Two Peruvian artisans will provide firsthand accounts of the positive impact of fair trade in advance of World Fair Trade Day at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Evangelina Pizarro, the founder of a cooperative of jewelers, and Ayde Riveros, a member of a cooperative of knitters, will share some of the enormous changes fair trade can make in the lives of individuals in developing nations during a presentation from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. May 6 in Room 201 of Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd. World Fair Trade Day will be celebrated worldwide on May 9.

In September 2008, UW Oshkosh became the first university in the nation to declare itself a Fair Trade University, committing to do its part toward ending trade injustices that result in millions of people living in poverty.

“Fair trade is an important component of sustainability because it combines two conerns: social justice and environmental protection,” said David Barnhill, director of the environmental studies at UW Oshkosh. “This event is a special opportunity to hear firsthand how fair trade affects the lives of artisans in the developing world.”

The national tour, titled “Resonating Change: Connecting Communities through Fair Trade,” is sponsored by Partners for Just Trade, a fair trade organization that cultivates global partnerships between impoverished producers from Peru and Cameroon and conscientious consumers, and Green America, a not-for-profit membership organization harnessing economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

For more about UW Oshkosh’s sustainability initiatives and accomplishments, visit www.uwosh.edu/sustainability.