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Prince George, BC – �������� is now a Fair Trade Campus.

“The Fair Trade Campus designation is the latest example of ��������’s ongoing commitment to sustainability,” says �������� President Daniel Weeks. “Ensuring that products consumed at �������� are ethically sourced and socially responsible is something the entire university community can take pride in achieving and we will celebrate this designation during the upcoming 2015 Canada Winter Games.”

In order to earn the designation, �������� students, faculty, and staff worked together to meet Fairtrade Canada’s procurement standards regarding the price, labour conditions, and environmental sustainability of products consumed and sold on campus.  As part of the process, all of the campus food partners – Chartwells, Ancillary Services, the Thirsty Moose Pub, and Degrees Coffee – incorporated Fairtrade products into their offerings.

From left, �������� student Torrye Mackenzie, �������� Food Services Director Willie Lum, �������� Sustainability Manager Kyrke Gaudreau, �������� President Daniel Weeks, �������� Business Development Officer Nicole Neufeld, and �������� student Matthew Ewen celebrate ��������’s Fair Trade Campus designation. 

“The effort that students at the University put into the designation of Fair Trade Campus is recognized as part of a worldwide fair trade movement,” says Tom Smith, Executive Director, Fairtrade Canada. “This designation benefits the farmers, their families, and their communities that we serve.”

�������� students Matthew Ewen and Torrye Mackenzie are among the group of students who worked to ensure the University met the standard. They both recently returned from an international Fair Trade conference in Montreal where they learned even more about the movement.

“Seeing the impact Fair Trade has on the producers and farmers in developing countries through companies like Ethical Bean was my first introduction to the concept,” says Ewen. “This quickly developed into expanding fair trade at �������� through coffee, tea, and chocolate.”

As Canada’s Green University, �������� is a leader in developing innovative sustainability projects.

“I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2015, then by formerly recognizing the leadership shown by the University of Northern British Columbia,” says Sean McHugh, Executive Director, Canadian Fair Trade Network. “��������’s commitment to sustainability joins a growing effort around the world, to build a better, more sustainable and more just world.”

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