Projects
01. Advertisement Redesign
This advertisement redesign was completed using Adobe InDesign. The focus of this redesign was to include all information in the original advertisement while producing it in a new, more accessible, creative way.
02. Getting Involved with Sustainable Practices in Athens, GA
Jessica Burgess, communication intern for Campus Kitchen for the UGA Office of Sustainability, at the Miller Learning Center Feb. 6, 2024 speaking about her roles in sustainability. (Photo/Scarlett Young).
Jessica Burgess is a communication intern for Campus Kitchen for the UGA Office of Sustainability, which is an organization that works to fight food insecurity and food waste in Athens, Georgia.
Q: What does becoming involved with Campus Kitchen or the UGA Office of Sustainability look like for the average UGA student?
A: It's definitely a great way to get involved in sustainability. I really liked that I took the path of going through the Office of Sustainability, just because I get to work with all those interns as well.
Q: Is there a purpose or a motto that they (Campus Kitchen) have that really resonates with you?
A: I mean, one motto that we have is “rescue food, feed Athens.” I think it's really important to emphasize that we're rescuing the food because it would otherwise be thrown away, so it's really essential to our two-part mission, you know.
Q: Could you delve into a little bit more about how you guys help with food waste?
A: The grocery stores we're partnered with right now are Earth Fare and Trader Joe's, so we get so much food from them each week. We have one pick up each week for each grocery store, and it's usually about, like, around 2,000 pounds of food from each store, like 1,000 to 2,000, which I know that's a huge range, but it just depends on what they give us each week. But yeah, so that would all just be thrown away. And a lot of the stuff they give us is, like, past its expiration date or has some sort of defect or something, but we’re able to use so much of the food that we're given. And a lot of the expiration dates are just, like, what they put, it’s kind of subjective. … Then anything we're not able to use that's… moldy or rotten, we're able to compost.
Q: What's the most rewarding part about working in Campus Kitchen/the Office of Sustainability?
A: I think for Campus Kitchen, it's just having such a tangible impact on people's lives in Athens, you know, because there's so much poverty in Athens and a lot of college students don't realize that, they're just in their little bubble. But, like, even though there's so much food wasted in Athens, there's so much poverty and so much food insecurity. So just being able to kind of help that, and then also educate people about that.
Q: Lastly, is there anything that you want the student body of UGA to know about sustainability, or about the work that Campus Kitchen and the Office of Sustainability do on campus or in Athens?
A: For sustainability, I think it can kind of seem intimidating at first or like there’s no way you can possibly be perfect, and a lot of comparison to other people in terms of what they’re doing and what you're doing. It’s so much more, like, it’s so much better to just focus on the small changes that you can make and your impact on the environment.
Comments trimmed for length and clarity.
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Why I Wrote The Story
From this story, I learned about how important it is to thoroughly prepare for an interview and to use all available resources you have during the researching process. Beyond this, I learned about the process of communicating with someone in person during an interview and then implementing that into the context of the overall objective of the new story at hand.
03. Upcoming Spring 2024 BeWellUGA Fest at Ramsey Student Center
Therapy dogs wait outside the main entrance of Ramsey Student Center for the spring 2023 BeWellUGA Fest. These dogs are a part of the various wellness activities and resources that are open to those who attend BeWellUGA Fest. (Photo/UGA)
BeWellUGA Fest, a free campus event that brings together well-being activities and resources that are offered by the University of Georgia, will take place on Tuesday Feb. 27 from 4-7 p.m. at Ramsey Student Center.
BeWellUGA Fest, presented by UGA’s Well-Being Resources, is meant to help connect students with well-being groups and activities on campus by hosting one event where these resources are present and easily accessible.
“Like, we want them to be able to really take these tools that they’ve learned while they're in, in school and to be able to really continue those positive behaviors on through the, the rest of their life so that they can continue to be healthy and be well,” said Lisa Williamson, the associate director for fitness, well-being & student engagement.
2021 was the first year that BeWellUGA Fest occurred as a major event with a multitude of combined resources, Williamson said.
Willamson further explained the growth of BeWellUGA Fest as last fall at Tate Student Center over 1,400 students engaged with the event, and there is hope that about 1,000 students will attend the upcoming spring BeWellUGA Fest.
BeWellUGA Fest has multiple offices across different areas of the UGA campus that are all involved in this one event. Another unique aspect of this event is that it has many different hands-on activities for students to participate in.
BeWellUGA Fest will have activities such as succulent planting, a sensory table, putt putt golf and a sleep hygiene workshop containing essential oils and sleep masks, Williamson said.
“A lot of students come because of the free food, right, or, or, the free T-shirts or whatever it is, you know, that we’re giving out,” Williamson said. “But, you know, I think they leave with a, a much broader understanding of their own personal well-being and the resources that are available to them on campus.”
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Why I Wrote The Story
From this story, I learned about the importance of research in the reporting process. Beyond this, I now understand more about how to communicate about detailed events and the importance of events to bigger audiences.
Spring 2024 BeWellUGA Fest event live coverage
04. Mayor Kelly Girtz Speaks on Plans for Future Land Use in Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz visits the University of Georgia’s campus on April 19, 2024 at the Instructional Plaza South Auditorium. Girtz speaks with students about housing and future land use planning in Athens-Clarke County. (Photo/Scarlett Young)
Athens-Clarke County has begun the extensive planning process to create more affordable housing and manage future land usage for the projected increase in residents, Mayor Kelly Girtz said April 19.
It is expected that over the next 20 years Athens-Clarke County will have an additional 30,000 new residents. This population growth will be from about 128,561 residents, as of July 1, 2022, to almost 160,000 by approximately 2045.
“As anybody knows in classic supply and demand terms, when you have more human bodies, but you have fewer homes for them to live in, you’re going to see some cost challenges,” Girtz said.
Girtz explained at the news conference held on Friday that the county has begun planning for new housing projects to accommodate the expected influx of residents to Athens-Clarke County.
Due to the need for an increased amount of housing, there will have to be an increase in the variety of housing types that are available, Girtz said.
Based on future land use planning that included considerations such as redeveloping existing infrastructure, reducing travel difficulties and minimizing sewer expansion, the targeted growth areas will be urban center, town center, neighborhood center and corridor.
The Future Land Use Plan during 2024 is in the approval and developmental phases. Following this in 2025, the timeline will focus on new growth management and policies. In 2026 and beyond, there is set to be zoning revisions and a comprehensive plan update.
A prominent topic brought to Girtz is about affordability of Athens housing for students.
“I definitely think that there needs to be more affordable housing because it’s just too expensive as a college student to even afford to live here,” said first-year University of Georgia international affairs and English student Sidney Jones.
There is a common theme in most responses when speaking with students directly about affordable housing in Athens-Clarke County that it is rare to find affordable housing in Athens.
“Affordable housing doesn’t exist in Athens, especially for, like, a city that doesn’t have good commuting options,” said University of Georgia political science and English student Ellie Mercer.
An important part of helping control the issue of the affordability of student housing in Athens is taking advantage of already existing infrastructure around the county, Girtz said.
Another topical land use concern brought up to Girtz at the conference surrounded distress about potential gentrification due to the high number of high-rise, student-oriented apartments being approved and how this has potential to displace some groups of residents in Athens-Clarke County.
“If we hadn’t approved any of those projects, those are thousands of students that were gonna have to find a place on their own to live, and we would have created pressure on neighborhoods to a greater degree than permitting this project,” Girtz said.
Topics: Athens-Clarke County, housing, affordability.
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Why I Wrote The Story
From this story, I learned how to focus a story on the main information that is most important for the audience to know. Beyond this, I also learned how to prepare well in order to meet story deadlines.