Agriculture has done a lot for us over the past few millennia. It’s by far the biggest development in the history of our species, as it’s pushed us forward into all kinds of other technological advances. Sadly, most of us have left agriculture behind—we couldn’t possibly feed ourselves without supermarkets and restaurants. That’s not really a problem, but it’s still a bit disheartening. Luckily, there are some non-profit organizations out there like Portland, ME based Cultivating Community that are using agriculture to enact positive change. Cultivating Community, for example, grows “tens of thousands of pounds of organic produce with and for people with low incomes” while using “community food work as a platform for youth empowerment programs.” It almost sounds too good to be true. Continue reading about Cultivating Community…
It’s Thanksgiving! That means that we’re going to run with the theme and talk about a… chicken company? I know we’re all getting ready to chow down on some turkey, but first we should take a look at Pilgrim’s Pride, a Pittsburgh, TX based company that happens to be our country’s largest chicken producer. Much like how our tradition of Thanksgiving started with one small group and grew to be celebrated by hundreds of millions of people, Pilgrim’s Pride started as a single feed store and grew to be an $8.5 billion company. Unfortunately, Pilgrim’s Pride has hit some problems as of late, as they’re going through a bankruptcy. Still, they couldn’t have a more appropriate name (it came from their founder’s last name) for a Thanksgiving themed post, and they do appear to offer internships; in fact, they even seem to have turned a profit in their most recent quarter. Continue reading about Pilgrim’s Pride…
Have you ever heard of animal-assisted therapy? Wikipedia defines it as “a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person’s treatment.” This type of therapy can have all kinds of beneficial effects for a wide array of ailments, and it can be done with animals ranging from dogs to horses to elephants to lizards. Green Chimneys is a Brewster, NY based non-profit organization that “operates residential treatment for children and a special education school” with a large focus on animal-assisted therapy. They’re located on a 200-acre farm, and they’re constantly working towards “restoring possibilities and creating futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges.” Continue reading about Green Chimneys…
Although I got to work at a private fishing club during one summer in college and spent two summers interning at Orvis, I still wish that I could have done something like interning with Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks. Being a lover of the outdoors, I can’t imagine many things better than spending a summer in Big Sky Country. In case you’re not familiar with what Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is, they’re Montana’s state agency charged with managing conservation of many of the state’s natural resources. Obviously, much of what they do is centered around managing fishing and hunting regulations, but they also have a huge responsibility of managing all of state parks (and there’s a whole lot to manage in a state like Montana). Continue reading about Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks…
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading! One Day, One Internship wasn’t even around yet last Thanksgiving, but on One Day, One Job we talked about jobs at Plimoth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburg. Those are still a great option if you want to be reminded of Thanksgiving every day when you’re at work, but this year we’re going to take the easy way out and talk about turkey. I was first introduced to Jennie-O when I tried some of their turkey bacon. It’s good, if you haven’t had real bacon in a while. Since my Thanksgiving cooking philosophy is that bacon makes everything better (especially when it’s put on top of the turkey and doused in maple syrup, seriously, try it), I’ll let Jennie-O provide the turkey, but I’m getting the bacon somewhere else. In the three or four years that I’ve been familiar with the Jennie-O brand, I’ve noticed that they’ve revved up their branding efforts. You’ve probably seen some of their tv commercials, which are pretty funny, but you may have overlooked the fact that they’re working hard to expand recognition of their employment brand with college students. Continue reading about Jennie-O…
Two Sundays ago we wrote about internships with Smokey House Center, a farming cooperative and outdoor classroom in rural Vermont. Today we’re going to take a look at another agriculturally focused non-profit, but today’s organization is located in the heart of Oakland. That’s right, City Slicker Farms is all about urban farming. Their mission is to “increase food self-sufficiency in West Oakland by creating organic, sustainable, high-yield urban farms and back-yard gardens.” City Slicker Farms is all about enabling people to directly improve their own lives through agriculture. Not only does urban farming provide delicious, nutritious food at a low cost, but it also makes the urban landscape more livable. Continue reading about City Slicker Farms…
You know that you’ve always wanted to live on a farm in rural Vermont. Here’s your chance. Smokey House Center is an outdoor classroom for middle and high school students where they can do “farming, forestry, and ecological research — learning in the process, science, math, ecology, communications, reading, writing, problem-solving, critical thinking, responsibility and teamwork.” Smokey House offers two applied learning programs – one for disadvantaged high school students and the other for mainstream middle and high school students. Beyond being a non-profit educational organization, Smokey House Center is also a real life working farm in Danby, Vermont. Continue reading about Smokey House Center…
John James Audubon loved painting birds. His seminal work, Birds of America, was a collection of 435 beautiful life-size prints. To this day, when you hear the name Audubon, you think of birds. Interestingly enough, John James Audubon had no direct involvement with the founding of the National Audubon Society. Audubon’s widow, Lucy, tutored a man named George Bird Grinnell and some of Audubon’s love of birds must have rubbed off, as Grinnell was one of the Audubon Society’s founders. To this day, the Audubon Society persists in its mission “to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.” The Audubon Society works to achieve this mission through a national network of community-based nature centers and chapters and scientific, educational, and advocacy programs. Continue reading about National Audubon Society…
