Merton Council celebrated this year’s World Environment Day on Mitcham’s Fair Green with the help of local Merton Fairtrade business Tariro and national giant Sainsbury’s.

Officers from the council gave out free goodie bags of Fairtrade bananas donated by Sainsbury’s along with information about how the environment as well as farmers in developing countries benefit when people in the West buy Fairtrade. Leaflets on the council’s recycling and composting services as well as advice about home composting and using real nappies were also given out to residents along with free cups of Fairtrade tea and coffee.

Set to the backdrop of the classic film about Africa’s coffee trade Black Gold, the stall on Fair Green displayed a wide variety of Fairtrade products including chocolate, coffee, recycled stationery and clothing.

Visitors to the stall chanced their luck on guessing the number of coffee beans in a jar to be in with a chance of winning a selection of Fairtrade goodies from Tariro, in Morden.

Merton Council cabinet member for environment and leisure services Councillor David Simpson said: “It’s great to see the interest of local people in Fairtrade and the environment. The majority of Fairtrade products are organic which means they are often made in a more environmentally-sound way than their non-organic alternatives. Using our consumer power to buy ethically means we can all have a say in how our food is produced and ensure the people growing the raw materials are treated fairly.”

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