This year fairandfunky took part in The Great Big Green Week – an initiative from the Climate Coalition and the UKs biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
We held a Great Big Green Get Together at Holmfirth Tech and invited our community to join us to take positive action for local and global communities. With a clothes swap, a book exchange, a visit from the e-piks e-cargo bike, Fairtrade refreshments, a recycling workshop and the smoothie bike we were able to showcase some of the little steps that you can take to change the world.
We also invited all who intended to sign a letter to our local MP, Jason McCartney as part of the Fairtrade Foundation campaign to #SowYourSolidarity. We were able to present this letter, and native wildflower seeds, to him at the event itself:
“Dear Jason McCartney MP,
Our community has come together in Great Big Green Week to celebrate the actions we can all take to build a fairer, greener future for local and global communities. We are all connected and we know that climate change affects people in and beyond our local areas.
The seeds we are giving you symbolise the great work Fairtrade farmers are already doing to tackle climate change: from tree planting to protecting pollinators. We are asking you to #SowYourSolidarity.
Please will you write to the relevant government Minister asking them to urgently deliver on long-held funding promises made by the UK government to communities most affected by climate change. Please ask how farmers and workers in low income countries will be involved in decision making as to how to use the funding.
Farmers need this promised support NOW so they can scale up their vital work in protecting their homes and livelihoods, and our global food supply from climate breakdown.
We, the undersigned, choose Fairtrade to invest in the farmers and their communities. We want to see more power and more money in the hands of those living with the worst realities of the climate crisis. We want you, as our MP, to urge the UK government to deliver on its promises to do just that.”
We look forward to his response and will update you when it arrives. Please do write your own letter to your MP (you are welcome to copy/edit ours!) – it is by each of us taking these smalls steps of direct action that will make the difference to people and planet.
Tweets by @fair_funky
