As part of its application for a 2014 Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature, Montgomery County Community College was required to submit a video to accompany its written essay. While the essay criteria was very specific, requiring me to answer three questions in 150 words or less each, the video was more open-ended.

I chose the landfill free initiative of MCCC’s Culinary Arts Institute as a subject; in addition to it being impressive and unique, I knew that filming in a kitchen environment would be very visual. To hook viewers, the video begins with the recipe for sustainability. Ingredients include green office practices, innovative curriculum, passion, savings and community partnerships, folded together to make a savory carbon reduction sauce–a line humorously delivered by a student chef.

“Cooking Green Cuisine” was extremely well received by the college community, and MCCC was selected as one of five Climate Leadership Award recipients that year, becoming the first community college in the nation to earn the award twice.

Alana’s role: Developing concept, writing script, producing video, obtaining approvals, voice narration, and award submission.