Greening Greenfield Kicks off Fundraiser

Written by GREENING GREENFIELD ENERGY COMMITTEE

Sunday, 16 March 2008

GREENFIELD, MA –Greening Greenfield will kick off its annual fundraising campaign at The People’s Pint on Tuesday, March 18,4:00-8:00 pm. The campaign offers people the opportunity to “green their electricity” by investing in the New England Wind Fund, and at the same time raise funds to help make Greenfield Greener. The People’s Pint is offering a free appetizer to everyone that invests in green electricity on Tuesday. “This is a win-win-win opportunity, “says Pam Kelly, campaign co-chair, and member of the Greening Greenfield Energy Committee. “When people invest in the New England Wind Fund they are helping build renewable energy capacity in the region that will “green” our electricity. Then, their investment will be matched dollar for dollar by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative – and that money comes to Greenfield for the Greening Greenfield efforts. Additionally, if they pledge on March 18, at The People’s Pint, they will get a free appetizer!” “We are really pleased that Greening Greenfield has chosen to kick-off their fundraising campaign at The People’s Pint,” said Alden Booth, owner of The People’s Pint. “We are committed to moving toward sustainable practices – and we want to support Greening Greenfield in every way that we can.” Last year, 124 Greenfield residents invested over $12,000 in the New England Wind Fund. This has enabled Greenfield to offer educational programs, and join ICLEI, the international network of hundreds of cities committed to climate protection that share experiences on “what works.” ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program offers Greenfield guidance, technical assistance and software tools that will help us all save money on our tax and energy bills while making the town a healthier place to live. This year organizers hope to raise over $18,000. “This program has been very good for Greenfield,” says Mayor Forgey. “Greening Greenfield has already saved taxpayers thousands of dollars by bringing free energy audits to the town. We expect bigger savings in the coming years. Through this effort, Greenfield is also now connected to the international community working to reduce energy use and global warming.” The March 18 kick-off fundraising event at the People’s Pint is the first of over a dozen information, brainstorming and fundraising events that people supporting Greening Greenfield will offer during the next 6 weeks. “We are happy to host a meeting to introduce people to this effort,” says Chelsea Gwyther, Executive Director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC), which is hosting an event in April. “I encourage involvement of town residents at all levels. This is a great way to conserve our natural resources.” The CRWC open house and meeting will be held at their headquarters on 15 Bank Row, April 1, at 7 pm. All are welcome. The next event will be on Sunday, April 6, at 2:30 pm, when Greening Greenfield  offers the Turtle Island Medicine Show, a nationally-renowned large-scale production with puppets up to sixteen feet tall at the Greenfield High School. One week later, on Sunday, April 13, at 12 noon, the All Souls Church is offering an open meeting to look at greening sanctuaries. Campaign organizers are also inviting people to their homes to learn more about the Greening Greenfield campaign and the New England Wind Fund, and they will be providing information and pledge forms at tables in front of area grocery stores and at Greenfield’s Green Fair. Fundraising organizers include Pam Kelly and Nancy Hazard co-chairs, Becca King, Beth Adams, Cam Weimar, Carol and Peter Letson, Cyndie Rothchild, Donovan and Meggin Eastman, Gregg Crawford, Marie-Francoise Walk, Nancee Bershof, Pat  and Tex LaMountain, and Sandra Boston. The fundraising campaign runs from this week until April 30. If you would like a campaigner to call you about volunteer opportunities, please call 774-5667. To make donations you can go on line to www.NewEnglandWind.org and hit the large yellow ‘join now’ button, or call 800-287-3950. All donations are tax deductible. The Greening Greenfield campaign is a collaborative effort of the citizen committee, the Greening Greenfield Energy Committee, and the Town of Greenfield. The campaign is building a sustainable Greenfield so that current and future generations can enjoy life on this beautiful abundant valley. To find out more about Greening Greenfield, go to www.GreeningGreenfield.org or call 774-5667.