Naomi Debrah: Fairtrade Intern

This Friday it is the turn of Naomi Debrah, the Sustainability Team's intern on everything Fairtrade to take over the blog. Naomi joined the team a few months ago to help organise Fairtrade Fortnight and help the University achieve Fairtrade University Status. Here is what she has to say on it all.....

Naomi at Green Week in Medway

A few months ago, John from the Sustainability Team and I met up with Greenwich council to discuss our plans for Fairtrade Fortnight. It feels just like yesterday as the events have gone by so quickly. This was an opportunity for the University to be proud and loud in showing off its Fairtrade label. The catering and hospitality providers, ABM and Sodexo and the Student’s Unions SUUG and UMSA played their part by supporting the theme for Fairtrade Fortnight “Show off your label”.


Many of the items in the shops on campus are Fairtrade including tea, juices, coffee and chocolate. Being part of Fairtrade Fortnight has helped put the University one step up the ladder towards achieving Fairtrade accreditation and we are delighted to be associated with improving and promoting fair terms of trade for farmers and encouraging ethically sourced produce. Switching tea or coffee brands may not seem much, but it can make a huge difference and can put smiles on the faces of the farmers who depend on their products to support their families.

Being awarded the Fairtrade status is a huge achievement for the University and it will help towards raising awareness of the disadvantaged farmers around the world and continue to promote sustainable development. We are proud of this achievement and would therefore like to thank everyone who helped in making this happen!