2008 Woodie Awards
EDITORIAL | What's so hard about being fair?
Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: News
Being fair. Seemingly simple and obvious, yet we are so far from it. From College of New Jersey in Ewing to University of California in La Jolla, students are taking a stand in the fight to make things fair and it's time Cabrini joined them.
Fair Trade is not only paying workers in other countries fair wages and assuring fair labor conditions, it is a guarantee for a sustainable life. Fair Trade is essential in breaking the cycle of poverty. An investment in Fair Trade is an investment in the futures of these farmers and workers. It then teaches the farmers to invest in their own futures, develop business skills and preserve the environment.
Our government has just decided to raise the minimum wage on the United States almost $2, yet we still refuse to pay foreign workers enough to feed their families. There are more than 1 billion people living on less than $1 a day.
On Valentine's Day, students and faculty will come together for a Fair Trade "Walleyball" tournament to learn about the issue of Fair Trade. Select members of the campus community have been planning the event for weeks and we hope it will be the beginning of a long-term awareness on campus.
The games will be played with Fair Trade volleyballs and Fair Trade chocolate will be available to purchase. Also, teams will be given Fair Trade t-shirts to wear. This is the first really major event on campus with regards to Fair Trade and hopefully it won't be the last. It definitely shouldn't be the last.
Cabrini needs to think bigger. What if we sold Fair Trade Cabrini t-shirts and hoodies in the bookstore? What if there were Fair Trade chocolate items available at the cafeteria dessert station? What if there was only Fair Trade coffee served in Jazzman's?
Jazzman's does not serve Fair Trade coffee. Instead they serve a "water-downed" version called Rainforest Alliance. This certification does promise a higher minimum wage, but not a fair wage. It also sets certain environmental standards for farmers to meet that support forest and wildlife conservation. Fair Trade does it better.
Fair Trade is not only paying workers in other countries fair wages and assuring fair labor conditions, it is a guarantee for a sustainable life. Fair Trade is essential in breaking the cycle of poverty. An investment in Fair Trade is an investment in the futures of these farmers and workers. It then teaches the farmers to invest in their own futures, develop business skills and preserve the environment.
Our government has just decided to raise the minimum wage on the United States almost $2, yet we still refuse to pay foreign workers enough to feed their families. There are more than 1 billion people living on less than $1 a day.
On Valentine's Day, students and faculty will come together for a Fair Trade "Walleyball" tournament to learn about the issue of Fair Trade. Select members of the campus community have been planning the event for weeks and we hope it will be the beginning of a long-term awareness on campus.
The games will be played with Fair Trade volleyballs and Fair Trade chocolate will be available to purchase. Also, teams will be given Fair Trade t-shirts to wear. This is the first really major event on campus with regards to Fair Trade and hopefully it won't be the last. It definitely shouldn't be the last.
Cabrini needs to think bigger. What if we sold Fair Trade Cabrini t-shirts and hoodies in the bookstore? What if there were Fair Trade chocolate items available at the cafeteria dessert station? What if there was only Fair Trade coffee served in Jazzman's?
Jazzman's does not serve Fair Trade coffee. Instead they serve a "water-downed" version called Rainforest Alliance. This certification does promise a higher minimum wage, but not a fair wage. It also sets certain environmental standards for farmers to meet that support forest and wildlife conservation. Fair Trade does it better.
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