Hammersmith close to become a Fairtrade Town

People from Hammersmith and Fulham Friends of Earth, West London Greenpeace and local Woodcraft folk joined forces on Saturday 11th December as part of UK-wide Fair Trade town initiative. They visited local cafes and retailers and asked them to stock fair trade products to help developing countries to reduce poverty, rather than big business profiting at the expense of people and the planet.

According HFFoE, there is widespread community support for the borough to work towards gaining Fairtrade status. The council plans to put a resolution supporting Fairtrade to the Leaders' Committee in February. The race is now on to achieve the other four goals set by the Fairtrade Foundation for the target date of March 1. Croydon, Lambeth or Camden have all gone fair trade. When London has 17 Fair Trade boroughs it will be declared a Fair Trade City.

In order to become a Fairtrade Town, Hammersmith and Fulham must:

- have a Local council resolution supporting Fairtrade

- A range of Fairtrade products readily available in the area’s shops.

- Fairtrade products used by a number of local work places (estate agents, hairdressers)
- Attract media coverage and popular support for the campaign.

- A local Fairtrade steering group

Paula White, a local campaigner said: “We believe everyone has the right to feed their families, make a decent living and protect their environment. International trade may seem a remote issue, but when commodity prices fall dramatically it has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of small scale producers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land and their homes. The rich and powerful are pursuing trade policies that put profit before the needs of people and the planet. We need Fair Trade in order to provide farmers in developing countries with a reliable income.”

Finding a supplier: For a complete list of Fairtrade products, and which catering companies supply Fairtrade alternatives, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk If you have problems finding a suitable wholesaler we suggest you either call the Fairtrade manufacturers directly or the Fairtrade Foundation on 0207 405 5942.

5. it is also possible to replace your normal vending machines with Fairtrade/ethical alternatives! The Green Machine offers a snack machine which includes Fairtrade products and a drinks machine with natural fizzy drinks (including cola with extract of the African cola nut!) Supplymasters and Edinburgh Tea & Coffee offer hot drink vending machines, selling tea, coffee and hot chocolate, which are supplied in instant powdered vending packs. Both companies supply the machines free of charge nationwide, providing you buy stocks from them. Organic N' Natural supply The Green Machine 0208 6466111 Supplymasters 01204 559 047 www.fair-traders.co.uk Edinburgh Tea & Coffee 0131 552 1234

December 19, 2004