Application for Designation as Fair Trade Campus

Selkirk College

Submission Date: May 16th, 2013

Submitted by

Randy Janzen

Instructor in Peace Studies

Member of Selkirk College Environmental Sustainability Committee

Acknowledgement

The process to designate Selkirk College as a Fair Trade Campus was undertaken by two year 3 Nursing

Students: Chris Siebring and Danika Askew. Chris and Danika carried out most of this work as part of

their community health practicum – linking fair trade practices to global health and living wages to the

social and economic determinants of health. This application would not have been completed if it was

not for the work of Chris and Danika.

Selkirk College is a government sponsored community college located in British Columbia’s Southern

Interior. Its main campus is in Castlegar, BC. www.selkirk.ca

Committee

The responsibility for fair trade designation and monitoring falls under the college’s Environmental

Sustainability Committee, which is newly formed. Fair trade, therefore, is only one aspect of this

committee’s work. The committee is made up of the following people:

Allison Lutz Committee Chair, Geography Instructor

Angus Graeme President, Selkirk College

Mike Dion Vice President, Operations, head of purchasing

Randy Janzen Instructor, Peace Studies

Chris Siebring student, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

Danika Askew student, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

Jen Pescoe Faculty Assistant, Environmental Planning

Mike Giesler Maintenance staff

Gregg Neelin Director of Continuing Education

Nicole Ripley Counsellor

Ron Zaitsoff Director of Operations

Sean Rossouw Representative for Selkirk College Students’ Union

Description of All availability options at all service outlets

Cafeteria: all coffee is fair trade (Van Houte Brand). Choices are: fair trade light,

Amazonian, Mexican and Swiss Water Deaff

Numerous fair trade offerings (Numi Tea Brand). Choices are: golden chair,

mate lemon, aged earl grey, melange matinal, jasmine green, gunpowder green.

Candy Machines: fair trade option: Dairymilk (fair trade certified)

Book store: chocolate: (Camino). Minis, dark, raspberry, carmel crunch

Hot chocolate: (Camino)

Coffee Beans (Camino)

Catering: All catering on campus is organized through our cafeteria. Therefore all the

coffee is fair trade (brands as above) and all tea is fair trade (brands as above)

Images and Descriptions of all Visibility Commitments

Fair trade posters are posted around campus, particularly at points where products can be purchased.

The following photos depict our cafeteria, bookstore and candy machines, as well as case display and

random posters

Fair Trade Tea in our cafeteria

Fair trade coffee in our cafeteria

Fair trade coffee in our cafeteria

Fair trade posters our campus

Fair trade display on campus

Fair trade poster next to candy bar machine (featuring fair trade choice)

Fair trade display in our bookstore

Description and Dates of All Events Held

a) Fair Trade Valentines Event, Friday, February 8th, 2013. This event highlighted fair trade

products – particularly chocolate. Fair Trade Valentines chocolates were sold at this event.

b) Fair Trade display at health fair, Thursday, February 21, 2013. As part of the third year nursing

student annual health fair, several students completed a display on fair trade products, and

demonstrated how the fair trade movement is also a movement for global health. This display

described fair wages and living conditions as a social and economic determinant of global

health.

Post designation plan described

Currently the Selkirk College website lists our commitment to successfully attaining Fair Trade

Designation Status. http://selkirk.ca/sustainabililty-initiatives . Once designation is achieved, the

website will be updated to reflect this. Additionally, a press release will be created, which will be sent

out to local media, as well as featured prominently on the college’s website.

Next year, our plan is to make fair trade promotion and monitoring as the primary role of the Mir Centre

for Peace Student work study position. The student who is in this role will ensure continuity as well as

sufficient attention to the monitoring. This student will also have the time to organize two fair trade

events in the following calendar year: Halloween and Valentine’s Day

Description of Policy Changes and Commitments

The following terms of reference describe how the environmental sustainability committee will carry out

the duties and responsibilities to monitor Fair Trade practices at Selkirk College:

Selkirk College Sustainability Committee

Terms of Reference for monitoring Fair Trade Designation

Definition

One of the tasks of Selkirk College’s sustainability committee is to monitor the compliance of the

college and its constituents with regards to upholding the fair trade standards (as published by Fair

Trade Canada).

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. To nurture a campus environment that supports the goals of creating fair working conditions for people across the globe. This includes:

a. Supporting education and awareness of fair trade products and principles b. Assisting students, staff and college purchasers to consider fair trade practices in

our purchases. 2. To monitor compliance of the following standards:

a. All coffee served on campus is Fair Trade Certified (FTC) b. At least 3 FTC teas are available wherever tea is served c. At least one FTC chocolate bar is available at every location selling chocolate bars d. All coffee and tea served at college and student union meetings, events and offices is

FTC. Effort is made to serve other FTC foods as well e. A demonstrable effort is made by purchasing managers to increase the number and

type of FTC products they purchase/sell f. The college and student union encourage independent businesses, departments, and

societies on campus to meet FT campus criteria. g. All locations selling FTC products have prominent signage indicating such h. Allocations selling FTC products will have ancillary information about FT i. A page on the college website explicitly indicates the university is a FT campus and

contains information about fair trade j. Campus administration participates at least annually, in a public celebration of its

fair trade campus status.

The following are the minutes from the first Environmental Sustainability Committee meeting, held in

March. The minutes reflect an official approval of adopting responsibility for monitoring fair trade

practices:

Environmental Sustainability Minutes

March 28 2013 11-12 Sen 220 Attendees: Allison Lutz (Intern Chair), Jen Pascoe (Minutes), Chris Siebring, Danika Askew, Mike Giesler,

Mike Dion, Ron Zaitsoff, Angus Graeme, Randy Janzen, Gregg Neelin, Nicole Ripley

Regrets: Milan Kutcher,Brendan Wilson, Liana Zwick, Cali

Green highlighting – you’ve already done it Yellow highlighting - pending

I. Agenda

a. Additions - none

b. Changes - none

II. Welcome

a. Introductions & Acknowledgements

i. Round table (who’s who)

ii. Acknowledge work of past committee members who are no longer on the

committee (Derek Marcoux, Carol Retzlaff, Heather Shannon, Marg Poochoof

and others - sorry…)

III. History – What the committee has done in the past

a. Who? Faculty, staff and students

b. What? Mandate is to support projects that reduce the college’s ecological footprint

c. Initiatives to-date?

i. Baseline 2009 State of the Environment Report

ii. Composting program

iii. Reduction in Energy useage – signs and education

iv. Improved access to and signage around recycling

v. Information – posters, brochures, prizes – orientation day

vi. Suggestions around grounds and pesticide use???? And many others…..

IV. Fair trade on campus

a. Nursing students want the support of the Sustainability Committee in their efforts

toward making Selkirk College a Fair Trade Certified campus

b. We agreed that the Fair Trade committee can be a subcommittee of the Sustainability

Committee – Randy will oversee sub-committee

Motion: The Sustainability Committee supports the nursing students in their

pursuit of Selkirk College as a Fair Trade Certified Campus. Carried

V. Strategic Directions

a. Sustainability

i. Angus made sure it was a pillar in the College’s strategic directions. There is a

sense that environmental sustainability is an expectation (assumed) at

educations institutions in 2013.

VI. Where we are at now?

a. Identify committee members (Chair? Secretary? Special Projects)

i. List was circulated of those present and those who are interested but not able

to attend will be sent minutes – Allison

ii. We will decide on positions at an early fall meeting – Allison to set date

iii. Would be good to get representation from 10th st. as energy usage on that

campus is very high, (personal fridges, heaters and printers) and there is interest

in composting.

b. Goal of the committee is to meet 3 times per year. GROUP

c. Renew membership Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (ASHEE)

http://www.aashe.org/

i. Important because we can potientially get STAR status – recognition as a green

campus.

ii. renew membership – Allison

d. Moodle Site

i. Need to establish a site for members – Allison

ii. If possible find and add historical minutes, documents etc. – Allison

e. Write Terms of Reference

i. Yes we have them, Angus will forward to Allison for inclusion on Moodle

ii. May need to revisit TOR

f. Web Presence

i. Allison will contact marketing and IT

g. Map sustainability initiatives and relationships

i. Coordinate splinter groups/projects, advise on what has been done in the past

ii. Survey sustainability initiatives in various schools, (classes) on various campuses

(eg. Recycling of oil in trades) – Allison to appoint someone

iii. Write a report highlighting all the college has done to date and is presently

working on -First 5 Years of Sustainability at Selkirk - Allison, Angus, Ron

New buildings and infrastructure (LEED certified Residence, Solar

Panels)

Maintenance projects (light sensors harvesting daylight, heating

schedules programmed for holidays and night, replacing boilers in at

Castlegar and 10th st. )

IT projects – centralized printing

Composting

Baseline etc.

iv. Create a contact list/directory of various groups and projects on campus around

sustainability - Allison

1. Randy – nursing students (fair-trade campus initiatives and certification)

2. Environmental club

3. Grounds committee – (carbon offsets, trails maintenance, invasive

species projects etc.)

4. Sustainability committee and Garden club – students association

(Nedine Scott) organiser@selkirkstudents.ca

5. Outdoors club – typically SEG students – hikes movie nights

6. Recycling – Kootenay Society for Community Living

7. Composting – maintenance/Holly

a. 4-5 days a week of collection during the semester.

b. Work study student Nicole Hatfield Mentoring Cali for position

8. Student projects, guest speakers – SEG, Renewable Energy Program,

nursing etc.

9. Kootenay Ride Share program

v. New ideas?

1. We need a way of communicating what is working and what isn’t in

terms of sustainability initiatives on campus (eg. Soup bowls in cafeteria

are not compostable)

a. No policy on how to deal with rodent problem on campus –

challenge for maintainance.

b. Composting Work study student needs to attend Sustainability

Meetings. - Cali

2. $$$ for a Sustainability Coordinator position?

a. Not at this time

3. Get involved with River’s Day in Sept. –Possibly through courses

Hydrology- Allison to contact Kootenay Lake Society

4. Earth Day initiatives

a. Earth Hour college lights shut down for an hour –we need to

profile this.

5. Bike Day

a. Support Milan in promoting this event

6. FairTrade Day Event

a. Randy (nursing students to highlight)

7. Composting at 10th st.

8. Draft a policy around personal microwaves, printers and fridges