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My name is Shae Frydenlund, and I’m currently a senior Environmental Geography major at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. I have been very involved with environmental activism and art at Colgate, and immediately became interested when a friend told me about the blog. I’m very excited to be following in Nina’s footsteps and managing the posts, as I have had the opportunity to engage in on-the-ground grassroots organizing, but have little experience in virtual dialogue. Nina and I worked together at Colgate to bring back an organic farming group on campus, which is now wildly successful, and I am happy to be collaborating on an organic project in cyberspace.
As the blog manager, I look forward to expanding upon topics that have been addressed in the past, as well as exploring new topics such as internationally grown organics. My goal is to spark more response discourse as well as more opinionated responses to the posts. I’m planning on addressing some controversial topics such as the local vs. organic food debate in hopes of creating a stimulating virtual discussion. Please contact me at sfrydenlund@students.colgate.edu if you are interested in writing for the blog, and I will be happy to work with you to craft a post. I look forward to providing you with important and interesting fodder for thought!
Shae
My name is Nina Merrill and I am a senior at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. I started interning with the Communications Department at the Organic Trade Assocition (OTA) last summer, an experience so rewarding that I have continued though I am back at school full time. One of my first projects at OTA asked me to look at the blogging being done about “organic”. It only took me a few days to notice that while there is a HUGE national movement on college campuses to help increase the use of organic food in dining halls, there has been very little discussion about this effort online!
After discussing the idea with my supervisor, Laura Batcha (the Director of Marketing and PR), I decided to create a blog that I hoped would encourage the development of organic food programs on college campuses nationwide. As I had hoped in the beginning, it seems that when students share the successes and pitfalls of their organic campus initiatives, others are more able to take the necessary steps to improve the quality of their campus dining.
I am trying to get as many students involved in this blog project as possible. Please give me a call at (516) 532 2309 if you’re interested in writing an entry about your experience! Not only will you be able to connect with students who have similar concerns and passions, but you will be able to ask questions and give advice about a topic that really matters! Either way, please please please comment on people’s entries. The only way that this blog will work is if the blog is a discussion rather than a narrative, so it’s completely up to you. I continue to be so excited about the many possibilities, and hope you will be too!
Sponsored by the Organic Trade Association
Organic Trade Association is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.
PO Box 547 • Greenfield, MA 01302 • 413-774-7511
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