Hello!

Week three at Green Columbus was all about the nuts and bolts of our Green Schools Initiative Program. I spent most of my time continuing to gather data for the school systems around Central Ohio we are inviting to participate in the network. Eventually, our goal is to invite all of the schools in Central Ohio to join our initiative but we are starting with those districts who have already shown an interest in green schools. As of today, every principal in every public school in Columbus, Dublin, Delaware, Pickerington, Worthington, Upper Arlington and Grandview has been emailed! It was pretty exciting to complete the first round but emailing was just the first stage-when I began calling the schools to leave direct message/have conversations with the administration, I realized that as it is summer, most of the schools will be closed to outside callers. In order to reach the administration, we needed to find a different way. That way became calling the school district administration and working with its staff to get in touch with the principals directly and avoid the automated answering machine of the school phone number. This coming week, I will continue working with the administration of the districts to facilitate dialogue with the principals.

This past week Erin and I have also been working on the Resource Guide and How To Start a Green Team handout that will be provided to the members of the network. I developed a rough draft of the How To and am now waiting on feedback. This coming week, I will turn my attention to creating the Resource Guide for schools that want to become greener.

Exciting Update! We have decided on the venue for July’s Green Drinks event. It will be July 21st at Woodlands Tavern in Grandview from 6-8pm. It will be a great opportunity to socialize and  learn about the green community! The website for Woodlands  is http://www.thethirstyear.com/ and directions are available on the site. It tavern looks like a really awesome place to spend an evening so definitely check it out!

-Alex