Good evening. Just a quick note to thank everyone who came out to our May meetings this month. Yes I know it's only the first week, but we've already had them both!
Harold Verburg spoke at our community meeting on May 1st and gave a very interesting talk on alternative energy sources like solar power (PV) and solar hot water, wind power and grey water recycling. There was a lively discussion and question and answer session, and I personally learned a lot that I didn't know. Harold is the owner of Trimline Design Centre and training centre, so if you are interested in alternative energy or bio-fuels, or straw bale construction or many other topics, you might want to sign up for a course at their website www.trimlinetrainingcenter.com.
We also had our business meeting this Tuesday May 6. Ross Goodine spoke about his experience as a green entrepreneur with his business, Prairie Dawn Naturals, which I can tell you from personal experience is the best lip balm I ever tasted!!
He also gave us an interactive demonstration of the kind of work he does in his other company - Hidden Dynamics. For those who missed it, Ross will be having an introductory workshop, details below. Click here to find out more about the workshop.
Creating Abundance by Healing the Family Soul
Free Introductory Morning
Saturday May 17th - 10 am -1 pm
Full Workshop
Saturday May 17th - 10 am-6 pm
Sunday May 18th - 10 am-6 pm
Registration begins at 9:30 am
Location: Ritchie Community Hall 7727-98 St.
To register or for more information contact Ross Goodine 432 3732
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Fifth SAGE Meeting
I write this as I look out at a sunny day, and it makes me anxious to get out into the yard to start raking and planning my garden. Ron's Berezan's talk last night on the Edible City was very inspiring. Everyone I talked to got great value from Ron's presentation and I'm sure they were inspired and educated as I was. Thanks to all who attended! We had about 50 people out and we were happy to see so many new faces!If you missed Ron's talk last night - you can find out more about him and the variety of workshops he offers at his website http://www.theurbanfarmer.ca/
On another note, we've redone the website a bit - what do you think about the new logo? We'd love to hear from you. Click here to send us an email.
We are also moving along with the task of formalizing the SAGE group. We've chosen a steering committee and will be having a meeting soon to discuss all the things a "real" group like this should be doing. Once things are confirmed, we will let you know who our steering committee is and our plans for the future. There are lots of exciting things in the works!!!
Our meetings for April are finished, but May is coming soon and so are the next meetings.
Community Meeting
May 1, 2008 @ 7 - 9:30pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Harold Verburg of Trimline Design Centre presents:
“Alternative Energy Options” - Eco-solar tour
Trimline Design Centre began over 5 years ago to offer you the newest in Renewable Energy Solutions and products. These include solar hot water systems for domestic hot water and space heating, wind turbines systems for producing electricity, solar PV systems for producing electricity, personal biodiesel processors for making your own biodiesel from cooking oil, and grey water recycling systems to recycle at least 30% of your household water.
We manufacturer our Integral Drainback Flat Plate Collectors and Data Logging Solar Controllers here in Edmonton and have developed other products such as the Integral Drainback/Storage Tank which we have manufactured in Canada also. A truely made in Canada solution.
Increasingly, the biggest job has been to educate our clients about the technology, and demand for this technology is escalating. In response to this need, we have opened the Trimline Training Centre, a state of the art facility showcasing renewable technologies with hands-on training. We offer courses every month, year around, to accommodate the high level of interest in the emerging awareness of the various technologies. So if you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty, stop by and take a course or two.
Business Meeting
May 6, 2008 @ 10am - 12pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Occasionally at our 'Growing your Green Business' meetings we'll do profiles of successful local green businesses. The meeting is not for them to come in and plug their product or service. It's to discuss their journey as an entrepreneur - what mistakes they've made, what lessons they've learned, what works and what doesn't work for them in growing their business. We think it's incredibly important that we come together to share our stories and learn from each other.
The format will be: 5-10 minutes of presentations about what their company does. Then 10-15 minutes for the moderator to ask them a series of focused questions. The final 35-40 minutes there will be the opportunity for the group to ask them questions.
Guest Entrepreneurs:
Stephani Carter of EcoAmmo and Green Alberta Stephani Carter is a LEED® Accredited professional. She graduated from NAIT Interior Design Technology with honours in 2001 and has been very pleased to be able to return for the past four years to lecture to the graduating class on sustainable design and products and materials. Stephani worked for a couple design firms in Edmonton including Manasc Isaac Architects where she lead their “Green Interior Design Department”. Stephani was actively involved with creating the Alberta Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council in 2003 and has remained on the board ever since. She currently holds the roles of Vice President and Edmonton Program Committee Chair. Stephani is a self proclaimed "volunteer-aholic" and also volunteers for the Riverdale Net Zero Healthy Home, Clean Air Strategic Alliance - Indoor Air Quality Team , and she recently joined the steering committee for "S.A.G.E" (Socially-conscious, Alternative, Green Edmontonians) Network . (HURRAY!!)
Ross Goodine of Prairie DawnRoss Goodine is an entrepreneur and Systems Constellation facilitator who assists individuals and businesses in releasing barriers to their potential.
Ross founded Hidden Dynamics Consulting in 2006 and specializes in working with clients wanting to grow to a higher level in their life, career or business.
Prior to starting Hidden Dynamics, Ross founded Prairie Dawn Natural Body Products Ltd. in 1998 and currently serves as President. Ross developed and launched Prairie Dawn Natural Lip Balm, which was a Finalist in the Canadian Grand Pr ix New Product Awards in 2004, competing with industry giants like Proctor and Gamble.
Ross has been featured in Alberta Venture magazine and has been interviewed on CBC radio.
We hope to see you at the next meetings!
Maureen and Tad
Monday, March 31, 2008
Fourth SAGE Meeting
Another month gone by and spring is officially here! It is so good to have longer days. A lot has happened in the past month, and I'd like to share some of the highlights
We've changed our name, so now the group is called SAGE, which stands for socially conscious, alternative, green Edmontonians. We did this to better reflect the mission and vision we have for this group to serve business and community members. Please read our mission and vision statement for more details.
We had a great meeting about creating the resource directory. About 20 people came out to brainstorm about what kind of directory they'd like and what they want it to do. In my opinion this directory is going to be better than Google!
It's going to list all the green, local or sustainable businesses, have a section for green job postings, a wiki-type glossary of terms, a 5 "foot" rating system so you can search for businesses with the smallest footprint, "5 foot" business profiles, a place to nominate businesses and organizations for inclusion in the listing, and a place to give feedback on businesses similar to e-bay, a community calendar, a search feature that lets you search by business type, product type, or issue - like businesses to help you reduce your impact on the earth, a locator to help you find business within a certain distance of your house or work, a collection of articles and resources submitted by members, a green dating service, and links to the many, many awesome websites that are already out there.
We also had a celebration meeting to share how far we've come and from now on we will be having 2 meetings each month, one for business people, and one for community members. The dates and topics for the next 6 months of meetings is posted on our calendar at right. Our next meetings are coming up soon.
Business Meeting
April 7, 2008 @ 10am - 12pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Tad Hargrave presents :
"Marketing for Green and Local Entrepreneurs"
I've spent the last five years traveling around North America, working hands on with
locally owned, green and community minded businesses like you.
Most conscious businesses I know struggle with attracting enough of the right kinds of clients and keeping cashflow strong. So, we thought it would be a good conversation to start off our business series with (and we left it too late to find any other guest presenters).
Basically, I'll share the 5 minute version of what I do and then we'll open it up into a group Q&A and discussion that I'll facilitate to explore our issues around marketing for an hour or so. My goal is to keep this session very practical, nuts and bolts and focused (vs. wandering, meandering and a chance to soap box).
Community Meeting
April 16, 2008 @ 7 - 9:30pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Ron Berezan presents:
“The Edible City – cultivating connections to our food”
Cities around the world are currently experiencing a tremendous growth in the urban agriculture movement. Whether we hunger for environmental sustainability, for health and wellness, for community, or for a reconnection to our food source and our local bio-region, growing some of our own food can be an immensely satisfying and meaningful experience. This workshop will explore a variety of models for growing food in the city from backyard gardens, to edible landscapes, to rooftop gardens, to permaculture edible forest gardens. Ample opportunities for discussion and visioning will be included.
We hope to see you at the next meetings!
Maureen and Tad
We've changed our name, so now the group is called SAGE, which stands for socially conscious, alternative, green Edmontonians. We did this to better reflect the mission and vision we have for this group to serve business and community members. Please read our mission and vision statement for more details.
We had a great meeting about creating the resource directory. About 20 people came out to brainstorm about what kind of directory they'd like and what they want it to do. In my opinion this directory is going to be better than Google!
It's going to list all the green, local or sustainable businesses, have a section for green job postings, a wiki-type glossary of terms, a 5 "foot" rating system so you can search for businesses with the smallest footprint, "5 foot" business profiles, a place to nominate businesses and organizations for inclusion in the listing, and a place to give feedback on businesses similar to e-bay, a community calendar, a search feature that lets you search by business type, product type, or issue - like businesses to help you reduce your impact on the earth, a locator to help you find business within a certain distance of your house or work, a collection of articles and resources submitted by members, a green dating service, and links to the many, many awesome websites that are already out there.
We also had a celebration meeting to share how far we've come and from now on we will be having 2 meetings each month, one for business people, and one for community members. The dates and topics for the next 6 months of meetings is posted on our calendar at right. Our next meetings are coming up soon.
Business Meeting
April 7, 2008 @ 10am - 12pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Tad Hargrave presents :
"Marketing for Green and Local Entrepreneurs"
I've spent the last five years traveling around North America, working hands on with
locally owned, green and community minded businesses like you.
Most conscious businesses I know struggle with attracting enough of the right kinds of clients and keeping cashflow strong. So, we thought it would be a good conversation to start off our business series with (and we left it too late to find any other guest presenters).
Basically, I'll share the 5 minute version of what I do and then we'll open it up into a group Q&A and discussion that I'll facilitate to explore our issues around marketing for an hour or so. My goal is to keep this session very practical, nuts and bolts and focused (vs. wandering, meandering and a chance to soap box).
Community Meeting
April 16, 2008 @ 7 - 9:30pm Village Lifestyles (10429 - 79 Ave)
Ron Berezan presents:
“The Edible City – cultivating connections to our food”
Cities around the world are currently experiencing a tremendous growth in the urban agriculture movement. Whether we hunger for environmental sustainability, for health and wellness, for community, or for a reconnection to our food source and our local bio-region, growing some of our own food can be an immensely satisfying and meaningful experience. This workshop will explore a variety of models for growing food in the city from backyard gardens, to edible landscapes, to rooftop gardens, to permaculture edible forest gardens. Ample opportunities for discussion and visioning will be included.
We hope to see you at the next meetings!
Maureen and Tad
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Online Directory
Good evening, Since I just sent out the invitation for our next meeting, I thought it would be a good time to update the site a bit.
The next meeting:
Thursday Feb 28 - 7pm
Where: Village Lifestyles
10429 - 79 Ave
Edmonton, Alberta
Behind the post office
What are we talking about this time? There are 2 parts to this gathering:
1. Well, now that we've come up with our vision and mission, based on previous discussions at the meetings, we feel it's time to start working on the things you have told us you want most. There were three areas: networking and connecting, taking action, and a list of resources. This meeting we will focus on the best way to create this list of resources, how it should be organized, and gathering the resources we already know about.
2. relax and connect with each other while watching some mind expanding and inspiring videos.
And this time, Tad is out of town so Joey has graciously agreed to co-chair the meeting! Thanks Joey!
So of course we welcome you to come and mingle and connect, but if you aren't able to make it and would still like to help create this resource directory, please email or call with your suggestions. After the meeting we will be sharing the framework for the resource list and will still be accepting your contributions and ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Announcements!
Several of you have sent announcements that need more explanation/exposure than the calendar provides, so I have set up a section for that in the right hand column called "Announcements". Please feel free to check it out and send in your announcements.
The next meeting:
Thursday Feb 28 - 7pm
Where: Village Lifestyles
10429 - 79 Ave
Edmonton, Alberta
Behind the post office
What are we talking about this time? There are 2 parts to this gathering:
1. Well, now that we've come up with our vision and mission, based on previous discussions at the meetings, we feel it's time to start working on the things you have told us you want most. There were three areas: networking and connecting, taking action, and a list of resources. This meeting we will focus on the best way to create this list of resources, how it should be organized, and gathering the resources we already know about.
2. relax and connect with each other while watching some mind expanding and inspiring videos.
And this time, Tad is out of town so Joey has graciously agreed to co-chair the meeting! Thanks Joey!
So of course we welcome you to come and mingle and connect, but if you aren't able to make it and would still like to help create this resource directory, please email or call with your suggestions. After the meeting we will be sharing the framework for the resource list and will still be accepting your contributions and ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Announcements!
Several of you have sent announcements that need more explanation/exposure than the calendar provides, so I have set up a section for that in the right hand column called "Announcements". Please feel free to check it out and send in your announcements.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The CORE Meeting
Wow, Tad and I just attended a great ECAT/ABC Tech networking dinner! There were over 100 people there from all walks of life, who came together to find out this "eco-thing" everyone is talking about. There were 4 predinner sessions and in ours sesion, we got to meet a bunch of the other groups in the city who are doing amazing things to make their working environments more sustainable, while finding a way to balance the planet, people and profits!
E-SAGE had another meeting on February 13th, and we had packed the room at Trimline Design Training Center - thanks to Harold for letting us use the room! If you are interested in courses on sustainable energy, housing or fuel you can find information there.
At the meeting we broke into groups and talked about specific projects that our group could do or help other groups do. The total list is being complied and we will have the full information soon. We also had the feeling that people wanted a bit more structure and wanted to know more about the purpose and goals of E-SAGE. Tad and I got together on Sunday and spent the whole day working it out, and we're proud to share our new mission and vision statements with you. We appreciate your feedback.
Some things to note:
Our next meeting is February 28th at the Village, more details on the calendar. At this meeting we will be starting the skeleton of our resource directory. Bring a list of all the websites, stores, restaurants, books, people, organizations, etc. that already do something sustainable, or provide goods or services that others need to know about. If you can't come to the meeting, email your ideas to us.
Nominations for the Emerald Awards close on Feb 29th. Check out their website for more information and the nomination forms.
E-SAGE had another meeting on February 13th, and we had packed the room at Trimline Design Training Center - thanks to Harold for letting us use the room! If you are interested in courses on sustainable energy, housing or fuel you can find information there.
At the meeting we broke into groups and talked about specific projects that our group could do or help other groups do. The total list is being complied and we will have the full information soon. We also had the feeling that people wanted a bit more structure and wanted to know more about the purpose and goals of E-SAGE. Tad and I got together on Sunday and spent the whole day working it out, and we're proud to share our new mission and vision statements with you. We appreciate your feedback.
Some things to note:
Our next meeting is February 28th at the Village, more details on the calendar. At this meeting we will be starting the skeleton of our resource directory. Bring a list of all the websites, stores, restaurants, books, people, organizations, etc. that already do something sustainable, or provide goods or services that others need to know about. If you can't come to the meeting, email your ideas to us.
Nominations for the Emerald Awards close on Feb 29th. Check out their website for more information and the nomination forms.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Third SAGE Meeting
Another month has gone by and the excitment and support is still growing. So many awesome things are happening around the city in so many areas it's hard to keep track of it all! (See the calendar at right >)
It's almost time for our first core group meeting! If you are interested in contributing to the group in an organizing capacity - please join us on Feb 13 at Trimline Design Center - see full details in the calendar (at right >).
If you just want to come out and see what all the buzz is about - come to our next group meeting on Feb 28 at the Village. (Details also at right >).
We are also attempting to share some of the other cool things happening around town that you may not have heard about yet. Please check out the calendar - at right for full details.
Hot Dog, we were in the paper today! Check out the pdf version of the article in the box (at right >) to read about the group from some other people's perspective.
And if you would like to know a bit more about Tad and I, you can click on the photos of us in the box (at right).
For all of you who were at the last meeting, you may have noticed that I am still employing my repetitive marketing techinique. So where can you find most of the new information on this page? ______ ______
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources
At the last meeting there was a request that we share the information that has come from our discussions, so here it is.
The first meeting we broke into groups and answered the same question.
"What do we think we know about creating and living in a sustainable community?"
Since there were 8 groups we had 8 versions of the answers. I put all these answers into a spreadsheet and looked for common themes. You can see the spreadsheet here common themes.
At the second meeting we used the common themes from this question to guide our group discussions. Using the following 4 focus question below, we joined the group that we were most passionate about and shared with the others. Click on each of the topic headings below to see what we talked about.
Focus Questions
What projects can we do together that we can’t do alone?
What partners can we identify to work with?
What partners are out there we should find out about?
What ongoing projects do we know about?
Topics
1. Food and Agriculture Issues
2. Building Design
3. Alternative Forms of Energy
4. Food Security
5. Eco village
6. Education
7. Community Building
8. Media
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other News...
We are starting to work on an online directory of resources. If you would like to be part of this creation process let us know by sending an e-mail.
It's almost time for our first core group meeting! If you are interested in contributing to the group in an organizing capacity - please join us on Feb 13 at Trimline Design Center - see full details in the calendar (at right >).
If you just want to come out and see what all the buzz is about - come to our next group meeting on Feb 28 at the Village. (Details also at right >).
We are also attempting to share some of the other cool things happening around town that you may not have heard about yet. Please check out the calendar - at right for full details.
Hot Dog, we were in the paper today! Check out the pdf version of the article in the box (at right >) to read about the group from some other people's perspective.
And if you would like to know a bit more about Tad and I, you can click on the photos of us in the box (at right).
For all of you who were at the last meeting, you may have noticed that I am still employing my repetitive marketing techinique. So where can you find most of the new information on this page? ______ ______
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources
At the last meeting there was a request that we share the information that has come from our discussions, so here it is.
The first meeting we broke into groups and answered the same question.
"What do we think we know about creating and living in a sustainable community?"
Since there were 8 groups we had 8 versions of the answers. I put all these answers into a spreadsheet and looked for common themes. You can see the spreadsheet here common themes.
At the second meeting we used the common themes from this question to guide our group discussions. Using the following 4 focus question below, we joined the group that we were most passionate about and shared with the others. Click on each of the topic headings below to see what we talked about.
Focus Questions
What projects can we do together that we can’t do alone?
What partners can we identify to work with?
What partners are out there we should find out about?
What ongoing projects do we know about?
Topics
1. Food and Agriculture Issues
2. Building Design
3. Alternative Forms of Energy
4. Food Security
5. Eco village
6. Education
7. Community Building
8. Media
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other News...
We are starting to work on an online directory of resources. If you would like to be part of this creation process let us know by sending an e-mail.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Happy New Year
Wow!! There seem to be lots of reasons to celebrate. I like to spend New Year's Eve reflecting on my accomplishments over the past year, and although it was very good, I am really excited about the coming year. It feels like there are positive events happening simultaneously all over the world in all aspects of life. Not the least of which is the activity and momentum initiated by the first E-SAGE meeting.
To keep this momentum going, we have continued to talk about building sustainable communities. Several people who attended the first meeting indicated that they would like to be involved in a core capacity, so here's your chance! There will be a meeting to talk about core issues and possibilities for the network on February 13th. More details can be found on the calendar to the right. Just roll your mouse over the colored square and a popup window will open.
To move to the next month, click the >> arrows at the bottom of the calendar.
The next large group meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Place: Climate Change Central
Western Canadian Bank Bldg (see map)
10303 - Jasper avenue
Western Room located in the basement of the building -
take the escalator down and then go to your left
Feel free to invite others who would be interested in a network of people
who are building a sustainable community.
See you there!
Maureen & Tad
To keep this momentum going, we have continued to talk about building sustainable communities. Several people who attended the first meeting indicated that they would like to be involved in a core capacity, so here's your chance! There will be a meeting to talk about core issues and possibilities for the network on February 13th. More details can be found on the calendar to the right. Just roll your mouse over the colored square and a popup window will open.
To move to the next month, click the >> arrows at the bottom of the calendar.
The next large group meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Place: Climate Change Central
Western Canadian Bank Bldg (see map)
10303 - Jasper avenue
Western Room located in the basement of the building -
take the escalator down and then go to your left
Feel free to invite others who would be interested in a network of people
who are building a sustainable community.
See you there!
Maureen & Tad
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