Writing Samples

Among the various functions I hoped this website would fulfill, using it as a central location for a collection of writing samples was important. As my career as a writer and creator expands, it makes sense to put lots of types of writing in one place so folks can get a sense of what I am able to produce.

The More Writing section of this website is designated for this purpose. The section includes several types of writing, including a monthly column I wrote while working for the Marquette Food Co-op, and a few academic papers on things like corporate sustainability, lab grown meat, and animal ethics. Finally, I have included a section for poetry and a letter to the editor which have been published online.

If you’re curious about my writing background, I encourage you to check them all out! Also, if you have further questions about these or other things I’ve written I would love to hear from you. You can message me on my LinkedIn Page or email me here.

Food Waste: A letter to the Editor

The following is a letter to the editor I wrote which was published in the Boulder Daily Camera on October 19, 2017.

Did you know that up to 40 percent of food in the U.S. is thrown away while over 40 million Americans struggle with hunger annually? Aside from hunger, the slower-moving catastrophe tied into food waste comes from the waste itself — as much as 25 percent of the nation's water use is tied up in wasted food, and the same can be said for greenhouse gas emissions. The issue of methane seep from rotting food in landfills exacerbates the issue further. The majority of this food waste comes from households, followed by commercial waste — mainly grocery stores and restaurants. Why, one may ask, do we not simply pass a law that enables businesses to donate this excess food to the needy? The fact is, we did already. President Clinton signed the "Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act of 1996," which protected food donators from liability except in cases of gross negligence. What can we do? In addition to composting food waste at home and shopping more frequently and carefully to avoid overstocking and throwing out old food, we must start demanding that grocery stores and restaurants take advantage of the Emerson Good Samaritan Food Act fully. By patronizing and publicly praising food businesses whose practices include regular food donation, and avoiding and shaming those who simply throw food away (the worst) or dump it into compost (better, but ignores hunger), we as consumers can extend our impact beyond our own kitchen and mitigate the redundant horrors of food waste and local hunger.

Read the letter on the Daily Camera website here.

Author Background - MENV

In addition to producing this blog for my own interest and enrichment, I am using it to cover part of a class assignment as I pursue a Masters of the Environment (MENV) degree with a specialization in Sustainable Food Systems. The MENV program is a professional masters program, meaning the focus is on imbuing skills to be put to use in the professional world, as opposed to studying an academic subject from a purely research and analysis basis.

The centerpiece of the MENV program is a capstone project which is done in conjunction with an external partner, usually a local municipality, non-profit or business. At the moment my team of 3 and I are engaged in a capstone project with Boulder Organic Foods, a Boulder based refrigerated soup company which emphasizes organic and gluten-free ingredients and a passion for freshness and quality.

The MENV program includes 3 specializations in addition to Sustainable Food Systems, including Environmental Policy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, and Sustainability Planning and Management. Other capstone project groups are working with diverse organizations including The Nature Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Institute, Boulder County Sustainability Office, Regional Transit District - Denver, Outdoor Industry Association, and many others.

Just about a year ago I was living in Michigan and working at the Marquette Food Co-op (read more about MFC), wondering what the future held for me. Today I am roughly half way through with my Masters program at University of Colorado Boulder. The transitions from worker to student (and soon, back to worker) and from the flat watery Midwest to the doorstep of the Rockies were swift and dizzying, but essential to my success.