saying is that we can ensure that 390 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: these farmers and these co ops and these workers are 391 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,880 Speaker 1: getting paid at fair wage enough to live on. Uh 392 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,919 Speaker 1: when you eat your delicious or drink your delicious roasted 393 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: coffeesh And I guess I the one that makes the 394 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,199 Speaker 1: most sense to me is the encouraging oversupply on the 395 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: market and driving down prices for other people and everybody 396 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: in general. Yeah, but um, yeah, and it really that 397 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: that could be very easily solved by just focusing on 398 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: other products as well. Yeah. Right now, they say about 399 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: eight hundred thousand farmers are benefiting from fair trade right 400 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: now worldwide. That was a Yeah, that's an o eight 401 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: stant So I bet it's over a million now because 402 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: it's growing baby. Yeah. I mean that's another thing too, 403 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: is that the sectors are growing to like, uh, in 404 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 1: the early two thousand's, fair trade coffee grew like within 405 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 1: a couple of years. So, I mean, like it's a 406 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,719 Speaker 1: good way to go if you're a poverty stricken coffee farmer. 407 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:14,879 Speaker 1: And it depends on where you are what kind of 408 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 1: products are available. It's not like every everything you find 409 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: in your grocery store will have a fair trade option. 410 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: Um yeah, but it's kind of been presented and marketing 411 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 1: a real like laid back hippie granola away and it's 412 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:28,400 Speaker 1: like like, hey, we'll put it out there and tell 413 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:30,640 Speaker 1: people about it and if they want it, that's awesome. 414 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: There's been no like the they If you took the 415 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: same kind of marketing uh that's applied to the stuff 416 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,719 Speaker 1: that's not produced fairly, and applied it to fairly traded stuff, 417 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: I'm quite sure you could generate a lot more interest 418 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: and have people clamoring for like I want fairly traded 419 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: beef for whatever. People are gonna want that stuff. They 420 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: just don't know that they want it yet necessarily, and 421 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:58,200 Speaker 1: I think that they're I think that the NGOs who 422 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,439 Speaker 1: are doing fair trade could do more. Who diversify If 423 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: I'm wrong, correct me someone who's in the field. You 424 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: got anything else that's fair trade? Hey? Speaking of NGOs, 425 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: our favorite co ed cooperative for education. They are who 426 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 1: took us down to Guatemala and we got to see 427 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: their handiwork in person, and it is good work. Yeah. 428 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: They seek to break the cycle of poverty using education 429 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,439 Speaker 1: and they've got a great model. Like you said, we've 430 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: seen it firsthand, we believe in it, and so we 431 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: are making a call out here. We're plugging for them 432 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: because they have uh, well, they're in need. Okay. They 433 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: are looking to triple the number of students they serve 434 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: over the next three years, so they're gonna need the 435 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:38,679 Speaker 1: help with some stuff you should know, listeners. All right, 436 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,440 Speaker 1: so we got some details for you, folks, the who 437 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 1: of this. We're talking fifty four Indigenous Mayan middle school 438 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: students right right right, These students are getting help literally, 439 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: like firsthand help. Yeah. They're getting help through scholarships that 440 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: cover tuition, school fees and a youth development program that 441 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: foster's community service and leadership among the students. Right. There 442 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: are two scholarship levels. There's the Diploma sponsor, which is 443 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 1: seventy bucks a month, and there's an honorable sponsor, which 444 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,359 Speaker 1: is thirty five bucks a month. Those are some cute names. 445 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: That's very cute. So when all this is going down, is, uh, 446 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: they want fifty four students sponsored by the end of 447 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: the year. Is there anything greater, Josh than finding a 448 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 1: sponsor for every single student? No, And we can do it. 449 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 1: I mean, we have a lot of listeners, and we 450 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 1: have a lot of listeners with big hearts. Actually there 451 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,239 Speaker 1: is one thing greater. They could cover these students and 452 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,960 Speaker 1: have a waiting lis for next year. Oh that'd be 453 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: even better. Yeah, okay, So this is how you do this, guys. 454 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: You can go to the website www. Dot Cooperative for 455 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 1: Education dot org. You can sign up to sponsor a 456 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: child today. Simply click on the donate now button in 457 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: the top right hand at the corner that's right. And 458 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: you know what, a lot of our listeners have gotten 459 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: involved over the years with co ED and gotten a 460 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: lot out of it in return as humans as humans. Yeah, 461 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: it's a genuinely great organization that we've seen, like you said, firsthand. Um, 462 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: so we would encourage all of you to go help. 463 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 1: So that's um Cooperative for Education dot org. You can 464 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: become either a very acutely named diploma sponsor at seventy 465 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,960 Speaker 1: bucks a month or an honorable sponsor at thirty five 466 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,159 Speaker 1: bucks a month. And uh, if you do that, if 467 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: you sign up for it, let us know because we 468 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: want to thank you on the air. Sure cool, it's 469 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: great idea, So go co it, go co a. Thanks friends, 470 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: So okay, Chuck. Hold on, let's let's take a message break. 471 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: Huh and then listener mail are really good one this week? 472 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: Oh now it's time for listener mail, says Jerry. Yeah, 473 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this, uh grief. We got a lot 474 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: of really great responses on the Grief podcast. A lot 475 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: of people reached out more like had just had people 476 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: pass away in their family and listen to the podcast 477 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: that week and helped them out. And uh, we always 478 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: like hearing those things. So this is from John. Guys 479 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 1: would like to thank you for your Grief podcast that 480 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 1: helped me with a grieving process for my best friend 481 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: and brother, Mike. In his death. He was driving in 482 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: Northern Alberta UH in mid December when he lost control 483 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: of his car after crossing railroad tracks, got hit by 484 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: an oncoming car and died on impact. Our family flew 485 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: there from Vancouver and only had a few hours to spend. 486 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: Because of some white mishaps, we couldn't even bring his 487 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 1: ashes back with us. Mailing his ashes was not recommended 488 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 1: to the end of the Christmas season, so we are 489 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: planning on having a funeral for him without ashes. Luckily, 490 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,439 Speaker 1: the company he was to work for he was a 491 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: heavy equipment mechanic and the student at the time, um 492 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 1: he Uh. They heard of the news and their head 493 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,679 Speaker 1: safety guy personally delivered his ashes to our home. We 494 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: then flew to Manila on Christmas Day and right back 495 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: in Canada on New Year's I haven't felt the usual 496 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: symptoms of grief yet, but I'm sure I'll break down 497 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: and start bawling on the sea bus or something, which 498 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: would be super awkward. Uh. The first month was definitely 499 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,160 Speaker 1: the hardest. The moment I always the moment I heard 500 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,679 Speaker 1: the news has been burnt in my mind. That in 501 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: a single flower in front of his dorm room from 502 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,120 Speaker 1: one of the students. The tears really started flowing after 503 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,439 Speaker 1: I saw that, guys and I saw life in a 504 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: completely different way. The little things really do count anyway. 505 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: Mike was most likely listening to podcast at the time. 506 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: That's what he does when he buys groceries, and he 507 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,159 Speaker 1: was on the way to the grocery store. Your voices, 508 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: in fact, may have been the last he heard. Who knows. Uh. 509 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,239 Speaker 1: There was a frozen pineapple in the crash site, and 510 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: I know that was his because he loved that stuff. 511 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: But that said, just in case, he's listening to the 512 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 1: podcast in another life, could you please do one on 513 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:34,639 Speaker 1: pineapples and that would be for Mike and John. We 514 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: will certainly look into pineapples my friend and cool. Yeah, 515 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: I think we should. Yeah, hang in there, dude, it's 516 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: very tough. I can't imagine going through something like that, 517 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 1: but I'm glad we could help in some small, tiny, 518 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: tiny way. Yeah, and thanks for letting us know about that. 519 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 1: We appreciate it. Um. Wow, that was you selected, maybe 520 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: the best one. Yeah, and we got some good emails 521 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: about Greek too. Yeah, thanks to everyone who's senting those 522 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: in and like people or their souls sometimes it's very touching. Yeah, 523 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: we hope we make you feel better if you want 524 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: to tell us a story about how we made your 525 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,520 Speaker 1: family feel a little bit better or you or whatever, 526 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: as long as we didn't make you feel worse, although 527 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:17,479 Speaker 1: we should probably hear about that too. You can tweet 528 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:19,959 Speaker 1: to us at s Y s K podcast. You can 529 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: join us on Facebook dot com slash stuff you Should Know. 530 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,720 Speaker 1: You can send us an email to Stuff Podcast at 531 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: Discovery dot com, and you can join us at our 532 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: website Stuff you Should Know dot com for more on 533 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics because it how stuff 534 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: works dot com. This episode of Stuff You Should Know 535 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: was brought to you by audible dot com.