Shared Planet 2005: ''It confirmed that our generation cares''

Helen Jones shares her thoughts on an amazing weekend.

Kumi Naidoo Caroline Lucas Tony Benn

Inspiring speakers and appalling facts
The weekend kicked off with a morning of passionate and inspiring speakers including Kumi Naidoo and Caroline Lucas, who spoke about the need for long-term activism and climate change respectively. We also heard from Zac Goldsmith, editor of The Ecologist and Ashok Sinha, director of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition on the subject of climate change.

Between them they covered all kinds of changes we can make to prevent "watching ourselves as we become extinct", as Caroline Lucas put it brilliantly. One of the most memorable points of the weekend, in my mind at least, was when Zac Goldsmith described a recent conversation he had had with a UK supermarket. The supermarket in question actually sends English apples over to South Africa in order for them to be washed and waxed before being returned to the UK to be sold.

This appalled and infuriated me, as an environmentalist concerned about unnecessary carbon emissions, but also as a consumer. Firstly, I was upset that local apples are probably no fresher than their New Zealand counter-parts. Secondly, supermarkets may have used labelling to lull us into a false sense of security about the products we buy and the impact they have on the world.

Fairtrade is on the rise
Sunday began with a session on trade justice with John Hilary from War on Want and Barbara Crowther from the Fairtrade Foundation. I am particularly passionate about trade justice and Fairtrade, so this was a brilliant opportunity. Barbara quoted some very positive figures: since Tesco launched its own brand of Fairtrade goods, one million people have swapped to Fairtrade. Currently, 21 countries are involved in Fairtrade labelling and Café Direct is the sixth biggest coffee company in the UK. She also discussed the history and future of Fairtrade. Since the Fairtrade mark was established in 1992, the range of certified products has grown from basic goods such as tea, coffee and chocolate and now includes a range of other products, including Fairtrade cotton, wine and sports balls.

Now we need political change
John Hilary focused more on the political side of trade justice, the forthcoming WTO talks in Hong Kong and how sticking with the current trade rules will negate any effect that increased aid and debt cancellation will have.

I left the conference with a desire to do all I can to improve the state of the world and encourage others to do the same. The weekend fuelled in me an urgency to act and a need to do so now before it is too late. It also left me confident that there are hundreds of other young people across the country who believe in what I do and who are prepared to fight to achieve it. Shared Planet confirmed that our generation cares.