Green World Cafe Event Archives

Thank you to everyone who has attended our Green World Cafes. We look forward to seeing you again! Together we can help create a future that works for all!
May 1st 2008	“How to Green Your Home and Life” How do we as individuals get on board to reap the health and monetary benefits of this movement? How do we increase our quality of life as we go green? Wendy Cooper will lead a fun and interactive discussion about ways to incorporate green building principles, products and technologies into new and existing homes. Explore concrete ways to increase the market value of your home, save money and time, and be sustainable. Wendy Cooper, LEED Accredited Professional, MSW has been an active member of the professional green building world for the past 6 years. As President of Green Home Building Pro, Inc. she guides building teams and homeowners about options for building green. Wendy is also President of Earthome, Inc. a non-profit organization consisting of volunteers dedicated to discover, live and educate about sustainable ways of living. Prior to relocating to Florida, Wendy was a major contributor to both the Baltimore City Green Building Task Force and the Baltimore Environmental Network of Synagogues. As a consultant to the sponsors, the US Green Building Council and the Greater Urban League of Baltimore, Wendy negotiated with the Home Builders Association of Maryland to add Green Way to the 350 vendor annual event in 2007. She recruited 25 green building businesses to promote their services on Green Way. Moreover,Wendy coordinated and facilitated a large residential sustainable building event during the 2007 Baltimore Green Week. Wendy wrote an on-going sustainability column for the Maryland acclaimed OPW Magazine entitled "Clean Living." She is co-author of the recently published book, "Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs." Wendy was interviewed for BBS Network Inc., a syndicated radio show, on green building in the public and private sectors. Wendy's "first" career was that of psychotherapist after obtaining a Masters in Clinical Social Work degree, providing her with skills to negotiate for conflict resolution and lead teams to produce results.
April 3rd 2008	"Creating a Safe Holistic Preschool" More than More than anyone else, children are most susceptible to the toxins in our environment. Being exposed to chemicals like bleach that are abundant at many preschools is not healthy for a developing child. How do you create a safe learning environment for children free of these toxins? What are the other physical, environmental and social elements that make up a green preschool? Karen Leonetti, owner of Earth Angel Preschool, will address these subjects and more at the April 3, 2008 Green World Café. Karen Leonetti is a committed, passionate individual working to provide an enriching environment focusing on the body, mind and soul of little people ages 3-6 years. Karen opened Earth Angel Preschool on Siesta Key in 1997. This holistic preschool is free from chemicals, pesticides and toxins.
March 6th 2008	"The Green Bandwagon" Why aren't more people already on the "green bandwagon"? It seems so obvious and natural to us. What are some ideas and approaches we can use to gently, yet effectively get more people around us to adopt a greener lifestyle - for their own benefit as well as the planet's benefit? Dr. Joel Hamaker will discuss three major categories of the environmental mindset. Then he will lead an open discussion of ways that you can encourage our less-than-green acquaintances, in ways that they will be receptive to adopting an encironmentally friendly way of living. In addition to Dr. Hamaker's insights, your specific ideas and experiences on this matter of persuasion will be invited.
Feb. 7th 2008	“Truly Connect With Nature” How do we develop a deeper, more mystical connection with nature? How do we balance high tech with high touch? How do we synthesize a new healthy relationship with nature while living in the information age? Anne Cederberg is the featured speaker at the next Sarasota Green World Café. She will lead us in experiences that will help us discover our personal relationship with nature. Come and bring your open mindedness and willingness to explore. Teachers are especially invited to join us. Anne Cederberg is a professional Interpretive Naturalist, nature photographer and author. She seeks to empower others in their own connection with themselves and the rest of the natural world.
Dec. 27th 2007	"The 11th Hour Film" 11th Hour showing and interview with associate producer, Stephan McGuire. Location: Sarasota Film Society at Lakewood Ranch. Synopsis: Drought. Famine. Severe flooding. Record rainfall. Hurricanes. Acid rain. The highest average temperatures in recorded history. Catastrophe is reported on the nightly news as isolated incidents. But are these incidents isolated, or pieces of a larger global puzzle that could unlock humanity's future?
Nov. 1st 2007	"Take Action Against Global Warming" Global warming threatens our way of life in Florida. To avoid its worst impacts, scientists say we need to reduce our global warming pollution 80% by 2050. How can we as individuals organize for effective global warming action? What are the hurdles we must overcome in Congress to initiate national change? How are the National Environmental Trust and Greenpeace campaigns tackling the issues? Campaigners Eli Rosenfeld and Joe Smyth will address these subjects at the November 1, 2007 Green World Café.
Oct. 4th 2007	“A Green Yard For A Green Home” What makes a landscape truly “Green”, “Florida Friendly” and adequate to meet the requirements of Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green Home standards? Landscape Architect Frank Solinko will address these issues at Sarasota Green Connection's October 4, 2007 Green World Café. Frank J. Solinko is a Florida Registered Landscape Architect with professional experience spanning the public, private and academic sectors for over twenty-four years. Frank Solinko has experience in Master Planning: Creating vision for future development based on Sustainable Planning Principles including Traditional Neighborhood Design, the New Urbanism, “Green” buildings and marketplaces, and well integrated, safe and pedestrian friendly streetscapes using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Principles.
Sept. 6th 2007	"Shared Housing Solutions" Is Shared Housing Sarasota's next solution to affordable housing?? Is Co-Housing legal? What are the real restrictions on an extra cottage on a single family lot? What happens when several people who are not related decide to live together? These questions and more will be answered at Sarasota Green Connection's September 6, 2007 Green World Cafe when three great professionals will be sharing their knowledge and helping to create a new direction for housing solutions. Monica Nazar from the Community Housing Trust, Nancy Sloan, senior loan officer from National City Mortgage and attorney Tami Conetta from Ruden McClosky are going to shed some light on how people who want to live together can make it happen. Monica Nazar will present the brand new and existing CHT programs available to help people become home owners. Those who are not related may want to live in the same home, but what does zoning allow? Lenders will finance a house with multiple unrelated people on the mortgage, but how many? Nancy Sloan will explain some of the opportunities and challenges of financing today. Perhaps the most critical item in the partnership is the arrangement between the residents that makes it work. Attorney Tami Conetta will address private agreements. How will decisions about improvements and repairs be made? What happens if one of the residents dies? How does one individual get out of the arrangement if it becomes necessary? These and other questions need to be sorted out ahead of time in a written document that's something of a cross between a pre-nup and a partnership agreement, explains Conetta.
Aug. 2nd 2007	"New Commitment to Going Green" Troy Larkin of Eslinger Homes will be the featured guest at the August 2nd Green World Cafe meeting. They have recently committed to building all their homes to meet or exceed Florida Green Building Coalition standards. Eslinger Homes is the first builder in the area to make such a commitment. They will be discussing the paradigm shift that led their business to make the change along with the procedures necessary to implement the transformation. Eslinger Homes is a local family owned and operated company that has been building in the Sarasota and Manatee area for over 30 years. They were recently featured on BayNews 9 and in several local newspapers and magazines chronicling their decision to Go Green.
July 7th 2007	"Live Earth Celebration" Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. The concerts will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience via internet. Learn more about this event at http://www.liveearth.org/ Sarasota Green Marketplace and Living Walls Furniture & Design are co-sponsering a Live Earth House Party. Come in and join like minded friends and neighbors!
June 7th 2007	"Thyme for Gather-Thyme for Dinner" Come to 4428 Bee Ridge Road for Sarasota Green Connection’s first ever Traveling Sarasota Green World Café hosted by Cherie and Dennis Dinoia, co-owners of Thyme to Gather-Thyme for Dinner.
Apr. 5th 2007	“An Indoor Environmental Awareness Workshop” The Air & Water Center is an indoor environmental technologies company offering products and services designed to provide exceptional solutions for improving air and water quality in both light commercial and residential applications. The Air & Water Center Resource Team, a coalition of independently owned businesses specializing in fields relating to indoor air and water quality, sponsors these indoor environmental awareness workshops in an effort to improve the quality of life in our community by sharing research, technical information, ideas, products and solutions. In the workshop they discuss the three categories that make up indoor air pollution, what the problems are associated with poor indoor air quality, and how serious the issue really is. The water quality portion of the program is along the same lines - what’s in the water we bathe in and drink, what the problems are associated with it, and how serious the issue really is. Finally, they will discuss simple solutions to remediate or correct the situations as they exist and ways reduce your exposure to toxins in your home or office. At the end of the presentation you will be able ask questions of top professionals from the indoor air and water quality industries. They can answer your questions about the difference in technologies, equipment or applications available for water or air purification, treatment, filtration, conditioning. John Cozy of the Air & Water Center has 12 years experience in the cleaning and restoration industry. His certifications include: Advance Oxidation Technology- Indoor Air Quality Specialist, Mold Remediation Tech., NORMI (National Org. of Remediators and Mold inspectors), Mold Inspection, Odor Control, and holds a Masters Certification in Textile Cleaning and Restoration.
Mar. 28th 2007	"Grand Opening of Sarasota Green Marketplace" Sarasota Green Marketplace officially opened the doors to its new retail location at 2864 Ringling Blvd. on March 28th 2007!