LiveSmart BC Community Hero
LiveSmart BC Community Hero: Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper, from the College of the Rockies is helping the Kootenays become the first Fair Trade region in Canada. Last week Cooper helped bring the Fair Change conference to Cranbrook, Invermere, Creston, Fernie and Golden.
Cooper helped organize the fair trade aspect of the conference, which had four keynote speakers familiar with food politics and the environment, workshops and social events centered around climate change, and Cooper’s cause, Fair Trade.
Fair Trade certified products protects workers in third world countries from being exploited. Industries involved include sugar and coffee and many different types of produce.
To become Fair Trade certified by Trans Fair Canada, a community must have:
- Support from the local city council;
- Fair Trade Certified products available in shops & cafés;
- Fair Trade Certified products used and promoted in workplaces, faith groups, and schools;
- Demonstrated interest in the Fair Trade Town campaign from media and public;
- A steering group is created to ensure continued commitment;
- Promotion of other ethical and sustainable initiatives within community.
Cooper says that many local businesses are already carrying Fair Trade certified products, such as Max’s Place. Larger businesses like Super Store, Walmart and Overwaitea also carry Fair Trade certified goods.
The Fair Change conference started last Monday with small events in Invermere, Golden, Fernie and Creston to kick it off, and ended in Cranbrook on Thursday.
Now that the conference is over, Cooper is still hard at work. During the conference, organizers collected names of interested volunteers for Act Fair, to help the Kootenays become Fair Trade certified.
“It’s sort of our big follow up piece on the Fair Change conference,” said Cooper this week.
Cooper says that people attend these conferences, and always wonder what they can do. Act Fair is for anyone interested in bringing Fair Trade to the Kootenays.
To get involved with Act Fair, contact Jeff Cooper at the College of the Rockies.
