Connecting the Dots

2009 was quite a year for the staff at Grassroots Environmental Education. After launching our greenweb "How Green is my Town?" in May, we have been able to educate government, school and business leaders about easily implementable policies and programs that can help increase their town's green infrastructure. We have literally been connecting the dots - pointing decision makers to proven solutions from across the country. A permeable paving policy that worked in Portland can be adopted in Paducah. A successful recycling program in Seattle may be a perfect solution for the residents of Syracuse. And an effective integrated pest management initiative in Montana may work in Maine. Get the picture? We have been "cutting through the green tape" so that local decision makers can adopt local measures that have proved successful elsewhere in the country.

Grassroots has partnered with colleges and universities to complete our town by town environmental assessments. Students at Adelphi University, Pace University and SUNY Stony Brook have interviewed local leaders throughout Nassau, Westchester and Suffolk Counties in New York. We will be resuming our work with various collegiate partners this semester to complete our countywide environmental assessments. Stay tuned to this blog for details about our "Greenest Towns" press announcement.

In order to "connect the dots" between the college students who participated in HGIMT in their fall classes to the students who will be working on HGIMT as part of their spring coursework, a group of dedicated interns are working feverishly at Grassroots' main office in Port Washington, NY. We'll be posting our findings throughout 2010!

Top left: HGIMT Student Coordinator Lauren Wasserman visiting the website for a Chamber of Commerce in order to verify their town's score. Above: HGIMT intern Tiffany Tona braves the cold to interview a Mayor in regards to their HGIMT rating.