Each year WUSC local committees across Canada hold a symposium on a topic of global significance during International Development week in February. This is one of the largest events that the WUSC Queen’s local committee organizes, and it is completely free for all those who attend. Featuring guest speakers from a range of backgrounds and experiences, this year the symposium topic was on ethical consumption, and focused on global food production, the realities of organic farming, as well as a more in-depth look at how the on-campus business The Tea Room incorporates ethical goals into their business model. The symposium aims to increase campus and community awareness of these important issues and stresses how every one of us can make a difference through small changes in our everyday habits. This past year we had over 40 attendees at the event, and hope to see even more come out next year!
Before the symposium, we asked our volunteers to describe how they consume ethically and what ethical consumption means to them:
Ria – Event Chair
Lauren – Student Refugee Coordinator
Emma – Event Chair
Aneet – Event Chair
Nancy – Event Chair
Channel – Outreach Lead
Sarah – Marketing Chair
Gauri – Marketing Chair
Émélie – Student Refugee Coordinator
Lyndsay – Co-President
Hannah – Co-President
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Sophie – Co-President
Dainelle – SRP Coordinator
Émélie – Student Refugee Coordinator
Jenny – Outreach
Photos from the 2018 Symposium on Ethical Consumption:
Sophie St-Laurent, WUSC Program Officer & Youth and Campus Engagement
Welcoming committee!
Jordan Russel, Chair of MinimizeMarch MinimizeMarch is an awareness campaign spanning the entire month of March at Queens University in Kingston. It aims to combat the environmental issue of overconsumption by supporting minimalism (a life with less material possessions and less consumption of earth’s limited resources).
MinimizeMarch is an awareness campaign spanning the entire month of March at Queens University in Kingston. It aims to combat the environmental issue of overconsumption by supporting minimalism (a life with less material possessions and less consumption of earth’s limited resources).
Dr. Paritosh Kumar giving a talk on ethical consumption and the often forgotten immigrant workers by focusing on strawberry harvesting in America. “Now we focus on food justice and food sovereignty, not only food security” Dr. Kumar teaches in the Department of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University. He is trained as a Political Scientist but has moved, over the years, into the field of Development Studies.
Ian Stutt from Patchwork Gardens Patchwork gardens is a local farm whose central mission is to grow the most high quality, nutrient dense, and best tasting vegetables that can exist. In addition, providing a local food source allows for a reduction in carbon footprint by reducing the number of kilometers food travels from farm to table.
Opening remarks by WUSC Co-President Sophie!
Dr. Paritosh Kumar giving a talk on ethical consumption and the often forgotten immigrant workers by focusing on strawberry harvesting in America. “If I am rich enough, I can quarantine myself from harmful effects. But am I a consumer or a citizen? And what responsibility do I have to the workers who collect my food?”
The Tea Room is North America’s first zero-consumer waste, carbon neutral café, and is a member of Green Economy Kingston, a program which aims to help businesses reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. All tea served is organic, and select varieties are fair trade certified!
WUSC Queen's 