Category: Updates

Concrete Jungle – Wrapping Things Up

by vfaraon1

My time with Concrete Jungle has been nothing short of extraordinary. Throughout the latter half of the semester, I have had the opportunity to develop an Instagram posting calendar—complete with templates and sample posts—and begin a farmer profile database containing Concrete Jungle’s partners. 

The Instagram yearly posting calendar contains a week-by-week schedule on what and when to post; these include traditional pictures, reels, and stories. Kokou and I brainstormed various content ideas, such as a “Meet the Grower” series, “Community Impact” stories, and “What’s in Season?” infographic-esque posts. In total, we developed ten templates with each containing one or more slides for Instagram’s carousel feature. Utilizing Canva Teams, we were able to integrate Concrete Jungle’s brand logos, fonts, and colors to create custom posts specific to our organization. With access to Canva’s premium features, we were also able to utilize special design elements like music with the beat-sync feature for our sample reels and certain images/illustrations for posts. I must admit, my favorite part of my time with Concrete Jungle has been designing these templates. I’m more arts-focused compared to working with analytics or logistics, so this portion of our project was most satisfying to me.

The farmer profile database is a spreadsheet that consists of various partnered farmers and their information. Kokou and I reached out to a total of fifteen partners via text and phone call to interview them and gather information for Concrete Jungle. We asked questions concerning their work and lives, such as what drives their passion and their favorite memories in their line of work. We gathered our farmers’ consent to post them on our farmer features when the Instagram goes live as well. While we weren’t able to schedule meetings with every farmer on the list, Kokou and I have begun the groundwork for Concrete Jungle staff to continue as they see fit!

On average, we met with Savannah Carter and Virginia Ruiz Lawley every other week for progress checks. They critiqued and approved all aspects of our work, giving us both creative liberty and direction with the brand. Our frequent communication with Concrete Jungle served both of us well, considering that our work has been completely remote.

I believe my engagement with Concrete Jungle has certainly made a meaningful impact on not only the organization, but by extension, our community. Kokou and I started the groundwork for their farmer-targeted social media presence and have strengthened their current farmer partnerships. Virginia mentioned that even beyond the Southern Georgia Instagram page, our templates can be replicated and utilized for other parts of the brand, such as their PEEL program. I believe our farmer profile database and outreach have played a large role in Concrete Jungle getting to better know their farmers on a personal level. 

Overall, my experience has been fulfilling in multiple ways. I truly believe I have made an impact on Concrete Jungle’s mission, and I hope that moving forward, they can use our content as a stepping stone to achieve greater goals. I was fortunate to have such a great partner, Kokou, through this process; without his help, I believe our work could not have succeeded the way it has. While I am sad that our time with Concrete Jungle is coming to a close, I am confident that our impact has left a positive mark on the organization and the farmer community.

Wrapping Things Up

by msabree6

Reflecting back on my time with WAWA, I recognize that I have had a chance to do quite a few different things. One of the projects I really enjoyed was working with Wawa on service Saturdays where volunteers like myself got to remove invasive species or pick up trash in the forest. During my first service cleanup, we removed over 60 tires from the forest off the highway in the West End. It was demanding work, yet it was very fulfilling. We also removed a couch, a mop, a broom, what looked like a refrigerator filter, a wheelbarrow, and yards and yards of thick wire.

This project in particular definitely felt meaningful. Even though there was plenty more trash we were not able to get, moving such harmful materials from the forest was like a “quick fix” of satisfying impact. I think we played a part in furthering the mission of WAWA, protecting urban forests by playing that small role on a daily basis — just picking up trash. There is definitely more that can be done and more I want to do. Nonetheless, if small service days like that are a part of the journey, I’ll be happy. 

 

On another service day I participated in, we removed English ivy from a large portion of the urban forest at WAWA’s outdoor activity center. This was fulfilling, however, in a slightly different way as I could not help but remember the different perspectives around invasive species discussed at the beginning of the semester in “Believers” by Lisa Wells. I recall the arguments made by Ron Good, an Indigenous man working in land restoration who claimed there is some benefit in embracing a new normal with invasive species. Thus, I found myself feeling a bit “blurry”, for lack of a better word. Residing in the grey area regarding positive impact because claiming that it was positively impactful depends more heavily on perspective than a trash cleanup does. Regardless, it was still enjoyable. Trusting the authorities there by simply following directions still allowed for a level of satisfaction in the work. That and, again, I simply enjoy being in nature.

Additionally, the project that my teammate and I are working on for this class definitely feels impactful. As I have mentioned in previous posts, so many people do not know about the Public Service Commission and its impact as well as local bills. Seeing that WAWA encouraged us to advocate for the PSC and HB 644, it is clear that we are aligned with their mission. With this project we have been able to advocate for what we want to see in our environment and how we want to protect Georgia. HB 644 would allow the environmental protection division in Georgia to reject applications for permits by companies or entities that have a history of violations. Advocating for people to be civically engaged and advocating for the environment is something WAWA and I find to be very important.

Our final project can continue to contribute if we continue to raise awareness after the technical completion of the program. Because our project revolves around advocacy work, it needs the people to do the advocacy. With that, I would consider our project relatively self-sustaining as our canvassing flyers will be used by the organization in Instagram posts and for tabling at future events! This way our project can continue to serve WAWA and broader communities of Georgia as a quick source of facts and action steps. 

Not only does this work feel impactful in general and in furthering the mission of the organization, it also feels meaningful in the realm of my interests and my life journey. As a public policy major, I really believe in the importance of everyday people taking their stake in America as we have this opportunity to affect the governance of our own country and our own localities. I believe we should take that opportunity and it has been fulfilling to work with an organization that shares this passion.

Concrete Jungle Blog Post #7

by Kokou

Greetings! With everything winding down, it’s been a hectic past few weeks, but it’s been great wrapping everything up. That isn’t to say there haven’t been challenges along the way, but no experience comes without its host of unique obstacles.

Something that was touched upon in my last post of mine was waiting on the necessary information we needed for the final phases of our project, and while we were able to get access and critical feedback from our contacts with the organization, the profilebank itself proved to be a challenge in terms of cold calling.

With college and reaching out to professionals in our prospective fields, there were expectations for how the cold calls would go, which were faced with the reality of:

  1. We’re dealing with an entirely different generation in a field that doesn’t require a “corporate aesthetic.”
  2. What type of information are we looking for from these farmers?

This isn’t to say that they were rude or anything, but I realized very quickly, going into cold-call scheduling and initial meetings, that my expectations for gathering the information we needed were going to need to be adjusted drastically.

The biggest obstacle in this stage was, honestly, just actually getting into contact with our respective farm contacts. Although our point of contact at Concrete Jungle played a huge role in facilitating things and getting the ball rolling in the face of a lack of response to Vic and I’s initial reachouts, the unfortunate reality is that we weren’t able to talk to everyone. From this, though, I learned the value of communication. Not just in the sense of knowing who you’re talking to and the way you need to approach communicating with them, but also in terms of making sure to keep in contact with your managers. Because we met and made our concerns clear to our managers, they were very understanding of the point we got to with our work, and acknowledged that they would do what they needed to do in their own time.

Aside from the challenges that came from that portion of the project, honestly, I feel as if this experience allowed us to accomplish a lot. I know personally, I learned a lot from Vic in terms of approaching Canva and am very thankful for her help with the templates they’ll be using across their organization. In addition, having the space to ideate and come up with so many ideas, and see concepts such as the Farmer FAQ and Posting Calendar come to life, was amazing!

It’s been an honour working on this project, and I’m excited for what comes next!

 

Week 7 – Wrapping Things Up

by Liauna

Hey everyone!

It has been a long 7 weeks of our service-learning journey. Although it is coming to an end, I believe this is only the beginning. Over the past weeks, I have learned so much while working with GNPS. During our service work, Troy and I pulled non-native weeds such as Milkweed, Chinese Holly, and Non-Native Azaleas out of the ground near the Stone Mountain Nature Garden. Getting the trees out of the ground was definitely some hard work, but it was a fun experience getting to be a part of these activities. Over at the Stone Mountain Propagation Site, we were able to help Kelley with the beginning of the irrigation project. We were able to cut tubing, place sprayers, and move plants around to ensure that they are in place to get their proper water treatment. We also propagated more plants and even collected plants around the garden that were in the process of finding a new home.

Working with GNPS has had a significant impact on what I know and feel about nature compared to how I felt before going into my service work. I have realized that native plants hold a strong importance with how our ecosystems in Georgia thrive for both plants and animals around us. I also learned a lot about granite outcrops, since our service work was done at Stone Mountain Park. I hope to be able to bring the knowledge I gained and share it with people around me. Although our service work is now over, I still plan to go out and help at the SMPP when I have free time. It’s fun getting out in nature and playing with dirt!

For our final project, we have created a website based around the non-native, native, and invasive plants around Centennial Hall on Georgia State’s Atlanta campus. We noted invasive plants that could be removed, and possible native replacements that could go in place instead. We also included information about each plant we discovered, looking to inform those around us. We hope to share what information we found with everyone, in hopes that it will make a change in our local environment.

In the end, working with GNPS is nothing I would ever change. This was a very informative and fun experience, and I will definitely continue my work with them in the future!

Pulling weeds.
Pulling (bigger) weeds!
The new irrigation system.
Plant propagation!

Wrapping Things Up – Wild Nest Birds

by mbrown411

Over the course of my time with Wild Nest Bird Rehabilitation, I have done a little of everything: feeding birds, catching birds, and changing their cages, and everything in between. My final project is a video that highlights the dangers birds face of habitat loss, specifically window collisions and construction. I see my final video project as something that can benefit Wild Nest moving forward. It could be used on their social media platforms to raise awareness. By sharing this information with the public, I hope the video continues to support the organization’s mission, even if I no longer volunteer there.

One of the most interesting and rewarding tasks I took on was feeding the baby birds at the rehab center. Watching something so small and fragile develop fur and vivid neck muscles in just a couple days was incredible. I am the youngest in my family, so I’ve never seen anyone grow up, and to witness biological growth firsthand was truly memorable. It made me feel as though I was a part of something greater.

I do believe my presence at Wild Nest was valuable. Not only did I gain knowledge about bird rehabilitation, the ins and outs of bird care, and occasional random interesting facts, but I also played a role in helping these young birds return safely to their natural habitat. Saving one bird could one day make the difference in preserving its entire species.

Reflecting on my lack of knowledge about birds when I first walked into Wild Nest versus where I am now at the end of the semester, the growth in my knowledge of birds and things I can do in my everyday life to help them has skyrocketed. I am also now aware that this organization exists, so if I see a bird in need or abandoned baby birds, I know the right resource to help save those birds.

Winding down at Dunwoody Nature Center

by cizuora1

Honestly, I think what was most surprising was that I really grew to love nature and the center so much. When I started this class I had originally just chosen it to make myself a full time student and it truly has been amazing. I initially had my own thoughts and expectations coming in after seeing the class description but just like Dr. Finck said we need to have an open mind when going into it. I have so far done many things that I may not have been able to do if not here and met some amazing people. I would never have expected that a nature center could be fun or lively, maybe this is my perspective coming from a different country. Learning to take care of all living things and educate children and people of all ages.

This is informing me about the final project because right now Dunwoody nature center has specific issues like soil water runoff and erosion that are affecting it. Watching them take care of the park and expanding the water park area and even just understanding the purpose of the park in that area, it has made me feel more motivated to not only do more research but to want to find as many resources that can help actually solve the issue practically. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs to volunteer and have actually already started. It has been such an amazing environment, educative and transformative time.

In terms of dedicating more time to this organization in the future I think that it is something that will definitely be at the back of my mind. I will most definitely be more than happy to do so if a suitable arrangement schedule wise and school load wise is made. I do however see myself definitely visiting from time to time to also check on the plants that I planted. One thing that I will hold onto while I transition out is good communication also how much you can meditate on yourself as you plant seeds. I am someone who loves to look at myself and see what I can improve and become more grounded and seeing how my spirit firstly has to be well and grounded before I can be well is definitely a big eye opener.

ABlount Service Blog Post #6

by ablount14

I am a bit sad that the semester is coming to an end. From the discussions in class to traveling out to Legacy Park to give a helping hand to the Wild Nest Bird Rehab, I felt as though I learned more about myself than what I thought I knew. In the beginning when I first started volunteering at the Wild Nest, I was a bit nervous since I have had very little to no experience working with birds. I have always done things that catered more towards community gardens and planting trees; however, I wanted to try something new, which was working with wild animals, like songbirds. I feel as though it was the best choice I could make for myself. Everyone within the Wild Nest was very kind and their passion to help the Wild songbirds was seen throughout the center. Nonetheless, when I first started training, I thought I would be a bit overwhelmed by volunteering for 4 hours. However, while moving around and handling the various birds, the hours would just fly by easily and I would be so busy that I wouldn’t notice. Moreover, while working with Wild Nest, my most favorite part of volunteering was seeing the birds progress, heal, grow, and be ready to release back into the wild. Seeing that made me feel very accomplished with the having a hand on helping the Wild Nest get closer to their goals of helping as many songbirds as possible. Additionally, while working at the Wild Nest, this has also built up my knowledge of the human impacts that not only affects people, but the effects on the environment and animals, as well. The Wild Nest has also made me more aware by letting me see firsthand the harmful and sometimes fatal impacts on songbirds, such as urbanization influencing the highest rates of bird fatalities due to window collisions and wild house-cat attacks. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend volunteering for the Wild Nest Bird Rehab. The training may feel like much at first, but once you get into the habit of doing the tasks it becomes easier and less daunting. Moreover, the Wild Nest is filled with extremely helpful and kind people that really boosts the atmosphere of the center. Nonetheless, I would like to dedicate more of my time to the Wild Nest in the future. Overall, I enjoyed my time at the center and would love to come back to the Wild Nest, especially during baby bird season.

Winding Down

by msabree6

As the semester ends, I am excited to continue working with the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA). Getting an inside investigation of the work that they do and being on-site on their premises has been a wonderful experience. Additionally, I am enjoying our final project as it brings together two of my passions, environmental sustainability and policy and advocacy. While it did not come as a surprise that WAWA has an environmental justice division that was able to give us a lot of direction and options in terms of our project, what was a bit unexpected and exciting was their promotion of the Public Service Commission and how utility bills connect to the work that Wawa does. So, as a part of our project, we are advocating for widespread understanding of the Public Service Commission as well as some environmental bills that recently did not pass. 

It is cool to hear how this all connects; it gives me a better understanding of the overlap between environmental justice and all aspects of our life, including something as tangible as our utility bills. WAWA particularly serves people who are energy dependent or energy vulnerable by being in a watershed area. For those who may not know, energy burden refers to the percentage of household income spent on utility bills that exceeds or nears 6%. In Atlanta high energy burdens disproportionately affect African American and low-income households. 

I would recommend that others volunteer with this organization. Not only because they have a wide range of cool and interesting events, but also because this organization is addressing the dynamic overlap between environment and community in comprehensive and impactful ways.  

 

 

Checking in with WAWA (West Atlanta Watershed Alliance)

by msabree6

Although we got off to a slow start, the past few weeks with WAWA have been wonderful! Volunteering at clean ups and going on “mushroom” hikes- I have been able to do exactly the type of work I hoped I would be able to do.  For example, last week, I volunteered at Wawa’s Urban Forest Festival. The full festival was comprised of a series of events hosted at a few different locations. I volunteered at the events hosted at Wawa’s Outdoor Activity Center in West Atlanta. I really enjoyed this experience because the Outdoor Activity Center sits on 21+ acres of urban forest. This forest has trees that are even a hundred years old, and it is an absolutely beautiful atmosphere.

 

The first part of my volunteer work was in taking up English Ivy weeds from an area of the forest. Even though it was extremely cold that morning, I still really enjoyed the mindless physical labor proximity to soil and vegetation. The entire experience was very stressful leaving. After that, I was able to experience a mushroom hike- a hike through the outdoor activity center forest with a fungi extraordinaire, who pointed out and explained different mushrooms as we went on a hike. I had no idea such a niche topic as mushrooms could be so interesting and so complex.

 

After the hike, WAWA hosted a hosted lunch and a celebration where we were able to do a clothing swap, eat pizza, and socialize. Throughout all of these experiences, I was also canvassing for our project for this class. Our project involves spreading awareness on the Public Service Commission and advocating for an environmental bill that, unfortunately, did not pass this year. However, with renewed advocacy efforts starting now, hopefully the bill will be brought back up in session next year.

The Public Service Commission is an incredibly important position in local politics. I would like to say I was surprised by how many people do not know about the PSC; however, I only just learned about the Public Service Commission this year. Essentially, the Public Service Commission interfaces with Georgia Power to control our utility bills. This very important and immediately impactful position often goes unchecked as so many people do not know about it. However, this year, two seats are up for election on the Public Service Commission in District 2 and District 3 in Georgia. Wawa encouraged us to spread awareness about this commission because of how immediately impactful it is, and also because residents in watershed areas often face even more logistical nuances around their utilities.  WAWA, as the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, serves people who face this heightened level of concern.

In addition to teaching people about the Public Service Commission, my teammate Freya Shah and I also encouraging people to contact their elected officials on behalf of HB 644, which is a bill that would allow Georgia’s environmental protection division to revoke or not grant permits to companies that have a history of environmental violations. I’m really enjoying working on this project with Wawa as it directly correlates to my interest my career interest. As a public policy major, I believe that everything ties back to policy when it comes to solving problems. It is important to systematically address those issues within policies that govern what is legal and illegal. Advocating for and affecting policy while also enjoying the presence of a forest is an amazing experience. I am grateful to be working with Wawa this semester. Volunteering with them these past few months has increased my desire to continue working with them after the course of this class.