During my first semester at Ohio State, I attended a screening of the documentary The True Cost. The film starts off with the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 workers. The film then goes on exposing the poor clothing factory conditions in other parts of the world and includes interviews with designers, cotton farmers, factory workers, activists, and experts in the fields of sustainability, consumption, and economic development. I found this very interesting because, at that time, I was taking an EEDS class that dealt with economics, sustainability, and development, thus, many of the topics mentioned in the film directly related to topics we had discussed in class.

One individual’s actions that stuck with me from this film were Livia Firth’s, the creative director of a sustainability brand consulting agency called Eco-Age. I found it refreshing that Eco-Age teams assess all aspects of the supply chain for businesses they work with. This involves visiting their clients’ suppliers, thus, experiencing the conditions and environments of the workers. This allows individuals to see what actually happens in these factories and to make sure that ethical and moral principles are being used in the treatment of workers and in the development of a sustainable product.

Before viewing this documentary, I did not focus (too much) on where my clothing came from. However, I now pay close attention to labels and brands as I try my best to be a smart and sustainable consumer. I believe that this film has increased my awareness about an issue that is not talked about often. Awareness is the first step to implementing change, thus, I believe that everyone should be educated about this issue and about other issues that many people are unaware of.

This artifact represents a final project I had to complete for my Introduction to Global Public Health class. The project was an amazing experience, as it was set up like a ‘TED Talk’ conference– hence the title ‘TED x GPH.” Each student in my class chose a unique topic and submitted a proposal for his/her talk. Once these proposals were approved and feedback was received, we began working diligently on perfecting the content of our talks. The four-minute time limit proved to be a catch. Each student had to inform the rest of the class about an issue while at the same time provide a solution and a call to action. The most interesting part about this project was that the talks were not simply ‘forgotten’ at the end of each presentation class. Dr. Acton, my wonderful professor, set up individual discussion boards for each presenter. Then, it became the presenter’s responsibility to spark discussion, ideas, and questions. I was amazed by the infinitely long threads of discussions and comments in each presenter’s board. Everyone contributed unique and innovative ideas and worked together to raise awareness about each topic. I believe that this project’s setup was a great way to get students to interact with one another and to bounce ideas off each other in a way that will allow each student to remember these issues in public health and hopefully help others become more aware of the issues surrounding them and affecting their day-to-day lives.

The topic I chose for my TED x GPH talk was rooftop farming. I came up with this idea from research I had conducted in my Environment, Development, Sustainability, and Economics (ENR) class during my first semester at Ohio State. Through this research, I came across an innovative restaurant in Chicago called Uncommon Ground. This restaurant has the first certified organic rooftop farm in the United States. In urban environments, green space is usually limited and hard to find. However, there is a large amount of un-utilized rooftop space. A green roof has the ability to reduce heat island effect, decrease carbon emissions in the air, and limit energy use. Additionally, it can absorb water for multiple uses.

Today, agriculture accounts for 34% of land use, 70% of water use and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the biggest challenges we face involves the increasing global population (expected to reach 9 billion by 2050). Thus global conversation is necessary in order to rethink how we grow, produce, and distribute food. Urban farming– including rooftop farming– is one way in which we can develop a more sustainable and nutritious food system.

How the Food Industry and Government Negatively Impact Obesity

This artifact is a link to my Op-Ed on obesity and the food industry. This essay was a final assignment in my Introduction to Sociology class, which I took during my first semester at Ohio State. I found this assignment very interesting and unique, as I (along with my peers), had never written or even read an Op-Ed before. Thus, I was exposed to a new and different style of writing. For this assignment, each student had to select a broad topic that he or she was interested in researching. Then, each student had to further narrow the topic by examining a certain aspect of the issue through a sociological perspective. For my topic, I argued that a sociological perspective is relevant to understanding the topic of growing obesity because there exists an ‘individual bias’ which states that individuals are responsible for their own problems. Because of this bias, individuals assume that others are responsible for the way they look and act. In reality, there are larger structural and institutional forces that lead to problems like obesity. A sociological perspective is required in order to move beyond the individualistic bias in seeking solutions to the social problem of growing obesity. This perspective is necessary in order to examine if the government or food industry bears any responsibility for rising obesity rates because of the understanding that fundamental social causes shape individual proximal causes.

In my Op-Ed, I argue that the food industry and the government both bear responsibility for rising obesity rates. I expose three ways in which the food industry/government create a toxic environment for consumers. Additionally, I offer solutions for each tactic exposed and conclude that “by creating clear nutritional guidelines, providing incentives for individuals to buy healthy products, and by eliminating as many processed ingredients as possible, the government can fix the many cracks in the food industry and place consumer wellbeing and health at a top-priority level.”

While this is the first Op-Ed I have ever written, I learned a lot from the writing process and am proud of its content. This is a topic I care about and that I hope to increase awareness about. I am excited for future opportunities to compose more Op-Ed’s (or similar essay/article styles) and improve my writing.