One of the skills that I would like to promote for academics is the ability to write a popular article, reporting their activities while they are working with grassroots communities. I do realize that most of my work will not be “sexy” enough for a reporter to write. So instead of waiting for their report, I would just write my own and circulate through social media.
My most recent reporting article “South Madison farmer fights food injustice with Ex-Cons” has gotten attention. Both Anthony Cooper and Robert Pierce were approached by the Capital Times after reading this article. It certainly helped amplify the mission of the project, and reach out broader community about the food justice movement in South Madison.
On Tuesday June 3rd 2014 there was a big celebration for friends of South Madison at the Olin House, the UW-Madison Chancellor’s residence. Robert Pierce was honored with the 2014 LaMarr Billups Community-University Engagement Award by the UW-Madison Chancellor, Becky Blank. His exceptional collaboration with the university for over 15 years is unparalleled.
The LaMarr Billups award is a prestigious one for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to campus-community partnerships. LaMarr Billups was a much respected community leader at UW-Madison, and was deeply committed to key civic institutions and social causes. He served as a special assistant to two UW-Madison chancellors and was the director of community relations from 1996 to 2007. Continue reading Robert Pierce and South Madison friends honored by UW-Madison Chancellor→
The South Madison Farmers’ Market (SMFM) has been in the area for more than a decade. Despite the strong intention to provide safe, affordable, healthy food to the South Madison community, why does the market struggle to attract both vendors and customers?
That is the question that Robert Pierce and Shellie Pierce asked a team of undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to answer. Robert and Shellie, a motivated father-daughter pair, are two key organizers of the market. They collaborated with eight students from the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies to conduct a research project this past fall semester to address the question.
When I joined The Natural Step Monona (TNS Monona) as a volunteer back in the fall of 2008, I was just starting my graduate study: working to understand and document the connections between scientific information, sustainability, and grassroots movements. I wanted to be part of grassroots action to promote sustainable behavior, and saw TNS Monona as an environmental sustainability group with a clearly stated mission to serve the Monona community. Continue reading The Natural Step Monona: What it means to be a grassroots environmental organization→
