GrassRoots (this is now an archive blog)

Woodrow Cummins Elementary Caring A Whole Awful Lot

2010-05-25T16:35:00.003-05:00

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

- The Lorax

Do you remember reading The Lorax by Dr. Suess? The classic children's story was first published in 1971, but its message has never been more relevant. The story is told by the Once-ler, who used all the natural resources in the land, which has devastating impacts on the other living creatures and plants. The Lorax speaks for the trees and tries to warn the Once-ler about the consequences of his actions.

Mrs. Smith's class at Woodrow Cummins Elementary in Conway was inspired to take action after reading the book and here their video blog.

The Dr. Suess website (www.suessville.com) features games, classroom activities, news, and tips related to environmental issues raised in The Lorax.

Many people have already suggested that preserving our trees is a good idea. What other lessons can we learn from The Lorax or Mrs. Smith's class?

www.grassrootscentral.org

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

2010-05-24T16:40:00.002-05:00

Hundreds of neighbors from across the country and the world will gather in Little Rock this week for the Neighborhood USA’s 35^th Annual Conference. The mission of NUSA is to “build and strengthen neighborhood associations and to promote productive communications and collaborations between those associations and both the public and private sectors.” Several sessions are dedicated to community sustainability and how community organizations can work with local government on green issues. Topics related the four issues areas of the Green Agenda include:

neighborhood revitalization
the importance of public parks
land banks
affordable housing
urban gardening
traffic safety
community collaboration
community sustainability
and many more!

If you are inspired by anything you read or hear about at the conference, please share your ideas about how to improve our Green Agenda.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Addicted to Cheap Energy

2010-05-21T08:41:00.003-05:00

Hello, my name is Arkansas, and I'm addicted to cheap energy. (Hello, Arkansas)

Actually, you could insert any state into that sentence and it would still be true.

Arkansas Business recently published an article by J.D. Lowery that discusses how we are not paying the true cost of energy. The combination of the oil disaster in the Gulf and the coal mine tragedy in West Virginia earlier this year should be a wake up call that these cheap energy sources are not so cheap. So what now? Lowery argues that once the true costs of energy are figured in, it should be clear that we can not afford to operate business as usual and legislation like the American Clean Energy & Security Act can help us move as a nation toward self-sufficiency when it comes to energy.

"Don't believe in climate change? No problem. Support legislation toward energy independence because it serves our national security interests. Do it because the short- and long-term projections show that it is better for our economy. Ask your legislators to support legislation that ensures our country leads the world with an economy based on innovation rather than just replication. "

We are still seeking your opinions on how we can use energy in a more efficient way and make better use of energy resources in Central Arkansas. Vote, comment, or add your own ideas.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Future Leaders

2010-05-19T08:34:00.005-05:00

Check out the video blog below to see how the future leaders of central Arkansas helped shape the Regional Green Agenda earlier this spring. More than 50 students, educators, and facilitators participated in central Arkansas first Grass Roots Youth Summit, designed to engage area youth in helping grow a regional Green Agenda to create a more sustainable region, at the Clinton School of Public Service.

There are only a few days left to submit or vote on ideas relating toMovement, Power, Nature, & Knowledge

Focusing On The Future- Green Party of Arkansas

2010-05-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

"Future Focus/Sustainability" is listed as one of the Ten Key Values of the Green Party and the mission statement for the Green Party of Arkansas includes working for "an ecologically sound and sustainable society." In the following guest submission, Mark Jenkins, a member of the State Executive Committee of the Green Party of Arkansas, says we should look West (not toward Oklahoma or Texas but to Western Europe) for guidance on best practices for sustainability:

Most of the older first world nations are leaps and bounds ahead of the United States on environmentally sustainable practices.

We need to look at models provided by our elders in Western Europe as well as our own past. Nearly all Western European construction is upward, not sprawling outward diminishing the quantity and quality of rual areas.

Local agriculture is intensive and largely self sustaining as opposed to the practices of large and (often multinational) agri-business.

In the United States one of the Ten Key Values of all Greens is to immulate the practice of the Iroquois by treating the interests of the seventh generation yet to come as equal to the interests of the present.

Personal responsibility and government accountability are no longer an option, but an imperative.

Submitted by Mark Jenkins, member of the State Executive Committee of the Green Party of Arkansas

You have less than 1 week to tell us how we can take "personal responsibility" and increase "government accountability"
in Central Arkansas. Don't forget to VOTE at the polls and VOTE for ideas you support relating to Movement, Power, Nature, and Knowledge.
www.grassrootscentral.org

Conserving Arkansas’ Natural Treasures- Democratic Party of Arkansas

2010-05-18T09:02:00.001-05:00

Arkansas is the natural state and it must remain that way. Not only is Arkansas’s environment vital to our tourism industry, it is most important because it is our home.

We face many environmental challenges such as wetlands conservation, forestry management, protection of public waters, management of commercial animal waste, solid waste disposal and recycling procedures, sustainable agricultural methods, the overuse of fossil fuels and other conditions which cause noise, air and water pollution.

The Democratic Party believes that the exploration of alternative energy sources--especially the use of biodiesel fuels, ethanol, and conversion of wood waste--should be encouraged and promoted. In particular, a shift to increased usage of biodiesel presents a unique opportunity for Arkansas. Not only will it have beneficial effects on our environment, but it will also have a favorable impact on the agriculture and economy of Arkansas.

Recycling is an important first step in the preservation of Arkansas’ beauty. Existing recycling programs should be expanded, and new programs should be started where there is a need for it. This will put us one step further in guaranteeing the future of Arkansas.

In all environmental matters, we must consider ourselves caretakers of the land. The Democratic Party of Arkansas believes that we should look for balance in allowing commerce to fairly reap the benefits of our natural resources while preserving or restoring the condition of those resources. We must aim to further conserve Arkansas’ natural treasures. Our legacy to future generations should be to pass on our “Natural State” in a better condition than we received it.

Submitted by Gabe Holmstrom, Senior Advisor, Democratic Party of Arkansas.

You have less than 1 week to tell us how we can "conserve [Central] Arkansas’ natural treasures." Don't forget to VOTE at the polls and VOTE for ideas you support relating to Movement, Power, Nature, and Knowledge.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Personal Responsibility in “The Natural State”- Republican Party of Arkansas

2010-05-18T08:06:00.001-05:00

What are the top three things that come to mind when you hear the word “Republican?” I bet you didn’t guess “environment,” did you? Yet, what many don’t know is that the health and beauty of Arkansas, and all of America is extremely important to our party. After all, we do live in “The Natural State.”

We encourage Arkansas Republicans to take leadership roles in challenging all private business and citizens to protect natural resources and the environment without further government regulations.

At our party headquarters, we have our own “green agenda.” We recycle aluminum cans, monitor our use of heat and air, and make sure we turn off every light that we aren’t using. We even recently replaced our windows with ones that are more energy efficient. As a community, we should actively encourage recycling to reduce waste, the conservation of energy, and choosing products which are not harmful to plants and wildlife.

The Republican Party of Arkansas supports sensible local, state and federal programs to promote a thriving natural environment and advance economic prosperity in areas like the promotion of land conservation and stewardship.

Tourism is one of our state’s most profitable industries. People throughout our nation visit “The Natural State” expecting to enjoy a clean and beautiful environment while engaging in activities like, hiking and kayaking. Every person who climbs to the top of Pinnacle Mountain should feel as though they are the first to discover such a spectacular view. They should not have to gaze at unsightly waste such as, aluminum cans, water bottles and granola bar wrappers.

We believe it is individual, environmentally friendly acts which educate and inspire others to “go green.” If you recycle, you may inspire a friend to recycle, who inspires their family to do the same and so on. The power of personal responsibility to create a sustainable future for our region will undeniably allow our economy to prosper and quality of life to strengthen.

Submitted by Doyle Webb, Chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas

You have less than 1 week to tell us how we can "promote a thriving natural environment and advance economic prosperity" in Central Arkansas. VOTE at the polls and VOTE for ideas you support relating to Movement, Power, Nature, and Knowledge.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Throwing $ Out The Window

2010-05-14T09:19:00.005-05:00

You wouldn't dream of buying a car without knowing how many miles per gallon it averaged, right? Or, if your car had a leaky gas tank, and a good portion of the gas you put in the tank just ended up leaking out, then you would get it fixed as soon as possible, wouldn’t you? Well, what if you viewed your leaky house like your damaged gas tank? Wouldn't you want to make sure that the money you were paying for utilities was not going to waste? A certified home energy rating is the resource needed to achieve this goal. There are even mortgage loans which can help you improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Certified home energy raters are professionals who understand and can accurately measure the energy efficiency (or inefficiency!) of a physical structure. They are trained and must pass a rigorous, nationally recognized exam to earn and maintain their certification. Some of the types of structural issues that can affect your home's energy use include air leakage from damaged heat and air conditioning ducts, the amount of insulation in your attic or walls, the amount of air leakage around windows and doors, and many other factors.

You can hire a certified home energy rater to measure your home's energy efficiency. Home energy ratings are a recognized tool in the mortgage industry and for government incentives for energy efficiency. The HERS Index quantifies the energy performance of a home based on a set standard, and therefore provides an easy way to compare the energy efficiency of different homes. In April 1995, the National Association of State Energy Officials and Energy Rated Homes of America founded the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to develop a national market for home energy rating systems and energy efficient mortgages. RESNET's standards are officially recognized by the federal government for verification of building energy performance for such programs as federal tax incentives, the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program. RESNET standards are also recognized by the U.S. mortgage industry for capitalizing a building's energy performance for mortgage loans.

So what does this mean for you, the consumer? If you are buying, building, or refinancing a home, you should be aware of a mortgage that might help you save thousands of dollars. These mortgages are called Energy Efficient or Energy Improvement Mortgages (EEMs or EIMs) and are available for all types of loans: FHA, VA or conventional.

How do these EEMs and EIMs work? For an energy efficient home, it could mean giving the home buyer the ability to buy a higher quality home because of the lower monthly costs of heating and cooling the home. For homes in which the energy efficiency can be improved, this concept allows the money saved in monthly utility bills to finance energy improvements from the very first day you move into your home. The cost of the upgrades is bundled into the mortgage, and buyers pay it back over the life of the loan.

Now the plans may get a boost from Washington—if a contentious bill makes it through the Senate. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which narrowly passed the House last June, includes provisions designed to encourage energy efficient housing. Among other things, the bill requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to offer incentives to get more borrowers to use energy efficient mortgages.

If you are planning a mortgage, loan file documentation requires a recognized home energy rating system (HERS) Rating Report. Or, if you just want to learn how you might improve your current home’s efficiency, certified home energy raters can provide the necessary inspections and documentation, final inspections and quality control to ensure improvements are installed correctly.

Ron Hughes is the owner of HERS, Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas, founded in 1995. You can reach him at ron@hersinc.com or at 501.353.0605.

What do you think about incentives for energy efficiency or requiring energy home inspections when selling a home? We want to hear from you on these issues and more.

Share Ideas. Vote. Participate.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Moving Feet & Safe Streets

2010-05-12T14:10:00.004-05:00

As a parent, one of the most important things to me is my child's happiness, health and safety. I have always enjoyed outdoor activities and I can remember the day I bought my daughter her first bike and walked alongside her as she learned to ride first with training wheels, then without. We lived in a Little Rock neighborhood that had no sidewalks, and I wanted to teach her how to be safe walking and riding on the streets. It was definitely a scary time, as a parent, letting go, but I managed to teach her as best as I could, then allow her to walk to school as she grew older and we moved closer to her school. Even now, as she has graduated from high school, I worry about her riding a bike around Little Rock.

For many of us adults, we can recall a time when there were more neighborhood schools, and we walked or rode our bikes not just to school, but perhaps all over our communities. A lot has changed in the past 2-3 decades and the car culture has only grown and city planning and growth has tended to be prioritized towards motorized vehicles. However, I believe our desires to connect physically with our environments has remained constant, and that we really WANT our children to be able to experience those liberating moments of independence, exploration and discovery that we fondly treasure. Plus, riding a bike is just plain FUN!

What can we do as adults and children to "re-green" our communities regarding active transportation and recreation? Get involved at your child's school and investigate ways they might be able to get more children walking and biking to schools. A national program called Safe Routes to School focuses on just this priority, and more information can be found at arsaferoutes.org.

If you don't have children, check to see if your city government has any sort of bicycling and/or pedestrian plan in place, or find a local organization that advocates for cyclists and pedestrians, such as Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas (BACA), bacar.org.

Utilizing our streets and public spaces for "multi-modal" transportation and recreation that is safe and equitable for ALL users, from children riding bikes, to elderly or disabled persons, to motorized vehicles is a very important way for us to make our communities more green, more livable and safer for everyone.

Julie Hendrix lives in Little Rock and works part time as the State Network Organizer for the Safe Routes to School State Network Project. The Arkansas Network works to increase physical activity among all students, ensure that federal Safe Routes to School funds are spent on quality projects, leverage additional state resources for Safe Routes to School initiatives, and advocate to remove barriers to walking and bicycling to schools through policy initiatives. You can email her at arkansas@saferoutespartnership.org

What do you think we can do to make streets safer for all ages? Tell us your ideas www.grassrootscentral.org

Location, Location, Location

2010-05-11T13:16:00.003-05:00

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Location, Location, Location”? Realtors use the phrase to describe the three most important factors in determining the desirability of a property.

If you dream of living in a community where you could walk and bike almost everywhere, keep “Location, Location, Location” in mind. Some central Arkansas neighborhoods are more walkable and bikable than other neighborhoods. Interested in finding out how walkable your community is? Visit www.walkscore.com and enter your home address. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address based on the distance from your house to nearby amenities. Easier it is to live without a car, higher your walkability score.

I live in downtown Little Rock. I put about 3,000 miles on my car each year because I can walk and bike almost everywhere. I walk to the Main Library to borrow books. I bike to Certified Arkansas Farmers Market to buy fresh local produce. I work in the Granite Mountain area and ride bus to work.

Walkable and bikable communities help you stay healthy and save TONS of money. I’ve shed several pounds since I began taking bus to work. I also fuel up my car once a month instead of every week, saving me approximately $90 per month. I can walk and bike almost everywhere because of my location, which, according to Walk Score, has a walkability score of 77 out of 100.

For my walkability score to be higher, though, I need help from city, state, and federal agencies. Government agencies play a major role in improving walkability of your neighborhood. They can:

Implement code changes that allow increased height and density in downtown
Allow homes, businesses, and offices to co-exist in a building, leading to mixed-use development
Invest in public transit systems
Build bike lanes on main streets

My walkability score would enjoy a big boost if municipalities encourage compact, livable urban neighborhoods instead of urban sprawl. But for municipalities to act, we the citizens must do our job of voicing our support for walkable, bikable communities. We must then work with them to help plan such communities.

So, what are you waiting for? Walk, bike, or ride bus to municipal governments. Tell them we want pedestrian- and bike-friendly communities!

Nao Ueda with her hero, Administer Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency, at the Earth Day Network National Climate Rally.

Nao Ueda is the Outreach Coordinator for Audubon Arkansas. In her spare time, Nao runs an environmental blog, GreenAR by the Day.

Getting to Know Your Audience

2010-05-06T08:37:00.004-05:00

Greetings loyal readers of the Grass Roots Blog!

During most of the year I spend my time inside the halls of Sturgis working on homework at the Clinton School of Public Service where I’m working on a Masters. Currently I’m spending 10 weeks in St. Lucia, a small island about 3 times the size of D.C. in the Caribbean. Unfortunately what brought me to paradise is climate change.

Climate Change affects the lives of those living in the Caribbean on several levels. At the forefront of climate change, the various islands here have seen the results of global warming, and it isn’t pretty. Many of the islands went through a drought, and when there’s a drought for long periods of time there are water outages. During a water outage it’s not uncommon for schools to close down. As parents are typically out at work during the day children are left unsupervised and left to their own devices. In this scenario a number of things could go wrong in the lives of youth.

This is just one example of how climate change impacts the lives of the Caribbean. It’s really much more intricately involved than that. Health, Economy, Tourism, Education – everything it seems is impacted by global warming. Thus, climate change is a critical issue. It’s so pervasive actually that the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) identified global warming as a major threat that needs to be addressed immediately and set as a priority. The OECS has urge the island countries to combat the negative effects of climate change by making people aware of what’s going on in their environment and how this relates to their community.

In this sense there is not that much difference between Arkansas and the Caribbean. Both areas of the world have recognized that climate change affects its respective communities; both areas likewise have recently made efforts to address climate change through policy and grass root campaigns like Grass Roots. Additionally, both the Caribbean and Arkansas are making major strides as each has recognized that awareness and education are two necessary components in any project which aims to curb the negative behaviors humans have which contribute toward warming our globe year after year.

Climate Change is not an easy issue by any means to solve. It’s a monster with many heads that is intertwined with other major issues like economic integration, health, social issues and not to mention sustainability and the environment. The biggest problem facing our environment, however, might not be the ice caps melting, endangered species becoming extinct, or land masses going underwater. No. The biggest threat we face today as we move ahead is apathy from people who either don’t care about our environment or don’t care enough to take any action.

This is where any number of solutions may be helpful. My project specifically involves a partnership with PCI-Media Impact (http://www.population.org/ ), an organization based out of New York which utilizes creative media to generate social change. Over the next 2 – 3 years Media Impact will be involved with a radio series drama which will provide contextual evidence for those living in the Eastern Caribbean to not only care about their environment but have motivation to do something about it.

At a workshop earlier last week we learned that basically there are three types of people we as environmentalists or public servants encounter. These people are:

Those who say they will never be convinced of or accept global warming.
Those who say they could be convinced IF…
Those who say they are already convinced but there are just so many other pressing issues right now.

Thus, a blanket statement of the ill effects of climate change may hit home to some of these people but not all. For those people who say they will never be convinced – we should highlight how vulnerable and closely linked their livelihood is to climate. For the people who are on the fence – it’s all about credibility. It’s not enough to say in some remote village somewhere that the environment has drastically changed, but they need to know how concretely it matters to them. For the third and final group the talk is all about sustainability, impact and adaptation.

As you continue with whatever work you do I encourage you to think about these three types of people. Rather than move a person from stage 1 to 3 in a matter of minutes, I would encourage you to gently nudge a person so that they move them self by their own volition from stage 1 to 2 and eventually 3. Until all of us are at stage 3 and are willing to recognize that this is an important issue we cannot expect real change to occur. It should be our ultimate goal to make each person an advocate for a responsible coexistence to continue living in the short and long term future.

Know your audience. And more importantly – talk their talk.

Judy Watts is a Master of Public Service Candidate 2011 at The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and native of Longview, TX. Judy was a part of a practicum team that worked with the Arkansas Community Foundation to pilot transformational leadership programs across the state and created a "Convening-in-a-Box Toolkit" for local affiliates to use as a resource in engaging leaders and facilitating action steps in communities. Read more about her adventures in St. Lucia this summer at her blog: http://judysaysnowomanisanisland.blogspot.com

How should we do a better job of knowing our audience in central Arkansas? Share your ideas how we can reach people in stages 1-3. www.grassrootscentral.org

Voting for Politicians, Pizzas, & Promising Ideas

2010-05-04T16:07:00.008-05:00

It seems the call to action this month is VOTE.

You may have noticed that early voting started this week. Metroplan shares office space with the Pulaski Election Commission, so it's hard for us to miss the campaign signs that line the sidewalks leading to the building.

While I was waiting to go on THV's This Morning yesterday, I watched a segment on Pizzapalooza 2010. Local pizza joints are going head-to-head to battle for the title of best pizza and THV is asking its viewers to vote for their favorite. I started to wonder if this is just a ploy to get free pizza for the news staff when I saw how fast they dug in to those pizza pies after the segment. Just in case you were wondering, it's Larry's Pizza vs. Damgoode Pies and US Pizza Co. vs. Shotgun Dans.

Here at Metroplan's Grass Roots, we already asked you to vote in April, and you listened. The original plan for Grass Roots was to give you until Sunday to add all your ideas and vote on your favorites, but we didn't realize how much you would like this whole voting thing. Central Arkansas is on a roll! So far we have over 3,600 votes on over 130 ideas how to improve central Arkansas. We figure we should give you a little more time and see what other brilliant ideas surface. So now you have until May 23 to to add an idea or check out some of the new ideas that have been submitted in the last week or so. Now is your chance to let us know what you think.

Go to http://grassroots.ideascale.com/ and VOTE!

Here's what is in the lead today:

Movement

1) More Bike Trails

2) Advance Public Transportation

3) Design Roads For People, Not Cars

Power

1) Encourage Energy Efficient Buildings

2) Take Personal Action

3) More Incentives To “Green”

Nature

1) Eat and Grow Local Foods

2) Make Recycling More Efficient and Accessible

3) All Schools Should Recycle

Knowledge

1) Start Educating Early

2) Involve Kids

3) Increase Access To Information

Self-Preservation or Polar Bears: What Matters Most to You

2010-05-04T09:53:00.008-05:00

With the exception of a few elementary school visits to the Memphis Zoo, I’ve never seen a polar bear. I’d also to point out that there are hardly any polar bear documentaries on TV these days. My guess is that Shark Week and Armageddon documentaries are a little bit more popular.

Speaking of sharks…did you know that the Great White Shark is the only shark which is able to lift its head above the surface of the water and look for prey AND that shark teeth break off and new ones appear? Sharks can change 20,000 teeth through their life.

And don’t get me started on 2012!

However I digress from my original point.

I guess you can say I’m kinda disconnected from polar bears. I don’t know them and they don’t know me. I doubt that I’ll ever invite one over for Scrabble and iced tea. But for some strange reason, a particular talking point for this green movement is feeling sympathetic for polar bears. A perfect example is the polar bear animation in Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”. In the animation, it talks about how the polar bear has to swim longer distances to find food, but dies in the process. Indeed this is a sad predicament, but if you’re disconnected from something that you’ll never see (save for a zoo visit in the 2^nd grade), how can you feel sorry for it?

It took an inter-nationally recognized environmental advocate to make this make sense to me. On April 27^th, the Pulaski County Brownfields Program hosted a luncheon featuring Jerome Ringo. Ringo served as Chair of the National Wildlife Federation and the Apollo Alliance. It was during his lecture that Ringo presented EDUCATION as the intersection point for ENVIRONMENT and ECONOMICS.

Question: If a person’s primary concerns are their utility bills and their inability to create higher earning potential (which is an ECONOMICS issue), why would they care about polar bears or sustainability initiatives (which pertain to the ENVIRONMENT)?

Answer: You create a package that addresses both of their concerns. You EDUCATE them about career-track green employment that can lift them out of poverty. You EDUCATE them about the cost-saving measures through CFL light bulbs and weatherization programs for homes.

A green jobs program can serve as an exceptional centerpiece to build a local green economy around. When you promote opportunities for job training and reinforce them with job placement, communities begin to improve. Neighborhoods can become economically viable again, people will begin to know more about sustainability, public health will be protected, and random people throw confetti to show their appreciation. Well…there won’t be any confetti, but people are generally pleased with the results of green economic development.

Sam O’Bryant works for Pulaski County as its Brownfields Program Administrator. The Pulaski County Brownfields Program works with prospective property owners to assess and remediate contaminated properties in Pulaski County, AR. Sam’s hobbies include slamming revolving doors and counting to infinity.

Sam brings up a good point about education. How do you think we can do a better job educating people in central Arkansas about green employment or environmental issues that affect them? We want to hear your ideas and see what you think of others.

www.grassrootscentral.org

Sharing a Ride for Cleaner Skies

2010-05-03T01:21:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder how cities known for bad smog got that way? It wasn’t overnight…it was a long process of ignoring the small but crucial steps in city planning that could have kept more cars off the streets and more “green” in the landscape. As a growing city, Little Rock is already working on expanding its transportation avenues via very visible construction on I-430, widening and adding lanes. Wouldn’t this be prime time to make that additional lane a carpool lane?

Larger cities such as San Francisco and Denver have already turned to this avenue to reduce the carbon emissions: encouraging carpooling. Now that Little Rock has distinct residential areas and several work hubs, surely enough people are going from point A to point B around the same time to support said carpool lanes. Considering carpooling? Erideshare.com or arkride.com are great places to look for others interested in saving some green and being green. Carpooling not an option? Consider doing your part with carbon offsetting through non-profit organizations like Terra Pass or the Carbon Fund. And most certainly write to your local officials supporting proactive steps in “greening” our city.

Linda Bortell is a Pharmacist with Green Earth Pharmacy in downtown Little Rock.

Do you have an idea how we can improve air quality or our transportation system in central Arkansas? Submit your ideas and vote on others this week.www.grassrootscentral.org. So far "More bike trails & better transit" is our top suggestion in the Movement category. Tell us what else you care about.

PSST: "GO GREEN"

2010-04-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

Cross-posted from In My View....... (4/25/2010)

Years ago the story was told of a mother who would whisper in her son's ear each night she put him to bed "Be a dentist", with the fervent hope being that such a repeated subliminal message would become a reality. Whether true or not is unknown, but the method is one that has been used effectively by advertisers for ages, and is still worthy of applying to other more timely messages. While not whispered, the message I repeatedly received this past week was "Go Green".

First, this past Thursday former President Bill Clinton spoke to the Downtown Little Rock Partnership (http://arkansasonline.com/video) on a variety of subjects but it his remarks about the environment on which I wish to focus. Since one of his foundation's missions is to address climate change (the subject of a previous blog), he was promoting the concept of going green as not only being good for business but also helping revitalize urban areas. In fact he cited his own Presidential Library which enjoys a platinum rating under the LEED's design rating system as being a prime example. In addition he mentioned another initiative between his foundation and the State of Arkansas that will retrofit state buildings to improve their energy efficiency. His message came within the same week I received a catalog from Office Depot devoted exclusively to GROW GREENER products.

Next, I caught the appearance of Josh Dorfman on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program who was promoting his Lazy Environmentalist movement. For anyone seriously interested in the environment and learning more about what part he or she can play to protect it, I strongly urge you to go to his website at http://lazyenvironmentalist.com. I think you will be very impressed with the breadth of topics it covers, as well as the numerous links it contains to other interesting and relevant sites.
For instance you can link to a March 8, 2010 U.S. NEWS article by Maura Judkis entitled "10 Ways to Save by Going Green". I won't list them all, but three of my favorites were Flip the Switch, Get Paid to Recycle and Conserve Water. Picking up on the second point, another great link was to http://gazelle.com which specifies what products destined for the dump you can actually sell (e.g. cell phones, printers, etc.), calculates the prices and gives all shipping instructions. And then there was a totally separate website I stumbled on at http://tightenuparkansas.org that gives a whole host of information about what one can do to make his or her home more energy efficient, and at the same time benefit from some immediate incentives to do so.

Finally, on a personal note, I want to mention a very special website http://brightbuiltbarn.com which chronicles the amazing story of a friend and her husband who joined with a group of other environmentally committed individuals in Maine to construct one of the world's only carbon neutral buildings that produces more energy over time than it consumes. We all could learn from this cutting edge project, so please visit their site and begin your education now. In short, it was a very "green" week for me.

Coming full circle, there is a ton of information out there to improve the environment just for the asking, but none of this is going to happen until the awareness level is raised in everyone's mind about the environment and what we can all do individually to make it better. In other words, consider this week's blog my whisper in your ear: "GO GREEN".

Larry Lichty is a long time resident of Little Rock, Arkansas who has been active in various educational, church, civic and city organizations, commissions and boards over the years including Little Rock Rotary Club Board, Little Rock School District Strategic Planning Committee, Public Education Foundation of Little Rock Board, First United Methodist Church Board of Trustees, Little Rock Smart Growth Initiative, Little Rock Planning Commission, Little Rock Board of Directors, Little Rock 10-Year Homeless Plan Committee, Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission and Little Rock-NOW!.

Do you have an idea how we can GO GREEN in central Arkansas? Submit your ideas and vote on others this week.www.grassrootscentral.org. Be part of a dialogue that has the potential to change central Arkansas.

Protecting Low Income Arkansans from High Energy Costs

2010-04-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

Through a quirk of legal action, Arkansas has a totally backward law regarding the cost of electricity and natural gas service for low-income customers.

Many Arkansans make enough money that electricity and natural gas bills are not a big concern. But the cost of heat, light, and power often take up 20% or more of the monthly check for low-income Arkansans.

This is not just a concern for the individuals directly affected: the struggle to pay for essential heating, lighting, and cooling reduces disposable income available to local retailers, influences the health of children and elderly residents and reduces productivity for workers in the home and elsewhere. Furthermore, the cost of the personnel needed to send cutoff notices, do accounting paperwork, and re-connect customers is passed through to all utility customers. All customers and the utilities themselves would rather invest in better service, not repetitive collections efforts.

Unfortunately, a state Supreme Court decision several years back interpreted Arkansas law in such a way that it essentially prevents state regulators from designing the kind of “lifeline rates” or other low-income assistance that are common in other states, and that would prevent some of the waste of cutoff notices, fines and re-connection fees. The Court didn’t absolutely outlaw more streamlined regulatory solutions for low-income ratepayers and utilities, but its decision left enough gray area that even people who think regulators could take positive action concede that the actions would face a court challenge.

Why is low-income assistance a “green” issue? Clean energy solutions such as energy efficiency and renewable energy often require upfront costs within the utility system in order to save money later on, or to transition to cleaner energy sources. Legitimate concerns can be raised about placing some of these costs on low-income customers. State policymakers should not have their hands tied in responding to these concerns, especially in an area of such importance to the future of our economic competitiveness.

If there is one thing this personable state should be able to do, it is come up with clear legislative authority for state regulators to design common-sense solutions so that a very cold winter doesn’t lead to cutting off essential services for low-income neighbors, and to wasted money throughout the system. We are better than that and smarter than that. I look forward to positive action on this subject during next year’s legislative session.

Eddy Moore is an attorney in Little Rock

Do you have an idea how we can make sure everyone in central Arkansas has equal access to green opportunities? Submit your ideas and vote on others this week.www.grassrootscentral.org. Tell us what else you care about.

Elected Officials Commit to Grass Roots

2010-04-28T11:54:00.004-05:00

I just gave a pretty exciting update on our Grass Roots campaign to the Metroplan Board. So far
people have voted over 2,000 times for over 100 ideas they think would help us develop a Green Agenda for central Arkansas. Thank you for all of your support so far! I challenged the elected officials on our board to make a commitment to spreading the word about Grass Roots and encouraging their citizens to participate before May 9. Many chose to accept the challenge and signed our participation board. Check it out and see if you can pick out your elected official's signature. (hint: Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski, and Saline Counties are represented)

If you haven't submitted any ideas or voted, you still have time! Our site will be open until May 9; then we will see what you thought was most important; and begin to to develop our Regional Green Agenda.

www.grassrootscentral.org

In addition to coordinating the Grass Roots effort, Jasmin Moore is a planner with Metroplan, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for central Arkansas.

Old Meets New

2010-04-26T11:51:00.006-05:00

As a Construction Management Student with UALR and working in the industry for the last decade, I have found that new building construction is always an exciting time but when removing an old building to erect a new one, nostalgia sometimes creeps in and gives a sense of loss. One way to keep the old with the new is to incorporate building materials from the old building into the new one. There are numerous processes which allow for the fusion of old and new and all while helping the environment by diverting waste from landfills.

If the existing building is a brick structure, instead of demolishing the brick façade take the extra time to remove the brick, clean the existing mortar and reinstall as the entry of the new building or it could be the paved walkway leading guests to the new building. Another feature could be taking the brick indoors and using it to create a water feature in the entry. A great example of this can be seen in the entry way of the Mosaic Templar on 9^th street in Little Rock. Almost the entire building was destroyed by fire but the entry and pediment was saved and reinstalled at the new facility.

Concrete is usually considered to be permanent however, that old sidewalk or foundation could be crushed and reused as aggregate in the new concrete drives, sidewalks, or even concrete panels to create the walls for the new building. This process can be seen both with concrete and asphalt on almost any interstate in Central Arkansas. The highway contractor brings in large machines to “chew up” the asphalt and concrete so it can incorporated into the new paving. This eliminates the concrete being dumped in a landfill and it uses materials that do not have to be mined and processed.

Recycled glass is another great way to reuse building materials. IceStone is a solid surface material made from 100% recycled glass and cement to create a high performance, green concrete material. These countertops can be used anywhere a solid surface is desired including lavatories, break rooms, or tabletops can be made from these materials for a truly custom conference table to proudly display your company logo.

If you want to add some original pieces with personality, contact salvage companies that are demolishing old buildings. Pieces with historical significance can be an interesting addition to your modern architecture. You could partner with a local artist to make an old meets new piece for the focal point in your building. Old solid wood doors and windows can be transformed into planters, part of water features, or any other piece you can dream up – your imagination is the limit!

While some of the existing structure’s building materials can be incorporated into your new facility, some cannot. However, almost all building materials can be recycled. By using a little extra time when removing the materials and sorting them into separated containers (usually provided by a recycling facility at little or no charge), you can not only save money on debris removal costs but gain a little money by selling the scrap metals that would have normally ended up in a landfill.

So, when you are working with your team to design the building that is uniquely you, don’t forget the old buildings that held memories along the way.

Donna Mantione is a Construction Management Student at University of Arkansas- Little Rock and works for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Do you have an idea how we can reduce waste in central Arkansas? Submit your ideas and vote on others this week.www.grassrootscentral.org. So far "Eat & grow local foods" is our top suggestion in the Nature category. Tell us what else you care about.

Community Gardening for Reluctant Gardeners

2010-04-23T08:25:00.000-05:00

Eating fresh local produce: yummy! Growing fresh local produce: awful, painful, impossible!

That’s how I felt until I got roped into volunteering at the Argenta Community Garden a few years ago. I saw gardening as an epic struggle with nature, with me on the losing end. The weeds come back. Bugs feast on the plants I’ve been carefully tending. It’s constant upkeep!

And, oh, there’s so much I don’t know! Soil amendments, hydration systems, weed barriers! What kind of mulch do you need? When should you plant the green leaf lettuce? If the potatoes grow underground, how do you know when it’s time to pick them?

Gardening is confusing, overwhelming, often backbreaking work, and, as I learned when I joined the Argenta Community Garden, I absolutely love it. The good news is that it doesn’t take expertise, tons of free time or even a green thumb; it just takes a community.

So here are my top 5 reasons why even reluctant gardeners will love community gardening:

1. If you don’t know how, someone will. Some people can grow anything; they understand the ways of plants. Chances are, some of these blessed individuals live in your very own neighborhood and would love to teach you everything they know. The beauty of community gardening is that you aren’t alone. When the squash won’t grow, your neighbor with the green thumb will know why and how to fix it.

2. Food you grew yourself tastes better. The small, dirty potatoes we harvested last summer weren’t exactly impressive physical specimens, but they were made with love. Their soft, papery skins were so thin you could peel them with your fingers, and they were perfect with just a pinch of salt. The alchemy of planting something, waiting for it to grow, harvesting it and sharing it with friends creates unexplainable tastiness.

3. There are 1,000 ways to cook okra. Or, pretty close to it, as we learned last summer when a bumper okra crop forced us to get creative. Community gardening invites you to expand your palate. Turnip greens, mustard greens, three varieties of peas, several shades of hot peppers—I’ve tried them all now and collected recipes from my fellow gardeners.

4. Your neighbors are pretty cool. There’s nothing like digging in the dirt to bring people together. Sometimes we chat, other times we work in companionable silence. Always, we enjoy each other’s company.

5. It’s good for your neighborhood. Alright, so we’re not growing enough produce to sustain us throughout the year. But we’re creating a little shared green space in our neighborhood where folks can come together to enjoy and learn about nature. We’re not just growing a garden; we’re growing a community.

Sarah Kinser works at Arkansas Community Foundation, teaches Comp I at UALR and lives and gardens in North Little Rock.

Do you have an idea how we can make central Arkansas a little greener and healthier at the same time? Submit your ideas and vote on others this week. www.grassrootscentral.org. So far "Eat & grow local foods" is our top suggestion. Tell us what else you care about.

Now Is The Time for Action

2010-04-22T08:16:00.004-05:00

Earth Day “Week” has come fast and furious this year. It seems like everyone these days is talking about protecting the planet or being “green”. I’ve learned through speaking at schools over the past two years, talking to kids and adults, that being “green” means different things to different people. For some it can be making personal changes like watching how much water you’re using to remembering to turn off the lights. For others it can be learning to grow your own vegetables and getting friends together for a cleanup.

When I was asked to write a blog for Earth Day I admit I wasn’t sure what the focus would be. There is so much to talk about this year. My message to you is to become a good environmental steward. Be aware of your surroundings and always be thinking about how to improve including simple things like recycling and reducing your use of stuff. Whatever you do, do something. Get involved and stay involved.

I want to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy all of the festivals, activities and community events happening this week. Take the opportunity to figure out what’s important to you when it comes to environmental awareness. We all have causes that we’re passionate about and it’s really important now more than ever that you find what’s important to you. It could be starting to recycle at home, eliminating plastic water bottles from your life or going as far as starting a green club at your school. In Arkansas we have some cool opportunities to really make big changes. People ARE listening. It’s up to us to ACT NOW.

In Arkansas:

Arkansas Earth Day Festival

www.arkansasearthday.org

April 24, 2010

North Little Rock River Front Park

Great websites that can give you even more ideas:

Riley Hoffer is the founder of CG Kidz, a non-profit focused on kids and the environment, and an award winning youth environmental leader. She is a United States Green Building Council Youth Leader and teen eco-activist, and travels the country speaking to kids about what being “green” means. Riley has received numerous awards for her environmental awareness work and works tirelessly to spread a message of sustainable living. She can be reached at riley@cynergreen.com or www.cgkidz.com

If you are ready to ACT NOW, be sure to add your voice to the discussion in central Arkansas. Submit your ideas about how we can ACT NOW and vote on others today in honor of Earth Day! www.grassrootscentral.org

Reducing Eco Footprints in Bryant, AR

2010-04-21T08:46:00.004-05:00

How many earths would we need if everyone lived like you? The second through fifth grade students in Collegeville Elementary's Green Team (Bryant, AR) know. Check out the video blog below to find out what the students are doing to reduce their eco-footprints, including "Waste-free Wednesdays."

Do you have an idea how we can reduce waste in central Arkansas? Submit your ideas and vote on others through May 9 to shape our Green Agenda.

Thank you to Mrs. Brown and the Collegeville Elementary Green Team for sharing your story!

The Cooler Points of Going Green

2010-04-20T08:34:00.004-05:00

Grass Roots welcomes our first guest blogger, Sam O’Bryant

I want you to raise your hand if you’ve never lost cool points.

Okay…none of you have your hands raised. That's either because: you're human and you have lost cool points from time to time or you thought it would be silly to raise your hand because you read on the Internet that you should.

And then again, you may not know what cool points are. Simply put, cool points offer a system that describes how cool a person is. Whenever a person does something good or bad they gain or lose cool points. For example, you can lose cool points for tripping on a completely level sidewalk or calling your girlfriend’s father by his first name. However, cool points can be gained by doing nice things. Holding the elevator door open one second longer offers MAJOR cool points!

The weird thing about cool points is that the points aren’t counted. The thing you do to gain or lose the cool points is usually remembered for a long time.

There you go. Cool points defined. Raise your hand if you’re still with me. Okay…again…no hands were raised.

From a more serious standpoint, we’re losing plenty of cool points as it relates to the environment. We waste tons of water and energy because of old habits we’ve picked up. We don’t mean to waste these resources on purpose. We just haven’t thought of ways to undo our habits and change our thought processes.

Until now….

Here are two green-friendly tips on how you can go about regaining some of those lost cool points:

Turn off all lights when you leave a room. Don't leave lights on when no one is in the room. If you are going to be out of the room for more than five minutes, turn off the light. Where possible, use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Those funny-looking bulbs produce the same amount of light by using 1/4 of the electricity. Plus, they last for years and years without burning out.
Don't leave water running while you brush your teeth. A standard bathroom faucet uses 2.5 gallons of water per minute. The American Dental Association claims that the average time spent brushing teeth is 45 seconds per day. 45 seconds is 3/4 of a minute. Using these figures, the average person, who keeps the water running while brushing their teeth, will use 1.875 gallons of water. 1.8 gallons a day?!?! Most people don’t drink 1.8 gallons of water! In the long run, that means allowing 684 gallons to run down the drain in a year's time.

Now…I just gave you two ways to conserve water and energy. Not to mention, you’ll conserve some cool points, too. The best part about it all…I gained some cool points by sharing this information. Those ought to come in handy…especially since I lost some cool points by tripping UP the stairs on my way to the office this morning.

Want to earn some extra cool points? Look around your community and tell us how to improve:

Submit your ideas and vote on others through May 9.

It's Called Grass Roots for A Reason

2010-04-19T16:48:00.003-05:00

It’s called Grass Roots: Growing Our Green Agenda for a reason. We are building this plan from the ground up and now is your chance to add your voice. From April 19 through May 9, Metroplan is asking you, the people of central Arkansas, how we can make sure central Arkansas is a place we want to live, work, and play in 20 years. We want to hear from you on these four categories:

Roads, Public Transit, Walking, Biking

Tell us how we can improve the way we use transportation in central Arkansas

Energy Efficiency, Energy Sources

Tell us your ideas about how we can use our energy in a more efficient way and make better use of energy resources in our region.

Air, Water, Land, Waste

Tell us how we can improve the air and water quality of our region. How can we reduce waste and preserve our natural land?

Awareness, Education, Inclusion

We want everyone to know about the issues affecting our region. Tell us how we can spread the word to everyone in central Arkansas.

What’s a good idea? You tell us. Not only do we want to hear your good ideas, we want you to take a look at the ideas other’s submitted and vote for ideas you like.

Find out how you can submit and vote for the ideas you care about at www.grassrootscentral.org or go straight to voting at www.grassroots.ideascale.com. Check back here through May 9 to read different perspectives on the issues.

Top 5 Reasons to be a Guest Blogger

2010-04-14T11:00:00.004-05:00

Anyone that attended the Grass Roots Youth Summit knows that we have a strange love for the number 5. Is it a coincidence that if everyone in the world lived like we live, we would need 5 planets to support our lifestyle? You tell me!

Anyway, today we have a Top 5 list for you.

Starting next week, April 19, you will find a variety of guest blogs from people in the community about the very issues that we want your feedback on: Transportation, Energy, Natural Resources, and Education. Here is your opportunity to be one of our guest bloggers.

TOP 5 REASONS TO BE A GUEST BLOGGER ON GRASS ROOTS

You have something to say. The whole idea behind the Grass Roots campaign is to engage people in central Arkansas in the process of growing our Green Agenda. We want to hear what you have to say and this blog is one of the ways you can get involved.
New audience. You see the same people at the same meetings and events. What better way to reach all of central Arkansas than sharing your perspective here?
Short & Sweet. Posts are only 100-500 words. We are not asking for your life story or a long report on sustainability. We just want to hear what you think central Arkansas will look like in 20 years or why are you passionate about sustainability issues. Pictures are always welcome too!
It's now or never. We'll be posting guest blogs until May 9, so this is a limited time offer!
Free Stuff! You will be entered in a drawing with the other guest bloggers for a special edition Grass Roots t-shirt!

Grass Roots Youth Summit

2010-04-14T09:14:00.002-05:00

Crossposted from Clinton School of Public Service Blog

A group of regional high school students joined Clinton School students last week for the first Grass Roots Youth Summit, designed to engage area youth in helping grow a regional “green agenda” to create a more sustainable region.

Clinton school students Julianne Dunn (’10), Todd Moore (’10), Judy Watts (’11),Julie Meyer(’11), David Monteith(’11), David Watterson(’11) and Kim Caldwell (’11) provided facilitation and mentoring for the participants.

Forty students representing high schools and junior highs in Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline and Lonoke counties developed and prioritized what they considered the five most important sustainability issues impacting the region before dividing into teams tasked with considering obstacles and possible solutions for each issue. The issues included transportation, pollution/recycling, energy, global warming and creating awareness for all these issues.

“Our science club at school recently started emphasizing recycling more, but there were some really cool ideas that were brought up at the summit that we can start to consider as well,” said Elliott Baxley, a senior at Benton High School and a member of the Benton Mayor’s Youth Council. “I don’t think the environment is a high priority with a lot of people and I think it should be.”

“I was a part of the group that worked on awareness and we came up with some great slogans and ideas to help create awareness in the community about some of these issues,” said Lindsey Martin, a ninth-grader at Benton Junior High. “The whole atmosphere was great. The brainstorming sessions really produced some great ideas.”

At the end of the summit, students were asked to commit to at least five sustainable activities – from drinking more tap water to helping eliminate plastic water bottles to considering alternative forms of transportation to help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and air pollution.

“One thing I committed to was iQuit or quitting drinking bottled water,” said Benton High School junior Cameron Bowden. “I always thought it’s probably not the most environmentally-friendly thing to do, but after watching a video at the summit on how much waste those plastic bottles create, I know I need to stop doing that immediately. I expected to gain new perspectives and hear different opinions and I did get that. I just didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.”

“I saw a lot of people who care about making a change,” said Megan Matthew of Bryant High School. “And the more people that are involved, the more they can change things.”

The Grass Roots Youth Summit was the first stage of a three-stage effort that will also include a public engagement and feedback period from April 19 to May 9 and the development of a “regional green agenda” later this year. Metroplan, the regional planning organization for Central Arkansas, is coordinating the effort.

“Because we’re planning for the future, it’s appropriate for the future leaders of our area to be involved in the process,” said Metroplan’s Jasmin Moore. “Starting April 19, we will be asking everyone in Central Arkansas to tell us what is important to them and how they think we should be addressing those issues on a regional basis. Then, after the region tells us what is most important, we will take that information and start developing a regional green agenda.”

Area residents can visit www.grassrootscentral.org for more information as well as to access links to Grass Roots blogs, videos, and social media sites. A regional photo contest will be announced soon and a live voting tool will be added to the site April 19 – allowing everyone the opportunity to provide suggestions and vote on ideas submitted by their neighbors.

-This post was authored by Clinton School student Todd Moore.

24 hours to Grass Roots Youth Summit!

2010-04-02T08:58:00.002-05:00

Well, it's almost here. Tomorrow students from all over central Arkansas will come together at at the Grass Roots Youth Summit, hosted by Metroplan held at the Clinton School of Public Service. Students will be challenged to think about what "green" is and work together to come up with solutions to improve the sustainability of central Arkansas. Check our facebook page next week for pictures of the Summit.

"Adults always say things like, 'It’s great to have kids involved, you guys are the future.' But we’re more than just 'the future.' We’re here now. We are the present, and our voices do make a difference. Let's work together to change the world, not just occupy it"- Alec Loorz, 14, founder of kids-vs-global-warming.com

Ideas Taking Root

2010-03-27T17:19:00.005-05:00

After getting the green light from the Metroplan Board of Directors last week, we are moving full steam ahead with Grass Roots: Growing Our Green Agenda! The Board was excited to hear about what we have planned in the upcoming weeks and the City of Benton even put a link to our homepage on their website. Thanks Mayor Holland!

We're gearing up for a busy week. On Monday Metroplan is bringing together local experts on sustainability and asking them what they think we should be addressing at the regional level. We'll be supporting the Arkansas Green Restaurant Alliance (AGRA) by ordering lunch from Boulevard Bread Company. Then on Saturday, April 3, we will be holding our Grass Roots Youth Summit. High school students from all over central Arkansas will be coming together to talk about what sustainability issues are important to them and then commit to action. Why are we asking youth what they think? Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said it best last week, "Kids don't think about what limits us; they think about what propels us. They excel at dreaming up transportation ideas that can really take us places that the adults in their lives may be unwilling to go." Huge thanks to the Clinton School of Public Service for partnering with us on this event.

Hello World!

2010-03-08T09:18:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Grass Roots blog!

We will be blogging throughout the Grass Roots campaign this spring to keep you informed about what’s going on. We are still in the early stages, but we’ll let you in on what we have planned so far.

First, a little bit about us. Metroplan is the regional planning organization for central Arkansas and we are developing a plan to create a more sustainable region. There is an old saying, “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” We have a responsibility to live in a way that will not compromise the choices that our children can make.

Because we’re planning for the future, it’s appropriate for the future leaders to be involved! We are asking elementary, middle school, and high school students to provide their voice in the plan for tomorrow. Which brings us to stage 1 in our process…

Stage 1: Your Ideas Taking Root

We are listening to our youth, a team of experts, and our own Green Task Force to help determine what topics we should be addressing at a regional level. We will be posting photos and videos from the events on our facebook page and at www.grassrootscentral.org

Stage 2: Growing Our Green Agenda

This spring, we will be asking everyone in central Arkansas to tell us what is important to you and how you think we should be addressing those issues on a regional basis. During Stage 2, you will want to visit this blog frequently because we will have guest bloggers everyday providing their perspectives on the issues.

Stage 3: Producing a Sustainable Future

After you tell us what is important to the region, we will take that information and start developing a Regional Green Agenda. By working to help our Green Agenda flourish, we will help the central Arkansas region thrive!

This is your region and your plan, so join the Grass Roots movement and tell us what you think!

Ways to join the Grass Roots movement:

Twitter: @metroplan

Facebook: tinyurl.com/grassrootsfacebook

Blog:http://grassrootscentral.blogspot.com

Website: www.grassrootscentral.org

youtube: www.youtube.com/grassrootscentral