Students in Charlene Gilbert's "Communication and Social Change" class held a Consumer Fair on the quad last Friday to educate students about the importance of practicing ethical buying habits. Those who stopped by the fair were invited to try samples from vendors that follow organic guidelines or use fair trade business models, like Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Honest Teas. Students could also shop among a selection of jewelry and handicrafts from Ten Thousand Villages, a store that sells products from economically disadvantaged artists and producers worldwide, offering them fair pay and good working conditions for their labor. The fair was the class's final project of a semester-long campaign to make members of the AU community more aware of how their decisions as consumers affect the market.
