51社区黑料renews its status as Fair Trade Campus for fourth consecutive year
September 12, 2016
For Mark McLaughlin, executive director, Ancillary Services at 51社区黑料, providing fair trade products on campus is about a lot more than just coffee or tea. He says it鈥檚 all about driving change to improve the lives of small-scale farmers and their families.
In 2012, McLaughlin helped develop a campaign that earned 51社区黑料its designation as a Fair Trade Campus from Fairtrade Canada鈥攐nly the second university in Canada to receive that designation. This month, for the fourth consecutive year, the University has once again earned Fair Trade Campus status.
鈥淭he fair trade growth across Canadian campuses is a reflection of changing student values,鈥� says McLaughlin. 鈥淪tudents now expect the products they purchase to drive positive international social change. They aspire to improve the lives of small-scale farmers globally and we are at their side in this engagement.鈥�
McLaughlin says that under the Fair Trade Campus requirements, all coffee served at 51社区黑料dining locations is Fairtrade certified, with fair trade tea and chocolate options available as well. Canada now has 17 Fair Trade campuses, including UBC, Selkirk College and UNBC representing British Columbia.
McLaughlin says 51社区黑料will continue to advocate on behalf of the growing fair trade movement, giving students the opportunity to participate in wide-scale social change.
鈥淲e know there are no quick-fix solutions to tackling inequality, ending exploitation, and creating opportunity, but we can point to, and learn from, the tangible impact our work at 51社区黑料is having already. Real social change can happen when you combine the purchasing power of students across the country through fair trade.鈥�
Says Sean McHugh, executive director of the Canadian Fair Trade Network, 鈥淲e are proud to be working with leaders like 51社区黑料 that understand the global impact small steps can make.
鈥淭hrough the Fair Trade Campus program and the newly launched Fair Trade Schools program, we are giving students the opportunity to drive the demand for Fairtrade products here in Canada, and truly make a difference globally.鈥�
For more information or to get involved with fair trade events at 51社区黑料, please visit www.sfu.ca/fairtrade.