Clear your calendars for the next few weeks, abortion about it because the good people at Fair Trade have put together a fortnight that you wont want to miss. In fact, diagnosis I would go one step further and say that you need to be there. The ethics of Fair Trade are never more pertinent than in this current economic climate. While we are all feeling the pinch, pilule there are two billion people – a third of the planets inhabitants who are surviving on less than $2 a day. And while we have all noticed (and complained) that the price of our cupboard staples are going up in our local supermarket, there are farmers on the other side of the world producing these essentials who are being squeezed out of the market and struggling to stay afloat. Fair Trade is aiming to change this, and is constantly working to tip the balance of trade in favour of poor producers.
The aim is to galvanise everyone – from every age and back round – into action. So for the next few weeks, Fair Trade will be everywhere; town halls, markets stands, cinemas, schools and universities all around Britain. And a lot of it is going to be fun! Seriously, this s*** is bananas (there is a little bit of a banana theme to the Fair Trade activities). How often to you get to have bananas in sandwiches, cake and even deep-fried for afternoon tea? Well, Fair Trade are providing this for you in London’s Lancaster Hotel on March 6th and 7th. (Check www.fairtrade.org.uk and venue details for more information)
It is worth noting that Whole Foods are playing host to many of the talks and activites that Fair Trade have organized. This is an interesting choice given that this large scale organic market is an organization that has divided opinion since it came to Britain, and has weathered much criticism over its brand and size. On Wednesday 25th February, Fair Trade and Whole Foods will be screening Black Gold at their Kensington Branch.
The documentary was made by Nick Francis, and guarantees that you will never look at your latte or cappuccino in the same way again. There will also be a Q&A session with the director afterwoods. The tickets cost £5.00 and you can be reassured to know that the money will go to the Farmers Cooperative in Ethiopia. (Film screening starts at 7.00pm) Contact tastefair@cafedirect.co.uk for more details.
A key event for budding businessmen/women takes place on Thursday 5th March at the Museum of London Docklands. If you have ever wanted to set up your own social enterprise then this workshop could be invaluable . It will work in the format of a training day with the onus on how to use an active global citizenship framework. There will be plenty of businesses, co-ops and corporations present to network with as well. Contact www.museumindocklands.org.uk for further details.
There is just too many events to list here, so remember to check out all the Fair Trade fortnight details at www.fairtrade.org.uk. Here you will find all the venue details and information about all of the activities and events planned. The next few weeks promise to be informative, enjoyable and educational – we simply can’t afford to miss it.
Categories ,Black Gold, ,Earth, ,Fairtrade, ,Farmers, ,Nick Francis
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