The outreach project I choose to work on was the Rooker Hall Composting Initiative. This was aimed to educate RAs about composting within dorms so they could take that to residents and carry it out. This would start within the ECV community then expand all across campus.
In order to execute this project as a class we had to research what to compost, what not to compost, the easiest way to store and collect compost in the dorm, and how compost can help the environment and soil. My partner and I focused on how to make compost. This included what to compost, what not to compost, and how to take care of the pile. Our research included using multiple sources then compiling it all on one page in the wordpress sight for future reference.
Some of the things that were highlighted through the presentation was: Why is composting important, What to and not to compost, Examples of composting already happening, finally How to collect all the compost. Presenting this material allowed me to understand the material much better due to being put in a situation to explain it and sell it to others so they can implement this initiative. It also made me dig deeper and look into the scope of the office of sustainability. The information was put together with guidance from Christy Tweedy.
Why: Composting benefits our environment by improving soil/water quality, decreasing methane, helping with overall global warming. It is also a safe waste disposal mechanism.
Do’s: Anything organic – vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, plants or leaves, egg shells, shredded paper, dryer lint, hair, and cardboard.
Dont’s: Glossy or colored paper, bones, feces, metals, plastics. Meat is also not recommended as it attracts vermin
Examples: All food waste from the UGA dining halls is currently composted then sent to the bioconversion center. Then used around campus. This shows how composting is helpful.
Collection: Electric Bike – It is owned by the office of sustainability and run by interns. The bike will be used to collect the compost from the bin in the lobby of Rooker Hall on Fridays at noon.
This presentation proved to be intellectually stimulating because many of the RAs were very involved and asking questions. This showed that they were thinking about composting in a new way. They actually started to think this idea was practical, hence we sold it to them correctly. Our presentation was relevant because the RA’s were the people who would take it to the residents for implementation and educate the residents. From our eyes the RA’s were the first step to implementation. Our presentation was creative because it included a presentation which illustrated our ideas, we also had flyers made that made it easier for RAs to understand what needed to be done. We also had pictures of the bike and the green bin as a prop.
I did not think this presentation would have much of an impact on the RAs and was thinking to myself “which college student actually cares about composting” as I thought when I started this out reach project. To my surprise, the RAs were actually very interested as they were asking some very in-depth questions and I saw some of them even taking notes. This makes me believe that our initiative will actually be useful and carried through. I started to sense myself becoming more confident as the presentation went on and the RAs started asking questions which I actually new the answer too.As far as technology goes, I learned to come with presentation material like in this case there is not a projector. So maybe print out the slides.
I believe the first thing we as a group adapted to was the style of presentation, given there was not a projector and that was what we were assuming. I personally adapted to the audience when I saw that they were more involved than I thought they would be. I tried to answer a few questions. Another thing I believe our group adapted to well was when they started asking questions in the middle and we had to steer away from the presentation order we had planned and present as we answered questions. This definitely kept the audience more engaged. I learned to research the topic a little bit more in depth than whats on the presentation next time so that adapting is a bit easier and I won’t have to look at the slides all the time.
If given another chance, I would know the information on all the slides better rather than just focusing on my slides because there may come a point where we may not have a way to present the visual. I would also want to give more time for questions from RAs and start the presentation my letting them know that we will present then take questions at the end. I would like to do this because many of their questions were covered in future slides and this way we can also get our point across without being flustered.
This experience gave me a “beyond the classroom” outlook. It showed me how what I am learning can be applied. Analyzing the audience while presenting and adapting helped me understand what kind of presenter I am and how I can grow. It also helped me see the scope of this project. Forming a presentation gave me a deeper understanding of the topic and aspects beyond the topic like the office of sustainability. I am a very engineering/corporate minded person so this outreach made me step out of my comfort zone and pursue a topic I usually would not give a second thought too.
I can use this information to practice composting myself and to teach sustainable practices to others. This experience also taught me to not judge the audience to hard before walking into the room. The presentation itself taught me to give a strong introduction so you control the presentation and not the audience.
Due to presenting and only talking on what I personally researched, I believe I came across confident. Next time I would like to be able to answer more questions to show that I am more involved than just my part — to do this I plan on glancing over all parts before the presentation.
This assignment was effective because it made me learn the content at a deeper level. The presentation helped me compile the content and figure out whats actually important and what needs to be focused on. I liked the relevance of the topic due to being a student living in Rooker. The feedback from the RAs allowed be to believe the impact we actually had due to seeing their interest.
