Energy Globe Awards Seek Sustainability Projects

Previous Energy Globe Award winner, Water Category, K2 Eco Tank by FMD Design Studio. This shower-sink collects and filters graywater after use and pumps said water into the toilet tank to be used for flushing.

The Annual Energy Globe Awards, an international competition that rewards innovative projects related to sustainability, is seeking entries before the Oct. 8 deadline.

The objective of the ENERGY GLOBE Award is to present successful sustainable projects to a global audience and to demonstrate that for many environmental problems feasible solutions already exist. Projects submitted from over 160 countries take part each year in the awards.

Click here to see last year's winners!

For 2015 innovative projects and smart technologies from around the world are invited to take part again. Participation is open to projects with focus on resource conservation, improving air and water quality, energy efficiency and renewable energies. But also projects that focus on the creation of awareness in these areas will be eligible to participate.

Every individual, private or public institution, companies, NGOs, etc. can submit a project. The submission is free. The deadline has been extended from September to Oct. 8, 2014.

Why participate?
The best projects will be honored as part of a ceremony that will be broadcast worldwide as well as featured by the international media. International winning projects for the 5 award categories of Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Youth will also each receive a 10,000 euro cash award.
In each country the best project is awarded the National Energy Globe Award and presented at the global online platform of Energy Globe.

Are you eligible for participation?
Eligible for participation are projects with a focus on saving resources, improving air, soil, or water quality, increasing energy efficiency, using renewables, as well as anyone making a contribution towards the fight against climate change. No project is too small and none is too big!
Projects can be entered by individuals as well as companies, organizations, and public authorities. Several projects may be entered by a single competitor. Entry is free of charge.

How do I submit my project?

1. Please prepare your project submission by using the checklist as well as the Word document provided by us (DOC, 100 kB).
2. This is where the online submission of your project can be completed:
   Please click here to submit your project

Click here for more information about the Energy Globe Awards.

Nominations Sought for 'Arts All Stars'

Athlete of the Week? Academic All-Stars? All great programs. But how about adding Arts All-Stars?

The North Country Arts Council, in conjunction with WWNY TV 7, has initiated a new arts-recognition project to recognize excellence in the arts by area high school students.


All high-school age public, private, and home-schooled writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, actors, chefs, fashion designers,  or any other sort of creative artists are eligible for this award. Nominations must be made by a public, private, or home school teacher, guidance counselor, or school administrator.

Criteria for evaluation is on the basis of creativity, development of technique, attitude, and work ethic.

The Arts Council will take nominations beginning immediately. The Arts All-Star will receive recognition as a top achiever in Northern New York, a TV 7 news interview showcasing some of the students work, giving background on the student's  arts developments, and sharing plans for his or her future and a certificate of achievement.

To submit a nomination, contact the North Country Arts Council at artsallstars@nnyart.org with a short biography of the student,  a brief explanation of why you are nominating the student, and three to five samples of his or her work.

Help Better Farm win $10k

Vote THIS WEEK ONLY for Better Farm to win 10K from Idea Blob!

[Originally posted on ideablob.com]

Better Farm Echoes Green

Echoing Green, an organization founded in 1987 that "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions," is accepting applications for its next round of fellowship recipients.

The two-year fellowship program offers support to social entrepreneurs and their organizations to "solve deeply rooted social, environmental, economic, and political inequities" so all individuals may reach their potential. The organization has to date invested more than $28 million in seed funding to more than 471 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations.

Better Farm applied yesterday. Here's a quick recap of some main points we covered in the paperwork:

Q. As specifically as possible, demonstrate the need for your organization.
14.7% of people in Jefferson County are at or below poverty level. Paired with the fact that fewer than 14% of Redwood residents pursue diplomas beyond high school, the area has few alternative education options. An injection into Redwood of affordable or free public resources to expand cultural understanding, push for ecological advances in science and construction, and open people's minds in regard to what education can be, will drive the community forward in ways currently unavailable to local residents. The community [sic] will benefit by bringing artists, writers, thinkers, green builders, and the like into its folds. The surge in residency and visits will invigorate Redwood's economy; and the educational opportunities will drive high school graduation rates and percentages of those pursuing education beyond high school.

Q. Help Echoing Green visualize what your organization will do. Describe the specific programs that your organization will engage in to deliver your long-term outcomes.
A. Residencies: We will offer workshare and residency programs in which college students, high-schoolers, and people of all stripes and persuasions can come together to live communally and work on different projects. In exchange for inexpensive or free rent, an individual will commit to bettering his or herself and the encompassing space—by participating in or teaching a workshop, performing home reparis or maintenance, tending the herb or vegetable garden, or managing the compost.

Workshops: We will hold courses ranging from a few hours, to a day, to a weekend or week in any number of subject matters to bring new ideas to the community-at-large. Whether green building, solar installation, pottery, welding, writing, yoga, or alternative housing structures, Better Farm will hold itself to a strict standard of revolutionary ideas and curriculum to ensure new ideas are the norm.

Events: Through festivals concerts, kids' days, arts & crafts, day camp, and celebrations open to the public, Better Farm will strive to be a community center for all Redwood residents, where eople can gather in a productive setting to share ideas.

Those selected for Phase 2 of Echoing Green's Fellowship Application will be notified by 5 p.m. EST Jan. 8, 2010.

Biker Rally: Alexandria Bay, June 26-28

Just when you thought the area surrounding Better Farm couldn't take any more excitement...

Alexandria Bay from June 26-28 held its annual River Run Motorcycle Rally, which was a lot of fun until some poor fool revved too hard and flew head-over-handles off his bike, knocking several other parked bikes over in the process and forcing some cops to throw on their patrol lights. But you know what they say: If you can fall off your horse without spilling your beer, you're alright.

Featuring a kick-off block dance, The Vertical Outlaws motorcycle stunt group, Mom and Pop custom bike show, ladies' and men's tattoo contests, dirtiest bike contest, a ton of live music, and a poker run, this event brought more people to the Bay than last year's Pirates' Week.

The rally featured amazing bikes, such as these:







River Run also had quite the crowd. See for yourself:




And the views of the St. Lawrence River! Gorgeous:



Just around dusk, one of the bikers decided to peel out all dramatic-like in front of the crowd reveling on Main Street:



At first, everyone was pumped:



Then, disaster struck as Dude peeled off, and revved a little too hard into some parked bikes on the side of the road. Cops sprang into action, the crowd gathered hard on the scene, and I got out of there—headed for greener pastures seven miles away, to continue painting the front hallway...





All in a day's work. Better be.

Better Farm: The Green Effect

Sun Chips and National Geographic have teamed up in a contest called The Green Effect, which asks us what we would to to green up our communities if given $20,000. From the contest Web site:

The objective of the SunChips® "Green Effect" Contest (the "Contest") is to provide an opportunity for contestants to share their Green Idea, which is an environmentally-friendly project that would help their local environment and community ("Green Idea"). Five (5) winners will each receive a cash prize to be used towards executing their respective Green Ideas. See below for details.

This seemed like a no-brainer for Better Farm to sign up for STAT. Here's our entry—please cheer us on by ranking our proposal on the site! Ten finalists will be posted on the site July 7...