Why I Report for ELi

Above: Filice and tortoise.

I discovered East Lansing Info through one of ELi’s first supporters, Ken Sperber. Aware of my interests and career aspirations to be an environmental educator, he thought ELi would be a good fit and he couldn’t have been more right!

I’ve had the pleasure of writing for ELi since February 2015 and I am proud to say I am one of ELi’s longest-running reporters. While my articles usually focus on environmental issues, like the new Costco being built on a wetland and why the Red Cedar River is not so dirty after all, I’ve also covered rabbit shows and pollinators, and everything in-between. An advantage of ELi, both as a writer and a reader, is the wide breadth of topics reported on.

While I can think of countless more reasons why I love writing for ELi, I’ll spare you the reading and list my top 10. I imagine many are reasons why you’re a supporter of ELi as well.

1. I give back to my community: As a full time graduate student it’s challenging to find time to give back, and ELi is a chance for me to offer something valuable to a community organization I believe in and one that is making a difference in the lives of East Lansing residents.
2. I shop local: Whether its food, clothing or a gift for someone I prefer to stay local and writing and being a reader of ELi is just one more way to support a local organization.
3. I enjoy educating: My dream is to get paid to educate you about the environment and ELi is one avenue for me to practice my skills and gain experience.
4. I feel rewarded: Total strangers have recognized my name from ELi articles and commented on their interest in topics I cover, reinforcing my desired involvement with ELi and pursuit of a career in outreach and education.
5. I appreciate good journalism: ELi demonstrates accurate, local, investigative journalism and I want to support it and be a part of it. The local part is especially important given the increasing amount of large corporate media conglomerates.
6. I find ELi inspirational: Reporting for ELi inspired me to coordinate my department’s graduate student magazine and taught me valuable lessons I have passed onto other graduate students interested in writing scientific articles for general audiences.
7. I learn new things: Whether reporting on it or reading about it, ELi’s wide breadth of articles provide me with knowledge about local issues and topics I am interested in.
8. I gain valuable experience: I am not a journalist by trade and through ELi I have gained many professional skills and learned life lessons that will stick with me forever.
9. I like the people: People can make or break any job and honestly, from the people I have interviewed for stories to my fellow reporters and of course, Ann Nichols our Managing Editor, I really cannot pick out a bad seed. It is truly amazing to be a small part of something as unique as ELi.
10. I can’t think of a reason not to: It’s true! As a graduate student, new homeowner and the mom of three cats, a rabbit and a tortoise I cannot recall the last time my to-do list was empty. But ELi is so fulfilling, I cannot imagine my life without it and I hope you feel the same way.

Want to donate to ELi’s Sustainability Campaign to make sure we can keep publishing hyperlocal news and environmental reporting (like Paige’s) through 2018? Click here.