Fair Trade Your Finals – Host a Fair Trade Study Break!

Parker Townley March 21, 2013

Tell about Your Plans and get Rewarded

Here’s your chance to get hooked up with some great, free materials for that final Fair Trade Event of the year!

A number of generous donations have allowed us to support campaigns hosting a Fair Trade Study Break. The first 18 campaigns to post a comment to this blog explaining their plans will receive event packages to aid their efforts!

The first 3 campaigns to provide a short explanation of their plans in the comment section below will recieve the following to help bolster their event:

Provide a boost of energy heading into Finals!

Provide a boost of energy heading into Finals!

  • An opportunity to host a Skype session with Fair Trade Author Kelsey Timmerman and
  • A Fair Trade Coffee event package from Green Mountain Coffee and
  • A Fair Trade Chocolate event package from Divine Chocolate and
  • A Fair Trade Tea event package from Rishi Tea

Campaigns 4-8 will have mailed to them:

  • A Fair Trade Coffee event package from Green Mountain Coffee and
  • A Fair Trade Chocolate event package from Divine Chocolate and…
  • A Fair Trade Tea event package from Rishi Tea

Campaigns 9-18 will have the option of choosing (first come first serve):

  • A Fair Trade Coffee event package from Green Mountain Coffee or
  • A Fair Trade Chocolate event package from Divine Chocolate or
  • A Fair Trade Tea event package from Rishi Tea

Thank you Divine, Kelsey, Rishi, and Green Mountain for the Donations!

For a few ideas to help get the ball rolling read on below:

 

Idea 1: Encourage others with a tasty gift

Help classmates power through!

Help classmates power through!

We could all use a bit of support in the lead up to finals, so this year hide Fair Trade Divine Chocolate in strategic locations around campus and attach notes of encouragement. Make sure to include a short explanation about the importance of Fair Trade Chocolate (click here for a explanation of the many issues associated with cocoa production). Also consider making each mini-chocolate a raffle ticket for a full chocolate bar at your Fair Trade Study Break. Think of it as an opportunity to encourage learning, build camaraderie and educate others!

Idea 2: Host a Skype Session with Author Kelsey Timmerman

As a big believer in Fair Trade Kelsey has agreed to share some of his experiences through a Skype or U-Stream session. Use this as an opportunity to ask Kelsey about his travels and the impact Fair Trade could have in the communities he visited. Here’s a bit of information about his new book:

Check out Kelsey Timmerman's new book!

Check out Kelsey Timmerman’s new book!

Last year, travel writer Kelsey Timmerman traveled around the world to find out where his food came from. He followed his Hershey chocolate bar to the Ivory Coast, his Starbucks coffee to Columbia, his Dole banana to Costa Rica, his apple juice to China, and his lobsters to Nicaragua. Learn about his story in “WHERE AM I EATING? A Journey Through the Global Food Economy“, available April 22nd wherever books are sold.

View a short video about Kelsey’s experience here.

Idea 3: Table with Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate

Give your classmates that extra boost as they head into or out of the library! Set up a table with Fair Trade Coffee (like Green Mountain Coffee), Tea (like Rishi Tea) and/or chocolate, as well as some materials highlighting what you have accomplished this year and are looking to achieve in the next. Use this as an opportunity to get the word out about your campaign!

Worrying about an end of year lag in event attendees? If you have questions about drawing in a crowd, contact National Organizer Parker Townley at ptownley@fairtradeusa.org for some ideas!

 

Remember to post your plans in the comment section below!

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Parker Townley, National Organizer | Fair Trade Colleges & Universities

Parker Townley works for Fair Trade Colleges and Universities to help connect students and faculty with the resources they need to effectively campaign for Fair Trade on campus. In his free time Parker explores the Sierra Nevadas with his trusty backpack, roams the Bay Area in search of the perfect cup of coffee, and cultivates a small veggie garden.