Making a Difference, One Cup at a Time
Behind every creative idea lies a creative mind. In this case, there were many creative minds putting their collected ingenuity together to create an event that would bring UIS students together as well as spreading a message that needed to be heard. Thanks to people like Ashley Rook, Vera Leopold, Nicole Cudiamat and Justin Sams, SAGE and USAS made my day with just two beautiful words:
Coffee. Pong.
Oh, look how quiet and peaceful these cups look. Soon... soon, many students will disrupt this tender peace.
Coffee Pong? How genius is this? My friends, it's brilliant. Using Fair Trade Coffee, the folks at USAS (Students against Sweatshops) and SAGE (Students for a Greener Earth) helped to get students together to understand the benefits of fair trade. I'm going to supplemental post here later with more information, so just read under this post.
But in the meanwhile, students from every year - undergrad and grad alike, came out in full force to put their Coffee Pong skills to the test. With teams named "Team Awesome" and "The Indo-Semitic All-Stars," you can only expect the best in this outstanding tournament.
Freshman Luke Runyon wills a ball into a cup
I decide to show these kids how a real team plays.
When Grad Students Attack...
Julian showing some mad Pong skills
With hosts like these, who DOESN'T Love Fair Trade?
With hosts like these, who DOESN'T Love Fair Trade?And, if I left anybody off who deserves the credit for this event, please let me know... you guys did an awesome job. Even though Noah and I didn't make it to the finals, we learned something very important.
Heroes are made... one cup at a time.
1 Comments:
Awesome post, Suraj! And I’m sorry you and Noah didn’t make it to the finals, but the Indo-Semitic All Stars played like champions anyway.
Here is a little more information about Fair Trade for your readers:
The world we live in doesn’t always reward hard work with a living wage. 1.2 billion people – over one-fifth of the world’s population – live in extreme poverty. That means 1.2 billion people live on less than two dollars a day, struggling each day to procure food and shelter and meet their families’ basic needs. Malnutrition and disease are part of their everyday reality, while education and adequate health care are out of the question. One-fifth of the world is part of a daily struggle to survive because of the unfair rules of world trade, which affect millions of farmers, laborers and factory workers. High tariffs, subsidies, and bans on certain imports are often insurmountable barriers to people trying to break the cycle of poverty.
Fair Trade is a growing, international movement which ensures that producers in poor countries get a fair deal. This means a fair price for their goods (one that covers the cost of production and guarantees a living income), long-term contracts which provide real security; and for many, support to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to develop their businesses and increase sales. It gives consumers an opportunity to use their purchasing power to help the working poor of the world earn a livelihood and have a chance at a better life, while working to reform the unfair rules of world trade so that they work for small-scale producers as well as rich multinationals.
As students, we can help fight poverty and hunger by becoming socially conscious consumers and buying products – such as coffee, tea, chocolate and fruit – that are Fair Trade Certified. Hunger and poverty are bipartisan issues so this a movement liberals and conservatives alike can support. As you rely on the farmers and workers of the world for products you consume on a daily basis, they rely on you to survive. You can also lend your voice to the growing Fair Trade movement by signing the Big Noise petition and bringing these issues to the attention of our legislators.
Here are some links for everyone to check out regarding Fair Trade:
www.maketradefair.com
This is the official site for Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign – you can learn more and also sign the Big Noise electronically!
www.transfairusa.org
The website for TransFair USA, a non-profit organization that ensures that suppliers meet Fair Trade standards.
www.equalexchange.com
Equal Exchange offers (delicious) organic, gourmet coffee, tea and chocolate that can be ordered online.
www.tenthousandvillages.com
Fair Trade extends to all kinds of goods, and Ten Thousand Villages offers beautiful, fairly traded handicrafts from around the world. It’s a great site to find a one of a kind (and ethical) Christmas present.
If you would like to get more involved with the Fair Trade efforts on campus, I strongly encourage you to contact myself or Vera Leopold about joining United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) or Students Allied For A Greener Earth (SAGE) – we’d love to hear from you!
Ashley Rook
United Students Against Sweatshops President
arook2@uis.edu
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