UH Students for Fair Trade received the Best Action Campaign award at the Campus Progress National Conference for switching almost all coffee sold on campus to 100 percent fair trade beginning Fall 2009.
UHSFT, which accepted the award July 8 in Washington, D.C., showcased its persistence during the fair trade coffee negotiations.
‘UHSFT is capable of a lot of things, but taking no for an answer isn’t one of them,’ Campus Progress advocacy associate Tanya Paperny said in a press release. ‘When they reached an impasse in their negotiations with the administration, they utilized creative – and occasionally confrontational – tactics to draw attention to their cause and pressure decision makers to do the right thing.’
According to UHSFT’s Web site, its members are educators at the University regarding fair trade and ethical issues on campus.
Fair trade refers to an organized movement that promotes sustainability and helps empower goods production in developing countries.
Members of UHSFT have also been working toward increasing wages and improving working conditions for Aramark’s UH employees.
UHSFT was founded in 2006 by history doctoral candidate Timothy O’Brien.
Campus Progress, founded in 2005 and part of the Center for American Progress, acts to empower new progressive leaders nationwide.
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