麻豆AV offers Fairtrade Treats

Campus Life Crew members John and Mariya sample some Fair Trade Hot chocolate.麻豆AV is celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight again this year. Placed eighth in the world鈥檚 Global Green League of Universities for its commitment to sustainability, 麻豆AV is always keen to engage staff and students in thinking about how to constantly improve the University鈥檚 sustainability commitment. That鈥檚 why a range of activities are being promoted to encourage staff and students to get involved with Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from today until 10 March.

The highlight of this year鈥檚 events will be the 鈥楩airtrade pudding club鈥� on Thursday evening in Pontio, where for just 拢5 a ticket customers will enjoy a Fairtrade hot drink with a trio of fantastic Fairtrade puddings made by chef David Sharpe.

Angela Church, the University鈥檚 Head of Catering commented:

鈥淎 large group of students from Campus Life will be attending this event and we hope that members of Bangor City Fairtrade group will be joining us too.鈥�

During Fairtrade Fortnight students are being encouraged to cook and purchase Fairtrade foods and goods.

The University鈥檚 Campus Life team and Catering teams are working together to deliver themed events such as quiz nights and board games nights with Fairtrade snacks, to encouraging students to choose Fairtrade products. Free fruit give-away days will encourage healthy eating and students also have opportunities to sample Fairtrade hot chocolate and learn how to cook Fairtrade brownies and pancakes.

Commenting on the fact that the University鈥檚 Fairtrade status, won in 2009 was re-accredited in 2018, Angela Church added:

Tasty Fair Trade puddings鈥淲e are now looking to the future to further communicate about Fairtrade with the help of the Students Union to all 麻豆AV students to raise awareness of Fairtrade. These days a lot of people assume 鈥楩airtrade is a 鈥榞iven鈥� but that is not the case.鈥�

Deirdre McIntyre, Head of Residential Life at 麻豆AV said:

鈥淲e hope that students, staff and members of the public will support our activities. A simple step such as purchasing Fairtrade goods, which are available in all campus shops and University outlets, can enable farmers in some of the world鈥檚 poorest communities to earn a sustainable income and invest in projects which benefit their locality.鈥�

In 2018 the University catering department served in excess of 50,000 Fairtrade hot drinks and customers in University cafes have purchased in excess of 100,000 Fairtrade hot drinks.

Throughout the year, the University holds regular Sustainability and Well-being Think Tanks for staff and students to come together and discuss all sorts of ideas around the environmental, social, cultural, ethical and financial aspects of Sustainability at Bangor, and the people and communities in and around campus. Angela Church will be leading the next Think-Tank on Fairtrade.

Fairtrade Fortnight forms part of the University鈥檚 Sustainability Carnival 2019, running throughout February the Carnival highlights and celebrates the wide variety of regular sustainability related events and activities which take place at the University.

Publication date: 28 February 2019