Stuart School and FOPOS Collaborate

The forests of Princeton and Central America both got a boost on a recent Saturday, when volunteers met behind Stuart School to clear trails and remove invasive plants. The afternoon's work was preceded by a presentation by leaders of a Fair Trade coffee collective, who explained how the purchase of Fair Trade Certified coffee works to improve the lives of coffee growers. Camila T., a Stuart School student who has been very active in promoting Fair Trade products in Princeton and beyond, served as translator for farmer Angelina Espinosa.

Afterwards, more or less bravely oblivious to the arrival of onagainoffagain rain, we headed into the woods to improve boardwalks and cut invasive shrubs like privet and Asian Photinia. A collaboration has been long in the works between Friends of Princeton Open Space and Stuart School, which is directly upstream of Mountain Lakes. Impetus to finally set things rolling came from Sophie Glovier and Stuart School science teacher Eric Anderson.

Coffee with the Fair Trade emblem on the package, competitive in taste and price, can be found at McCaffery's and no doubt many other locations in town.