Goodbyes and Good Food

My spirit bird and tree as determined by our receptionist, Logic (yes, that is really her name and she’s the best).

Well the summer has ended and it’s time for me to go back to Monterey and school. I had such a great summer with EDF. I learned so much and was also able to make a contribution to this large body of knowledge. As my final deliverables I: completed a memo on marine restocking – the pros, cons, and in which situations it might be feasible; created visuals and a narrative of blue swimmer crab migration patterns for fishermen in Indonesia, so that they can more effectively plan a management strategy for their fisheries; wrote a white paper on current global efforts to combat IUU fishing, where the gaps lie and how EDF might play a role in filling those gaps – which I’m told will be going to the head of the Oceans department in EDF for consideration; began a draft on the methodology of behavior design and how EDF can use it for current projects around the world. Needless to say, it was a pretty busy summer.

123 Mission St.

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Find Your Tribe

How do you, as a young, new comer contribute to an organization that has been working on complex environmental issues for 50 years and is already staffed by intelligent, dedicated and creative people? This is what I’ve been asking myself since starting this internship. I still don’t know if I have a full answer, but I’ve definitely been doing what I can to help with the issues EDF is trying to address.  Continue reading

All The Way To The Top

123 Mission street in the Financial district of San Francisco, floor #28, all the way to the top. Who would have thought I could end up here, but here I am, working for EDF (Environmental Defense Fund or in more recent years, just Environmental Defense). For those who may not know, EDF has been involved in such big scale environmental defense cases as the ban on DDT and the Clean Air Act. EDF has also collaborated with companies such as McDonald’s and Fed Ex to bring about more environmentally friendly operations. As EDF celebrates 50 years of service to environmental causes, it has expanded to locations throughout the world and is tackling complex global issues such as climate change, ocean resource depletion, ecosystem reduction, and human health issues related to pollution. It is an organization full of inspired and inspiring individuals and I am so lucky to be working alongside them this summer. Continue reading