Food Ethics and the Power of the Consumer

I met with Lori Pace, Bon Apetit's Catering Manager, this morning to discuss food for upcoming Prindle events, and I was blown away by the effort of DePauw's Food Services to "go green". In the past, Sodexo's efforts were sincere and kind-hearted, but it took a lot of effort from students, faculty and staff to create sustainable food practices within their infrastructure. 

I have heard complaints from students about the long lines at the hub at lunch every day, but that's a problem with the physical building itself, not food services. Behind the scenes, chefs and staff are cutting fresh veggies and meat for every single meal. It is my impression that nothing comes processed from a bag. Even better, most of these foods are coming from Indiana and Putnam County in particular. 

The DePauw Campus Farm, which opened last spring, brings in loads of kale, beats, squash, spinach and other seasonal produce to DePauw Food Services daily. Their farm practices are not only organic, but educational. It is a model for other universities. At one-acre in size, it's a huge undertaking for a small university. Students and members of the community are encouraged to volunteer, and in the process learn about farming business and organic processes.                                                              

 I believe Bon Apetit's mission for healthy foods and local, sustainable practices is in response to consumer demand. The local food movement has become trendy, and if large food providers want to keep up with their consumer's interests, they need to follow through with these practices. Although it was disappointing to see familiar faces leave when DePauw switched to Bon Apetit, I'm glad that DePauw listened to the interests of faculty, staff, and students. 

Where can they go from here? How about a greenhouse for the campus farm, or making a pledge towards zero-waste? If a car company like Subaru can do it, I think DePauw Dining can too. 

Internet Ethics

I was scrolling through the Markkula Center for AppliedEthics’ (Santa Clara, CA) website early this afternoon, and I stumbled upon an intriguing video by Reputation.com co-founder Owen Tripp titled, “The Right to be Forgotten”. This is a topic I think about every day, but I never thought of as an ethical issue. My generation has grown up in the age of social media, where documenting anything out of the ordinary is worth posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Almost everything we do is being memorialized. For those trying to enter the workforce, this usually isn’t a good thing.

I think of college students today putting up photos from weekends of partying with that look in their eye that says, “I hope my eyes are open right now” and I wonder if that should haunt them 10+ years from now. Or the University of Iowa girl who attempted to storm the field of the Iowa-Northern Illinois football game, and blew a .341 BAC and then tweeted #yolo…will that always be considered when she’s applying for jobs? And should it matter?

My opinion: if you put it on the web, expect repercussions, good or bad. But as Owen Tripp asks, do we need an advanced system of regulation to determine what history can be revealed and what cannot? What would that even look like? If it’s a civil liberty for Americans to permanently delete past documentation as he says, does that go against the brilliance of the internet as a seemingly infinite database?

What do you think?

Introduction

The beginning of the year is off to a successful start. School has only been in session a week and a half, but it seems like months with all that we've accomplished. The interns have already organized two events for September (incredible!) and I believe that speaks to the work ethic and enthusiasm of our students. On September 15^th, senior Suzanne Spencer has organized an event on journalism in the face of tragedy. The guest speaker for the event is Suzanne McCarroll, a seasoned reporter at CBS-4 Denver, who has thoughtfully covered Columbine and the Aurora Theater massacres.

One of our lead interns, Camille Veri, has also spearheaded a project for a Prindle Film Series, with the first film Dirty Wars screening September 17^th. We’re all hoping for clear skies and warm weather, because we will be showing this film outside on a big screen in the Prindle courtyard.

So yes, like any school at the beginning of the semester, we are busy. But after four weeks of working at Prindle, I don’t think I could ask for a better job right now. As a DePauw graduate, I am biased, but this position has given me the chance to interact (or “rub shoulders” as Dr. Steele would say) with passionate members of the university and Greencastle community. I discussed this briefly in my bio for the website, but Prindle is a fantastic opportunity for me to work in a service oriented job with topics I love.

I met with Beth Benedix today (Professor in the Religious Studies Dept, and Director of The Castle Arts), and we are hoping to collaborate on several projects in the spring with Greencastle Middle School, and combining the school’s curriculum with the Prindle’s mission statement. Nothing like this existed when I was a student intern here, and it amazes me how quickly Prindle has been able to play an important role in the community landscape.

My hope for this blog is that it turns into a melting pot of my view of Prindle events as the Graduate Fellow, ethics in current events, and the ethical life inquiries of a recent graduate. I also hope that my enthusiasm for these topics shows through in my writing, and I welcome questions and comments from readers. Maybe there will be some ideas for future insightful Prindle events!