Fairtrade agreement sees 1,000th tree planted in Edinburgh
The trees were planted as part of a community reinvestment programme, created by the coffee supplier who provides Fairtrade coffees to the University’s campuses.
Since beginning the partnership with the University of Edinburgh in 2011, Coffee Conscience has managed to plant 1,000 trees as a direct result of Fairtrade sales they’ve made at the University.
The supplier reinvests 2.5% of its Fairtrade sales back into community projects. Coffee Conscience works alongside social enterprise Fruitful Scotland, which provides workshop support for local schools and charities to plant trees.
All of the trees have been planted in the Lothian region, including a large number at Easter Bush, as well as at care homes, parks, community land, and local schools.
The 1,000th tree was planted at Cramond Park, with the support of local school children and The Commonwealth Orchard, a Scottish-based organisation dedicated to regenerating the country through the development of fruit orchards and re-introduction of local heritage varieties.
Environmental initiatives are key to our University’s policies, from community support to promoting green transport, so to reach 1,000th tree planted is a huge milestone for us and a testament to the success of our Coffee Conscience partnership.
Fairtrade at the heart of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh has been a Fairtrade University since 2004, making commitments to fair trade procurement, awareness-raising, and research.
Our Fairtrade University status is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation in recognition of our continued promotion of fair trade products and principles.