Janine Elliott
'04
International Society for Ecology and Culture
Berkeley, CA
By finding an internship that truly inspires me, and the Mellon grant to
make my work possible, this has been a summer of participation, education,
and revitalization in agricultural issues and the environment. I have spent
the bulk of my time with the International Society for Ecology and Culture
(ISEC), in Berkeley, CA. The organization works to educate and mobilize
others to educate themselves about different aspects of globalization, and
how it affects local communities, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. As a
research assistant for ISEC, I have aided in the preparation of an upcoming
report, and have learned a great deal about connections between the global
food system and California's agricultural legacy. I have not only worked
with primary sources such as the Department of Transportation Commodity Flow
database (all of which is still in code!) or personal communications, but I
have also researched corporate consolidation in California’s food production,
processing, and retail sectors. It has given me a unique insight regarding
the industrialization of California's food system, and how it may relate to
global agricultural issues, both social and environmental.
The ISEC internship has also shown me alternatives to a potentially
destructive system, presenting practical opportunities for positive change,
envisioning a shift to ecologically and socially sound localized food
systems and economies. In addition, I was able to use this summer not
only to envision such opportunities, but to actively pursue support
networks in the Bay Area. I was able to volunteer with a community garden
for the San Francisco League of Urban Gardners (SLUG), and also attend a
workshop about permaculture. I recently went to a weekend-long restoration
ecology seminar hosted by the Bioneers. Both field experiences have
demonstrated social networks of local, ecologically-minded people and it has
allowed me to work actively with the soil ("on the ground") and participate
in this process of renewal. I am very excited to take what I have learned
this summer, and throughout my Colby career, and apply it to future work.
