Abdeali Saherwala | Contributor
Featured image: York sells its own fair trade coffee brand Las Nubes, grown in a Costa Rican rainforest, which it partially owns. | Courtesy of Treehugger
Sustainably farmed coffee, tea and chocolates, as well as handcrafted t-shirts, jewellery and textiles were some of the products sold last week at York’s Fair Trade Fair.
The annual fair was organized by the sustainability project coordinator for Sustainability@YorkU, Andrew Plunkett, along with Green Campus students and their faculty advisors, in the hopes of raising awareness about diverse, equitable and sustainable produce from around the world.
Plunkett states that Fair Trade aims to treat producers in developing countries and marginalised communities in a fairer way. It ensures better prices for their goods, better working conditions and higher labour standards.
“[It] makes consumers think about their purchasing habits and the effects that purchasing can have on creating a more equitable society,” says Plunkett.
“We also hope that it highlights the many Fair Trade certified purchasing options available on campus, from coffee and tea to clothing sold in the York Bookstore,” he adds.
Students had the opportunity to design fair trade t-shirts, get a temporary tattoo or talk about Fair Trade with vendors, students and faculty members.
The market has proved popular with students, with many highlighting the importance of building a more ecologically conscious student community.
“For me, the fair trade market is about equality for the producer. We live in a society of injustice towards the producers of our products,” says David Samzel, a first-year kinesiology student.
Others feel that as a result of the market, the student community is beginning to gravitate more towards exclusive and sustainable products and produce.
“I loved the fair because it gave me a chance to see handcrafted, all-natural and Fair Trade products from around the world being sold for affordable prices,” says Markiel Davidson, a first-year biomedical student.
“The Fair Trade Fair was an experience that brought together different parts of the world into Vari Hall. Every aspect of it was breathtaking,” adds Sahan Jafferi, a second-year psychology student.
The next Fair Trade Fair is set to take place in the winter term of 2018.
