UNBC becomes a “Fair Trade” campus

The University of Northern BC celebrated “Green Day” Tuesday, unveiling its official designation as a “Fair Trade Campus”.

Ecosystem Science Professor Art Fredeen (pictured) is also one of the organizers of the event.

He says being “Fair Trade” means the university will be socially responsible for items sold on campus.

“We want to make sure that the people that produce the goods that we consume are fairly compensated, for those products and their labour” he says.

All of UNBC’s food partners, from Chartwells, to the Thirsty Moose, to Degrees Coffee, will incorporate fair-trade products into their stock.

UNBC students Matthew Ewen and Torrye Mackenzie are among a group who came back from an international Fair Trade conference in Montreal to help the University reach the official standard.

UNBC says it has worked to get the legitimate designation of “fair trade”, for all products consumed and sold on campus, with regards to price, labour conditions, and sustainability.

According to Fredeen, “Green Day” started out as a class project eight years ago, “And here it is today, now it’s an institution , we have this every year to celebrate being Canada’s green university. Celebrate, communicate, and try to consult with the community about what they’d like to see.”

Meanwhile Fredeen believes says every day should be “Green Day” on campus.

“Certainly for me, it is,” he says. “I snowshoe to work in the winter, I bike during the summer. We have to be responsible every day to the environment and each other.”