Destiny Allen and Celina Laframboise will spend one week this summer on Andros Island, located in the Bahamas, studying the island environment due to the generosity of several local green-business owners. Steve Grossman, President and CEO of Creative Green Marketing, and Meg MacLeod, from IndustrialBags.com, recently won an all-expenses paid trip to the island but decided to gift it to the Ohio State EEDS program in the form of a scholarship study abroad trip for two outstanding students.
EEDS is Ohio State’s undergraduate major in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability. The EEDS major is a multi-disciplinary degree program offered jointly by the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) and the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics (AEDE).
“Meg and I are very pleased to be able to present this scholarship to the EEDS program to give students an opportunity to see firsthand environmental issues in other countries,” Grossman said. MacLeod notes, “Having the ability to see other places is a very enriching experience and leads you to things that you may not have thought of before. We’re really happy to be able to give this scholarship to young people interested in the environment.”
Allen and Laframboise were chosen for the scholarship trip through a competitive process. The students will spend one week on Andros Island studying the island environment with the non-profit scientific organization International Field Studies (IFS). IFS, which is headquartered in Columbus, promotes and assists teachers with field study programs to enhance classroom learning.
Allen focuses on international development in her EEDS coursework and is looking forward to using the Andros Island experience to engage with the local island community to hone her skills in environmental education. She hopes that the trip will help her to further understand the interaction between culture and the environment.
“I became an EEDS major specializing in international development with the sole purpose of joining the Peace Corps when I graduate. The opportunity to participate in an international environmental education experience with International Field Studies Inc. will give me hands on experience working with the environment and local communities as I hope to do in the Peace Corps,” notes Allen.
Laframboise is looking forward to increasing her sustainability field experience and to explore new areas of sustainability, in particular, sustainable development, through the Andros Island experience.
"I cannot wait to learn how the people on Andros Island practice sustainability and to experience their culture and way of life. It will be an amazing experience. I hope that while I am there I will learn new strategies towards creating a healthier environment and I plan to bring those ideas back to Columbus,” Laframboise said.
The EEDS program focuses on the human, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The undergraduate major provides the core knowledge and skills students need to launch a career in sustainability in the private, public or non-profit sectors. Students in the program can choose to specialize in one of four areas: sustainability and business, environmental economics and policy analysis, community development, or international development.
May 27, 2014