From the 26th Frebruary- 11th March it’s Fairtrade Fortnight! This is essentially a two week period where we are encouraged to buy more Fairtrade, eat more Fairtrade and generally spread the word about Fairtrade goodness!
What is Fairtrade?
For any of you who don’t know what Fairtrade is or what the foundation does, here’s a quick run-down for you. For years and years and years too many farmers and workers in developing countries are working long days in inadequate conditions for very little money-usually not enough to live off. Their produce is bought by companies who do not pay them enough even to live off and then sell their produce in supermarkets making a profit for themselves but leaving the farmers with nothing. Doesn’t seem fair, hey? Well that’s where the great work of the Fairtrade organisation comes in! They are a non-profit organisation that works both directly and indirectly with thousands of business’ and workers in order to ensure workers are paid a fair wage, better working conditions are achieved and that trade is fair for everyone involved – hence the name Fairtrade! If you want to know a bit more about Fairtrade and why its so fab, check out this Youtube video made by the Fair-trade foundation about Fairtrade and sustainability!
What can I do?
So I think we can all agree that Fairtrade is a pretty cool thing that benefits everyone. So how can we do our bit to ensure Fairtrade works? Well, first of all, simply buying! There are thousands and thousands of Fairtrade certified products sold in the UK so they’re pretty easy to get your hands on. Look out for the fair trade logo on your products to know if what you’re buying is Fairtrade or not. Fairtrade products can be anything ranging
from bananas to chocolate and coffee to make-up. So when you’re doing your shopping try to take a little time to see if there is a fair trade option to what you’re already purchasing- making small changes like this to your every day routine could have a big impact on someones life. The brilliant thing about being a student at Staffordshire University is that we are a ‘Fairtrade University‘- yay! One of the many great things this means is that Fairtrade products are available for purchase within our student shops which is amazing as it makes buying Fairtrade so much more convenient. Even spreading the word to your friends and family, encouraging them to buy Fairtrade trying to get as many people on board with this movement as we can! An easy way to do this is to tweet using the hashtag #FAIRTRADEFORTNIGHT which people can easily click on to find out more and hopefully get involved themselves. Let’s see how much of a difference we can make over the next two weeks. (I wonder how many times I’ve said ‘Fairtrade’ in this post?)
“When trade is fair, it can make the world a better place. Together we have that power, so get involved and be part of the difference.” -Fairtrade Foundation.
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