The DotGreen team at the San Francisco Green Festival in November 2012. (DotGreen photo)

FORD Motors and Green Festivals have partnered once again to fund a Community Green Grant at the Chicago Green Festival. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite project at the FORD Community Green Grants Booth during show hours. One winner will receive a $5,000 grant, while four runner-up organizations will each receive a $1,000 grant.

Find out more about the May 18-19, 2013 Chicago weekend, and other Green Festival events here.

DotGreen has been a long time attendee of Green Festivals in cities around the US, and we always appreciate the connections and insights of both presenters and attendees who gather for a weekend of sustainability discussion!

Green Festival Chicago attendees gathered at the DotGreen booth during the 2012 event. (DotGreen photo)

ICANN delegates gather to learn about the sustainable Parkview Green complex from Will Tseng, Associate Director. (DotGreen photo)

Will Tseng, Associate Director, met with our group to explain some of the details and background behind this innovative local green building project.

Delegates admire statues on the grounds of Parkview Green. Forty pieces by Dali are displayed in the public space. (DotGreen photo)

Parkview Green was the first integrated commercial project to be awarded LEED Green Building Rating System Platinum pre-certification. The sustainable technologies and building material results in energy usage about 50% lower than that for other buildings similar in size. This impressive figure is the result of multiple strategies on the interior and exterior of the building:

ETFE film roofing, transparent glass wall, and steel frame structure provide unique levels of energy conservation – this regulates the interior climate, providing natural cooling in summer and conserving heat in the winter.

Internally, a stable micro-circulation system and chilled water VAV systems and intelligent building management system achieve 60-80% energy usage savings. The interior arrangement allows for a high degree of flexibility – the modular office design enables tenants to save on renovation costs.

Water conservation is another priority – special features include electronic taps, low-flow shower facilities, and a rainwater capture system that recycles water for irrigation.

Adding to the artistic vibrancy of the family owned building is a sizeable statue collection that decorates the grounds. DotGreen’s People and Planet guests as well as the local passersby agreed that the building was impressive, environmentally and architecturally.

Ted Ning, LOHAS Executive Director, spent a moment connecting with the group about what draws the LOHAS community together – shared values and common striving for more sustainable alternatives. The acronym Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) includes the food we eat, the cars we drive, and even the Internet we navigate. LOHAS translates to “happy living” or “living in harmony” in Chinese, a sentiment that reflects harmony with ecological systems, local community, and personal development. The LOHAS and green movement are united by a common thread: living with consciousness around human and environmental impacts.

DotGreen Founder Annalisa Roger had a chance to speak about the future of the .green Top-Level Domain, and the way it will help to unite and strengthen this important community online.

The event was graciously hosted by the office of the Metropolitan Group, a social change agency that empowers social purpose organizations through strategy creative services. Other sponsors at the event were DotGreen, Chinook Book, the ReDirect Guide, New Seasons Market, Frey Vineyards, Spirituality & Health, and Yuzen box.

This event is free, however, due to popularity space is limited. To find out more about the planned activities, or register your interest in participating, visit http://www.dotgreen.org/people-planet-beijing-rsvp/ or contact Jenny Bullock at jenniferbullock@dotgreen.org.

The evening opened with a speech from Leilani Munter, famous racecar driver and eco-activist. Other notable guests included EPA chief Lisa Jackson and performer will.i.am.

Jennifer Knoll, DotGreen Director, Mayer Hawthorne, musician, and Annalisa Roger, DotGreen Founder/CEO at the Inaugural Green Ball.

Vice President Joe Biden was in attendance, and came by to offer his support for objectives and goals of attendees. “I’ll tell you what my green dream is: That we finally face up to climate change,” said Biden.

Special thanks to DotGreen friends and event hosts at the National Wildlife Federation, a non-profit organization that conducts a range of sustainable activities across the US. Thanks to their efforts, the event aimed for zero waste, and teamed up with Carbonfund.org Foundation to offset the impact of the event.

(Left) Vice President Joe Biden addresses attendees, and (right) American musical artist will.i.am performs for the enthusiastic audience.

Some Green Inaugural Ball Attendees

Peter Winter
Trombone Shorty
Onree Gill
Camp Freddy
Sheila E
Mayer Hawthorne
Nicholas David (The Voice)
DJ Neville C.
Darryl Green
Lorenzo Alexander
Chris Wilson
Kedric Golston
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Antwaan Randle El
Derrick Dockery
Stephanie Miller
Melissa Fitzgerald
Les (Survivorman) Stroud & Gina Gershon
Tate Donovan
Leilani Munter

The Green Inaugural Ball is a celebration of accomplishments for the environment, energy, and clean technology, and a hopeful look forward to the next four years of Presidential support for environmental initiatives. Top leaders in green businesses and communities have the opportunity to mingle and share their plans and expectations for the future in environmental progress. Four years ago, the 2009 Green Inaugural Ball brought together Former Vice President Al Gore and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, along with many environmental, conservation, and business leaders. The 2013 event will again draw leaders and visionaries, to the interactive exhibits at the Newseum building in Washington D.C.

The National Wildlife Federation, one of the nation’s most extraordinary organizations for the protection of wildlife and habitat welcomes VIP guests including DotGreen’s Annalisa Roger and Jennifer Knoll. The National Wildlife Federation works with school, communities, and Capitol Hill on initiatives that span topics from climate change to biodiversity.

DotGreen looks forward to joining the conversation at this event, and meeting with many of the world’s inspiring leaders in the green community. Sustainability is a priority and common ground amongst the world’s greenest change-makers in all industries. Governmental leadership in all countries can contribute to the vitality of the green movement, and the forward progress we all make as national and global citizens.

The DotGreen Team attended to once again connect with the local green community and learn about exciting projects, and share current details of the .green domain extension.

DotGreen Youth: Kelly Garrett, San Diego State University student, celebrates the good work of Urban Tilth.

We had the opportunity to meet groups making positive impacts in our own community. Urban Tilth is an organization that cultivates agriculture in Contra Costa County to help the community build a more sustainable, healthy, and just food system. Enthusiasm from their team was infectious, as they explained the way youth from nearby schools have the chance to connect with real food, and grow personally while learning about sustainable agriculture and permaculture.

A $5,000 Ford Community Green Grant was awarded to All One Ocean, an organization that creates permanent, community generated Beach Clean Up Stations, to reduce toxicity from plastic and other litter accumulating in our oceans. The Ford Community Green Grants, awarded at each Green Festival, support a local betterment projects. Winners are decided by letting Festival attendees vote, allowing locals to choose the important project that will impact their area!

All One Ocean creates community beach cleanups solutions that prevent the damaging effects of plastic and pollutants that impact ecosystems.

At DotGreen, we spotlighted some local green groups in our DotGreen raffle, giving away their green specialty items. Attendees entered for a chance to win a gift card to local food cooperative Rainbow Grocery,the delicious vegan restaurant Source, a collection of handmade teas from A Blank Tea, or an at-home mushroom growing kit!

The indoor mushroom kits, a creation from renowned fungi expert Paul Stamets, allow people to easily grow their own, even in a small indoor setting!

This is DotGreen’s fifth exhibiting partnership with Green Festivals ; each new Festival brings exciting innovations in the green movement, and an inspiring crowd of local individuals dedicated to living sustainable lives and bettering our world for the next generation. Green Festivals reinforce the vision for a .green domain space that allows bloggers, advocacy groups, businesses, and brands to all express their green actions and Internet users who want to join a thriving green movement online!

A Blank Tea, based in the East Bay, crafts their own delicious tea blends offered on Etsy.

Jenny Bullock, DotGreen Director Communications, shares the excitement of a community supportive .green TLD with Save the Frogs, a leading conservation organization for amphibians. The group works to prevent extinction and educate the public about the importance of amphibians in earth’s ecosystems.

Youth everywhere is leading the way! Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company is a multicultural group of teens performing dynamic original dance pieces. They wowed the Green Festival crowd on Saturday with a creative routine on the Main Stage.

Guests gathered on October 16 in the green Urban Space Gallery in downtown Toronto, for drinks, conversation, and the chance to hear from the new Canada DotGreen and hosts. (DotGreen photo)

The event was celebrated with an intimate evening gathering, hosted by new Bureau leaders Joan Kerr and Glenn McKnight. CEO of The DotGreen Community, Inc., Annalisa Roger, greeted the assembled audience, and explained her vision for a collaborative future, and a .green environmental TLD that amplifies the global green community with a collective online voice. The event attendees represented a similar blending of communities, with wide representation from both domain developers and local Toronto leaders in the green movement.

“The new Canada DotGreen Bureau will serve as a local contact and connection to DotGreen. We’re honored to be able to work with Joan Kerr and Glenn McKnight, who are deeply involved with environmentally and socially conscious projects and organizations working every day to better our world,” said Annalisa Roger, DotGreen Founder and CEO.

Comingling and collaboration among these visionaries is crucial for the success of the green movement online. Green domain development and entrepreneurship can boost the green economy and awareness of the green movement. This provides new avenues for financial success within the green economy and the domain name industry, while also supporting and advancing the vital work of environmental and humanitarian organizations.

Amongst the guests were green leaders representing university programs, local businesses, and participants in regional environmental organizations. Find out more about them below.

Local Organizations and Individuals Drawn to Canada DotGreen Bureau Launch

Rosemarie Powell is Big On Green. She explained the organization’s mission, to help facilitate the transition to a sustainable workplace, allowing people’s green intentions to take root in their everyday lives. Powell discussed the importance of engaging people from the community on grassroots level. Find out more about Powell’s work and achievements here.

James Webb, Sustainability Coordinator at Durham College discussed his own work, focused on engaging with students, faculty, and staff “on a grassroots level to create a sustainability movement within the community.” To find out more about the Sustainability program at Durham College, visit this site.

Katie Fullerton works as community animator in Scarborough is part of a program operating under Live Green Toronto, an umbrella organization for all things environmental in the city of Toronto. She explained that through her own work, she sees how movements can spread on a local grassroots level, and also identifies the value of a more widespread common movement. “I like DotGreen, because of the accessibility it’s going to offer people, and the simplicity.”

Thierry Franchois, domain developer, discussed his own business with the attendees, explaining that certain green domain names will carry a great deal of value, bringing marketing power to a green organization representing itself online. “It’s a brand and this is very powerful. It gives you a voice.”

Chris Winters, an active member of the green community in Canada, is currently with the organization Canada Conserves. He offered his expertise on the future of the green movement online. “In terms of the Internet, and the solutions and the environmental movement and the mesh of the two, the future is like this: the solutions are going to be local, and information is going to be global.” Find out more about Canada Conserves here.

Canada DotGreen Bureau, with Joan Kerr and Glenn McKnight

Joan Kerr has been active in the green movement for 30 years. She has founded women’s organizations, organized community projects, and received the UN World Summit Information Society (WSIS) award in 2004, for her Women and Technology Project. She is President and CEO of The Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities (FBSC), a Canadian Federally incorporated not-for-profit with a mission to cultivate sustainable sensibilities. According to Kerr, “FBSC advocates for green strategies that transform communities into liveable, resilient and connected ones.”

Glenn McKnight is a leader in Internet Civil Society, and policy development. Glenn has been involved in the green movement for most of his life, and is now a leader in Internet policy as well, through organizations such as the Internet Society (ISOC) and the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). In addition to his work with ICANN, McKnight consults for FBSC, and is active in the green movement. “The environment and the Internet are intertwined,” said Glenn McKnight.

With support of Joan Kerr and Glenn McKnight, and their long history of activity in the green movement, the Canada DotGreen Bureau will become a valuable regional resource. Kerr and McKnight have already brought together local individuals and organizations for the Bureau launch, and hosted a sustainable event with ICANN delegates, People & Planet: Green Toronto.

Kicking off the start of an ICANN meeting with a moment for the environment helps remind us of our shared role in creating a greener world, and protecting what we have. The DotGreen team gathered in Toronto to participate and support the global and equal multi-stakeholder process of governance at ICANN, and DotGreen’s executives participate in the discussions of Internet policy and listen to various perspectives from unique roles within the Internet ecosystem.  As managers of the future .green Top-Level Domain, we acknowledge our commonalities, our service for the Internet user, and especially our shared role in spreading information via a growing Internet, creating opportunities and entrepreneurship, and a sustainable future for all.

Our Saturday event highlighted the greener side of Toronto, a city known for being progressively sustainable and for nurturing a lively community. Event organizer Joan Kerr, local Torontorian and Canada DotGreen Bureau representative, drew on her long history of leadership in the green movement to introduce Internet delegates to some unique green attributes of the city.

We started our day taking a scenic Ferry ride to nearby Ward’s island. The island has an interesting local history, and is home to an ecologically diverse park, about 600 local residents, and winding bicycle paths which act as the major transportation for this car-free island. Together, we planted native trees, which combat erosion and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Local Natural Environmental Specialist Janette Harvey explained that the Toronto islands contain rare species and rare ecosystems such as sand dunes, so preservation of the island parks has an important impact on local biodiversity.

Ken Hansen and Kathy Kleiman planting native trees on Ward’s Island. (DotGreen photo)

In all, our international group planted over 400 native trees! A spectacular effort and tangible contribution from People & Planet participants!

Hours of planting trees on the windy shore, the group warmed up and delighted with a delicious locally sourced meal at the Rectory Café, a well-known Ward’s Island eatery.

Arriving back in Toronto, we headed to Evergreen Brickworks, which was originally the source for most of the brick used to build Toronto. It was closed after 100 years of operation, and the site is now repurposed as a community environmental center that inspires visitors to live more sustainably. The community space engages the public through workshops, festivals, and programs focused on ecology, technology, and education.

We had the great fortune to hear directly from the Chief Operating Officer, Seana Irvine, about the latest Brickworks facilities and community endeavors, and the way their organization strives to encourage and showcase green design. The site itself is an exceptional example of environmentally sound planning. A series of four onsite ponds serve as a filtration system for stormwater runoff, reducing contaminants before water ends up in the nearby Don River. Meanwhile, the waters provide habitat for wildlife, and a peaceful outdoor retreat for visitors.

People & Planet participants outside at Evergreen Brickworks. (DotGreen photo)

While at Brickworks, we explored the current exhibits, including MOVE: The Transportation Expo, which showcases issues and international solutions related to urban transportation, like green energy sources, effective planning, and the health of city residents. Seana explained how patterns of urbanism can have a major influence human and environmental health. So encouraging are the real and serious implementations taking place in many cities around the world!

“Transportation one of the largest contributors to climate change. By talking about best practices, it helps inspire people that there are different ways of doing business,” said Seana. “We’re trying to raise awareness, inspire people, and get people to think about solutions on a local level.”

We wrapped up the day with hot drinks at the Evergreen Brickworks café, before taking a bus back to our hotel. By end of day, delegates were left with a greater appreciation for some top Toronto environmental initiatives and for the committed citizens continuing to make this city an inspiring green example.

People & Planet founders Ken Hansen, Neustar, and Annalisa Roger, DotGreen, in front of green Toronto. (DotGreen photo)

To see more photos from People & Planet: Green Toronto, check out the DotGreen Facebook album here!

The ICANN delegates seeking to explore and learn about local culture joined us as we made our way with local guides traveling in an eco friendly manner, with our own goal to use primarily public transport and our own two feet to explore the city. Our first stop was the Náplavka Farmer’s Market along the Vlatva River where we learned from owner and founder Jiří Sedláček about the relatively short history of the market and its sustainability and entrepreneural efforts of all the farmers – which has grown dramatically in two years time.  Currently there are now about twenty farmer’s markets throughout the city. The group was then divided to shop among the vendors at the market, gathering goods like cheese, fresh produce, bread and pastries to share at a picnic lunch later in the day. The organic vegetables, baked goods, prepared foods and beverages were a treat to see, and a perfect introduction to local green culture and activity.

ICANN delegates picnicking on Petrin Hill (DotGreen photo)

From the market we headed to the infamous Dancing House, known as the “Ginger and Fred” designed by Frank Ghery. It offered a spectacular view of the city and sights above the river, while we enjoyed a coffee and heard about the history of the land.

We then took local public transit to the nearby Kinskeho zahrada (Kinsky Garden) within Petrin Hill where the group enjoyed a picnic lunch consisting of the goods we purchased earlier from the market, as well as a savory soup and local pastries.  Sitting on blankets and enjoying the sun, we connected with Internet delegates who had come from the far corners of the globe to share the day together.

During our picnic lunch, we had the opportunity to learn from two local organizations and environmental leaders; Mr. Daniel Mourek and Mr. Jakub Smolík of Nadace Partnerství and Mr. Stanislav Miler of EcoJourneys. Mr. Mourek and Mr. Smolík spoke about the local sustainability efforts of Nadace Partnerství in creating greenways for cycling and pedestrians, the local Prague green map, as well as numerous other projects within Prague and the Central Europe region. Mr. Miler presented the group with his Eco Auto which has traveled over 20,000 miles and to 20 countries on renewable fuels, and shared his experiences about learning from other cultures about their own sustainability efforts. Mr. Miler also had a human powered bicycle set up that connected to a blender, offering participants the chance to ride and blend their own smoothie… easier said than done! More about Mr. Miler here.

Stanislav Miler teaching ICANN delegates to make smoothies using only energy from a stationary bicycle to power the blender (DotGreen photo)

After the delicious picnic and a rest, we divided into two groups to continue our journey.  The first group, led by Mr. Mourek, brought the group on a bike ride along one of Prague’s Greenways by the side of the Vlatva River, covering almost 15 kilometers! The second group, led by Robert of Inspira continued on a historical walking tour of the city, visiting the Prague Castle grounds including Saint Vitus Cathedral and the “Golden Lane”, learning about the city’s rich history and culture.

By the day’s end, we all had enjoyed a new and green perspective of beautiful Prague. We learned that Prague is truly an environmentally friendly place with some inspiring people, and our group walked away with new ideas to share in their home countries.

We’d like to thank all that participated in the day, including our co-sponsor Neustar, trip organizer Inspira, along with Nadace Partnerství and Mr. Miler for all of the energy and support to make it a memorable experience for all. DotGreen is planning the next People & Planet adventure in wonderful Green Toronto, prior to ICANN 45, on Saturday, October 13.  To be kept up to date on this and future DotGreen events, please email jenniferbullock@dotgreen.org.