Doing Our Part: Fair Trade on Earth Day
The History of Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated once a year on April 22. It marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. They chose April 22 because it fell between Spring Break and Final Exams.
Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, founded Earth Day after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Nelson persuaded a conservation-minded Republican Congressman named Pete McCloskey to serve as his co-chair. Denis Hayes from Harvard served as national coordinator. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Earth Day 1990 – this year, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.
For more information about the history of Earth Day, please visit this website.
Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future generations. – See more.
Fair Trade
Did you know that Moraine Park is the first Fair Trade technical college in the United States? One of the main principles of Fair Trade is environmental sustainability. Fair Trade seeks to offer current generations the ability to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Members actively consider the implications of their decisions on the environment and promote the responsible stewardship of resources. Members reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials wherever possible. They encourage environmentally sustainable practices throughout the entire trading chain. See more about Fair Trade principles here.
Our Event on April 20
Business Meeting and Event Planning students have decided to honor the Fair Trade farmers and artisans for Earth Day on April 20, 2016, at MPTC’s Fond du Lac campus. We will be showcasing products from our local Fair Trade vendor, Just Fare Market. We are previewing the film, “Small Farmers Cool the Planet.” We’ll also be serving delicious Fair Trade chocolate-chip cookies.
Stop in anytime and learn about Earth Day and Fair Trade in Room A-112 from noon until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20. Sign up to win a raffle prize, too!
This event is sponsored by the Student Senate and the Business Meeting and Event Planning Class of 2016.
