|
|
||
|
September 2012 News
BGI's Partnership with Home Show Evolves for 2013 Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) is happy to announce that we will continue our partnership with MAC Promotions (MAC) for the 38th Annual Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show. The event will be held April 4-7, 2013 at the Lexington Convention Center and Bluegrass Greenworks will again be the Title Sponsor of the GreenZone, a 5,500 square foot area full of green products, services, educational exhibits and organizations The Home Garden & Flower Show has been the largest consumer trade show in the Lexington area for over 35 years and it is a WONDERFUL opportunity to connect with a huge audience that may not otherwise seek out green-focused information and resources. MAC Promotions, the show’s promoter, is committed to a strong green presence at the show and has expanded the GreenZone by over 5X since 2010. If you are a business marketing green products or services or a green organization seeking to reach out to the community, there is NO BETTER OPPORTUNITY than the GreenZone to get your message out to the public. A new wrinkle for 2013 is that MAC has taken over the recruiting for the exhibitor spaces, so if you are interested in exhibiting, contact Doug Hart at (513) 518-6530 or dhart@mac-av.com . BGI will continue to help MAC recruit sponsors and MAC has generously agreed to split the Presenting Sponsorship Fee with BGI if we find the sponsor for 2013, so interested businesses are encouraged to contact BGI’s Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org . Also new for 2013 is that BGI’s new media partner Bourbon & Beans will help promote the GreenZone via their social marketing skills and press releases, in addition to placing logos and information on BGI’s website, in the GreenLink eNews, and in the 2013 Bluegrass GreenGuide. The Home, Garden & Flower Show will again be the official launching pad for the GreenGuide, which serves as the yellow pages for the green community. August 2012 News Transy meetings help develop $5 Mil ideas for Mayor’s Challenge Bluegrass Greenworks coordinated meetings held July 12 and 19 at the Transylvania Library helped to produce at least 3 ideas for submission to Mayor Gray’s office for the Mayor’s Challenge. Angela Dosset, Transy’s Sustainability Coordinator, generously offered to host the meetings in their library, and Ramon Careaga gave of his time to help facilitate the meetings. Leaders from UK, Transy, Fayette Co Schools, Bluegrass Community & Technical College and other local groups participated, as well as several local citizens. Four ideas were discussed at length and at least 3 were to be submitted to the Mayor’s Office by the August 1 deadline. Ideas discussed included food waste recycling, pre-fab roundabouts at Lexington intersections, a living food bank, and utility bill financing for home energy improvements. The “Mayor’s Challenge”, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is offering one $5 million + four $1 million prizes “to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life.” Lexington and Mayor Gray were invited to participate, so Bluegrass Greenworks coordinated the meetings to help green groups and individuals develop their ideas before submitting them to the mayor. The mayor’s office will evaluate the proposals and submit their final proposal to Bloomberg Philanthropies by September 14. The 3rd GreenGroups Quarterly Meeting for 2012 will be held at 9 AM on Friday, August 17 at UK’s ES Good Barn at the Corner of University Drive and Farm Rd. The UK College of Agriculture Environmental and Natural Resources Initiative (ENRI) partners with Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) to host the meetings. The purpose is to bring representatives of local green groups together to share information and ideas, and increase collaboration on community projects. The standard agenda includes:1) Self-introductions, announcements and meeting agenda overview. 2) A PowerPoint containing the Accomplishments, Projects & Goals, Needs, Collaboration Ops, and Key Contacts for each participating group. Each group with a representative present has a minute or two to elaborate on their slide(s). 3) Breakout discussions to present and discuss community projects requesting support and/or collaboration from the green community. Contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org.with your questions or if you want to participate in the meeting. July 2012 News Got a $5 Million Idea? Vet it at July 12 Meeting w/ Green Community leaders The “Mayor’s Challenge”, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is offering one $5 million + four $1 million prizes “to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life.” Lexington and Mayor Gray have been invited to participate, so Bluegrass Greenworks is helping to organize a meeting of Green Community Leaders and other interested parties to present and vet proposals to be submitted to Mayor Gray’s office by the August 1 deadline. The mayor’s office will evaluate the proposals and submit their final proposal to Bloomberg Philanthropies by September 14, 2012 Angela Dosset, Sustainability Coordinator at Transylvania University, has generously offered to host the meeting at Transy on July 12th from 1-3 PM. The meeting space has not been firmed up, but it will be announced in the GreenLink weekly as soon as it is decided. Leaders from UK, Transy, Fayette Co Schools, Bluegrass Community & Technical College and other local groups will be present. Interested parties are encouraged to bring a simple PowerPoint presentation (up to 5 slides per idea) and presentation time slots and discussion time will be allotted based on the number of presentations scheduled. Written or oral presentations are fine also. The primary idea is for the group to adopt a number of proposals to be developed by self-selected subgroups, but individuals and groups are welcome to present ideas for feedback and discussion that they plan to develop themselves. To reserve a presentation slot, email a brief description of your project idea to Ben Perry, ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org and any folks who want to be kept in the loop may email Ben to get on the email list. Presentations will be grouped by topic and presenters with similar ideas will be encouraged to collaborate as much as possible. Mayors of cities with 30,000 or more residents have received invitations to participate so we encourage other qualifying cities throughout the state to submit their own proposals. The application questions and all other tools are available online to view and download at http://mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org/index.cfm?objectid=98452C30-9EA8-11E1-823A000C29C7CA2F
New Partnership = New & Improved GreenBiz/Groups Benefits We are happy to announce that Bluegrass Greenworks’ new partnership with Bourbon & Beans (i.e. Carolyn Gilles & Michelle Aiello) is bearing fruit already! It has not only allowed us to offer New GreenBiz/GreenGroups benefits, it will allow us to improve the quality of our existing benefits. One new benefit available to GreenBizs or GreenGroups is a Free 1-Hour Consultation with Carolyn or Michelle. This will allow you to discuss your current marketing or community outreach plan and learn what you can do to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. You will also learn how to use your GreenBiz/Groups benefits most effectively, and they have additional marketing and design services you can take advantage of at discounts available only to GreenBizs and GreenGroups. Carolyn & Michelle will also be updating and upgrading our GreenLink eNews, our website and our Facebook/Twitter presence over the next few weeks, and we will be expanding and improving the GreenGuide, both online and print versions. For more information contact: Carolyn Gilles, Bourbon & Beans (646) 379-0861 info@BourbonAndBeans.com New Greenworks Partners & Sponsors – 2nd Quarter 2012 Partners Advanced Energy Solutions Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest Arronco Comfort Air B's Going Green! Berea College Bernheim Arboretum Bluegrass Farmers' Market BlueGrass WindPower Columbia Gas Comfort Master Corn Heat for Bluegrass CSC Design Studio Debra's Social $timulus Dupree Financial Habitat for Humanity Restore Hendricks Team Real Estate Hodges & Heathman Infistone Concrete & Design J&R Construction Services JYB3 - John Y Brown III KY Home Performance KY Solar Partnership Lexington Farmers Market LFUCG Environmental Commission LG&E & KU Energy LLC Local First Lexington Lucia's World Friendly Boutique Prajna Design/Const Sayre School The Clock Shop Thoroughbred Printing Transylvania University Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington Whole Foods Market Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs
Sponsors A K(new) Insight Alternative Energies KY Avery and Sun Solar Avery Lay Buckman Bluestone Geologic Bourbon & Beans CDP Engineers Dave Leonard Tree Specialists Earthworks, LLC EcoDistribution Group EcoGro Forest Retreats Frankfort Yoga Studio Global Environmental Services Good Foods Market & Cafe Green Scheme Design LLC Howard's Creek Beer Cheese John's Stores in Chevy Chase Landmark Log Homes Many Moons Design Mary Claire O'Neal Consulting Natasha's Pohl Rosa Pohl Rc3 River Birch Publishing Robert's Health Foods Smith Management Group Solar Energy Solutions Southeastern KY E-Scrap Stith Funeral Home The Wholesome Chef
June 2012 News 2nd Quarter GreenGroups meeting connects 29+ organizations The 2nd GreenGroups Quarterly Meeting for 2012 was held May 18th at 9 AM at UK’s E.S. Good Barn to bring representatives of local green-focused groups together to share information and ideas, plus increase collaboration and avoid duplication on community projects. 10 organizations sent representatives and 29 groups were represented by slides for the group PowerPoint. The meeting began with self-introductions and a brief welcome by facilitator Ben Perry, followed by the group PowerPoint. The PowerPoint was followed by a focused session by Elizabeth Crowe with KY Environmental Foundation on collaboration by businesses and organizations to educate the public about environmental toxins. Ramon Careaga then took a few minutes to introduce Project Fangorn which organizes communities around responses to dramatic changes in climate, energy supply, food and other potential effects of climate change and the waning of the fossil fuel era. Ben then presented an opportunity for GreenGroups to go together on a booth at the KY State Fair and passed around a sign-up sheet for interested groups. The floor was then opened up to discussion for about 15 minutes and the attendees began dispersing about 10:25 AM. Thanks to the UK College of Agriculture Environmental and Natural Resources Initiative (ENRI) for hosting the meeting! The next Quarterly Meeting will be in August of 2012. Contact Ben Perry at 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org to learn more and to receive notice of upcoming meetings.
Bluegrass Greenworks and Bourbon & Beans Team Up to Boost Green Business
Bluegrass Greenworks, a local non-profit, and Bourbon & Beans, a small business marketing outfit, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership assisting in thepromotion of local businesses and non-profits doing their part environmentally for the community. What is Bluegrass Greenworks? www.bluegrassgreenworks.org Since 2008, Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) has worked toward its mission of "Building a World-Class Green Community". BGI recognizes the value of an active green community in driving healthy community development, sustainable economic growth and an exceptional quality of life. BGI has built a large network of educational institutions, community organizations, government agencies and non-profits (Green Groups) as well as local businesses (GreenBizs) and offer a wide array of benefits for those who meet the GreenBiz/Groups criteria. Criteria include internal efforts to save energy and reduce waste, marketing green products or services where applicable, and support of local sustainability-focused projects. Benefits include inclusion in the Bluegrass GreenGuide (online + print), GreenLink eNews, GreenGroups Quarterly Meetings, and the GreenZone in the Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show. What is Bourbon & Beans? www.bourbonandbeans.com Founded in 2010 by local entrepreneur Carolyn Gilles (who also heads up The Wholesome Chef cooking school), Bourbon & Beans provides customized marketing, strategy and design services to small businesses (typically 1-5 employees). The Bourbon & Beans team aims to help small businesses and entrepreneurs grow by fine tuning their communications while staying true to their mission, which usually involves giving back to their community in some meaningful way. Services offered by the Bourbon & Beans team are tailored to clients' individual needs and range from website & ad design, press relations, branding (logo, business card, letterhead, etc.), magazine & catalog layout, email marketing and business planning. Local business owners are regularly featured on their blog(www.BourbonAndBeans.com/blog). Why Collaborate Now? With a long-standing relationship, Bluegrass Greenworks and Bourbon & Beans agree that for-profit and not-for-profit shouldn't be mutually exclusive. "Being environmentally sensitive in business is something I've been aware of since I was a young girl growing up in a family business. It's just too easy to do the 'right thing'; I have always tried to help others see that as well - and there's no match for the passion entrepreneurs and small business owners bring to their jobs each day. I'm using my marketing, social enterprise and design backgrounds to help them communicate their message in order to increase sales and presence in the community," says Gilles. Benefits for new and existing Green Biz and Green Groups members will include a discount on Bourbon & Beans services and a tie-in with monthly networking event Lexington Green Drinks. BGI president Ben Perry acknowledges "through B&B, we can offer more benefits, better service, and higher presentation quality at no extra cost to our network, plus a slew of additional services at discounted rates due to our hundreds of members." Is your business or non-profit green? You might qualify, and not even know it. Many businesses do what makes financial sense, and that makes them "greener" than they realize. Do any of the following describe your products or services? Healthy - Local - Organic - Fair Trade - Renewable - Repair/Refurbish - Energy Saving/Efficient - Reusable/Recyclable? If so, you owe it to yourself and your company to join the network. Are you reaching green-minded consumers? According to the UK Survey Research Center, 96% of Kentuckians buy locally grown foods and other products,92% Attempt to reduce the amount of waste produced in their household, and 61% are "Willing to pay more for goods and services to protect the environment". If you aren't reaching this huge demographic, Bluegrass Greenworks and Bourbon & Beans can help you do it. They are excited to combine their knowledge and resources to help build a more healthy, sustainable and prosperous community. Contact: Carolyn Gilles, Bourbon & Beans 507 High Street, Suite 200 Lexington KY 40502 646-379-0861 info@BourbonAndBeans.com
May 2012 News Got Thoughts about Bluegrass Greenworks? Share them PLEASE! The BGI board is currently engaged in a discussion about how best to use the tools we have developed to forward our mission of Building a World-Class Green Community and we would like to open the discussion up to our readers. If you are a regular GreenLink reader and you’re always thinking, “Boy, I wish Greenworks did such and such,” please share that such and such with us! Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) had a busy April and has many folks to thank for the successful publication of the 7th Annual Bluegrass GreenGuide and the 4th Edition of the Bluegrass GreenZone at the Central KY Home Garden & Flower Show in particular. The 7th Edition of the GreenGuide was released the first week in April, featuring over 300 green businesses and organizations. It is currently available at newsstands all over Lexington and surrounding counties. Thanks go out to the following folks without whom the publication would not be possible: Production/Distribution ….……. Heidi Weigel Layout/Graphics ……………….. Carolyn Gilles Proofing ………………………… Theresa Archer Online GreenGuide Web Host .. Hensley Elam & Associates, LLC We’d also like to thank Greg Doyle and Doyle Water Distributors for receiving and storing the GreenGuides for us The GreenZone was a
great success again at the April 12-15 Central KY Home, Garden & Flower
Show, exposing 20 green businesses and 7 non-profit community groups to many
thousands of attendees. BGI must first thank show manager Doug Hart with MAC
Productions + owners Mike & Beck Claypool. Thanks also to volunteers Ed
Sweeney, Phil Henry-Sadlo, Keith Rodgers and Patrick Johnson for staffing the
BGI Booth. The UK College of Agriculture Environmental and Natural Resources Initiative (ENRI) and Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) will host the 2nd GreenGroups Quarterly Meeting for 2012 - 9 AM Friday, May 18 at UK’s ES Good Barn - Corner of University Drive and Farm Rd, across from Commonwealth Stadium. The meeting is open to representatives of any group which is engaged in activities which fall under the broad “green” heading, or any individual who just wants to learn what’s going in the Central KY Green Community and get involved. The purpose of the
meeting is to bring representatives of local green groups together to share
information and ideas, and increase collaboration on community projects. The usual
agenda includes: 1) Self-introductions,
announcements and meeting agenda overview.
2) A PowerPoint containing the Accomplishments, Projects & Goals,
Needs, Collaboration Ops, and Key Contacts for each participating group. Each
group with a representative present may have a minute or two to elaborate on
their slide(s). 3) Breakout discussions
for community projects (requested 2 weeks prior to the meeting if possible). To Participate Contact Ben Perry - (859) 523-4773, ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org to request the PPT slide or email template by which to submit your group’s information. You may also request a breakout session for after the group PowerPoint, to discuss a community project for which you need collaboration and/or feedback. Please request your breakout by Monday, May 14, so we can get the word out and groups who want to participate in your breakout can plan to send a representative. Your information will be shared at the meeting, emailed to area green groups + placed on local TV bulletin boards that are made available to us. The PowerPoint will also record the activity across the local green community for archival purposes.
April 2012 News 7th GreenGuide hits newsstands 1st Week of April After 5 months of planning and 2 months of focused effort, the 7th Edition of the Bluegrass GreenGuide will be hitting the newsstands THIS WEEK! You will find it at over 600 locations throughout Central KY including all Krogers and health food stores. The GreenGuide will also be featured in the GreenZone at the Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show – April 12-15 at Heritage Hall! The Purpose of the GreenGuide is to connect consumers with goods, services and resources that will help realize our mission of Building a World-Class Green Community. It is a one-stop resource for businesses, schools, government agencies, non-profits, community groups and other resources that can help take our mission from rhetoric to reality. GreenGuide Tips 1) Use It Early and Often! Keep it in a convenient location and make it the first place you turn for your daily wants and needs.
2) Talk It Up! Let the businesses you find through the GreenGuide know where you found them and share it with your friends, family and co-workers. 3) Help Grow the Green Marketplace! Ask businesses to expand their green products, services, information and practices, and then increase your patronage with them
when they do. 4) Help Grow the Guide! Help us identify good prospects for the GreenGuide
and put them in touch with us.
6) Express your Appreciation! Thank businesses for their participation in the GreenGuide and for their commitment to the community.
Thanks to the generous and visionary folks in the business, education, government and non-profit sectors who have supported and participated in the 7th Edition. We want to thank our dedicated staff for their great work, plus Sandy Swayze for her many years of work on the GreenGuide leading up to this issue. Finally, we want to thank those of you who use the GreenGuide and bluegrassgreenworks.org to help Build a World-Class Green Community! For more information contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org
GreenZone coming April 12-15 BGI will again be the title sponsor for the “GreenZone” at the 2012 AAA Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show - the largest annual consumer trade show in the Lexington area for over 35 years. The 2012 GreenZone will feature the following Exhibitors: Bluestone Geologic Bluegrass Greenworks Bluegrass PRIDE BlueGrass WindPower Comfort Master Heating & Air Dave Leonard Tree Specialists happyPLACE home improvement supplies & design EConsulting EcoRefinishers Epiphany Foam Insulation Furniture Medic Habitat for Humanity Restore Howards Creek Authentic Beer Cheese KY Water Fuel Museum Landmark Log Homes LFUCG Environmental Commission Lucia’s World Friendly Boutique Prajna Design & Construction Rc3 Seal Smart Simply Nutrition Solar Energy Solutions KENTUCKY eSCRAP Vespa Lexington
Show Details THE BLUEGRASS GREEENWORKS GREENZONE at the AAA CENTRAL KENTUCKY HOME, GARDEN & FLOWER SHOW WHAT: 5,000+ square feet of exhibits, demonstrations, products and services WHEN: April 12-15, 2012 (Thurs-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm & Sun 12-7pm) WHERE: Heritage Hall at Lexington Center
Not too late to participate! As of 3/28/12 there was one commercial space left and several FREE 3-5 hour shifts available for non-profits, educators or community groups. Contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org for more information. See you in the GreenZone! March2012 News GreenGuide Deadline March 9 for Businesses & Organizations Bluegrass Greenworks has built one of the most comprehensive green community-building networks in the US, with over 290 businesses/organizations and 2600 individuals, and GROWING through effective branding and exposure in the green-minded community. Whether you chose a free listing, an enhanced listing or display ad, you will be a part of Central Kentucky’s Go-To Resource for Green Businesses and Organizations since 2006 and help support our award-winning network. See below for more information and contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org for more information. Important Dates February 1 - Listings & Ads accepted for 2012-2013 Bluegrass
GreenGuide (7th
Edition) March 9 – Listing & Ad Commitments Due (Ads/Listings due March 16) April 1 – News Stand Distribution Begins April 12-15 – GreenGuide featured in GreenZone – Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show The GreenGuide offers: · 15,000 Copies distributed to 600+ Central KY locations April 1-4 · Stay in front of MOTIVATED GREEN CONSUMERS for up to 12 months! · OFFICIAL KICKOFF at the Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show GREENZONE · Free Listings for Education, Government & Non-Profit Groups + Qualified Businesses · Join a network of 290+ businesses & organizations + over 2,100 green consumers* * GreenBiz membership required - Click Here for details (Free & Fee-Based options available) BGI will again be the title sponsor for the “Bluegrass Greenworks GreenZone” at the 2012 AAA Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show - the largest annual consumer trade show in the Lexington area for over 35 years. The business spaces are full, and we are now booking spaces and time slots for non-profit/educational organizations. If you are a green organization seeking to reach out to the community, there is NO BETTER OPPORTUNITY to get your message out to the public. Available Time Slots Thursday
(April 12) - 5-10 pm Friday
(April 12) - 5-10 pm Saturday
(April 12) - 11am-2 pm + 2-5pm + 5-10pm Sunday Evening (April
12) - 12-3pm + 3-7pm Note: Groups must to commit to a full shift and staff it from beginning to end THE BLUEGRASS GREEENWORKS GREENZONE at the AAA CENTRAL KENTUCKY HOME, GARDEN & FLOWER SHOW WHEN: April 12-15, 2012 (Thurs-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm & Sun 12-7pm) WHERE: Heritage Hall at Lexington Center WHAT: 5,000+ square feet of exhibits, demonstrations, products and services Contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org for more information. See you in the GreenZone! February 2012 News Greenworks’ Upcoming Projects BGI has a very busy late winter and early spring and we invite you to Get Connected, Get Informed and Get Involved in the following projects. February 17 New Project to air GreenGroups info on Insight Cable The UK College of Agriculture Environmental and Natural Resources Initiative (ENRI) and Bluegrass Greenworks Inc (BGI) will host the 1st GreenGroups Quarterly Meeting for 2012 - 9 AM Friday, February 17 at UK’s ES Goodbarn - Corner of University Drive and Farm Rd, across from Commonwealth Stadium. We are excited to announce a project involving Bluegrass Greenworks, Henry Clay HS & Insight Cable to create and air a video from the 2/17 Quarterly Meeting slides. Henry Clay HS Film teacher Matt Logsdon will charge his students with the task of taking the PPT slides and bringing them to life with sound, graphics & animation. The finished video will air 6x per week on the Insight Public Access channel. Participating groups must email their slide to ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org by Monday, 2/6 to allow the students time to produce the video. The purpose of the meetings is to bring representatives of local green groups together to share information and ideas, and increase collaboration on community projects. The standard agenda is as follows: 1) Self-introductions, announcements and agenda overview; 2) A PowerPoint containing the Accomplishments, Projects & Goals, Needs, Collaboration Ops, and Key Contacts for each participating group; 3) Breakout discussions for community projects. Contact Ben Perry with your questions at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org. April 1 (March 9 content deadline) Lucky #7 GreenGuide Approaches Seems like just yesterday that the 1st Bluegrass GreenGuide rolled off the presses, but here we are at number 7 already (8 including the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games GreenGuide)! With 7 straight years of steady growth under its belt, the GreenGuide is poised to grow again this year, offering more green business options and more information on non-profits, community groups and schools, plus government agencies and programs. See below for more information and contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org for more information. Important Dates February 1 - Listings & Ads accepted for 2012-2013 Bluegrass GreenGuide (7th Edition) March 9 – Listing & Ad Commitments Due April 1 – News Stand Distribution Begins April 12-15 – GreenGuide featured in GreenZone – Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show The GreenGuide offers: · 15,000 Copies distributed in Central KY · Stay in front of MOTIVATED GREEN CONSUMERS Year Round! · Free Listings for Education, Government & Non-Profit Groups + Qualified Businesses · Join a network of 280+ businesses & organizations* + over 2,600 green consumers * GreenBiz/Groups membership required - Click Here for details (Free & Fee-Based options available) April 12-15 Home & Garden Show GreenZone – Space still available BGI will again be the title sponsor for the “Bluegrass Greenworks GreenZone” at the 2012 AAA Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show - the largest annual consumer trade show in the Lexington area for over 35 years. There are still a few business spaces available and we will begin booking spaces and time slots for non-profit/educational organizations soon. If you are a business marketing green products or services or a green organization seeking to reach out to the community, there is NO BETTER OPPORTUNITY than the GreenZone to get your message out to the public. Space is available for qualifying businesses at deep discounts on a sliding scale, and non-profit educational space is Free for qualified groups.
THE BLUEGRASS GREEENWORKS GREENZONE at the AAA CENTRAL KENTUCKY HOME, GARDEN & FLOWER SHOW WHEN: April 12-15, 2012 (Thurs-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 11am-10pm & Sun 12-7pm) WHERE: Heritage Hall at Lexington Center WHAT: 5,000+ square feet of exhibits, demonstrations, products and services Contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org
for more information. See you in the GreenZone! BGI Now accepting Student Board Member Applications Two years ago Bluegrass Greenworks (BGI) implemented a policy of recruiting a student board member (SBM) from an area college, community or technical school every year. Danny Ray Woolums from Transy was our first SBM in 2010 and he will remain on the board through his graduation this spring to continue his good service. Patrick Johnson from UK is our current SBM and his term runs through August of this year. The purpose of the SBM is to represent the 18 to 25 demographic on the BGI board of directors, offer insight and ideas from the perspective of a college or technical school student, and to act as a liaison to their school. Due to the success of first two years of the program, this year we have decided to accept up to 3 new SBMs if we feel that multiple candidates are a good fit for the organization. Applications for the coming 15 month term (March 2012 thru May 2013) will be accepted through Monday, February 20th so please fwd this email to the person(s) who can get it to potential candidates at your school. Applications should be emailed to ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org, drwoolums12@transy.edu and patrick.johnson@uky.edu . The candidates will be screened based on the cover letter/resume, and final decisions will be made on the basis of phone and/or face-to-face interviews. Applications should include the following: 1) A 1-page (or less) Letter of Interest stating: 1) Why the student wants to serve on the board; 2) What skills they feel they have to offer the organization, and 3) What they hope to accomplish by their board service 2) A current resume or CV including their employment history, current GPA and course of study, personal interests, and any distinctions or awards they have received to date For more detailed information, contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org . January 2012 News THANK YOU Sandy Swayze! First I want to give a BIG THANKS to Sandy Swayze for her 6 years of service to Bluegrass Greenworks! Sandy originally signed on as a volunteer in 2006, but we were soon able to create a small stipend for her to work on the Bluegrass GreenGuide, then the GreenExpo, and we added the GreenLink eNews to her tasks in 2009. She is the only regular staff we have ever had. Sandy has done almost anything we have asked her to do and done it well. She is quick to take responsibility for her mistakes and to correct them, and modest in taking credit for her best work. She has also taken a lot of initiative on both the GreenGuide and GreenLink, and is responsible for most of the content and editing in the areas for which she is responsible. Sandy will be leaving us as of January 1, 2012 as a part of our effort to achieve financial sustainability. Dru Perry, wife of BGI president Ben Perry, will be taking over the GreenLink eNews, and it should be a pretty smooth transition thanks to Sandy’s training over the past few months. THANK YOU Dru for agreeing to take over for Sandy and for volunteering your time to learn the procedures.
THANK YOU Heidi Weigel & Natural Awakenings! December also marked the end of Natural Awakenings Magazine – Bluegrass Edition (NA), one of our great community partners of the past 3 years. Owner/Editor Heidi Weigel has been wonderful to work with since we connected in 2008 and she used the publication in every way she could to further our common vision for a world-class green community. While we will miss the publication, we will (hopefully) still have Heidi’s smiling face and good energy around the community for many years to come! We plan to publish the Bluegrass GreenGuide on our own as we did for 3 years before we partnered with Heidi and NA, and we hope to continue to work with Heidi in some capacity as we move forward.
Streamlining for Sustainability key in 2012 BGI sees streamlining as the key to long-term sustainability in a constrained and volatile economy. Much of the discussion in recent board meetings has been around “what is the core of our service to the community”, and just as it should, our discussion always comes back to our mission of Building a World-Class Green Community. It is gratifying to have a board that really gets our mission and is not swayed by the blowing winds of change and the financial challenges facing non-profits like BGI. The name of the game for 2012 is efficiency + continued delivery of services. We need to keep looking for ways to do what we do for less cost and time. We have had to cut staff (see Sandy Swayze above) and president Ben Perry has had to cut his hours way back due his new position as a home energy evaluator, plus with the discontinuation of the GreenExpo and cuts in state funding in 2010, our budget is only a fraction of what it has been. Despite the challenges, we plan to continue EVERY community service we provided in 2011. That includes the GreenGuide, GreenLink eNews, GreenBiz/Groups network, GreenGroups Quarterly Meetings, GreenCard, Building a World-Class Green Community presentation and the GreenZone at the Central KY Home, Garden & Flower Show. Highlights of the 1st quarter of 2012 include the first GreenGroups Quarterly Meeting for 2012 (date TBA) + all of the planning and preparation for the 7th annual Bluegrass GreenGuide (April 1 publication date) and the April 12-15 Green Zone at the home show. Contact Ben Perry at (859) 523-4773 or ben@bluegrassgreenworks.org for more information about participation in any or all of these projects. |
||
|
Site Design and Hosting by Kentucky Web Design Company Hensley, Elam & Associates
|