This video highlights the reasons why universities should become fair trade universities, which is a big part of Fair Trade Towns USA‘s “why” section on universities and how we college students can make a difference in the life of others by changing one of our favorite purchases (coffee) to a fair trade purchase.
I am very excited for this project! Last week, I drove into Media and explored a few stores (Earth and State, Local Home and Gifts, and Ten Thousand Villages) and found out that not only are these stores supporting fair trade, but the crafts, chocolate, and coffee are beautiful and wholesome! I bought my dad a bag of Colombian fair trade organic coffee from Ten Thousand Villages for Father’s Day, and he said that it is amazing. That purchase of mine is going toward a family of coffee farmers in Colombia who need money for healthcare, school, and family empowerment. Imagine how easy it would be to change to fair trade coffee in college and how many lives us college students would change!
What exactly IS fair trade, you might ask. According to the Fair Trade Federation, fair trade is “an economic partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect.” Through the actions of vendors in Media PA and other Fair Trade Towns in the USA, our purchases help better the lives of others throughout the world.
My project is simple. I am going to collect social media information from these organizations and create a social media story using Storify.com. Along the way, I hope to gain priceless knowledge of Media PA and how it became America’s first fair trade town in 2006, and how other towns and vendors across the US are helping small communities across the world achieve their dreams through fair trade.
Supplemental links for more information:
Fair Trade Towns USA: Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube channel, Flickr page
The Fair Trade Federation: Website, Twitter
America’s First Fair Trade Town (Media, PA): Website, Facebook, Twitter
Abbey Dufoe 