One of the main reasons the Community Greenhouse Foundation sponsored the Green Communities program was the idea of communities sharing good news and stories about the way people and organizations are doing positive things as they related to green sustainable living in their communities. The web sites are geared to act as a conduit to all sectors of the community and other communities around the state. This is a PERFECT example of what this program is supposed to promote and share.

AT&T, the nations largest wireless carrier, introduces an online starter kit for Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS) donation drives and challenges the public to double cell phone recycling by next Earth Day, 2009. In honor of Earth Day and the thousands of men and women serving in the military oversees, AT&T will collect old wireless devices for the Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS) program during the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Green Living Expo on April 26, 2008.

Community Greenhouse Foundation welcomes the support of igourmet.com as its newest sponsor of “Green Communities” program. Supporting the not-for-profit “Green Communities” program for a Brighter, Sustainable Future, iGourmet.com has enabled us to use their program as a preferred affiliate. When you use iGourmet.com for your Organic and Specialty food purchases or corporate gift giving, it supports Greenftlauderdale.com and Community Greenhouse Foundation.

The Community Greenhouse Foundation is a not for profit organization that promotes and facilitates greener communities, through awareness, education and partnering, building bridges and uniting communities.

Have you ever been to a city that has a great bike trail? Last week we rode some of Orlando’s bike paths, including the West Orange Trail, It took us straight through Winter Garden, FL and what a transformation this town has made to it’s downtown. It is a thriving boom town and ties into its rich history, making for one of the region’s prettiest, and revitalized downtowns. Besides the economic benefits, we saw literally hundreds of people, cycling and walking. From families out for a stroll under the forested pathway to groups of bikers on road bikes training for the latest Iron Man, the place was abuzz with energy.

Daily, we’re reminded about the violence and chaos that is Iraq. Not so readily available are ways to help. Many people have asked about how to make donations, for deployed troops and how to help the Iraqis. Here are a few things I’ve found.

Looking for ways to support and honor U.S. military service members and veterans who protect our security and freedom? In years past, you could wrap up a care package and mail it to “Any Service Member” for the holidays, but with increased mail restrictions, the Pentagon is asking people to help through financial contributions, letter-writing and e-mail, purchasing authorized pre-made care packages, or volunteering time through non-profits.

Hidden Potentials is a 9 year old non-profit organization which believes that “every child deserves a fighting chance”. Their motto is the drive behind their program which offers specialized in-home tutoring services to special needs and regular education students.

Founded because of the need of her son, Tristan, Kathy Clinton discovered very soon after his diagnosis of autism that she needed help and she needed it fast! Kathy worked full time at the space center and she and her husband had just been blessed with their second child. Tristan was 3 at the time and totally out of control. He had lost all verbal language and his behaviors made it impossible for the family to go anywhere outside the home.

SBIC is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America’s buildings.

SBIC teaches, values, and advocates a balanced, holistic approach to designing new buildings. These days many terms are used to describe improved buildings, such as “green,” “sustainable,” “high performance,” and “environmentally responsive.” We are always mindful that these ideas must be kept in context with other equally important design objectives, such as aesthetics, accessibility, cost effectiveness, flexibility, high productivity, and security. Our members believe that all sustainable buildings must be low-energy, climate-responsive, use minimal fossil fuels and cleaner, renewable energy.

Young Professionals of Brevard (ypB), a program of Brevard Tomorrow will host its monthly Young Professionals “Meet & Greet” at Ichabod’s Dockside Bar & Grille in the Melbourne Harbor Marina - 2210 Front St., Melbourne on Thursday, June 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The event offers young professionals in the community - ages 21 to 40 - a setting for social and business networking in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. There is no charge to attend, complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available.

Every day we’re reminded that American military personnel are serving in foreign lands. As we write and publish GreenOrlando each and every month I’m ever mindful of those who give of themselves and put their lives on the line to secure our freedom and way of life. Unfortunately, today’s climate in mainstream media often only shows the negative things occurring around the world. This publication’s mission is to shine a spotlight on the good news.

Brevard Tomorrow is a community-driven initiative focused on creating a ‘preferred future’ for Brevard County. This task requires diverse groups and people from around the county to come together to collaborate, communicate and proactively carry out initiatives that will protect and enhance the quality of life for all our residents.

Brevard Tomorrow is working to create a community that prides itself on its educational and workforce opportunities, strong economy, well-planned and sustainable development and redevelopment, and responsive government.
One of the primary areas of focus in the Brevard Tomorrow strategic plan is to create a sound civic infrastructure, one that encourages community understanding, cooperation and involvement in those areas that impact our quality of life.

When I moved from Ohio in June of 2000 to the Melbourne beach area, the world was a different place then. We didn’t have a inclining of fear with the sound of a jet overhead, because we didn’t have our innocence ripped from us, as on that fateful day of September 11th 2001.

Only then were we thrust in to a quandary and decision process with our very survival possibly at stake. We collectively pulled together as a team, as a cohesive group of like minded individuals that were going to do what ever it took to ensure that survival.

In the United States and many industrialized nations, we’re drowning in activity. Most of us have more than a safe number of plates spinning in the air: reports due, projects to manage, meetings to attend, doctor visits, home/auto maintenance, school activities, family responsibilities, finances… It’s no wonder that we plop on the sofa after a late dinner and just veg out. A recent study estimated that the typical 65-year-old will have watched almost 9 years of television during their lifetime. Nine years! There is, however, a way to stop this insanity and gain more control over our lives – especially our work life.

One of the greatest joys I’ve found since moving to Brevard County in 2003 is the opportunity to brainstorm potentially synergistic affiliations with other local professionals.

Smack in the midst of building a financial services practice, a communications venture (speaking and writing) and an online magazine (this one you’re reading, as a matter of fact), I naturally do a lot of networking. I intentionally pay attention to the people around me and try to discern possible connections that could produce win-win scenarios.

American Cancer Society Works to Save Lives
The American Cancer Society is determined to ultimately eliminate cancer as a major health threat. While striving to reach this goal, the American Cancer Society works daily to save more lives until a cure is found.

The real strength of the American Cancer Society lies in its volunteers, who translate policy into reality. Motivated by personal experiences and concern for others, they accomplish the mission of the American Cancer Society. You can join us in accomplishing this mission by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, a team event to fight cancer.

What do you get when you add a strategic marketing firm, a design studio, an IT company, two development teams, an internet marketing company, and a public relations duo? You get serious talent, with almost no overhead. You get a lean, mean, communications team, who networks with most everyone in Brevard County. You get Giant3.

You’ve seen their work. It is everywhere. From the United Way’s award winning website, to Brevard County’s new branding campaign, built from Brevard Tomorrow’s storytelling workshop. The Cocoa Beach Area Chamber’s InSite, 211Brevard’s branding, Brevard Job Link, WA1A, XL TechGroup, and yes, GreenBrevard are all examples of their work.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida has been serving the local community since 1975. The mission of the program is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships by developing the emotional, social, educational, and physical well being of the child.

Last year in 2003-2004, we served 662 children in Central Florida. Currently, we have over 175 children waiting for a Big in Brevard county.

The Littles in our program can be served in two ways:

It was late after dinner, almost bedtime, when my son, a first-grader, informed me in a distressed tone of voice that he had not done his school homework, which was due the next morning. Instinctively, I asked him “what are you going to do about it?” Since he looked a bit perplexed, I helped him explore various options. Little did I know at the time, however, that I was following the Love and Logic techniques promulgated by Jim Fay, an internationally recognized educator, speaker, and consultant. The Love and Logic approach can be summarized succinctly in the following way: “Love allows children to grow through their mistakes. Logic allows them to live with the consequences of their choices.”

Have you ever heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child?”
The saying of course refers to the belief that it not only takes parents to raise a child successfully, but the process also needs grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors, teachers and pastors, even strangers. By joining together, the child benefits from the love, understanding, knowledge, as well as the watchful eyes, of many people working as a team to raise a happy, healthy child.

But what does it take to raise a village? The same concept of utilizing teamwork to raise a child also works to maintain a happy, healthy community.

Have you ever heard the story of Stone Soup? It’s one of those timeless stories that talks about how, by itself, a community can only get so far; the ingredients seem bland and lacking. But together, with everyone pitching just a few little scraps into the boiling water, we can stir together something wonderful, a tasty Stone Soup.

A community realizes it really is rich when it works together. We can overcome any obstacle, we can reach great heights–if someone just dreams it.

We are hard-wired for community. Despite wherever we find ourselves upon the extraverted-introverted continuum, there is a basic and powerful element fused within our emotional DNA that seeks meaningful connections.

The most anti-social person among our peer group still hungers to have rapport with another. An unspoken symbiosis transcends all cultural, economic, political and religious barriers. Ultimately, in this world given to the discretion of human beings, we all play on the same team–as disparate and conflicting our objectives and methods can be.