Congratulations to Margaret Beaufort Institute!

Congratulations to the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, which has just achieved Fairtrade status.

We have received the following article from the Institute, explaining why Fairtrade is important to them, and how they support Fairtrade:

The Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology is an academic institution that works within the Roman Catholic Church and its principle of human flourishing through God’s grace. We set out to offer transforming experiences for women, the community and the Church through theological education, professional pastoral experience and personal formation, assisting women to discern God’s call and preparing them for lay ministries and Christian discipleship in today’s world.

We see the promotion of Fairtrade within and without the Institute as consistent with our principles and practice as Christians.

As part of the process of accreditation we set about raising awareness about Fairtrade by setting up a committee representing all stakeholders – students, academic and housekeeping staff and House residents. Meetings were held with new students and residents from other parts of the university, many from overseas where the Fairtrade concept was often unfamiliar, and information about where to buy Fairtrade goods locally was supplied.

We supported Fairtrade fortnight last year, decorating fairly traded cotton bunting to adorn the common room and encouraged active participation in the Take a Step campaign this year. Our regular use of fairly traded refreshments was made more obvious with the use of the Fairtrade logo and extra fairly traded household items are gradually being introduced into the House.

 Each term we try to remind everyone to use Fairtrade ingredients by holding a competition on a community supper night to see how many fairly traded ingredients can be used in a supper dish- with Fairtrade prizes naturally! Fairly traded altar wine will be used when next we order a supply

Our members are taking the campaign outside the Institute, querying the provenance of wines and fruit juices at university occasions and follow this up with information on those available from Fairtrade sources and are asking in local cafes and shops about the Fairtrade items available.

We are delighted to have achieved Fairtrade status and hope to continue to keep its profile high with each new intake of students.

 

The Fairtrade Access Fund: supporting Fairtrade producers’ businesses

Last month a new scheme was launched which will help Fairtrade farmers build their businesses.  The Fairtrade Access Fund has been created to provide much needed credit, technical assistance and business information to producers.

Small hold farmers typically find it very difficult to access credit to invest in their businesses.  For example, they may need to buy fertiliser, essential equipment for their harvest, or pay for help in bringing in the harvest.  However the nature of agriculture means that these investments often need to be made before the farmer has been paid for the harvest, which means that the famer needs to get a loan in order to bridge the gap.  As many farmers find it hard to access credit, too many aren’t able to make these necessary investments.

In order to address these issues, the Fairtrade Foundation has teamed up with the Grameen Foundation and Incofin to set up the Fairtrade Access Fund, which will provide farmers with access to the loans and business or technical information  they need to develop their businesses.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Fairtrade Access Fund is a pilot project to use of mobile phones to help farmers communicate with the outside world.  Through mobile technology, producers and co-operative organisations will get access to information on Fairtrade certification practices, crop management and local market intelligence.

There is more about the Fairtrade Access Fund on the Fairtrade Foundation’s website.

World Fair Trade Day

Today, 12th May, is World Fair Trade Day – an initiative of the World Fair Trade Organisation, which promotes fair trading across the world.  For more on World Fair Trade Day, click here.

 

Congratulations to Emmanuel United Reformed Church

Congratulations to Emmanuel United Reformed Church in Trumpington Street.  We have just learned that their Traidcraft stall is in the Top 100 in the UK for sales.

A great achievement!

Fairtrade Focus for Students at CRC

Students at Cambridge Regional College will be focusing on fair and ethical trade for a week of special events to mark the college’s first Fairtrade Focus Week.

Among the highlights will be Fairtrade fashion shows by art and design students, Fairtrade treats made by catering students and a Responsible Travel stand by travel and tourism students. The week has been organised by the college’s multi-faith chaplaincy and Melissa Lee, Learner Tutorial and Liaison Officer at CRC, who said the Fairtrade message would be spread throughout the college during the special week.

“We want to encourage all students and staff to think about Fairtrade and how they can make a difference,” she said.  “We will be holding tutorials and workshops for students to learn more about the principles of Fairtrade and how it benefits poorer farmers and workers across the world, and many of the students will be playing an active part in passing on the Fairtrade message.”

The Learning Resource Centre will be helping to promote the concept of Fairtrade to students, and catering suppliers Chartwells will give a talk on “Fairtrade and Corporate Image” to business students.

Fair Play at the Olympics

It was recently announced that 2 of the 3 official wines of the 2012 Olympic Games will the Fairtrade wines.

During a break in her training, Cambridge-born javelin thrower met wine producers at Thandi, a South African winery which is supplying wine to the Olympics.  Click here to read about her visit.

Fairtrade Foundation Chief Comes To Cambridge

Views from the field: Visions for more sustainable systems of food production and consumption

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, will be participating in an event in Cambridge on Wednesday 28th March.

The event is organised by the Cambridge Sustainability Network and addresses the following questions:

*   How can the food sector move towards value chains based on more sustainable forms of production and trade?

*   Which interventions are likely to be effective in addressing the depletion of natural and social capital within current systems of production? Who should drive these interventions?

*   What specific actions can business, government, academics and civil society take together to transform patterns of consumption?

 

This is a free public event, open to members of the public, and will be chaired by Dr Maarten van der Kamp, CPSL Research Manager. It will include short presentations from the speakers followed by a panel discussion.

Speakers will include Andrew Hobday, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars; Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation; and Neil la Croix, Head of Sustainable Supply Chains, Kraft (tbc).

When?  Wednesday 28th March, 5.30 for 6pm, till 7pm

Where?  Cambridge University’s Department of Engineering, Cambridge CB2 1PZ.  For directions, click here.

This is an open event so CPSL advises arriving in good time as it will not be possible to reserve places.

Real Easter Eggs

With less than a month to go to Easter, many of us are starting to think about eggs!

Real Easter Eggs tell the Easter story, are made from 125g of high quality Fairtrade milk chocolate and support charity and development projects.

They are available for purchase from katieknapton@talktalk.net, Traidcraft rep at St John’s Church, Hills Road.

Supermarkets won’t sell them but Katie does!  £3.99 each.

Fairtrade Cambridge: Coffee, Rugs and Ethical Wedding Rings

Graeme Keeton’s article on Fairtrade in Cambridge has been published today by Huffington Post. (see this morning’s article below)

You can read Graeme’s account of his visit to the City and link through to his photos here.

For more about Graeme, please click here

Fairtrade Photos!

Last week we were visited by Graeme Keeton. Graeme is a photographer, writer and a regular contributor to the UK edition of the Huffington Post.  He has a great fondness for charitable causes and recently spent some time in Cambridge, exploring and shooting some of the Fairtrade establishments that the city has to offer.  The article will be published on the Huffington Post website shortly and we’ll post an update as soon as it’s available.  Meanwhile, as a taster, here are two of Graeme’s excellent photos: