Massachusetts-born Mike Parziale a GreaseNotGas transplant to the West Coast ~ converting vehicles to run on waste veggie oil, spreading the word about alternative energy and sustainability and driving skiers and boarders in his Grease Bus

I’m so inspired by all the human energy put toward sustainability and conscious capitalism. I particularly love stories of the social and eco-entrepreneurs, rolling up their sleeves and doing the work… Here’s a personal favorite:

Here’s a great blog post from YoBeat (a snowboarding website) including an 11-minute video of Mike Parziale telling his story.

Check out Mike’s latest (ad)venture on his Grease Bus Website including an NPR interview on the grease not gas topic.

Here’s one of my favorite videos of Mike’s. Lots of chuckles and educational, too!

And, a few pics from Mike’s Grease Not Gas website:

And people think I’m crazy with my Time Well Spent concept!

Full disclosure, Mike’s my nephew…

Mike (aka Mighty Mouse) back when I used to babysit for him!

Regardless ~ It’s still all true! Check out the links, all!

And, keep up the great work, Mike!

Carpe Diem ~ Nancy

 

Hamilton Wenham Library Speaker Series FYI ~ “Bias, Imbalance and the Perception Gap in Arab and American Media.”

Passing along info about an interesting local speaker tonight at HW Library from my contact there, Beth Myers who always has her fingers on the pulse of good things that are happening…

 

This presentation by Crocker Snow at the hamilton-Wenham Library tonight has not been well publicized and I thought some of you might be interested in attending if you have a free evening.  Considering Mr Snow’s background and experience on the international scene, this talk should be fascinating.  —Please take a look also at the rest of the new ”Keeping Current” series. 

Beth

Library speaker series (http://www.hwlibrary.org/Images/pdf/KeepingCurrent.pdf). Tuesday November 10th 7:30 pm. Hamilton Wenham Public Library Crocker Snow Jr., an Ipswich journalist, will offer his insights into “Bias, Imbalance and the Perception Gap in Arab and American Media.” This is the latest in our Keeping Current line-up, an informative series of programs with speakers, films, and discussions about important events occurring in our world today. Registration is not required! This program is free and open to the public.

Last-Minute Request for Volunteer Help for Worthy Cause ~ Children in Need

I’ve gotten myself into a pickle and appreciate any help finding my way out. If it was just about me, I would let it go. But, on behalf of those in need, I feel I need to really try to make this work. So, the best of intentions have led to this teachable moment for me… Thanks for taking the time to read it, respond, forward… Any help is enormously appreciated.
 
I really need to be focused on getting the funding to take the next step with Time Well Spent (while bootstrapping my way along at craft events and spreading the word in general) in order to help more people, but…

Cradles to Crayons put out the word they need volunteers at their warehouse to process orders of clothing for children in need. So, without thinking it through, I signed up to bring 15-20 volunteers from 1-4pm on next Wednesday, Veteran’s Day. I thought I might be able to hook up with the community service program at the high school but should have realized that would be more easily said than done with permission slips and the like and their otherwise busy schedule.

So, I’m appealling to all my networking connections to see who might be interested in helping on that one afternoon. Volunteers of all ages are welcome including adults, kids under 15 with their parent, Kids under 18 need a signed permission slip.

If a few parents could make the time to spend the afternoon and drive their own teen and a couple of friends, I’m sure we can total 20 people with a little effort.

It is easy, fun, eye-opening and inspiring. For better or worse, there isn’t contact with the families in need. This is simply a matter of helping to sort through donations and fill orders (“shopping”) based on requests that come in from local service organizations for specific kids in need. They use volunteers all the time and have the process down to a very easy process, including 15 minutes of instruction to begin with and lots of laminated how-to sheets along the way. Here’s a link to their website and a description of their warehouse called The Giving Factory: http://cradlestocrayons.org/giving_factory/?q=node/15

I have been there several times. It is a straight shot down through the city and literally three right hand turns, all of a mile, off the highway. Quincy can be hard to navigate but this place is easy to find.

Whether you have a teen who needs community service hours this year specifically, one that would benefit from more on their resume, or just want to get the family or yourself more actively involved in a service project in advance of the holidays, please let me know if you are able to participate. If so, let me know how many people and I can provide all the details. Again, it is 1-4, so the time commitment realistically is noon-5.

Thanks so much for seriously considering whether you can fit this in on the unusual day off mid-week. Good way to “practice what we preach,” teach about service, honoring the service given by veterans and acknowledging the many ways one can give to their fellow citizens.

Any questions, just ask!

email me at nancyDOTgallantATcomcastDOTnet.  Or, comment here.  Or send me a tweet @NancyTWS.

October 2009 DeClutter For Good donation drive results – 2 Carloads to Cradles to Crayons and a Chance to Volunteer with Time Well Spent at C2C

For October, as usual, my DeClutter For Good donation drive goal had been in terms of numbers… 200 items… I’ve used that approach before, so why not this time?!

Frankly, counting the donations wouldn’t have been time well spent… And, without question, the goal was easily acheived and surpassed…

My first delivery was made thanks to the generosity of Small Wonders PreSchool in Ipswich… Miss Julie brought over a van of children’s clothing that had been prescreened by the preschool parents as part of their community yard sale. The bags (and bags) were marked for girls and boys and with sizes… So, to take them out and count them all would have been a bit of misguided time.

Here are two photos of the delivery made from Small Wonders to Time Well Spent to Cradles to Crayons ~ worth a thousand words… OOPS… That’s only if you can find the camera and the cord and have them in the same general vicinity of the laptop at the same time… So….Okay, until I can manage that ~ imagine two photos here… One of the back of a station wagon filled to the ceiling, the other a shot of the back seat, similarly filled.

And, the second car-filled delivery will be made when I go to Quincy for the first-ever Time Well Spent volunteer shift at Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory.

Join me

November 11

1-4 pm

Helping to sort incoming donations and process orders

15-20 Volunteers Needed

Kids are welcome with a parent partner volunteering as well

Reply to this post or email me to “sign up” to help!

Thanks!

Note that this would qualify for community service for teens looking for service hours or more experience to add to their resume. They just might learn a thing about themselves and those in need along the way…

GUEST POST: Recycled Kites ~ Creative Repurposing Takes Flight

About the Guest Blogger ~ Glenn Davison is an eco-artist and workshop leader who has been featured on HGTV as a New England Craftsman.  He is the editor of the books, “Kites in the Classroom,” “How to Fly a Kite,” and the “Guide to Building Miniature Kites.”  He is a director of the club, “Kites Over New England” and chairman of the education committee for the American Kitefliers Association. (Find links at the end of this post.)

Oh, the people I meet when I am out and about, always talking about Time Well Spent… I met Glenn Davison at the Topsfield Fair. When I checked out Glenn’s website, I found the kites he makes are truly functional art, a great vehicle for the message of creative repurposing. So, I was happy to welcome Glenn to write a guest post on his area of expertise ~ kites! I encourage you to read on and visit Glenn’s group of websites…

Here are some mini kites from one of Glenn's several kite sites!

Kites have a long history that goes back hundreds of years.  In that time kites have been made from everything you can imagine especially repurposed materials.  Certainly Jell-O wouldn’t work, but what about candy wrappers?  Would they fly?

 Bamboo and paper continue to be widely used for making kites.  People have used old cotton bed sheets for kite sails and kite tails.  Many people made their first kites from yesterday’s newspapers and twine.

 One of the great things about kites is that they can be made from a wide variety of thin materials that can be taped together into larger sheets.  Those sheets can be given a framework then flown many times.  Kite flying is an excellent hobby for that reason.  When you have a completed kite it can be flown many times without additional fees or expenses.  All you need is sunshine (optional) and wind.

Read on to learn more about the wonderful world of handmade kites…

Bootstrapping & Spreading the Word about Time Well Spent @ The Essex Clamfest 2009

Bootstrapping my way along with the pre-launch stage of my triple-bottom-line start-up… So, I’m getting some upcycled jewelry ready to sell, aka EcoBling!

I’ll be at the Essex Clamfest ~ Sunday, 10/24 from 11-4. Lots going on including sampling of local chowder (of course) with local crafters and activities for kids, too! Here’s a link to more details.

Here’s a link to my Facebook album of some of my own EcoBling creations: EcoBling Album.

And, there’s plenty more examples of repurposed products that will ultimately be the types of things created at and for sale at Time Well Spent: Picture This at Time Well Spent Photoblog.

2 Green Events 2Nite – Decisions, Decisions…

Just a quick FYI:

From Hamilton-Wenham Green:

FREE FILM: CONSUMING KIDS

Hamilton-Wenham Library

Wednesday, October 21st 7:00pm
Attention Parents and Grandparents!  Join us for a screening of Consuming Kits, a critically-acclaimed documentary about the pervasive and pernicious effects of advertising on the health and well-being of children.  Do your kids relentlessly ask you to buy the latest and greatest toys or food items?  Come find out how marketers are using the “Nag Factor” to get you to walk out of the store with even more stuff.  Josh Golin, the Assistant Director for the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, will be on hand to answer questions.

Find out more about the film here.

Hope to see you there!

From Greater Newburyport GreenDrinks (on LinkedIn):

Please join us at Seaglass Restaurant this Wednesday (10/21) from 7-9pm, 4 Oceanfront North, Salisbury, phone 462-5800.

We have their private room reserved and Chef Bandolini plans on visiting with us to enlighten the group on how he incorporates green practices into his food preparation. This will surely spark fun dialog about green food and drink! Seaglass is a gorgeous and eco-friendly restaurant right on the water. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to join us and bring a friend!

So many good ways to connect and learn, so little time… N.

Webinar About Different Legal Structures for Social Enterprise Including L3C

Many with whom I have chatted about Time Well Spent have heard my “spiel” on L3C, the new business form I am seriously considering …

So that you may learn more about this cutting-edge legal structure, and to prove I’m not crazy (at least not completely crazy), I encourage readers of my blog and those interested in “businesses doing well by doing good,” to virtually attend a webinar ~ on Thursday, from 1-2:30 EST ~ that is being offered by the Social Enterprise Alliance. While it is open to all, it looks like the sign-up closes tonight so twittering this out to those on my list and posting it a few places in the hopes that it might be helpful to those with whom I network online.

Following is a description of the one-hour webinar and here’s a link to the complete description page including a brief bio of the speaker, Robert Wexler :

About the Workshop:

This webinar will focus on the basic issues that a social enterprise in formation must consider in deciding whether to structure the enterprise as a for-profit, nonprofit, or hybrid legal entity.  The webinar will analyze the legal issues that will drive an entrepreneur to consider one or more of the following legal forms:  corporation, limited liability company, L3C, B-Corporation, non-profit exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) or nonprofit exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(4).  It will also discuss when the use of more than one entity is appropriate or necessary and how two entities can work together legally.  Key issues driving these decisions include the source of capital for the enterprise, the financial and other goals of the founders, and whether the law will accommodate a particular business plan within the tax-exempt framework.  Attendees should come away with a set of the questions to consider in deciding what legal structure to use and sense of how the answers to those questions will help determine the most effective legal form.

Not exactly the warm fuzzy side of doing good, but critically important nonetheless.  Considering how much I am not driven by the whole profit motive, money-making end of business, I can honestly say that the L3C topic and program related investment are actually topics that do hold my interest (for a while…) because of the good that can be possible through this business form intended to facilitate social enterprise funding, a topic certainly near and dear to my heart!

   

Check out all the details on the registration page and check out the Social Enterprise Alliance website while you are there. It’s been updated and the front page provides an exciting overview of opportunities and accomplishments. Special Kudos to Jodi Rosenbaum Tillinger of More Than Words and Anne Wunderli of Pine Street Inn’s Abundant Table, two thought-leaders here in Massachusetts recognized on SEA’s home page. Jodi and Anne’s efforts are led by their full hearts, and they are both a great source of inspiration and hope to those of us pursuing our values-based goals through social enterprise.

 

I’ll be attending the webinar and hope to hear some familiar names and voices on the line.

 

Carpe Diem ~ Nancy

  

p.s. Here’s the link to an article on L3c, of which there are a growing number (articles about L3Cs and L3Cs themselves, that is!). This article blog post was highlighted in the L3C Linkedin Group and written just the other day and it includes a video, for those tired of reading blogs!

C2C Needs Volunteers @ Their Giving Factory – Definitely Time Well Spent

Here’s an email I just received:

Good Afternoon!

 I hope that you are having a fabulous week! I am reaching out to you because Cradles to Crayons is currently in huge need of volunteer help over the next couple of months. We’ve been experiencing an increase in orders and as the temperature drops we only expect the demand for everyday essentials to increase even more. Currently, over 900 hundred orders for local children are waiting to be filled! Please consider spending a shift at The Giving Factory to help keep thousands of area kids safe and warm this winter. 

 If you are interested in signing a group up to volunteer, please contact Terrel Stokes at terrel@cradlestocrayons.org or 617.471.8417 x127.  Available volunteer shifts are attached to this email. Please be aware that shifts are filled on a first come, first served basis.

 Let us know if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support!

 

I just dropped off a car FULL of donations at C2C ~ with thanks to Miss Julie at Small Wonders Pre-School for donating all of their post-yard-sale “good enough for your own child” clothes. A trip to Quincy from the North Shore isn’t nearly as daunting as it sounds. Quincy can be a tough place to navigate (this I know from years of taking my girls there for Irish dance competitions, driving around pre-GPS looking for the venues). BUT, C2C is EASY to find, just a short couple of minutes off of Exit 12… And, driving through the tunnel is easy, too. Stay in the middle and drive… I have to say that I think the Big Dig did ultimately make for an expedited drive through the city…

I’ve blogged a great deal about this fabulous organization. Volunteering at C2C is a big part of their approach to helping families in need locally get free, quality clothing for their children. After all, with volunteers manning the factory, led by a wonderful staff, they are able to keep their overhead costs down. From National Honor Society groups to church groups to eco-friendly groups, to small businesses that want to help employees bond over a shared cause, this is a hands-on, take action way to truly help. It’s about walking the walk for those who talk the talk…

Looks like I’ll have to get a Time Well Spent group together to volunteer for a shift! I’ll check the calendar and post details soon.

Carpe Diem ~ Nancy

 

 

Blog Action Day ~ About CARE ~ Helping People Impacted by the Environment

CARE reached out to little ol’ me about Blog Action Day ~ They must be reaching out to everyone!

Of course, I went right to their website. Besides being flattered that they contacted me in the first place, I just love  a good mission-driven website. There’s so much good being done, in the face of great need admittedly, and with so much more to be done, but the online content of a socially-responsible website goes right to the topic of awareness building that I am all about….  

So, I took the time to visit the CARE site…  and 3 things quickly struck me as being on the same wavelength with my own beliefs and hopes for the future.

Read on for the list of 3…