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Show CAFFEINATE WITH CARE BY CYNTHIA LUU /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY COLE TAN T he holiday season is often associated with the Christian holiday Christmas. However, contrary to commercialized belief, there is not one correct way to experience Christmas, and it's also not the only holiday celebrated around this time of year. Vishnu Reddy, a senior in pre-dental, is an undergraduate student from India. Reddy said Christmas in India is a holiday but is not celebrated in the same way. "Everybody gets off for Christmas because we know it's a major holiday, just like we have time off for Eid and Diwali, the other two major holidays': Reddy said. "Each family celebrates it differently, but all the shopping malls are very lit up, and it's festive just like it is during the other holidays" Sam Hawe, a junior in international studies, spent a semester in the Dominican Republic. Hawe said even though Christmas is also commercialized in Santo Domingo, there was one main difference. "There's this huge sponsorship of the only beer company in the nation, Presidente," Hawe said. "I lived a block away from a park called Christmas Village with this huge, light-up Presidente bottle." Hawe said it was a sign of national pride. "It's everywhere': he said. "Presidente sponsors all the big music and cultural festivals, so it would make sense they would sponsor the big Christmas Village. It's a patriotic thing, I guess:' Haoran Yu, a sophomore in communications, is an international student from northern China. Yu said Christmas in mainland China is nowhere near as huge as it is in the United States. "We don't celebrate it because it's more of a religion based holiday and China is a non-religious country," Yu said. "However, recently they've started to use the holidays as a good time to sell products. Some people do celebrate it but don't get a break for that day" Within Salt Lake, there are several Christmas alternatives. Atheists of Utah will be holding a Winter Solstice event on Dec. 20. Lisa Baggerly, secretary of the organization, said the gathering is "essentially a Christmas party simply celebrating the calendar day but not the religious connotations:' The Pagan community, Salt Lake Witches, will be holding their third annual Crone's Hollow Festivus Occasion of Merriment. The holiday is derived from the sitcom "Seinfeld" and the occasion will consist of "festivus events" such as an undecorated traditional metal pole, a feast, singing and a loud venting session called "airing of grievances" Another alternative is Bodhi, where some practitioners of Buddhism celebrate Buddha's enlightenment sitting underneath a fig or Bodhi tree. The commemoration is typically held on Dec. 8 and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple has been known to hold a service in honor of the day. The temple could not be reached for comment on specific traditions or methods of celebration. Hawe has studied abroad in several countries over the past couple years and experienced different holiday festivities and gatherings this time of year from many cultures. "I think the December holidays are an awesome celebration of family and love" Hawe said. "Seeing things all lit up makes me feel like I'm at home, no matter where in the world I am" c.luu@chronicle.utah.edu @cynthia luu BY KYLEE EHMANN/STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY PRESTON ZUBAL w ith a coffee shop in almost every building, U students should have no shortage of caffeine fixes to power them through finals. But with the plethora of choices, students concerned with sustainability may find it difficult to choose. Fair trade coffee meets the labor, developmental and environmental standards of Fairtrade certification, which looks to improve the lives of poor farmers throughout the global economy. Many coffee locations on the U's campus use coffee from companies with Fairtrade certification. While buying from Fairtrade suppliers falls in line with the U's effort to promote sustainability through food, those involved with sustainability on campus have to weigh the debated effectiveness of Fairtrade with the desire to promote a healthier environment and economy. Jen Colby, sustainability coordinator in the U's Sustainability Office, said she is aware of issues surrounding fair trade debate and thinks it is beneficial to have people thinking environmentally and globally. "My perspective tends to be is that all of this is a continuum" Colby said. "Not just a black or white kind of thing, so we're all on a journey for fair trade practices" Many people who purchase Fairtrade certified coffee do it because it is seen as an ethical buying practice. Jessica Arthurs, a sophomore in Middle Eastern studies, international studies and political science said she drinks coffee at least three times a day. Arthurs said, while she doesn't actively think about buying sustainable coffee, she will go for the fair trade option if it is offered. "I think we should all be drinking Fairtrade coffee and things like that" Arthurs said. "It's important to make sure the things we're drinking, especially on a campus, are good products and 4 { THECHRONY I NEWS are coming from good places" Despite being perceived as a way to drink coffee while remaining environmentally and ethically conscious, Fairtrade-certified coffee has been criticized as not being as ethical as it is perceived to be. Fairtrade has been accused of not making a noticeable and positive impact for the workers who grow the coffee beans. Pro-Fairtrade researcher Alastair Smith said while some of the criticism against fair trade issues are valid and deserve attention, many are unfounded and lack the proper amount of factual evidence. Kathleen Hunt, a graduate student and the sustainability coordinator for the U's Dining Services, said by virtue of buying coffee, the U has to participate in the global economy and has to embrace these issues.The Dining Services and the venues it runs on campus receive their coffee from Caffe Ibis, a coffee-roasting company centered in Utah. "Fair trade does have some of its pros and cons, which is incredibly difficult in our global system': Hunt said. "In Utah, you can't grow coffee. So whatever you do, you're sort of bound to this global system" Hunt said the U has participated in the Real Food Challenge, a national organization which aims to shift university food budgets toward locally based, fair, humane and ecologically sound food sources.The organization also looks to engage students in the change. Its goal is to shift $1 billion in university funds by 2020 towards these food sources, which it calls "real food" Rather than following fair trade standards, Hunt said the U's Dining Services follows "real food" criteria, which also includes considering fair wages for workers and organic and sustainable standards. Hunt said Dining Services does meet Real Food standards, but many coffee vendors at the U run independently of Dining Services. OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014 } Colby said the U hasn't officially joined the Real Food Challenge yet. Colby said if students want to know more about the sustainability of the coffee they're buying, they should contact the vendors and ask. Colby also said customer pressure for more sustainable coffee can really help push for more environmentally conscious vendors. "A lot of customers have a lot of influence on that" Colby said. "Asking for that can really be beneficial" Direct trade offers an alternative to students who still desire to buy coffee but do not agree with Fairtrade organizations. Direct trade works as a direct source for farmers, though the exact standards of the trade vary between products. "Often direct trade are really big organizations who have the kind of money to invest in it" Colby said. "Or they're really small and they really want to know where their coffee is coming from" Direct trade addresses issues of Fairtrade such as premiums paid to farmers, the lack of tangible benefits to farmers and the limitations on individual farms who cannot afford to belong to a Fairtrade company. However, unlike fair trade coffee, there isn't a third party certification. Hunt said she hopes students think about where all their coffee is coming from. "It would behoove [students] to think critically about food on campus" Hunt said. "Whether you're simply a student on campus or living in the dorms, you're part of the community" Colby said students knowing where their coffee comes is part of being part of an informed member of being the campus community. "We're looking to create a culture of sustainability on campus" she said. k.ehmann@chronicle.utah.edu @Ehmannky I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BY JULIANNE SKRIVAN A /STAFF WRITER s the jingle bells ring and the halls are decked with boughs of holly, students from outside Utah are looking forward to returning home for the holidays while others will be staying here. Chase Peterson, a freshman in engineering, said he is excited to go home. "The entire semester as a whole has made me want to go home and be with family" Peterson said. The Housing and Residential Office asks students to evacuate the dorms for the break, but Peterson said even if they didn't he would still choose to go back home to Morgan, Utah. "You can't be in the dorms at all during winter break, so I am staying at my parents' house," Peterson said. "But I'd rather do that then stay in the dorms anyway because my family is super close" Peterson said he thinks not all students choose to go home. "I think every student needs to make a personal choice on whether or not they go home and be with family or go and create their own traditions and adventures" he said. For other students, like Evan Wilson, a senior in electrical engineering, the break will only include a small percentage of time with family and the rest will be dedicated to lingering projects. "I'm going home to Connecticut for a few days, but I have to work on a project, so I need to stay in Utah for most of the break" Wilson said. "I only get to see my East Coast family twice a year, so it's important to go back and see them and make sure they are doing well. I like going back to my roots — it's nostalgic for me" Peterson said he thinks the four weeks of break might be too long. "The break is beneficial because we need the weeks of vacation," Peterson said. "But it might be hard to get into a new routine for a bit and then have to go back to school. [The] shorter the break, the easier [it is] to get back to the school-life" Wilson said he thinks the break is needed to rejuvenate before Spring Semester. "Having a break to go home allows a break from college life" Wilson said. "And it gives you a chance to restart" j.skrivan@chronicle.utah.edu @JulianneSkrivan 5 |