Students involved with Frogs for Fair Trade are brewing new ways to increase awareness of fair trade coffee offerings on campus as they prepare to attend a zero-waste international conference.
Four TCU students involved with the organization will attend the third annual United Students for Fair Trade (USFT) International Convergence at the University of Denver. Students will learn about the fair-trade movement, economic interdependence and how to increase communication about socially and environmentally responsible products.
The conference, Feb. 17 - 20, will feature an Ethiopian coffee producer as the keynote speaker and discussions with representatives from fair trade co-operatives in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
During Convergence over 300 hundred students will be transported in bio-diesel buses, eat vegan meals and meet in wind-powered facilities to make it a zero-waste event.
Junior religion major Rory Philips attended Convergence in 2005 with Megan Severns, '05. When Severns and Philips returned to TCU, they started Frogs for Fair Trade.
"Fair trade gives farmers a way to help themselves and rise up out of poverty," says Philips, who is the southwest regional coordinator for USFT. He advises fair trade groups at schools in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Philips will also lead workshops and breakout groups in February at Convergence.
Comparison to other schools, the fair trade organization at TCU is strong because of dedicated students and a broad base of support from other organizations, Philips said.
Jazzman's, the most recent campus location to begin offering fair trade coffee, includes a decaffeinated and regular brew.
"We are working with dining services and student government to add a fair trade espresso blend at Jazzman's," says Ericka Strickland, who will attend Convergence and is a co-coordinator for Frogs for Fair Trade. Adding Starbucks fair trade offerings to campus menus is another goal.
By partnering with other student organizations like Up ‘Til Dawn and Senseless Acts of Comedy, Frogs for Fair Trade members educate students, faculty, staff and the community about the fair-trade program.
"We have a voice that others don't," said Strickland, a freshman religion major.
More than 50 students are involved with Frogs for Fair Trade. Members meet near campus at Panther City Coffee Co., which brews two blends of fair trade coffee regularly. Strickland worked with the owner and coffee distributor to have fair trade coffee added to the menu.
Members plan to hang posters, set up late-night coffee stands on campus and serve coffee and chai tea at campus events this spring.
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