The Fairtrade Fortnight is designed to raise awareness of the Fairtrade Movement. It takes place at venues and shops across Edinburgh and throughout the UK. The theme of the 2010 Fairtrade Fortnight is "The Big Swap", encouraging people to use a Fairtrade alternative to their normal product where possible.
Most of us have probably seen the Fair Trade label on imported food and drink items such as coffee, wine, fruit, and chocolate. The Fairtrade movement aims to provide a fair deal to farmers and individual producers at source, typically in developing nations. The Fairtrade Foundation ensures that any organisation using the Fairtrade logo adheres to "minimum social, economic and environmental requirements".
Fairtrade in the UK has been gathering steam since the Eighties and Nineties. Individual business (like the One World Shop at St. Johns Church) have been selling Fairtrade products for decades. Since 2004, when Edinburgh was awarded Fairtrade status as a city, the Council has been active in encouraging Fairtrade with around 200 Fairtrade outlets around the city today.
In the Summer of 2009, the flowerbeds on the Mound were planted with the Fairtrade logo (see above).
Edinburgh Fair Trade Awards
The winners will be announced during Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from 22 February to 7 March 2010.
The Edinburgh Fair Trade Awards are:
- Best Fair Trade Newcomer
- Best Fair Trade School
- Best Fair Trade General
- Best Fair Trade Community Group
- Best Fair Trade Faith Community Group
To nominate an individual or business for a Fair Trade Award, write 200 words or less and email it to [email protected] or fax it to 0131 529 6220 by 5pm on Friday 12 February 2010.
More information about nominating can be found at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/fairtrade.