The campus dining halls and food carts run by Rensselaer Dining Services, a division of Sodexho Campus Services, have started to serve “Fair Trade shade grown” coffee. The change was prompted by student suggestions dating back to last year.
“Fair Trade” coffee beans are grown in developing countries and purchased at a set, fair price minimum. The organic shade grown designation means that the coffee is grown naturally without synthetic fertilizers and that it is grown alongside other plants in order to curb erosion and problems for wildlife.
The suggestion originated out of a class taught during the spring 2002 semester. The idea behind the company is that consumers can purchase quality products while helping out the economies of developing countries, according to Marija Kuzmanovic ’05, one of the students who suggested the change.
