Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight is a program in the United Kingdom where, for two weeks a year, Fairtrade Foundation UK and other organizations celebrate the labor that supplies the country's food. It is a special two weeks to highlight the importance of purchasing fairtrade products; it emphasizes that many of the people who grow our food do not have enough money to feed their own families. 

When you really think about this, it's appalling. I've always been interested in fairtrade options and this project has increased that tenfold. Reading Tomatoland in college sparked my initial interest - it's about how slave labor is the force that brings tomatoes to our plates. It's a heart-wrenching and enlightening read, and even if you think you care not a whit for food or fairtrade I'd encourage you to read the book. It will make you think before you buy. 

So when it was suggested that I team up with other members of St. Columba's who are interested in fairtrade (and have previously run stalls and educational activities related to the effort), I was really excited! I collaborated with a few other people and together we planned a fairtrade Stall, a fairtrade crafts session at Crafts with a Cause (crafting group I run), and two fairtrade film sessions. 

Isobel and I together purchased some fairtrade goods from Traidcraft, which has all sorts of fun and delicious good-for-the-world things. Setting up the stall for our weekly church activities and for Sundays reminded me of the stall that Mr. Bob at Ascension runs each Sunday. He often sells fairtrade chocolate, coffee, and hot chocolate to benefit our partner church in Nicaragua. People were very enthusiastic about the Fairtrade stall at St. Columba's. We bought cookies, coffee (instant and filter, decaf and non), tea, chocolate, fruit bars, and dried fruit. 

A few months ago, I connected with the Oxfam charity shop in Goodramgate to see if we could make anything to support Oxfam. They asked us to make a banner to encourage more volunteers. Oxfam sells fairtrade items...so it was peripherally on-message. We've been (slowly) working on this project as a group. 

In addition to having my eyes opened by the fairtrade films shown at our Friday Lenten Lunch and after the church service last Sunday, my passion for fairtrade grew by attending fairtrade-themed breakfast at the Spurriergate Center. The Spurriergate Center is the coolest place - it's an old city center church that's been revamped to be a community space. There's a cafe, fairtrade shop, and play area for children. There is also a counseling service that uses the center as its base. They also host various events throughout the week (including an international conversation group I sometimes attend). 

The breakfast was enlightening. Apparently, even ten years ago, fairtrade wasn't much of a thing here in the UK. The woman speaking told us that she hopes in ten or fifteen years, there is no need for the Fairtrade Fortnight campaign because fairtrade will be mainstream. Already, one third of bananas eaten in the UK are fairtrade. 

I hope to bring back some knowledge and enthusiasm for fairtrade to the States. I know there are good things happening there, too, so I plan to continue supporting the cause. This is the Youtube Channel for Fairtrade Foundation UK, which has lots of interesting (and inspiring!) videos.