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Policy on Foods, Beverages, and Merchandise

To the greatest degree possible, the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) seeks to walk our talk and represent the values we teach.

Since its founding in 1996, IHE has strived to ensure that at the events and campaigns we hold, the foods and beverages we serve and the merchandise we provide for sale or give away represent the ethical principle of doing the most good and the least harm for people, animals, and the environment.

Policies

Food/Beverages served

At IHE events (those that are entirely organized and controlled by IHE) all food will:

Be vegan
Be locally and ethically sourced when possible
Not over-packaged and in bulk when possible
Not include single-use beverages (whether plastic, glass, or aluminum)
Avoid disposable plates, glasses/mugs, utensils, and napkins as feasible and, when not feasible, choose the most eco-friendly versions of disposables.

At events where IHE has input but not total control (e.g., when doing an IHE-sponsored event/workshop at another venue) every effort will be made to work with venues that will meet our goals above to the greatest degree possible.

At fundraising and friendraising events where food and beverages are expected by guests, and in the homes of hosts supporting these efforts by opening their houses for a gathering, IHE will work respectfully and wisely to share our goals above and our wish to limit waste while balancing others’ expectations.

When IHE is presenting at events and schools as an invited guest, there is no expectation that we will influence their food/beverage service or plates/utensils.

Merchandise for sale and to give away

IHE will carefully weigh the production of SWAG against the goal of promoting our work, raising funds, and building brand awareness. When we do produce merchandise, we shall do so in the most MOGO way possible.

Criteria for decision-making:

How important is producing this giveaway or sale item? (e.g., will a gift in a fundraising letter make it more likely the receiver will open the letter and donate; will a tote bag at an event keep IHE on the forefront of the receiver’s mind and spread our message?)
Will the production of this item (e.g., solutionary t-shirts that spread awareness) outweigh the impacts of the production on people, animals, and the environment?

Steve Cochrane

“Changing the world one child at a time.” Those words have inspired my work for more than four decades in education, and they continue to inspire me now. We are at a pivotal point in the evolution of our world. We are facing a climate crisis, a health crisis, a crisis of racial justice, a crisis in our treatment of animals, a crisis of media bias. The list goes on. And perhaps our greatest crisis is our consistent struggle as a society to simply come together respectfully, intelligently, and ethically to solve our problems and save our planet. We need solutionaries. We need young people who have been educated not only to think critically, creatively, and systemically about real-world issues, but also to be passionate, persistent, and humane in their implementation of real-world solutions. And that is IHE’s mission: to support teachers and educational institutions in preparing young people to become solutionaries – and the next caretakers of our planet.

IHE offers a healing vision and a tangible pathway forward for a struggling world. As Executive Director, I am excited, humbled, and deeply honored to join with others to promote that vision and that pathway in ways that make them foundational to systems of education throughout the world – and to each child who is committed to making that world a better place.

Passionate about preparing young people to lead lives of joy and purpose, Steve Cochrane has had a remarkable journey through the field of education. It is a journey that has taken him from the campus of Princeton University, where he served as an admissions officer and an assistant dean of students, to the classroom of a public elementary school, where he had the privilege of teaching – and learning from – his fourth and fifth grade students. Steve has been a dorm director and associate dean of admissions at Wheelock College in Boston. He has also been an elementary school principal, a middle school principal, an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and, prior to his work at IHE, he was the superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools in Princeton, New Jersey where he was honored with the award of County Superintendent of the Year. In each of these roles, Steve has collaborated with others to prioritize innovations in learning, wellness for students, equity, and a belief that every child should be supported and inspired to achieve their highest potential.

Steve received his undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University and his master’s degree in educational administration from Harvard. He is a competitive road cyclist who also enjoys the thrill of mountain biking. Steve and his wife are both vegans and advocates for holistic health. They currently reside in Spencerport, New York, with their two dogs and a very large Maine Coon cat.