Join Us for Two Upcoming Twitter Chats – Sustainability and Local Fish

@bamco Twitter chatWhat can you possibly say in 140 characters? A lot, actually!

“Twitter chats” are free-form discussions held at a certain time, in which people weigh in on a given topic  using an agreed-upon label called a #hashtag. That way the discussion can be easily followed (and joined) by anyone. They can be a fun way to tap into the “hive mind” for insight and brainstorm new directions, or see whether ideas work, focus-group style.

This Thursday, at 12 p.m. Pacific time, we’ll be hosting a Twitter chat about what “food services for a sustainable future” should look like for Bon Appétit Management Company. It’s a discussion we’ve been having internally for some time as part of our 25th anniversary, and we’re ready to open it up to the general public.

Here’s how it’ll work. I’ll be moderating the discussion as @bamco — I’m Bonnie Azab Powell, director of communications at Bon Appétit and cofounder of the food-politics blog Ethicurean, for which I also still Tweet as @ethicurean. You don’t need to follow either account to participate — just the hashtag #BAsustain.

Shortly before 12pm Pacific/3pm Eastern, go to the website TweetChat, which provides a free, virtual room in which to have our discussion. Log into your Twitter account via TweetChat, and type in the #hashtag #BAsustain to get into that room, or just click this link. (Tweet Chat is a safe tool that conveniently groups the tweets for you and automatically adds the hashtag when you reply, but you can participate using whatever Twitter interface you prefer.) We’ll follow this agenda (more or less):

12-12:05 pm
Introductions — who we are, who YOU are, why you’re giving up some of your afternoon to discuss this

12:05 – 12:20 pm
Discuss Question 1 (Q1) – What’s missing from Bon Appétit Management Company’s current definition of sustainability? [Food choices that celebrate flavor, affirm regional cultural traditions, and support local communities without compromising air, water or soil, now and in the future.]

12:20-12:35 pm
Q2 – What values drive your food choices?

12:35-12:50 pm
Q3 – Bon Appétit Management Company has a lot of market power. What would you like to see us tackle in our next 25 years?

12:50-1 pm
Last thoughts, wrap-up

Afterward, I’ll summarize the conversation in a post here for our blog, and gather all the best thoughts into this online brainstorming tool we’re using called a Popplet. Click and fly around to see how people have answered those questions already.

And on Monday, September 24, at 12 pm, please join us for another Twitter chat, this time about #localfish! Seafood champion and Director of Strategic Purchasing Helene York will join me in moderating, and @SeafoodWatch will cohost.