The PEA Pod, August 2008

From the Executive Director

August is upon us and summer is almost over. Time is passing so quickly. When school begins on August 25th, my older daughter will be in the fifth grade, her last year of elementary school. My younger will be in second grade. I know it was just yesterday that she started kindergarten. They are growing so quickly. But, neither of them is growing and changing as fast as my baby, Piedmont Environmental Alliance. Since the birth of PEA in June of 2006, the organization has grown into a dynamic and vibrant force for change in our community. We have assembled a Board of Directors with broad-ranging skills and experience who are taking an active role in the management of the organization. We have formed membership, fundraising, finance, and marketing standing committees, with Board members serving as Chairs, to administer the organization. We have produced three successful Piedmont Earth Day Fairs, hosted six enthusiastically received Environmental Exchanges, and launched a beautiful, engaging website that serves as the hub of information on sustainability in our community. Our intern is working hard on our database and on other assigned tasks, and we look forward to hiring more help as funding allows. Associate Director Janet Loew and I will represent PEA at the NC Center for Nonprofits annual convention in Raleigh. PEA will participate in several events this fall, including Rock the Block, as well as hosting an Exchange on Sustainable Eating. Just like with children, though, our organization needs support for healthy and strong growth. A Native American proverb says, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." Join us, support us, and grow with us so that we can ensure our children inherit from us a healthy, sustainable planet.

Terri E. LeGrand
Executive Director

July Exchange a Success

About 70 people attended the July Environmental Exchange & Green Drinks event at Krankies in W-S on July 31st. We enjoyed meeting new members and friends and were pleased to see extensive networking happening all around. Thanks to Krankies Coffee for hosting the event. For those of you unable to attend, our speakers gave us valuable information about greening events and parties. To view the handouts, click below or visit the PEA website.
Your Sustainable Event Checklist (compiled by PEA)
Sources for Greening Your Event (compiled by PEA)
Race Without a Trace (from Thys Wind, Director of Events, Endurance Magazine)
Green Parties Aren’t Just for St. Patrick’s Day (from Mari Jo Winkle)
Event Recycling (from Gary Bilbro, Innovative Recycling Services)
Composting Services (from Gary Bilbro, Innovative Recycling Services)

Announcing our Fall Initiative

Each year, PEA will undertake a Fall Initiative that will educate the public about sustainability, provide an opportunity for PEA to partner with governments, businesses, or organizations, and raise the profile of PEA within the community. A group rich in business acumen and strong in sustainable practices has assembled to bring to you our first annual Fall Initiative. To be unveiled at our annual meeting on October 23rd, our first Initiative will educate the community about the resources they have locally to shop sustainably and will actively support local businesses that are providing a green product or service or have adopted green business practices. The Initiative will also bring tangible benefits to our members. Tantalized? Attend the annual meeting October 23rd to learn more. Meanwhile, thank the following members of our Fall Initiative Committee: Amy Lindsey (Committee Co-Chair, Board Member of PEA), Terri LeGrand (Committee Co-Chair, PEA), Carl Galie (NVIZION Inc.), Janet Loew (PEA), Ines Malick (Express Graphics), Gray Patton (Dry Cleaning Station), Alex Prada (Caffe Prada), Terry Radar (Kirschner Agency), and Darren Schwartz (Great Outdoor Provision Co.).

2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair

The time has come to assemble our 2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair organizing committee. It will be difficult to top the work of the incredibly talented members of the 2008 Committee. They produced the most successful Fair to date, and had a lot of fun doing it. Please join us for our first organizational meeting, Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 7:00 p.m. at 4055 Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem. We will meet, greet, eat … and then get down to business. All are welcome but please let us know you are coming by emailing Terri LeGrand at tlegrand@peaNC.org. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the 2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair, soon to be the biggest and best Earth Day fair in North Carolina!

Volunteers Needed

Worried about the fate of our planet? Wondering what you can do to make sure our planet is here to sustain future generations? Concerned that you have energy, enthusiasm, skill and talent to contribute but no ready takers? Not to worry. PEA is here to help you help us! We need people with marketing, public relations, finance, fundraising, grant writing, graphic design, photography, computer, or organizational skills, and a passion for the environment. Check out our Volunteer page at peaNC.org. Here are just a few of the opportunities you will find there:

Volunteers needed to staff the PEA table at the Environmental Awareness event at North Carolina School of the Arts. Share your enthusiasm about PEA. Tabling materials and give-aways provided. September 27, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 2-hours shifts available. E-mail Janet Loew at jloew@peaNC.org for more information.

Photographer needed! Work with Terri LeGrand to put together a special presentation for the annual meeting on October 23rd. This is a fun, short-term project requiring photography and computer skills. Estimated hours – 10. E-mail Terri LeGrand at tlegrand@peaNC.org for more information.

Love food? Passionate about eating sustainably? Know a thing or two about catering? Your help is needed to assemble a smorgasbord of local, organic foods for our annual meeting on October 23rd. Estimated hours – 10. E-mail Terri LeGrand at tlegrand@peaNC.org for more information.

Calling all graphic artists! We are currently accepting submissions for logos for the 2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair. A free 2009 earth day t-shirt will be given to the first five artists who submit qualifying designs by September 1, 2008 and a special “green” gift basket will be given to the chosen designer. E-mail Janet Loew for guidelines, jloew@peaNC.org.

Ladies ... We Need Your Help

Last Spring, Habitat for Humanity built its first “green” house in Forsyth County. This month, they are starting three new green-built houses. One of those homes will be built entirely by women. PEA has agreed to put together a volunteer team of women to help build this house. If you are interested in spending at least one day volunteering to help build this house or would like more information, please e-mail jloew@peaNC.org. Once we have our schedule, we will send it out to the list of interested participants and fill the spots on a first-come, first-served basis.

Save the Date -- October 23, 2008

PEA will sponsor another fun and informative evening for Triad environmentalists on Thursday, October 23rd. Mark your calendars now. We will begin the evening at 6:30 with a Meet and Greet featuring local food and drinks. At 7:00 we will begin our PEA Annual Meeting during which we will briefly discuss some business and then announce the roll-out of our Fall Initiative, as well as plans for the 2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair. We will conclude the evening with a special guest speaker who will discuss the merits of sustainable eating. Details will be posted on our website in October and featured in our next issue of The PEA Pod. Please plan to join us. Free and open to the public.

Please Support PEA by Joining Today

PEA is a 501(3)c non-profit organization supported by membership dues and donations. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Please support our vision of a sustainable community by becoming a PEA member, or making an additional donation. To contribute with a credit card, visit our website. To contribute with a check, download a membership form and mail it to us. Thank you.