Earth Day is a day to celebrate the progress made for the planet over the years, and get excited about the possibilities of tomorrow.
Two years ago today, on Earth Day 2008, the Sioux Falls Green Project was born. Business and community leaders came together to ignite a local movement meant to educate and inspire Sioux Falls to build a greener future together. You can watch some video footage from that day here.
Today, the Green Project is still growing up. About a year ago we formed a non-profit organization to coordinate the effort, and we’ve worked to build awareness for greener living and business, created opportunities for learning and getting involved, and made a real impact. You’re familiar with some of the work we do, like:
- Organizing the Plain Green Conference & Marketplace, the most amazing gathering of green design and business world-changers to ever hit our region (you can still register for the April 28-29 event),
- Making it possible for the RecycleBank program to help Sioux Falls residents save money and the planet,
- Forming the TrashTalkers team to help local festivals, and festival fans, learn how to reduce waste and recycle like they mean it,
- Sending you simple, local green living tips by email, Facebook and Twitter,
- Hosting workshops on topics like greening your workplace, composting and building rain barrels, and
- Bringing you educational events like monthly Green Drinks mixers, speakers and the No Impact Man movie screening.
We’re also busy working for you and our environment on a lot of things that are less visible, like:
- Reforming recycling ordinances and rules to make it easier for you and a bigger priority for waste haulers,
- Helping a group of public high school science teachers rewrite the way they teach sustainability in the classroom,
- Working with other local non-profits to protect and revitalize our urban forest and to transform a local neighborhood through community agriculture, and
- Assisting a local community college to form a Sustainability Degree program.
It’s a nice start. And, even though today is Earth Day, we won’t be saving our environment all in one day. Real solutions are a journey, not a quick fix. This movement is you, and your efforts, and we want to make it easy for you to be part of it in meaningful ways.
So on this Earth Day, we’re asking for your help.
Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to be sure the Green Project is able to continue our work, and create more and better ways for you and others to be part of this movement? The amount doesn’t matter—we need to show larger funders that they are not alone in making our green future a priority. Whatever you can afford right now would mean so much.
To make your donation, just click here. Thanks so much.
Filed under: Green Project Efforts
