Reminder! Art of Being Green Annual General Meeting – April 12 at 7pm
The Art of Being Green Projects was recently incorporated and has been working on recruiting Directors and developing policies and procedures in preparation for their first ever Annual General Meeting. The meeting will be held next month at the Middleville Community Centre, on the Wolf Grove Road and is open to the general public.
The date of the Annual General Meeting is Monday April 12th at 7:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting includes a review of the corporation’s activities for the past year, the presentation of the By-Law Number 1, a financial report and the election of the Board of Directors for the coming year. Anyone wishing to become a member of the Art of Being Green Projects with voting rights at the Annual General Meeting can do so by signing in at the meeting. Members must be aged 18 years or over and must be present to exercise a vote.
For further information, please contact our Interim President, Roberta (Bobby) Clarke, at 613-256-9424 or email us at green@artofbeinggreen.ca.
ART OF BEING GREEN FESTIVAL IS RE-STRUCTURING
For the past six years, the Art of Being Green Festival has been an important and relevant summer event in Eastern Ontario. Originally conceived as a new summer event to enhance tourism visits to Lanark Highlands, the event has grown in popularity and in the past several years has attracted exhibitors, speakers and visitors from across Ontario. An economic impact study conducted in 2009 by Enigma Research concluded that the festival generated a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of almost $49,000 in Lanark County with spending in the community by our festival visitors of $98,363.
In order to ensure the long term sustainability of the Art of Being Green Festival and with the agreement of the municipality, the organizing committee undertook the process of incorporation in late 2008. The organization received incorporated status as the Art of Being Green Projects in August of 2009. The Art of Being Green Projects is a stand-alone, not-for-profit corporation run by volunteers. The corporation will operate year-round with a variety of environmental and energy-focused workshops and other activities as well as the well-known summer festival. We have applied for charitable status and are awaiting the completion of that process.
Major restructuring procedures are now underway. The development of a long-term plan as well as operating policies and procedures has taken a priority role over the past nine months. These planning procedures as well as our fundraising efforts need to take priority in our volunteer efforts at the present time. As a result the Art of Being Green volunteer planning committee has made the difficult decision not to hold the regular July weekend festival in 2010. Instead, we are in the midst of planning an end of summer event on August 27 and 28 which will include a component called “Fiddling at the Fairgrounds” as well as an al-fresco 100 mile lunch, family entertainment and environmental activities. Watch our website www.artofbeinggreen.ca and the media for more details of this event in the weeks to come.
We have been and will be continuing to organize workshops and smaller projects throughout the year and a calendar of events is available on our website. The full Art of Being Green summer festival will return in July 2011 at the Middleville Fairgrounds as a stronger, fully sustainable event and we look forward to welcoming back all our partners, visitors, and exhibitors at that time.
The Art of Being Green Projects appreciates all the support and enthusiasm shown by our various participants over the past six years. With this new phase of our operation, we plan to provide ongoing year-round opportunities to promote environmental initiatives and sustainable practices with all of our partners. If anyone has ideas for workshops or events for consideration by the Art of Being Green Projects or partnering opportunities, we welcome you to contact us at green@artofbeinggreen.ca.
Green buying: Guide to ecolabels
Reprinted from the Environment Canada web page…
Confused consumer
Are you confused by the abundance of claims that products are “natural”, “recyclable” and “eco-friendly”? Read on to find out more about certified green products in Canada. You can also use our handy wallet-size guide as a green buying tool.
What is Ecolabelling?
“Ecolabelling” is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practiced around the world. The roots of ecolabelling can be found in growing global concern for environmental protection on the part of governments, businesses and the public.
Green Certification in Canada
Energy Conservation Saves You Money!
Middleville, October 5, 2009 – The temperatures of the last few days are evidence that cooler weather is settling in for the long term. While this change of seasons is one of the great delights of life in Canada, it is also a time when we begin to think ahead about how to keep our homes comfortable in the months ahead.
The Art of Being Green has drawn on the expertise of some of their partners to plan an Energy Conservation Workshop for November 21. This workshop will provide many ideas to keep your home warm and cozy, save some energy and save money at the same time. It will be held at the Middleville Community Centre on the Wolf Grove Road from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the cost is just $20.00.
The workshop will include a variety of topics plus opportunities for networking and a round table session with “one on one” appointments with our speakers. Steve Coleman from Rideau Home Hardware Building Centre will kick things off with a presentation about The All Year Payback of Winterizing Your Home. This timely topic will cover the quick and easy things like weather-stripping but will also include information about doors, windows and insulation. Following this, information will be presented about the availability of government grants for home energy renovations. There are a variety of programs from which to choose, and this presentation will make sense of the criteria and eligibility.
A nutritious lunch will be provided by Art of Being Green volunteers with time allotted for networking and sharing of ideas and resources. After lunch, Chris Weissflog from Ecogen Energy Inc. will share his knowledge about Integrated Solar Thermal Systems. Many people are pursuing solar power as an alternative and Chris will bring us his first-hand experience on this topic.
At the end of the formal presentations, there will be some round table question and answer sessions with the workshop presenters. Participants can book short one-on-one appointments with the presenters to have questions specific to their situation answered.
Space is limited for this workshop and pre-registration is required. Call Judy Fisk at 613-278-0816 or email Judy at jefi@sympatico.ca to reserve your space. Payment will be collected at the door.
For further information about the Energy Conservation Workshop or the Art of Being Green, visit our website at www.artofbeingreen.ca. The Art of Being Green is an incorporated not-for-profit organization managed and run by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Art of Being Green 2010 Festival
August 27 & 28, 2010
Location: Middleville Fairgrounds on the Wolf Grove Road (see map)
Fiddling at the Fairgrounds & Fresh Air Festival!
OVERVIEW OF SCHEDULE:
Friday, August 27th from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
3:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Open mic fiddling (call or email to register)
Eco-friendly vendors on-site all afternoon.
Shuttle bus service offered from Perth.
Licensed by LCBO from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Live performances by:
Celtic Fiddle Orchestra
Elly Squared
The Band of Four featuring John Richard
Matt Pepin
Wade Foster
Saturday, August 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission fee includes 100 Mile Local Lunch celebrating the tastes of Lanark County! Buffet beings at 11:00 a.m.
Eco-friendly vendors on-site all day.
Shuttle bus service offered from Perth.
Performances by:
Silly Sally
Music by Jake
Tell Mama
The Mississippi Jug Stompers
Along the Lines
Corkery Road
Little Ray’s Reptiles
AOBG CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phone: 613-264-9979
Toll Free: 877-763-9979
Email: green [at] artofbeinggreen [dot] ca
Mail: 99-B Dufferin Street, Suite 3, Perth, ON K7H 3A5
Website: www.artofbeinggreen.ca
The Art of Being Green is pleased to be a TOP 100 Winner from Festivals and Events Ontario in both 2008 and 2009.
AOBG 2009 Schedule
July 10th – 12th, 2009
Middleville, Ontario
A Celebration of Renewable Energy, Adaptation and Green Lifestyles
Art of Being Green is a success story from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism
Friday July 10th from 5 to 9 p.m. – Kick Off Event with a BBQ and Family Entertainment
Saturday Festival grounds open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday Festival grounds open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
FREE ADMISSION all 3 days
Mailing Address:
Township of Lanark Highlands
75 George Street, Box 340
Lanark, ON K0G 1K0
Phone: 1-800-239-4695 or 613-267-5340
Email: green at artofbeinggreen dot ca
Yellow Pages Group Takes Action by Changing the World, One Step at a Time With Green Communities Canada and Equiterre
MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Marketwire – April 22, 2009) – Promoting ethical consumption, implementing a more efficient energy-saving policy, reducing business travel and producing directories in a responsible way… These are just a few examples of actions to be taken on by Yellow Pages Group (YPG) and its employees as part of the Changing the world, one step at a time campaign developed by Equiterre. This campaign aims at encouraging individuals and organizations to make ethical and ecological choices. Equiterre and its partner, Green Communities Canada, will support YPG in the accomplishment of its commitment. YPG is the first business to be part of this campaign in all its offices across Canada.
“The commitment of a large organization such as Yellow Pages Group demonstrates that it is possible to integrate concrete actions into a company’s business practices to preserve the environment and our communities” says Clifford Maynes, Executive Director of Green Communities Canada. “We are strong believers in the Changing the world, one step at a time program as it motivates people to be proactive about the environment in their everyday lives. We applaud Yellow Pages Group’s efforts and we encourage businesses to do the same.”
YPG has already initiated some important environmental initiatives in its business practices. For example, the company already produces directories composed of post-consumer fibre from Canadian suppliers, vegetable-based ink and hot-melt glue, rendering them entirely recyclable. YPG also only purchases 100% recycled and FSC certified office paper for all its offices across the country. Other initiatives to come in 2009 will include: offering the option to consumers to customize their directory order, reviewing the employee business travel policy, and offering fair-trade products. YPG will report its progress on the different actions put into place over time.
“We are committed to strengthening our environmental initiatives on an ongoing basis and this program gives the perfect framework for us to focus on certain priorities and measure our performance,” states Annie Marsolais, Communications Director of Yellow Pages Group. “We are proud to be working with environmental leaders such as Equiterre and Green Communities Canada to reduce our ecological footprint for the benefits of the communities in which we operate.”
With this campaign, YPG will put into place selected initiatives over the next three years, including:
Have an Environmentally Friendly Wedding
Canadians show their commitment to the environment in many ways – and the newest trend is having an earth-friendly wedding. Couples are serving locally-grown food, purchasing carbon offsets and reducing the amount of waste on their big day.
Another great idea to green your wedding is to set up a charitable wedding registry with a CanadaHelps GivingPage. You can select your favourite charities (including environmental causes) and ask your guests to donate through your page instead of buying you a gift.
Using CanadaHelps Helps the Environment!
Canada Helps
It was recently estimated that the Internet consumes 1% of the world’s electricity. While people are Facebooking, Twittering or Googleing they’re oblivious that favourite web-based services are run on servers. Akin to industrial-strength PCs, it’s servers that consume most of the electricity needed to run the backbone and services of the Internet. Servers need lots of electricity to run – about 200 watts, equivalent to 13 fluorescent lightbulbs apiece!
Event Calendar
| « Aug |
|
Oct » |
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | EC | ||
