Dawson’s now a fair trade campus

Dawson College is now officially designated a Fair Trade Campus. The Sustainability Office received the news along with a certificate from Fair Trade Canada on May 6.

Collaboration of the cafeteria
“I would like to highlight the collaboration of the cafeteria, especially Monika Menuau and Valérie Turcotte of Chartwells, who helped us reach our goals,” said Jennifer de Vera of the Sustainability Office.

The cafeteria worked very closely with the Sustainability Office to ensure that the College met the criteria. Jennifer believes the College has actually met the criteria for several years before filing a request for certification last year.

Well-being for all
Well-being for all is a core value of Dawson College and this fair trade certification is a way of living that value “When you choose Fairtrade products, you are helping to support resilient, sustainable agricultural practices,” states Fair Trade Canada on their website. “Environmental protection is ingrained in Fairtrade. To sell Fairtrade products, farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity.”

Fair Trade choices
At Dawson College, all events catered by the cafeteria feature fair trade coffee and local food sourced from a 150 km radius. In the cafeteria, students and staff can choose from two brands of fair trade chocolate and three kinds of fair trade tea.

More to come
Jennifer says more is planned when everyone is back on campus to continue working to promote fair trade products.

You can see the list of all Fair Trade Campuses in Canada here:

http://cftn.ca/designated-fair-trade-campuses