The Ludlow Fairtrade Town Group is delighted to announce it is hosting an ethical food conference on 29 February at the Ludlow Methodist Church. Highly regarded leaders in the ethical consumerism movement will deliver talks and workshops in conjunction with the town’s Fairtrade Fortnight activities.
Shaun Holland, CEO Slow Food Ludlow
Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual campaign to raise the profile of the activities of the Fairtrade Foundation, and runs from Monday 24 February – Sunday 8 March.
The conference titled, “Our Food: The cost to the earth and its people” will focus on the environmental effect of our diets. Michael Gidney, CEO of Fairtrade UK, Robin Roth, CEO of Traidcraft UK, Shaun Holland, CEO of Slow Food UK, along with local organic farming experts, Mark Measures and Joy Greenall will lead talks and discussions on this timely topic as climate emergency grabs headlines.
Climate change is an increasingly hot topic with outspoken activists such as David Attenborough, Al Gore and Greta Thunberg, and movements such as The Extinction Rebellion, encouraging ever more people to “jump on the eco bandwagon” and campaign for governments to make changes to halt and even reverse the effects of climate change. It is easy, however, to get lost in the quagmire that is sustainable consumerism, with debates raging over what the most environmentally friendly solutions are, and how much we can reasonably be expected to change given our (perceived) lack of time, money and knowledge.
Michael Gidney, CEO, Fairtrade UK
Jenny Hume, Chair of Ludlow Fairtrade Town Group and Ludlow Food Network, comments: “There is huge awareness of climate change now, but, alongside this, huge confusion. How should we change? What does an ‘earth friendly diet’ look like? We are bombarded with apparently conflicting messages. Should I eat organic? Or ‘local’? Where does Fairtrade fit into the picture? Should we all become vegans or is meat OK? And how can I buy my food ethically if I’m on a limited budget?” Questions that the conference will help to clarify.
Robin roth, ceo, traidcraft uk
Ludlow is, justifiably, known as a ‘foodie town’. What is perhaps less well known is the high level of knowledge and interest in the town in the ethical issues around food. Ludlow should be a real leader in this area, and through the conference we look forward to achieving new ideas and insights that will enable us to take this forward to the next stage.
Conference organisers welcomes the prestigious speakers and insight from conference attendees both from in and outside our town who will join this debate and help us to move on to the next stage.
The conference is to be held on Saturday 29th February at Ludlow Methodist Church from 10am – 2pm, with a light lunch provided. Tickets are available now – please e-mail ludlowfairtrade@gmail.com or phone Jenny Hume on 01584 831654 for more information.