Opportunities From: Connect2Community

Volunteer: Conceptualize an Environmental Campaign

Overview: Learn about the benefits of plant-based diets for the environment and environmental justice. Then, brainstorm a campaign aligned with Switch4Good’s mission and branding to push for a more dairy-free world, focusing on environmental motivators. Generate the outline of your proposed campaign and create sample assets. 


Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s impacts on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Be able to discuss the relationship between food and the environment with the community.

Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.

Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the public, such as active listening and asking critical questions.

Learn about research and communication skills and competencies required in advocacy careers.


Stages:

Investigation

Learn broadly about the environmental impacts of the dairy industry, including on pollution, resource usage, climate change, and biodiversity. Learn about the main drivers of these harms within the dairy industry, including enteric fermentation, land usage, manure management, and fertilizer usage. 

Preparation and Planning

Choose a specific environmental harm and dig deeper into its root causes, effects, and solutions. 

Learn about other successful campaigns that hinged on environmental issues. 

Create an annotated bibliography listing five sources, their publication date and institution, a credibility statement, and a summary of the source and how it will be used in the campaign.

Action

Generate an outline for the campaign. Write a creative brief and add elements: stakeholders, timeline, levers of change, types of elements and materials, and risks. 

Create sample assets following your creative brief and Switch4Good style guidelines. 

Demonstration

Consolidate your findings into a presentation for the Switch4Good team. 


Deliverables:

List of brainstormed environmental campaign ideas. 

Annotated bibliography.

Presentation of the creative brief, related elements, and sample assets. 

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview: Learn about the benefits of plant-based diets for the environment and environmental justice. Then, brainstorm a campaign aligned with Switch4Good’s mission and branding to push for a more dairy-free world, focusing on environmental motivators. Generate the outline of your proposed campaign and create sample assets. 


Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s impacts on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Be able to discuss the relationship between food and the environment with the community.

Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.

Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the public, such as active listening and asking critical questions.

Learn about research and communication skills and competencies required in advocacy careers.


Stages:

Investigation

Learn broadly about the environmental impacts of the dairy industry, including on pollution, resource usage, climate change, and biodiversity. Learn about the main drivers of these harms within the dairy industry, including enteric fermentation, land usage, manure management, and fertilizer usage. 

Preparation and Planning

Choose a specific environmental harm and dig deeper into its root causes, effects, and solutions. 

Learn about other successful campaigns that hinged on environmental issues. 

Create an annotated bibliography listing five sources, their publication date and institution, a credibility statement, and a summary of the source and how it will be used in the campaign.

Action

Generate an outline for the campaign. Write a creative brief and add elements: stakeholders, timeline, levers of change, types of elements and materials, and risks. 

Create sample assets following your creative brief and Switch4Good style guidelines. 

Demonstration

Consolidate your findings into a presentation for the Switch4Good team. 


Deliverables:

List of brainstormed environmental campaign ideas. 

Annotated bibliography.

Presentation of the creative brief, related elements, and sample assets. 

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Allow Groups: Yes

Volunteer: Recipes Innovation on Campus

Overview: Learn about the benefits of plant-based diets for environmental and social justice. Choose popular meals from on-campus eateries and learn how they can be made plant-based. Research emissions saved from making the recipe plant-based rather than animal-product-inclusive. Communicate and propose the resources and your recipes to dining staff at your university.


Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.

Quantify the impact of eliminating animal products from one’s diet on planetary health.

Be able to discuss the relationship between food and the environment with peers and offer practical suggestions for transitioning to a more plant-forward diet.

Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your campus dining leaders, such as active listening and asking critical questions.

Learn about skills and competencies required in culinary and environmental science professions, such as recipe creation and environmental impact analysis.


Stages:

Investigation

Survey students on campus, aiming to gather data from a variety of student demographics, on the most-consumed meals/dishes from on campus eateries and dining halls. You are welcome to include your personal favorites on this list.

Preparation and Planning

Reflect on survey results to determine 5-10 commonly consumed meals on your campus and start researching swaps that would enable these to be plant-based.

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.

Calculate the environmental savings of each recipe compared to the original recipe that includes animal products.

Research stakeholders on your campus that oversee food offerings, including sustainability dining staff, food procurement folks, and peers that work with your school’s dining committee.

Action/Demonstration

Schedule a meeting with appropriate campus dining members to discuss your recommendations, resources, and recipes. Propose these recipes as menu changes, supporting your conversation with research and thoughtful reasoning. Take notes about this meeting.


Deliverables:

Survey that was distributed to student body asking for commonly consumed on-campus dishes

5 plant-based recipe alternatives to existing on-campus dishes including ingredient measurements, step-by-step instructions, and photographs.

Environmental impact comparisons between original and alternative recipes.

1-2 page written reflection of the project that includes, challenges, successes, and a detailed summary of the meeting with dining stakeholders.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview: Learn about the benefits of plant-based diets for environmental and social justice. Choose popular meals from on-campus eateries and learn how they can be made plant-based. Research emissions saved from making the recipe plant-based rather than animal-product-inclusive. Communicate and propose the resources and your recipes to dining staff at your university.


Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.

Quantify the impact of eliminating animal products from one’s diet on planetary health.

Be able to discuss the relationship between food and the environment with peers and offer practical suggestions for transitioning to a more plant-forward diet.

Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your campus dining leaders, such as active listening and asking critical questions.

Learn about skills and competencies required in culinary and environmental science professions, such as recipe creation and environmental impact analysis.


Stages:

Investigation

Survey students on campus, aiming to gather data from a variety of student demographics, on the most-consumed meals/dishes from on campus eateries and dining halls. You are welcome to include your personal favorites on this list.

Preparation and Planning

Reflect on survey results to determine 5-10 commonly consumed meals on your campus and start researching swaps that would enable these to be plant-based.

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.

Calculate the environmental savings of each recipe compared to the original recipe that includes animal products.

Research stakeholders on your campus that oversee food offerings, including sustainability dining staff, food procurement folks, and peers that work with your school’s dining committee.

Action/Demonstration

Schedule a meeting with appropriate campus dining members to discuss your recommendations, resources, and recipes. Propose these recipes as menu changes, supporting your conversation with research and thoughtful reasoning. Take notes about this meeting.


Deliverables:

Survey that was distributed to student body asking for commonly consumed on-campus dishes

5 plant-based recipe alternatives to existing on-campus dishes including ingredient measurements, step-by-step instructions, and photographs.

Environmental impact comparisons between original and alternative recipes.

1-2 page written reflection of the project that includes, challenges, successes, and a detailed summary of the meeting with dining stakeholders.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Allow Groups: Yes

Volunteer: Planning an On-Campus Earth Day Event

Overview: Learn about the relationship between food and the environment, focusing on the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet. Plan and execute an Earth Day event on campus that highlights the accessibility of plant-based foods, communicates environmental issues through the lens of our food system, and brings the campus community together.


Learning objectives: 

Deepen understanding of the environmental impacts of animal agriculture and the benefits of plant-based diets.

Strengthen event planning, communication, and outreach skills by coordinating with both campus stakeholders and external plant-based brands.

Learn to translate environmental and nutritional research into engaging, accessible messages for a public audience.

Develop creative marketing strategies that increase awareness and participation in sustainability-focused campus initiatives.

Practice collaboration and organizational skills for environmental advocacy and community engagement.

Reflect on the role of campus activism and education in driving systemic change toward sustainable food systems.


Stages:

Investigation

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.

Preparation and Planning

Brainstorm brands/products you would want to showcase.

Draft and send outreach emails to a variety of plant-based food brands to acquire plant-based food and/or drinks for your event.

Interact with on-campus faculty to find a location for your event.

Research the information you want to highlight at the event.

Brainstorm how/where to advertise your event.

Action/Demonstration

Prepare assets and communication materials for your event.

Host the event!


Deliverables:

Brand outreach email template

Assets of choice (flyers, informational cards, recipes, etc.)

Written reflection of the project, including event summary with 5 images, meeting Switch4Good image guidelines.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview: Learn about the relationship between food and the environment, focusing on the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet. Plan and execute an Earth Day event on campus that highlights the accessibility of plant-based foods, communicates environmental issues through the lens of our food system, and brings the campus community together.


Learning objectives: 

Deepen understanding of the environmental impacts of animal agriculture and the benefits of plant-based diets.

Strengthen event planning, communication, and outreach skills by coordinating with both campus stakeholders and external plant-based brands.

Learn to translate environmental and nutritional research into engaging, accessible messages for a public audience.

Develop creative marketing strategies that increase awareness and participation in sustainability-focused campus initiatives.

Practice collaboration and organizational skills for environmental advocacy and community engagement.

Reflect on the role of campus activism and education in driving systemic change toward sustainable food systems.


Stages:

Investigation

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.

Preparation and Planning

Brainstorm brands/products you would want to showcase.

Draft and send outreach emails to a variety of plant-based food brands to acquire plant-based food and/or drinks for your event.

Interact with on-campus faculty to find a location for your event.

Research the information you want to highlight at the event.

Brainstorm how/where to advertise your event.

Action/Demonstration

Prepare assets and communication materials for your event.

Host the event!


Deliverables:

Brand outreach email template

Assets of choice (flyers, informational cards, recipes, etc.)

Written reflection of the project, including event summary with 5 images, meeting Switch4Good image guidelines.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Allow Groups: Yes

Volunteer: Article Writing

Overview: Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet for environmental and social justice. Then, share this information with the public by writing a series of articles elaborating on the connection between food choices and the environment. These articles will be eligible to be posted on the Switch4Good blog. 

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.Gain experience with the research writing process, including drafting research questions, identifying and evaluating sources, and synthesizing findings. Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience through writing.Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the public.Learn about skills and competencies required in research and writing professions.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify potential topics within the broader topic of food choices and the environment. Survey your peer group or whoever your target audience is to understand better what they lack information on or what they wish they knew more about.

Preparation and Planning

Determine the focus of research and writing based on criteria such as urgency of the issue, level of public awareness, and personal interest. Determine the scope of research and writing to cover the subject matter. Each article should be at least 1,000 words long, and the project requires at least 3 articles, but it is up to you if you’d like to write about three topics or write a series about one topic. Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Organize research, draft a thesis statement, and write an outline.

Action/Demonstration

Write!Reach out to personal, professional, and academic connections for edits and revisions. Lucy from Switch4Good is also available for review at any point during these steps. Repeat steps up to this point for each article written.

Deliverables:

Documentation of research and planning (notes, outline, thesis statement, etc.).Documentation of editing and revision (track changes, comments, edited and final drafts, etc.).Final drafts of at least three articles of at least 1,000 words each.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview: Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet for environmental and social justice. Then, share this information with the public by writing a series of articles elaborating on the connection between food choices and the environment. These articles will be eligible to be posted on the Switch4Good blog. 

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.Gain experience with the research writing process, including drafting research questions, identifying and evaluating sources, and synthesizing findings. Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience through writing.Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the public.Learn about skills and competencies required in research and writing professions.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify potential topics within the broader topic of food choices and the environment. Survey your peer group or whoever your target audience is to understand better what they lack information on or what they wish they knew more about.

Preparation and Planning

Determine the focus of research and writing based on criteria such as urgency of the issue, level of public awareness, and personal interest. Determine the scope of research and writing to cover the subject matter. Each article should be at least 1,000 words long, and the project requires at least 3 articles, but it is up to you if you’d like to write about three topics or write a series about one topic. Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Organize research, draft a thesis statement, and write an outline.

Action/Demonstration

Write!Reach out to personal, professional, and academic connections for edits and revisions. Lucy from Switch4Good is also available for review at any point during these steps. Repeat steps up to this point for each article written.

Deliverables:

Documentation of research and planning (notes, outline, thesis statement, etc.).Documentation of editing and revision (track changes, comments, edited and final drafts, etc.).Final drafts of at least three articles of at least 1,000 words each.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Zip Code: 92606

Allow Groups: Yes

Volunteer: Educational Presentations

Overview:

Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet for environmental and social justice. Then, share this information with your peers by creating a presentation tailored to your audience and sharing it with them. You can present a series of presentations to one audience or the same presentation to multiple groups, depending on whether you would rather dig into the research on one topic or improve your confidence with public speaking. 

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.Develop presentation design skills, including slide design, storytelling, audience tailoring, etc. Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences including your peers and the public, such as active listening and asking critical questions.Learn about skills and competencies required in research and communications professions.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify preferred audiences for presentations. Survey audience to understand their current knowledge around the connection between food and the environment.

Preparation and Planning

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Reflect on survey results to determine the focus and depth of the presentation.Create visual aid(s) for the presentation(s) and craft talking points.Practice the presentation(s). Don’t memorize word for word, but instead, understand your points well enough to clearly communicate them and keep the conversation dynamic.Organize the presentation event(s).

Action/Demonstration

Present!

Deliverables:

Survey distributed to audience asking about knowledge of food systems, climate change, and their connectionVisual aids and talking points/script for the presentation.Documentation of the presentation (photos, videos, invitations, etc.).

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview:

Learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet for environmental and social justice. Then, share this information with your peers by creating a presentation tailored to your audience and sharing it with them. You can present a series of presentations to one audience or the same presentation to multiple groups, depending on whether you would rather dig into the research on one topic or improve your confidence with public speaking. 

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience.Develop presentation design skills, including slide design, storytelling, audience tailoring, etc. Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences including your peers and the public, such as active listening and asking critical questions.Learn about skills and competencies required in research and communications professions.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify preferred audiences for presentations. Survey audience to understand their current knowledge around the connection between food and the environment.

Preparation and Planning

Research the connection between food and environment independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Reflect on survey results to determine the focus and depth of the presentation.Create visual aid(s) for the presentation(s) and craft talking points.Practice the presentation(s). Don’t memorize word for word, but instead, understand your points well enough to clearly communicate them and keep the conversation dynamic.Organize the presentation event(s).

Action/Demonstration

Present!

Deliverables:

Survey distributed to audience asking about knowledge of food systems, climate change, and their connectionVisual aids and talking points/script for the presentation.Documentation of the presentation (photos, videos, invitations, etc.).

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Zip Code: 92606

Allow Groups: Yes

Volunteer: Letter to the Editor/Op-Ed Writing

Overview:

Learn about the current state of food, environmental, and relevant policies such as the FISCAL Act, the Farm Bill, and other local bills. Then, write a letter to the editor responding to a published article about one of these bills or an op-ed sharing your viewpoint more generally about these policy proposals. Attempt to get your piece published in a school newspaper, a local outlet, or even a regional or national one!

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on the environment and public health.Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience through writing.Learn about the role of the media in public civic discourse and how to project your voice in a democratic political system.Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the publicPractice writing an evidence-based argument.Learn about skills and competencies required in political, legislative, and writing advocacy careers.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify potential topics within the broader topic of food choices and environment that are relevant to current legislation or recent articles published in the local press. The timeline for submitting op-eds is looser than LTEs, which typically need to be submitted quite quickly after the piece to which the LTE is responding is printed. Survey your community to understand better what they care about in relation to this issue.

Preparation and Planning

Research the specific issue, its consequences, and where it stands in the legislative process (if legislation) independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Organize research and develop a succinct argument that can be written in a few paragraphs.Research press outlets local to the district in which the legislation is being proposed, including student newspapers. Note their submission requirements and methods, including word count and whether they have an online form or accept email submissions. 

Action

Write! The most effective letters to the editor are typically short, only a couple of paragraphs long. Op-eds are usually a bit longer, but not by much. The length will be determined by the guidelines of each publication. Reach out to personal, professional, and academic connections for edits and revisions. Lucy from Switch4Good is also available for review at any point during these steps.

Demonstration

Pitch the LTE or op-ed to the press outlets you found in your research! Repeat steps up to this point for each LTE or op-ed written.

Deliverables:

Documentation of research and planning (notes, outline, etc.).Documentation of editing and revision (track changes, comments, edited and final drafts, etc.). Final drafts of at least five letters to the editor or op-edsDocumentation of pitching LTEs or op-eds to press outlets, including any publications.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Overview:

Learn about the current state of food, environmental, and relevant policies such as the FISCAL Act, the Farm Bill, and other local bills. Then, write a letter to the editor responding to a published article about one of these bills or an op-ed sharing your viewpoint more generally about these policy proposals. Attempt to get your piece published in a school newspaper, a local outlet, or even a regional or national one!

Learning objectives: 

Improve understanding of animal agriculture’s effects on the environment and public health.Improve reading comprehension skills for scientific papers and learn to clearly communicate findings with a non-scientific audience through writing.Learn about the role of the media in public civic discourse and how to project your voice in a democratic political system.Gain effective communication skills that enable you to critically engage with this topic with varying audiences, including your peers and the publicPractice writing an evidence-based argument.Learn about skills and competencies required in political, legislative, and writing advocacy careers.

Stages:

Investigation

Research and identify potential topics within the broader topic of food choices and environment that are relevant to current legislation or recent articles published in the local press. The timeline for submitting op-eds is looser than LTEs, which typically need to be submitted quite quickly after the piece to which the LTE is responding is printed. Survey your community to understand better what they care about in relation to this issue.

Preparation and Planning

Research the specific issue, its consequences, and where it stands in the legislative process (if legislation) independently and with the support of Switch4Good materials and team.Organize research and develop a succinct argument that can be written in a few paragraphs.Research press outlets local to the district in which the legislation is being proposed, including student newspapers. Note their submission requirements and methods, including word count and whether they have an online form or accept email submissions. 

Action

Write! The most effective letters to the editor are typically short, only a couple of paragraphs long. Op-eds are usually a bit longer, but not by much. The length will be determined by the guidelines of each publication. Reach out to personal, professional, and academic connections for edits and revisions. Lucy from Switch4Good is also available for review at any point during these steps.

Demonstration

Pitch the LTE or op-ed to the press outlets you found in your research! Repeat steps up to this point for each LTE or op-ed written.

Deliverables:

Documentation of research and planning (notes, outline, etc.).Documentation of editing and revision (track changes, comments, edited and final drafts, etc.). Final drafts of at least five letters to the editor or op-edsDocumentation of pitching LTEs or op-eds to press outlets, including any publications.

Community Partner: Switch4Good

Opportunity Type: Volunteer

Date: Is Ongoing

Zip Code: 92606

Allow Groups: Yes