<html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> Thanks Anzir,   As always your comments are first rate and challenging.  What I have done just below is that I have stripped our the FT Labeling section in the latest Jacobs Rule draft – you can see the full thing, today’s version, if you click the Open Blog link on the top menu of http://www.newmobility.org – which may show a few advances over the earlier draft notes on this.  I hope that what follows and indeed the whole schmear will be worthy of further comments and suggestions. This is collective intelligence at work and that, I am convinced, is our only way out.   <div style='border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm'> Eric Britton </div>   From: Fair Transport –Jacobs’ Rules (http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2006/05/fair-transport-jacobs-rules-tribute.html) <img width=235 height=194 src="cid:image001.jpg@01C66FB5.6EFBD780" align=left hspace=12>Fair Transport Labeling <u1:p></u1:p> This is a proposal concerning which we would be grateful to have your comments: <u1:p></u1:p> Specifically, it presents a kind of eco-labeling concept that has certain similarities with Fairtrade labeling (see below for a short definition), but it is entirely focused on the identification and support of concepts and programs that are able to meet or show meaningful progress in terms of a certain number of specific performance and other social, economic and technical parameters. <u1:p></u1:p> <u1:p></u1:p>Fairtrade labelling is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand" title=Brand>brand</a> designed to allow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumers" title=Consumers>consumers</a> to identify goods which meet agreed standards. The system involves independent auditing of producers to ensure standards are met. Companies offering products that meet the standards are licensed to use the fair trade label. Standards are set by the independent NGO Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International on behalf of a number of national bodies for each type of product. Typically standards cover <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Labor_standard&action=edit" title="Labor standard">labor standards</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_standard" title="Environmental standard">environmental standards</a>, and stable pricing.<u1:p></u1:p> From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairtrade">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairtrade</a> (with some slight rearrangement)<u1:p></u1:p> <u1:p></u1:p>Who/what qualifies: <ul type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Types of vehicles</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Specific vehicles</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Power and fuel sources</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Transportation systems (such as LRT, BRT, paratransit, carsharing, shared taxi implementation, etc.)</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Public space and interface projects </li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Towns, cities, neighborhoods</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Production systems</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Innovative programs (Local, regional, etc.)</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Noteworthy individual contributions</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Media/productions </li> </ul> Criteria: <ul type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Jacobs’ Rules (and that’s all!) </li> </ul>   Organization and delivery: <ul type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Process?</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Funding?</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Evaluation/verification?</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>Prizes?</li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black'>International Advisory Council - <a href="http://www.ecoplan.org/kyoto/challenge/panel.htm">http://www.ecoplan.org/kyoto/challenge/panel.htm</a></li> </ul>   Fair Transport Label credibility: 1. How meaningful is the Fair Transport label? 2. How do we verify that the label standards are met? 3. Is the meaning of the label consistent? 4. Are the label standards publicly available? 5. Is information about the organization publicly available? 6. Is the organization behind the label free from conflict of interest? 7. Was the label developed with broad public and unbiased expert input?   Interim Comment: The idea as I see it will not be to try to hand a Fair Transport label on every half decent project or implementation all over the place, but rather to begin to create a kind of ‘honor role’ of places and ways of doing things that the world needs to know more bout. Now I am aware that there are plenty of Best Practices et al projects all over the place, but what may make the Fair Transport Label a meaningful addition, is that it lends itself to a more explicit, agreed, respected set of criteria and process.   *     *     * <div style='border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm'>   </div>   On Behalf Of Anzir Boodoo Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 12:24 PM To: NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com Subject: Fair Transport - comments   Eric,   If you are thinking of a "Fair Transport" mark akin to the "Fair  Trade" mark, there are several additional comments to make which  relate solely to the mark itself.   In the UK, there has been some backlash against the Fairtrade  Foundation, who administer the mark, with a number of coffee and  chocolate producers particularly arguing that it is all very well to  say the trading of a product is done fairly, but that gives no  guarantee of the quality of the product (for proof of this, see some  of the lower end Fair Trade products such as some supermarket own  brands). In addition, the business ethics of the retailer can be seen  in some eyes to negate buying Fair Trade products from, say, Wal- Mart, on an ethical perspective.   What this means from the perspective of "Fair Transport" is that in  theory there are two planes of conflict:   1. Are the people in charge of the accreditation trusted?   2. Is "Fair" always "Fair" regardless of who is operating the system?  Are there political or other reasons why something that might  otherwise be "fair" can justifiably be called "unfair"?   Perhaps I am overstating the problem here, but I think it's  potentially very serious. We could lose a lot of credibility very  early on if we (perhaps accidentally) upset the bees some people have  in their bonnets (I don't know how well that lot will translate).   To start off with, what I understand that you, Eric, propose here is  an overarching concept that can be quantified, at least in a way in  which it is possible to provide an accreditation that will be  recognised the world over.   May I suggest that instead of going down the potentially very  complicated route of deciding whether this bus service or that  cycleway package in fairer than the other, that we follow another  Fairtrade strand that is becoming popular in the UK at least by  accrediting "Fair Transport Towns" (and cities) where policies and  the implementation of plans have favoured a people centric approach  to transport. This would be awarded to the municipality and recognise  a complete integrated package and "attitude" towards urban transport.   Thanks -- Anzir Boodoo MRes MILT Aff. IRO transcience, 72 Staplehurst, BRACKNELL RG12 8DD           </div> </body> </html>