Month: March 2017

Now that I have done some research on my issue, I am excited that Earth Month is almost here.  During April, I will take one action each week for Earth Month.

The first action I am going to do is post a video on my twitter that reveals the horrible conditions of slaughterhouses.  This will spread awareness of the issue.  I will also share my weekly challenges with my followers in case anyone else wants to participate.  What may be difficult about this action is that a lot of people get annoyed with vegans on social media because they do not care or want to hear about the very real issues.  Hopefully, they actually watch the video and judge for themselves.

The second week of April I am going to strive to eat only vegetarian dinners.  I usually have chicken in my lunches, this will save a lot of animals and fight against these companies that are treating their animals so poorly.  It may be difficult to change my routine this way, but I will take advantage of OSU’s vegetarian options.

For the third Earth Month action, I will strive to eat only vegan lunches.  This will be a great way for me to see what it would be like to be vegan, without the transition being super dramatic and unrealistic.  It will also be for such a good cause, as vegans save a lot of animals and resources.  Plus, I will now be walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.  It may be difficult to find a lot of vegan options on campus, but I can ask my vegan friends what their favorite choices are!

As my final, and most challenging, action, I am going to try and not eat any meat for the week.  This will save a lot of animals and prevent more money to go to these inhumane slaughterhouses.  Also, maybe I will get in the habit of eating this way and stick with it.  It will be difficult for my body to get used to this change, but I will find protein in other forms.  I am excited to take on this Earth Month challenge!

This class session really cleared up for me the difference between effective social enterprise and just putting a bandaid over a social issue.  For example, just donating things to a cause will not fix the problem at the root.  However, investing in causes that will not only provide for people who need it, but also teach skills and help the economy, will be much more effective.  The guest speaker impacted my initial thoughts by making me realize how much time goes into creating a social enterprise.  As I explore my issue, I should look into causes that are already doing things to impact the inhumane treatment of animals in slaughterhouses as Justice-Orientated citizens.  This way, I will know which organizations to give my time, money, and effort towards.

My biggest takeaway from this class session was that you really must have passion for your cause in order to be successful.  Both the founder of The Roosevelt Coffeehouse, and the founder of Hot Chicken Takeover are very passionate about their causes- and they have made some real change.  Creating a difference starts with passion and a lot of determination.

Personally, I think it would be really cool to start a business that sold food from local farms that are environmentally sustainable.  I would also try to hire people who have been incarcerated or in poverty, like the founded of Hot Chicken Takeover.  Then, like The Roosevelt Coffeehouse, I could donate the profit to organizations that are working to create an economy where companies do not have to treat animals the way they have been.

Social Enterprise is an organization or company that sells goods or services in the market and then takes that profit and puts it towards combatting a social issue- like protecting the environment or improving areas of poverty.  I could not find very many social enterprise organizations that address slaughterhouses.  However, there are a lot of food companies and restaurants that sell food that is “free range,” bought from small local farms, or completely vegetarian or vegan.  These companies are addressing the issue through social enterprise because the money that people spend on these better alternatives, they are not giving to companies that treat their animals poorly.  I could definitely get more involved with my issue by starting to buy my food from companies like this rather than big companies that are getting away with abusing their animals in horrible slaughterhouse conditions. I could also eat more vegan options.  On a bigger scope, if The Ohio State University started buying their food from companies that prove to take better care of their animals, this could have a huge impact on this social issue.  It is challenging because smaller companies that are treating their animals better, are usually not making as much product.  The Ohio State University has a lot of students to provide food for, and this can create an issue when picking who to buy from.  Another challenge, is that a lot of restaurants and companies that sell vegetarian, vegan, or environmentally better products are selling them for a higher price than the companies who make more product in a faster time.

A personally responsible citizen would be someone who opts for vegan options, or buys free range eggs at the store.  Participatory citizens are the people who are leading or working for social enterprise organizations that are putting their profit into combatting slaughterhouse conditions.  Finally, a social-justice oriented citizen would be someone who finds out the reason why the horrible conditions in slaughterhouses exist, and puts out awareness and money towards ways to combat the issue at the root.

I watched a TEDx video on how to create a successful social enterprise that was presented by a man who created a social enterprise for foster care.  He explains that social enterprise is all about using entrepreneurship to solve big social, environment, and justice issues.  He then discusses his B.I.B. methodology, which stands for business, impact, brand.  “Business” regards what you want to do and why you want to do it.  In this case, I want to solve issues with slaughterhouses and their terrible conditions because it is something that I am passionate about.  He makes it clear that I need to do research on my topic before diving in.  It is important to know what is already being done for my issue so I can be efficient and not take resources away from a existing sources.  Next is “impact”, which asks what value am I creating and who am I doing it for.  He then goes on to explain that it is essential to find successful strategies, and to collect quantitative data that can show that your company is solving problems for the better.  The last letter stands for “brand,” which is all about who champions you and are they credible.  The speaker explains how important networking and gaining supporters for your social enterprise is.  All of these are important things to remember when looking at my social issue through a social enterprise lens.