In order to receive the fair trade seal, Eching has to collect many plus points.
The fair trade market on Bürgerplatz brought in one of these.
Eching - “We can do that,” said Eching's mayor Sebastian Thaler with conviction at the welcome to the first fair trade market (with brunch) on Saturday in the theater garden of the Bürgerplatz.
He opened the open-air event together with Vhs boss Doris Fähr and business development manager Ines Stadler, who had organized this first public event in six months.
The weather also played along.
A varied circuit, designed as a “one-way street” for reasons of contact and hygiene, led past the dozen or so stands in the tree-lined theater garden.
The exhibitors used the opportunity to present their fair services, offers and products - from bamboo socks and children's cotton clothing to lederhosen and organic soap to banana ice cream - to make contacts and to exchange ideas.
The visitors also included 2nd Mayor Stefanie Malenke: “Now I've learned something new again,” she said, impressed: “I wasn't even aware of what the town has to offer.” For example, she admired the small children's wardrobe in high-quality organic cotton from Bamboo-Fashion from Eching, which was first offered on a market (otherwise only available online).
Aronia and haskap berries in the form of spreads and liqueurs
For Eching, this event also means fulfilling a criterion on the way to becoming a fair trade community.
The project was initiated at the beginning of the year at a pilot event initiated by the municipality, business development and Vhs.
Thaler emphasized how important it is to pay attention to sustainability and to "draw the link between fair trade and regional products." This interaction was clearly expressed in the market.
Josef and Magdalena Kurz's "Pfabhof" works according to the guidelines of organic farming and is the first certified organic farm in Eching.
The family business presented aronia and haskap berries in the form of spreads and liqueurs.
The ice cream parlor Vaniglia also demonstrated on its mobile ice cream counter and four types of “Gelati” how well fair-trade ingredients such as coffee, chocolate and bananas go well with regional products such as the fruits of the Pfabhof: The fruit ice cream created by Alessandro Libero for the first time was delighted great popularity.
The new community center restaurant “Pure Cuisine” by Monika Kretsch also prefers to use regional and seasonal products - and serves fair trade tea and coffee.
In doing so, it also contributes another “plus point” for the communal Fair Trade seal.
The beverage bar served mineral water from still to sparkling.
Color and movement contributed the integrative mosaic workshop of Margret Lösch and the spinning and handicraft meeting of Erika Saller.
The two business owners of Form & Spiel rely on valuable raw materials and avoid plastic for their hand-picked range.
First get autographs and then hope for the right number for the wheel of fortune
The younger visitors in particular had fun picking up an autograph on a stamp card at the individual stands and then rolling their personal winning number for the wheel of fortune at the Vhs stand, where there were only winners.
The world game turned out to be tricky, in which the participants tried to put the population, energy consumption and gross domestic product in relation between the individual continents.
Conclusion: there is still a lot to be done.
It was not for nothing that the motto was “Fair is more” and above all: “Think globally, act locally.” In any case, the premiere of the first fair trade market was “done well” by the actors involved.
