The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 20 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Sustainable Table

0 comments
Sustainable Table is a consumer campaign developed by the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE). It was launched to help fill in gaps in the sustainable food movement, and to help direct consumers to organisations who are working on the issue.
Communication Strategies
Sustainable Table works to educate consumers and increase demand for sustainable food through awareness campaigns, promotional events, and educational websites. It aims to offer viable alternatives to factory farming.

Sustainable Table uses educational websites to provide information to consumers. The Meatrix is a web-based flash animation on factory farming. The four-minute film spoofs The Matrix movies in order to "educate viewers about the problems with today’s meat supply." The Eat Well Guide, is an online directory of sustainably-raised meat, poultry, dairy and eggs. Consumers in the United States put in their zip code to find sustainable products from farms, stores, and restaurants in their area.

Sustainable Table's own website offers information and resources for consumers, activists and teachers about sustainable food. In addition, a weblog has been developed to provide up to date news and information on issues surrounding sustainable food, as well as a forum for viewers to get more involved.

Information designed to be put out on a table at a local event, or handed out, to educate people about sustainable food choices can be downloaded from the website. These can be printed from a computer, copies made, and distributed. These include handouts on buying local, meat production, factory farms and irradiated food. Resources include posters, finger puppets, postcards, stickers, pins and magnets.

Sustainable Table also encourages consumers to tell stores and restaurants that they care about where food comes from by printing and giving managers an 'I Care Calling Card' to request local, sustainable products. The card is business card size and can be downloaded from the website.

Development Issues
Environment, Nutrition
Key Points
According to the website, Sustainable Table is "an introduction to issues surrounding today’s agricultural system and what is happening with our food, in particular, the meat supply. Our goal is to help you understand the issues, offer suggestions on what you can do, direct you to more in-depth information, and introduce you to the exciting and hugely popular sustainable food movement exploding around the world."
Sources

Online feedback form from Gwen Schantz to The Communication Initiative, February 7 2006 and Sustainable Table website, February 20 2006.