The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is the first university in the U.S.
to become a Fair Trade University by making a commitment to do its part
toward ending trade injustices that result in millions of people living
in poverty.

Fair trade products have been produced providing artisans and farmers
with a living wage for their work and humane working conditions, while
also protecting the environment. About 70 universities in Europe have
Fair Trade University status, including the University of Birmingham and
the University of Edinburgh, but UW Oshkosh is the first American
university to do so.

To become a Fair Trade University, UW Oshkosh’s four governing bodies
endorsed a resolution outlining its commitment to: selling Fair Trade
Certified coffee, tea and chocolate in dining establishments, at catered
functions and in department offices whenever feasible and within the
confines of its food service contract; offering Fair Trade Certified
food products and handicrafts at University stores whenever possible;
and identifying and acknowledging Fair Trade Certified products and
encouraging their purchase by students, faculty and staff. The Fair
Trade program will be overseen by the newly formed Campus Sustainability
Council.

“Sustainability goes well beyond being ‘green’,” said Chancellor
Richard H. Wells. “It includes social justice as well. By becoming a
Fair Trade University, UW Oshkosh is making a commitment to do our part
toward helping workers around the world get a livable wage and humane
working conditions. As a large institution, UW Oshkosh can play an
important part in shaping the future and in supporting green practices
on all levels.”

Becoming a Fair Trade University is not the first step UW Oshkosh has
taken toward becoming more sustainable. The University is a member of
the Fair Labor Association, and only works with vendors who have been
inspected by the organization and certified as not subjecting employees
to sweatshop conditions.

“Becoming a Fair Trade University is a natural next step for us,”
said Petra Roter, vice chancellor for student affairs. “This is part
of who we are and demonstrates what we believe.”

In 2002 the University became one of the first to endorse the Earth
Charter an international declaration of interdependence that
outlines fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and
peaceful global society for the 21st century.

In 2003, UW Oshkosh became the first Wisconsin university to join the
Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership by agreeing
to purchase at least 3 percent of its energy from renewable sources,
making it at the time the largest purchaser of green energy in
Wisconsin. As a result, the University won an EPA Green Power Purchase
Award and was listed by the EPA as an Energy Star Case Study.

The University also received the 2003 EPA Leadership Award the 11th
U.S. university to receive the EPA’s highest leadership award. In
2004, UW Oshkosh won a National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology
Recognition Award for its campus environmental audit and in 2005, the
university received a second Energy Star Award from the EPA.
In 2008, the University adopted a policy to purchase cage-free eggs and
unveiled its Campus Sustainability Plan, which guides its efforts to
continue as a national leader in responsible environmental stewardship,
education, outreach and research.
Additionally, UW Oshkosh is one of only 41 universities in the United
States listed on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Web site as a large
purchaser of renewable energy.
The University will also be announcing this month the results of a
carbon footprint study, conducted in collaboration with Johnson
Controls.
“Sustainability is a long-term commitment and an important one for
higher education. Fair trade is particularly important because it is
focused on both social justice and environmental responsibility,” said
David Barnhill, chair of UW Oshkosh’s environmental studies program.
“One of the most important features of fair trade is that, unlike free
trade, it empowers growers and workers in developing countries and
provides economic security.”

Barnhill added that he expects that UW Oshkosh’s declaration will
result in other universities in the U.S. seeking Fair Trade University
status, leading to the formation of a formal organization to monitor and
support their efforts.

While there are no other Fair Trade Universities in the U.S., there are
Fair Trade Towns. Milwaukee was one of the first cities in the U.S. to
become a Fair Trade Town.

For more information about the sustainability initiatives at UW Oshkosh,
visit earth2.docearth.docearth.docearth.doc.
For more information about Fair Trade Universities in Europe, visit
www.fairtrade.org.uk.
For more information about Fair Trade Towns, visit
www.fairtradetownsusa.org.

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