Making WKU a Fair Trade University

Matthew John Vaughan, Western Kentucky University

Abstract

Many products consumed on college campuses such as coffee and chocolate come from developing countries where producers are often paid insufficiently and exploited. Fair Trade certification of products guarantees producers a fair price and other social benefits. The objective of my CE/T project is to initiate a successful campaign to increase awareness of Fair Trade among students at WKU and gain "Fair Trade University" recognition for WKU. My efforts have included establishing a permanent Fair Trade Steering Committee, organizing campus-wide awareness events and partnering with campus groups to promote Fair Trade education and awareness. In this final account, I review a yearlong awareness campaign and evaluate which strategies were most effective and which were least effective in our efforts to increase awareness of Fair Trade among undergraduates at WKU.