Greening Children in Michigan

Heidi Suydam — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:40:35 +0000

Today NPR News aired a story about a rural Michigan school district that is pursuing green by using wind turbines to power their schools and offices. The Jr. High Principal, Kathy Dickens, took the initiative three years ago by applying for grants to pursue wind harvesting. As a result of her efforts The Lakers School District was awarded a quarter million dollar grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission.

With that money they purchased three large refurbished wind turbines which now power their elementary school and the superintendent’s office. They have since received another grant and energy smart incentives. The Lakers School District now owns a biodiesel processor in addition to their wind turbines. This spring their high school students will have a “Pressing Party”. They will gather sunflower seeds from the plants growing beneath their wind turbines, combine them with soybeans then press these seeds and beans to obtain oil to make alternative fuel.

Why is this political? This is our future. The students in this community are learning first hand about creating alternate energy sources. Reportedly the students in the Lakers School district are interested in pursuing green in their community and careers. Teaching our children to be good stewards of our land and resources is the future of our country’s economy and security. Beyond politics and Washington, American citizens pursuing energy independence is what will catapult this movement and make a difference.

Photo Credit: Beufort Scale 5 on flickr

TransFair’s Grant to Get Fair Trade into Your Community

Alicia Erickson — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:13:30 +0000

October is Fair Trade month and a great chance to introduce the movement [1] to your friends and families! If your plans are grand but you need a bit of help to get them up and moving, then check out the mini-grants [2] offered by TransFair [3]. They average $500 and are to help promote Fair Trade in anyway you like. "From house parties and café crawls, to fashion shows and festivals, advocates have organized thousands of creative and inspiring activities that build the movement for Fair Trade and bring the benefits of globalization to people all over the world." Entries are due September 15th, 2007 so move fast and get the creative juices flowing! From TransFair, the objectives are: • Projects should contribute to education and awareness of Fair Trade and aim to increase the availability, demand for, and sales of Fair Trade Certified™ products. We encourage you to gather names from event participants to add to TransFair USA’s email list. • Projects should aim to engage members of your community to become active in the Fair Trade movement. We rely on grassroots supporters just like you to spread the Fair Trade message -- and any get involved after attending a Fair Trade event. • Build the Fair Trade movement by financially supporting TransFair USA. We recognize that you may not have thought about using your event as a fundraiser, but we would like you to consider it. We can provide materials to help you think through this component and we are happy to speak with you if you would like additional support. With requirements only 500 words or less, the grant-writing portion of this great opportunity isn't as frightening as you might think. Along with typical contact information and budgeting expectations, TransFair wishes to know your experience and inspiration to become involved in Fair Trade. They also ask for a brief description of your project and possible challenges, with such topics as: • How will your project increase the visibility, availability, and sales of Fair Trade Certified products? • How many people do you expect to reach at your event? • How will you publicize your event? • What educational materials do you plan to use? • What other groups or organizations are you collaborating with? • Do you plan to collect donations to support TransFair's work? If so, what is your fundraising goal? Proceeds in 2006 were used to fund everything from "Fair Trade fairs and product tastings, to radio shows and farmer tours, to conferences and panel discussions." Highlights of some of the larger projects included bringing Tadesse Meskela [4], Ethiopian Fair Trade coffee cooperative manager to speak at screenings of Black Gold [5] and supporting tours with Fair Trade rice and banana farmers. Be creative and find ways to engage your community in an exploration of Fair Trade! [1] http://aliciaerickson.greenoptions.com/2007/09/06/10_simple_ways_to_fair_up_your_friends_and_family [2] http://www.transfairusa.org/pdfs/support/ftm/ftm_grant2.pdf [3] http://transfairusa.org/ [4] http://aliciaerickson.greenoptions.com/2007/05/09/black_gold_the_story_behind_your_morning_brew [5] http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/

Green Options » grants

Greening Children in Michigan

TransFair’s Grant to Get Fair Trade into Your Community