In 2006, I sat down with an author friend, Steve Stockman, author of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2, to get to know each other a bit more. We talked about book writing, Church history, post-modernism and Fair Trade.

If you’ve known me for more than a year or two, it’s quite possible that you’ve heard me state that I believe that the US population, alone, could eradicate much of third world poverty without, and that’s the key, without the assistance and or funding of the government. Seem like it might be too good to be true? Not so.

Over at EverydayWoman.tv (men, get past the name), my friend Steve Stockman tells of a compelling story about the first-hand impact of Fair Trade in third-world countries. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite:

As we walked through her village, she told us about the lovely little gardens, the beautifully painted houses with the solar-paneled roofs and the hopes to build a workshop. We visited the school the workers had built, and children with dirty little noses sang to us. We watched teachers making a few resources go a long, long way. There were lots of smiles and photographs.

Then, we turned a corner out behind the school and there it was … that fence. Our eyes widened, our mouths fell open, and our minds were bombarded with a whole new reality. The fence was what separated the Fair Trade vineyard from the vineyard next door, which had not taken on the Fair Trade mantle.

Please take a moment to read about this compelling story. You won’t regret it.

Fair Trade is a real issue that has real impacts. Simply asking for Fair Trade coffee when you buy at Starbucks or any other coffee shop, can not only satisfy your coffee urge (or addiction), but literally change the lives of those in third-world countries. It’s undeniable and it’s true.

More on Fair Trade in the coming weeks and months.