Green Living in the Big Bend of Florida

Remember that old environmental expression: think globally, act locally? Well, some folks in the Big Bend region of Florida are doing just that and they need your help. Allow me to introduce you to a newly formed non-profit organization called Sustainable Big Bend which is designed to be a community resource center for sustainable living.

The goal of Sustainable Big Bend is to develop the ability of individuals living in the big bend region to meet current needs without compromising the needs of future generations.  SBB was formed following the overwhelming success of the recently held Big Bend Green Living and Energy Expo.  The expo brought together hundreds of individuals, businesses and civic organizations interested in learning and promoting ways in which to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Initial elements of Sustainable Big Bend services to be offered include:

• Green Living Center
• Regional Green Marketplace
• Local Food Network
• Green Living and Energy Expo
• Community Resource Library
• Green Home Certification
• Community Calendar of Green Events
• Trading Post and Service Exchange

The Big Bend region of Florida is made up of Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Liberty and Madison counties.

Now, you're probably thinking, isn't that a really conservative part of the state? Yes and No. There's actually a Democratic stronghold in Leon county that filters out to its neighboring counties. The organization itself is based in Wakulla county where lots of people, regardless of their political ideology, love the outdoors and are supportive of local farmers. The same can be said for other counties throughout the Big Bend. So, there are real opportunities here to expand people's horizons and introduce them to newer ways of thinking about the environment.

That's where you come in. 

Sustainable Big Bend needs your help raising funds so that they can open up a Green Living Center in Tallahassee.

The center will provide a physical presence for businesses and organizations to showcase their green and sustainable services or products in a storefront setting. The center will also provide a distribution point for another SBB initiative - a local food network. The network will provide an opportunity for individuals and families to buy shares of locally and organically grown food while supporting local food producers.

The goal is to open the doors to the Center on October 1, 2007. This new environmental education and business building effort needs to quickly get up and running to capture the energy of this fall season and encourage our community to buy green for the holidays. In order to do that, they need to raise an additional $5,000 by August 30th so they can pay the rent for the new facilities.

Please Donate.

BTW, if you live in the Tallahassee area, The Green Living Center needs volunteers for moving in on Saturday, September 1st at Noon at site of the new facility 1022 North Monroe St, next to Decent Pizza. 

Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Sustainable Big Bend, but I do live in the area and would love to see this as an addition to my community.