GFS is an education/awareness organization that provides alternative fundraising options for Schools, places of worship, organizations and causes. We provide "cleaner and greener" alternatives to products that are already being used in the course of daily living. We provide a new fundraising partnership that makes sense!
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Friday, September 5, 2014
"Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge.... 365 schools, businesses, government offices in 31 days.... October Challenge
Sno-vember is now settled in. Ready or not? The campaign finished strong and we know it from our October Greenfundraiserstore.com activity. I am happy to report that we reached an all time record by a long shot. More importantly our challenge reached a wide and diverse audience. We went well beyond our previous regional audience and even made its way to the floor of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. That is no surprise since the engagement from the east coast has been strong.
So in closing.... the "Nice Bucket Battery Challenge" did not quite go "Viral" as my friend and press release writer Anthony Neeley had hoped. Forward progress is progress and we surely feel glad you came along with us. We hope you took action.
Today we launched another "channel" for our followers to reach us at on Shopify. Choice is a good thing. You will find a fresh look at some familiar products and perhaps some better pricing options. Take a look at:
greenfundraiserstore.com
If you like the Amazon experience we have not changed a thing other than the direct web address.
greenfundraiserstore.net
As always thank you to those who support our cause.
Regards,
Don Sherman
Nice Bucket Update.....Whoa, we're half way there
** This is NOT an ICE Bucket Challenge... read on...
By now we have all either participated in or seen many times over people taking the "ICE Bucket" challenge as a way to draw attention to "ALS" or Lou Gehrig's Disease. The scientific name for this disease is a complicated looking Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. As a kid I remember watching the famous speech giving by Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium back in the 1950's. The attention drawn today to this famous speech reveals many details that had gone un noticed. For example... when Gehrig was handed a plaque you can notice that he immediately takes it to the ground. Deterioration of muscle and ability to lift even everyday items. His speech... if you listen carefully... is showing the tell tale signs of muscle/motor skill deterioration. If you haven't done the challenge or made a contribution yet to ALS... consider this your last chance.
http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html
I really must admit that this ALS challenge is what inspired me to write this blog. What amazed me about it most was the power it had over everyday people. Over.... and over... and then when you thought it was over... again another video or post challenging yet another Challenger. So it is with the spirit of the ALS challenge that today I am officially launching the next morphed version...
The "Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge.
This isn't about raising funds for medical research or dumping a bucket of ice filled water over your head. Although later you will witness me attempt to do something admitted a knock off of this action. DO NOT attempt this at home... as it will serve no purpose. I do this only as a symbol and in the hope that we catch the spirit of the ALS Challenge.
So here we go....the "Nice" Bucket...
Back Story:
Years ago we as humans did certain activities and simply did not know they were potentially harmful to human health. People freely smoked cigarettes any where and everywhere. My daughter asked me the other day... " Dad why do they have these little boxes on the arm rest (of an airplane)"? Honey... people used to be able to smoke in the airplane while in flight... at their own leisure. She replied... "Really Dad?? That's gross!". When I was a kid growing up it was known that people were known to dump used motor oil into the most convenient storm sewer drain. That is why signs appeared saying "NO DUMPING..." or in Grand Rapids Michigan a subtle reminder appears of a fish symbol painted in blue to act as a reminder where this storm run off will ultimately end up. Some manufacturing companies policy for handling things like de-greasers, paint solvents, and who knows what else was to.... take it out back of the plant and dump it... or take it out to the country side... find a land owner willing to take it in and dump it. This is why we have "Super Fund" clean up sites all around the United States today. Is there one near you?
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/
Current Issue:
While not on the same scale as industrial waste handling we need to consider what we are putting into the waste stream. For years now there have been systems in place to recycle and dispose of automobile/industrial sized batteries. When you change out the used battery and take the old one back to the parts store it is required that you return the used core. But what about the other batteries?
What's in them? It depends on what your buying. Lead acid, nickel metal hydride, or lithium ion? How about mercury oxide? This is what is in your typical AA , AAA, and 9 volts that we use to power up our toys. Does this look the kind of stuff we should be throwing in our trash along side the leftover salad?
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/contaminants/index.htm
In fact... a healthy land fill consists of household refuse along with a good measure of compostable matter such as yard waste (lawn clippings and leaf material). Just like a salad... there is a mixture of materials that make for a balanced load. Would you consider putting materials that contain contaminants into this mix? Of course not.... so lets start thinking about things like household batteries, spent over head light tubes, spent CFL's (twisty bulbs), paint, pesticides, used motor oil, mercury containing thermostats and such. Now in a perfect world none of this would matter. The landfill operator will tell you that there are safety measures built into the construction of their operations to securely house these items. That is all well and good. But what if that system fails or breaches?
I like the saying that a ounce of prevention for a pound of cure. The simple act of keeping these contaminants out of the waste stream is just a good practice. Not in your back yard? Below is a list of Superfund cleanup sites across the US. Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Superfund_sites_in_the_United_States
"Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge:
What makes a "Nice Bucket"?
This is a simple representation of a bucket... really any container... that can be used as a "tool" to do something good. If we were focusing on some other "action" it might be the "Nice Composting Bag Challenge. Greenfundraiserstore.com was born with the core mission of creating education, awareness and advocacy toward "green shifts" in the course of daily living. We have never deviated from our core mission statement and so this challenge is straight forward.
We challenge every school, business, government office to take the "Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge. In the next 30 days we want to here back from you with a statement or perhaps a photo showing your groups "green shift".
You can simply add a comment to the blogg post below OR visit our Facebook page to put up a post and photo. We encourage you to do "challange" other schools, businesses, government offices or friends to in turn take the challenge.
Collection can be done with something as simple as an old shoe box or any plastic bucket placed in a visible location promoting the practice of recycling household batteries (AA, AAA, 9 volt, C, D....ect).
Next steps.... someone in your organization needs to be accountable for the proper disposal of the collected batteries. Here in our area there is a wonderful system in place by the name of NOHAZ. This is a quarterly event set up to allow residents to come to a central location to dispose of household hazardous waste. The operation is very efficient and responsible in the details of handling household hazardous materials. The event is funded by a collation of local governments cooperating in the cost and a small gate charge for visitors.
NO HAZ Link
If your not fortunate to to have access to collections like NOHAZ then you will need to do some of your own research. Many of the large retailers who happen to sell products that are heavy battery users provide recycling stations in their entry ways. Think big box retailers who sell lots of electronic gadgets.
We offer a pretty cool service provided by Veolia Environmental Services. It is a prepaid recycling service. They provide the container and directions. When the container is full... just slap on the return address label and the bucket will be returned to their recycling facilities for proper handling. Remember some simple truisms on this topic. If it were easy.... every one would be doing it... and there is no "free lunch". These processes are labor intensive and heavy overhead. NOHAZ is very effective... but not free. Same the with Veolia Recycle paks.
Purchase a Veolia Recyclepak Link
During the remainder of 2014 we will provide a rebate of one half the shipping costs of this unit if purchased from our web store. After the order is placed we will credit your purchase with one half the shipping cost. Kind of our way of meeting you half way on your attempt to make that "green shift".
Purchase a Busch Systems Battery Bin Link
Battery Buckets are available on our web store and we are providing free shipping on these for purchases over $35 or for Amazon Prime customers. A portion of our proceeds goes to support green education causes.
Remember.... I always like to say.... when it comes to batteries....
"Don"t chuck it... throw it in... the battery bucket..." ;)
Post your organization's success stories to this blog by leaving comments about your progress
and shout out to challenges to friends and family.
OR to our Facebook page or Twitter page just click the links below.
Link to Greenfundraiserstore.com Facebook page
Link to Greenfundraiserstore.com Twitter page
Post your shout outs and challenges to friends, family, co-workers on your facebook or twitter and then share the post to our pages. Tell the world getting it done!
* Do not handle leaking batteries. Leaking contents can cause skin irritation/burns. Do not place leaking batteries into your bin. Suggestion method is to wear protective glove and eye protection. Isolate the leaking battery in a plastic bag with zip seal. Promptly find a safe disposal method.
List of interesting Battery Bucket buyers:
Portland Trail Blazers (Only NBA LEED certified arena), Beats by Dre, Philadelphia Museum of Art, US National Park- MT. Hood, Focus on the Family, CNN News, Universal Studios- California, Direct TV, Pacific Gas and Electric, Operation Access, Climate Reception, Rackspace Hosting, Almacen San Diego Logistics, American Girl, EMQ Families First, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rock Church, Mr. B (Detroit), VCU Health Systems (Virginia Commonwealth), Rethink L & E, SocialChorus and Washington Soldiers Home.
Shout out to all of the above as "early adopters.... OR Trail Blazers... if you will... ;)
So in closing.... the "Nice Bucket Battery Challenge" did not quite go "Viral" as my friend and press release writer Anthony Neeley had hoped. Forward progress is progress and we surely feel glad you came along with us. We hope you took action.
Today we launched another "channel" for our followers to reach us at on Shopify. Choice is a good thing. You will find a fresh look at some familiar products and perhaps some better pricing options. Take a look at:
greenfundraiserstore.com
If you like the Amazon experience we have not changed a thing other than the direct web address.
greenfundraiserstore.net
As always thank you to those who support our cause.
Regards,
Don Sherman
Nice Bucket Update.....Whoa, we're half way there
I've been told by a friend that inquiring minds want to know how we are doing with the challenge. Here is an update at mid October. We know that the message is out and that people are responding. On a local level we know that schools all over the Metro Detroit area and beyond have taken up the Nice Bucket Challenge. The Michigan Green Schools program awards points to schools working on the 2014-2015 goals for engaging in an activity like recycling batteries.
We have had calls and emails requesting information on locations that will accept batteries. We have made some suggestions in the blog below and refer you to your local government offices for information on what services are available in your community. We have also made some suggestions on some big box retailers who offer battery recycling. We don't necessarily encourage "group" collections but would prefer that the collection habit be formed at home/office and then disposed of as such. Group collections may make for a bigger showing of an outcome but can be more difficult to manage. It might be a good idea to have a tally chart in your school that allows each contributor to show their recycling results and then collectively see the overall group effort. In any event if your past that phase and need assistance in how to properly dispose of your collection then please contact me directly at 877-752-6626.
On a national level.... we received word from our Green schools partners in Massachusetts that their October newsletter which featured our Nice Bucket Battery Challenge efforts made it to the state representatives in their State House of Representatives. You may not know this but the east coast states are very strong supporters of green/sustainable/environmental initiatives. Thank you to our strong east coast friends!
In closing let's keep our efforts focused all the way to the end of the challenge. If we have created awareness, educated people, caused a shift and got half the people to listen to the message.... then we must be half way there.... ;)
Thanks for your support on this important initiative!
*****************************************************************************
** This is NOT an ICE Bucket Challenge... read on...
By now we have all either participated in or seen many times over people taking the "ICE Bucket" challenge as a way to draw attention to "ALS" or Lou Gehrig's Disease. The scientific name for this disease is a complicated looking Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. As a kid I remember watching the famous speech giving by Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium back in the 1950's. The attention drawn today to this famous speech reveals many details that had gone un noticed. For example... when Gehrig was handed a plaque you can notice that he immediately takes it to the ground. Deterioration of muscle and ability to lift even everyday items. His speech... if you listen carefully... is showing the tell tale signs of muscle/motor skill deterioration. If you haven't done the challenge or made a contribution yet to ALS... consider this your last chance.
http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html
I really must admit that this ALS challenge is what inspired me to write this blog. What amazed me about it most was the power it had over everyday people. Over.... and over... and then when you thought it was over... again another video or post challenging yet another Challenger. So it is with the spirit of the ALS challenge that today I am officially launching the next morphed version...
The "Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge.
This isn't about raising funds for medical research or dumping a bucket of ice filled water over your head. Although later you will witness me attempt to do something admitted a knock off of this action. DO NOT attempt this at home... as it will serve no purpose. I do this only as a symbol and in the hope that we catch the spirit of the ALS Challenge.
So here we go....the "Nice" Bucket...
Back Story:
Years ago we as humans did certain activities and simply did not know they were potentially harmful to human health. People freely smoked cigarettes any where and everywhere. My daughter asked me the other day... " Dad why do they have these little boxes on the arm rest (of an airplane)"? Honey... people used to be able to smoke in the airplane while in flight... at their own leisure. She replied... "Really Dad?? That's gross!". When I was a kid growing up it was known that people were known to dump used motor oil into the most convenient storm sewer drain. That is why signs appeared saying "NO DUMPING..." or in Grand Rapids Michigan a subtle reminder appears of a fish symbol painted in blue to act as a reminder where this storm run off will ultimately end up. Some manufacturing companies policy for handling things like de-greasers, paint solvents, and who knows what else was to.... take it out back of the plant and dump it... or take it out to the country side... find a land owner willing to take it in and dump it. This is why we have "Super Fund" clean up sites all around the United States today. Is there one near you?
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/
Current Issue:
While not on the same scale as industrial waste handling we need to consider what we are putting into the waste stream. For years now there have been systems in place to recycle and dispose of automobile/industrial sized batteries. When you change out the used battery and take the old one back to the parts store it is required that you return the used core. But what about the other batteries?
What's in them? It depends on what your buying. Lead acid, nickel metal hydride, or lithium ion? How about mercury oxide? This is what is in your typical AA , AAA, and 9 volts that we use to power up our toys. Does this look the kind of stuff we should be throwing in our trash along side the leftover salad?
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/contaminants/index.htm
In fact... a healthy land fill consists of household refuse along with a good measure of compostable matter such as yard waste (lawn clippings and leaf material). Just like a salad... there is a mixture of materials that make for a balanced load. Would you consider putting materials that contain contaminants into this mix? Of course not.... so lets start thinking about things like household batteries, spent over head light tubes, spent CFL's (twisty bulbs), paint, pesticides, used motor oil, mercury containing thermostats and such. Now in a perfect world none of this would matter. The landfill operator will tell you that there are safety measures built into the construction of their operations to securely house these items. That is all well and good. But what if that system fails or breaches?
I like the saying that a ounce of prevention for a pound of cure. The simple act of keeping these contaminants out of the waste stream is just a good practice. Not in your back yard? Below is a list of Superfund cleanup sites across the US. Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Superfund_sites_in_the_United_States
"Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge:
What makes a "Nice Bucket"?
This is a simple representation of a bucket... really any container... that can be used as a "tool" to do something good. If we were focusing on some other "action" it might be the "Nice Composting Bag Challenge. Greenfundraiserstore.com was born with the core mission of creating education, awareness and advocacy toward "green shifts" in the course of daily living. We have never deviated from our core mission statement and so this challenge is straight forward.
We challenge every school, business, government office to take the "Nice Bucket" Battery Challenge. In the next 30 days we want to here back from you with a statement or perhaps a photo showing your groups "green shift".
You can simply add a comment to the blogg post below OR visit our Facebook page to put up a post and photo. We encourage you to do "challange" other schools, businesses, government offices or friends to in turn take the challenge.
Collection can be done with something as simple as an old shoe box or any plastic bucket placed in a visible location promoting the practice of recycling household batteries (AA, AAA, 9 volt, C, D....ect).
Next steps.... someone in your organization needs to be accountable for the proper disposal of the collected batteries. Here in our area there is a wonderful system in place by the name of NOHAZ. This is a quarterly event set up to allow residents to come to a central location to dispose of household hazardous waste. The operation is very efficient and responsible in the details of handling household hazardous materials. The event is funded by a collation of local governments cooperating in the cost and a small gate charge for visitors.
NO HAZ Link
If your not fortunate to to have access to collections like NOHAZ then you will need to do some of your own research. Many of the large retailers who happen to sell products that are heavy battery users provide recycling stations in their entry ways. Think big box retailers who sell lots of electronic gadgets.
We offer a pretty cool service provided by Veolia Environmental Services. It is a prepaid recycling service. They provide the container and directions. When the container is full... just slap on the return address label and the bucket will be returned to their recycling facilities for proper handling. Remember some simple truisms on this topic. If it were easy.... every one would be doing it... and there is no "free lunch". These processes are labor intensive and heavy overhead. NOHAZ is very effective... but not free. Same the with Veolia Recycle paks.
Purchase a Veolia Recyclepak Link
During the remainder of 2014 we will provide a rebate of one half the shipping costs of this unit if purchased from our web store. After the order is placed we will credit your purchase with one half the shipping cost. Kind of our way of meeting you half way on your attempt to make that "green shift".
Purchase a Busch Systems Battery Bin Link
Battery Buckets are available on our web store and we are providing free shipping on these for purchases over $35 or for Amazon Prime customers. A portion of our proceeds goes to support green education causes.
Remember.... I always like to say.... when it comes to batteries....
"Don"t chuck it... throw it in... the battery bucket..." ;)
Post your organization's success stories to this blog by leaving comments about your progress
and shout out to challenges to friends and family.
OR to our Facebook page or Twitter page just click the links below.
Link to Greenfundraiserstore.com Facebook page
Link to Greenfundraiserstore.com Twitter page
Post your shout outs and challenges to friends, family, co-workers on your facebook or twitter and then share the post to our pages. Tell the world getting it done!
* Do not handle leaking batteries. Leaking contents can cause skin irritation/burns. Do not place leaking batteries into your bin. Suggestion method is to wear protective glove and eye protection. Isolate the leaking battery in a plastic bag with zip seal. Promptly find a safe disposal method.
List of interesting Battery Bucket buyers:
Portland Trail Blazers (Only NBA LEED certified arena), Beats by Dre, Philadelphia Museum of Art, US National Park- MT. Hood, Focus on the Family, CNN News, Universal Studios- California, Direct TV, Pacific Gas and Electric, Operation Access, Climate Reception, Rackspace Hosting, Almacen San Diego Logistics, American Girl, EMQ Families First, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rock Church, Mr. B (Detroit), VCU Health Systems (Virginia Commonwealth), Rethink L & E, SocialChorus and Washington Soldiers Home.
Shout out to all of the above as "early adopters.... OR Trail Blazers... if you will... ;)
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Making some noise...Week of July 4th, 2014
Hey... it's time to celebrate... the best of summer 2014 is upon us! Happy week of July 4th! I say it this way since many of you are off for summer vacation and a well deserved break. We to are looking forward to some time away from work for some fun in the sun. There are over 514 fireworks displays scheduled in Michigan this year... so says MichiganFireworks.com (see link below).
http://michiganfireworks.com/events/detroit-fireworks/
So to carry the celebration further I'd like to take a moment to report to you that 2014 has turned into a break out year for Greenfundraiserstore.com . April of 2014 was a record sales month since we changed over to our e commerce platform and partnership with Amazon.com . This was planned and expected since I have always said our Christmas is in April. The month we celebrate Earth Day, the arrival of spring (on the calender at least) and Arbor Day. So naturally with the focus on our Mother Earth we expected our customers to click and shop for "Earth-minded" products. Our mission has always been and will be to promote education, awareness and advocacy for "Green Shifts" in the course of daily living. Our product offerings give you that choice over items that you might find in big box stores that are likely not focused on "ecological/healthy" alternatives. During this time we were able to provide financial assistance to the Michigan Green Schools Awards and Celebration for Oakland County Michigan. Additionally we supported the event with a display table and prizes for some of the lucky guests.
http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Departments/CapitalBuildingProjectsandFacilityOperation/MichiganGreenSchools/tabid/2638/Default.aspx
If the past is any predictor of the future then May and June should have been a calming period for us. Again... happy to report that May was our best month ever... and then now June has exceeded May.
All of this is good news since the word is spreading across the country about our unique mission of providing alternatives in the course of daily living and providing a portion of our profits to support green education. So it is truly a grass roots initiative that our customers are sharing with others and leading to our green shoots of growth.
Another event we were able to provide a donation of goods to was the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Detroit Chapter Green Schools Committee Art/Coloring Contest. Students were encouraged to enter their creation and top selections were recognized at a luncheon.
http://usgbcdetroit.org/index.php/committees/24-green-schools
One final thought for June 2014... get outside... do something different... enjoy the best of what nature provides to us in the summer. My favorite place to visit is the small Northern Michigan town of Glen Arbor. This town was recently recognized as the most beautiful place in the United States by Good Morning America. That kind of recognition can be a double edged sword since the sleepy little town is now being flooded with new adventure seekers looking to see what the news is all about. My favorite little shop has in town is "Cherry Republic". The founder had a vision to create all things cherry with a list too long to get into in this short venue. I love the vision so much that we now carry a select sampling of Cherry Republic products in our store.
My favorite so far is the Cherry Salsa which is a winner in my household. It never stays around long. My point here is that if you have time... get up their and visit... and if you don't... visit greenfundraiserstore.com for our product offerings and we will deliver it right to your door. Either way... it will be a treat!
Enjoy summer... !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvITn5cAVc&feature=kp
Regards,
Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com
greenfundraiserstore.com
http://michiganfireworks.com/events/detroit-fireworks/
So to carry the celebration further I'd like to take a moment to report to you that 2014 has turned into a break out year for Greenfundraiserstore.com . April of 2014 was a record sales month since we changed over to our e commerce platform and partnership with Amazon.com . This was planned and expected since I have always said our Christmas is in April. The month we celebrate Earth Day, the arrival of spring (on the calender at least) and Arbor Day. So naturally with the focus on our Mother Earth we expected our customers to click and shop for "Earth-minded" products. Our mission has always been and will be to promote education, awareness and advocacy for "Green Shifts" in the course of daily living. Our product offerings give you that choice over items that you might find in big box stores that are likely not focused on "ecological/healthy" alternatives. During this time we were able to provide financial assistance to the Michigan Green Schools Awards and Celebration for Oakland County Michigan. Additionally we supported the event with a display table and prizes for some of the lucky guests.
http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Departments/CapitalBuildingProjectsandFacilityOperation/MichiganGreenSchools/tabid/2638/Default.aspx
If the past is any predictor of the future then May and June should have been a calming period for us. Again... happy to report that May was our best month ever... and then now June has exceeded May.
All of this is good news since the word is spreading across the country about our unique mission of providing alternatives in the course of daily living and providing a portion of our profits to support green education. So it is truly a grass roots initiative that our customers are sharing with others and leading to our green shoots of growth.
Another event we were able to provide a donation of goods to was the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Detroit Chapter Green Schools Committee Art/Coloring Contest. Students were encouraged to enter their creation and top selections were recognized at a luncheon.
http://usgbcdetroit.org/index.php/committees/24-green-schools
One final thought for June 2014... get outside... do something different... enjoy the best of what nature provides to us in the summer. My favorite place to visit is the small Northern Michigan town of Glen Arbor. This town was recently recognized as the most beautiful place in the United States by Good Morning America. That kind of recognition can be a double edged sword since the sleepy little town is now being flooded with new adventure seekers looking to see what the news is all about. My favorite little shop has in town is "Cherry Republic". The founder had a vision to create all things cherry with a list too long to get into in this short venue. I love the vision so much that we now carry a select sampling of Cherry Republic products in our store.
My favorite so far is the Cherry Salsa which is a winner in my household. It never stays around long. My point here is that if you have time... get up their and visit... and if you don't... visit greenfundraiserstore.com for our product offerings and we will deliver it right to your door. Either way... it will be a treat!
Enjoy summer... !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvITn5cAVc&feature=kp
Regards,
Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com
greenfundraiserstore.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Earth Week 2014
You'll notice by this months title that after careful consideration it has been determined that drawing attention to the condition and care of the earth for just one day isn't cutting it. As such.... we begin the movement toward "Earth Week" 2014. I find it interesting that like any other action in life that we focus on for a short term (day) that it is soon forgotten if not the very next day. Therefore... the push for a week... to keep the ball moving or to push the needle on the meter just a little longer we have Earth Week. Maybe next year we'll go for Earth month?
How is April 2014 finding you? Remember... it seems like a distant memory now... the lovely spring of 2012... the winter that wasn't? Mother nature showed off her display so early that there were no tulips for the tulip festival. They had done their thing to soon... fooled out of the cover of the earth by mild temperatures. I remember thinking then... well... if this is what global warming is about... then what is the harm in mild winters? Gone are the days of the bitter cold, snow, and all that comes with it. Wrong again!
I don't want to spend much time talking about the return of "real winter". I know we are still very sensitive to the subject. In fact this morning we woke to find an additional 3 inches of snow that put us over the record for snow fall in the Detroit Michigan area going back as far as records are kept. I think the record was set in the late 1890's. Now we can say "Woohoo... we won... we set the record".
Not really the one I was hoping to be part of!
So the debate rages on about this controversial issue and the two camps are more divided then ever over the issue of "global warming". One side says... it's a cycle and human activity has little or nothing to do with it at all. While the other side show's facts and statistics about carbon emmisions from the industrialization of the world in the past 100 years and sounds a warning alarm.
I find myself kind of caught up in the middle of two camps... almost like political parties that cannot agree. As time goes on I have gravitated toward a place of putting the "global warming" label aside for one that I believe is more accurate and difficult to contradict. Is there anyone who has not been effected by the mood swings of Mother Earth? Like a person experiencing mid life changes our Mother Earth seems to be going through "The Change". I guess the term in the main stream is climate change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8US6_yWHNE
This week in our own region in South Eastern Michigan we went from a slow creep out of winter. Finally seeing the mounds of snow piled up at last recede into the ground. I have never seen people more enthusiastic about getting out of the house and into cleaning up around the yard. The spell was broken and we could not be held back. Shorts and flip flops replaced flannel and boots. Then with almost no warning.... we witnessed something we never see much around here in early April. A front passed over and bringing with it hail, wind, and rain like we have never seen in our lifetime. It left most of us amazed and dazed. It left others with power outages, tree's uprooted, and property damaged. And just when we thought it was all behind us... our temperamental Mother dropped the temps and some more snow.
I want to thank the hundreds of customers who have supported our efforts and given Greenfundraiserstore.com solid footing and a new direction in leading the green ecommerce marketplace. Our goal is to provide high quaility green product offerings at a resonable price backed up with convenient to the door shipping all done through an effective e commerc platform. At this time we have built a strong relationship with the millions of customers who click on the premier platform of Amazon.com. They have responsed in kind by asking for our products to be delivered to their doors throughout the United States. Specifically we have a strong following on the west coast and are pleased that those in the hot-beds of green living are choosing us as their provider of choice. We also get a strong audience on the east coast as well.
Our battery buckets have made it into the Philidelphia Museum of Art.
https://www.philamuseum.org/
And into the award-winning industrial design and branding firm
Fuseproject in San Franciso.
http://www.fuseproject.com/
And in Quora, Inc. which was founded by two former Facebook employees. They are located in Mountain View California. They are a question and answer website where questions are created, answered, edited and organized by its community of users
http://www.quora.com/Mountain-View-CA
Am I banging the drum?? Hey... why not... it is better than reading about your obituary.
On the fund raising side of the company we have been able to provide contributions of cash, donations of goods and contributions of time to many local organizations. This past year we were able to provide a financial contribtution for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Visayas regions of the Philippines. Climate change? Maybe?
http://www.filipinostarnews.net/featured-post/donations-filamcco-fund-drive-now-100000.html
We were able to provide a contribution to a very active climate change group in Interfaith Power and Light.
http://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/
On a local level we continue to reach out to Michigan Green Schools and plan to continue to provide our ability to engage in alternative fund raising for those who are ready to engage.
http://www.michigangreenschools.us/
Last but certainly not least... I want to thank our product partners for providing high quality, unique green products not found in the big box store. I hope it stays that way.
Soy Clean Products- Brooklyn, IA
Wash Safe Industries - Harwich, MA
Busch Systems- Barrie, Ontario, Canada
BioBag USA- Palm Harbor, FL
Trellis Earth- Wilsonville, OR
Mirror Lake Organics- Almont, MI
Cherry Republic- Glenn Arbor, MI
Maxi Container- Romulus- MI
Higher Grounds Trading Company- Traverse City, MI
Eco Bag- Ossining, NY
Without innovative and creative thinking minds who bring us these offerings of green and health alternatives to our course of daily living... we'd just take what were given from the big boxes like "Stuff Mart".
http://storyofstuff.org/
Happy Earth Week... take some time this week to pay special attention to our beautiful garden gift in Mother Earth.... ;)
How is April 2014 finding you? Remember... it seems like a distant memory now... the lovely spring of 2012... the winter that wasn't? Mother nature showed off her display so early that there were no tulips for the tulip festival. They had done their thing to soon... fooled out of the cover of the earth by mild temperatures. I remember thinking then... well... if this is what global warming is about... then what is the harm in mild winters? Gone are the days of the bitter cold, snow, and all that comes with it. Wrong again!
I don't want to spend much time talking about the return of "real winter". I know we are still very sensitive to the subject. In fact this morning we woke to find an additional 3 inches of snow that put us over the record for snow fall in the Detroit Michigan area going back as far as records are kept. I think the record was set in the late 1890's. Now we can say "Woohoo... we won... we set the record".
Not really the one I was hoping to be part of!
So the debate rages on about this controversial issue and the two camps are more divided then ever over the issue of "global warming". One side says... it's a cycle and human activity has little or nothing to do with it at all. While the other side show's facts and statistics about carbon emmisions from the industrialization of the world in the past 100 years and sounds a warning alarm.
I find myself kind of caught up in the middle of two camps... almost like political parties that cannot agree. As time goes on I have gravitated toward a place of putting the "global warming" label aside for one that I believe is more accurate and difficult to contradict. Is there anyone who has not been effected by the mood swings of Mother Earth? Like a person experiencing mid life changes our Mother Earth seems to be going through "The Change". I guess the term in the main stream is climate change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8US6_yWHNE
This week in our own region in South Eastern Michigan we went from a slow creep out of winter. Finally seeing the mounds of snow piled up at last recede into the ground. I have never seen people more enthusiastic about getting out of the house and into cleaning up around the yard. The spell was broken and we could not be held back. Shorts and flip flops replaced flannel and boots. Then with almost no warning.... we witnessed something we never see much around here in early April. A front passed over and bringing with it hail, wind, and rain like we have never seen in our lifetime. It left most of us amazed and dazed. It left others with power outages, tree's uprooted, and property damaged. And just when we thought it was all behind us... our temperamental Mother dropped the temps and some more snow.
I want to thank the hundreds of customers who have supported our efforts and given Greenfundraiserstore.com solid footing and a new direction in leading the green ecommerce marketplace. Our goal is to provide high quaility green product offerings at a resonable price backed up with convenient to the door shipping all done through an effective e commerc platform. At this time we have built a strong relationship with the millions of customers who click on the premier platform of Amazon.com. They have responsed in kind by asking for our products to be delivered to their doors throughout the United States. Specifically we have a strong following on the west coast and are pleased that those in the hot-beds of green living are choosing us as their provider of choice. We also get a strong audience on the east coast as well.
Our battery buckets have made it into the Philidelphia Museum of Art.
https://www.philamuseum.org/
And into the award-winning industrial design and branding firm
Fuseproject in San Franciso.
http://www.fuseproject.com/
And in Quora, Inc. which was founded by two former Facebook employees. They are located in Mountain View California. They are a question and answer website where questions are created, answered, edited and organized by its community of users
http://www.quora.com/Mountain-View-CA
Am I banging the drum?? Hey... why not... it is better than reading about your obituary.
On the fund raising side of the company we have been able to provide contributions of cash, donations of goods and contributions of time to many local organizations. This past year we were able to provide a financial contribtution for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in the Visayas regions of the Philippines. Climate change? Maybe?
http://www.filipinostarnews.net/featured-post/donations-filamcco-fund-drive-now-100000.html
We were able to provide a contribution to a very active climate change group in Interfaith Power and Light.
http://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/
On a local level we continue to reach out to Michigan Green Schools and plan to continue to provide our ability to engage in alternative fund raising for those who are ready to engage.
http://www.michigangreenschools.us/
Last but certainly not least... I want to thank our product partners for providing high quality, unique green products not found in the big box store. I hope it stays that way.
Soy Clean Products- Brooklyn, IA
Wash Safe Industries - Harwich, MA
Busch Systems- Barrie, Ontario, Canada
BioBag USA- Palm Harbor, FL
Trellis Earth- Wilsonville, OR
Mirror Lake Organics- Almont, MI
Cherry Republic- Glenn Arbor, MI
Maxi Container- Romulus- MI
Higher Grounds Trading Company- Traverse City, MI
Eco Bag- Ossining, NY
Without innovative and creative thinking minds who bring us these offerings of green and health alternatives to our course of daily living... we'd just take what were given from the big boxes like "Stuff Mart".
http://storyofstuff.org/
Happy Earth Week... take some time this week to pay special attention to our beautiful garden gift in Mother Earth.... ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsGDiYlMFuk
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Winter 2014... Deep Freeze and the Polar Vortex...
The old saying goes... "be careful what you wish for..." you might just get it! Many of us look forward to the beginning of a new year. To many of us it represents a fresh start, a new chapter or perhaps a clean sheet of paper. With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season behind us we can finally get back into a new groove now that kids are back to school. Right? NOT in 2014!
Nobody mentioned the words "Polar Vortex" before as far back as I can remember. I even took a weather class back in the day at CMU and never heard anyone mention a "Polar Vortex". Well it appears these things are for real since we are now recovering from the nations second one in this short year. So what does this have to do with anything? Let me tell you about the conversations in my household and place of business these past few weeks. How many days can you miss school from a snow/ice event or below zero cold snap? That seems to be up for debate. At this point our district has had 11 days off and that my friends is a few too many days according to the rules we know. All that being said it will be interesting to run up to the end of the school year to see what if anything is done to account for the excessive days. FYI... I found this handy little link that calculates snow days in your zip code. Try it!
http://www.snowdaycalculator.com/calculator.php
If we were to believe everything our parents/grandparents tell us... they for sure would NOT have missed most if any of these days. Are today's generation too soft? Is it all just an over reaction to the possibilities of what might happen if we venture out in the cold or snow? I myself use a simple albeit a sad tool in trying to make the determination. I recall a snowy morning not too many years ago that some might have questioned why school had not been called. Yes the road were snowy but not excessively so. Plow trucks were doing their desired best attempt to clear the way or motorists. Unfortunately there was a horrific crash that led to fatalities of students being transported to school. Hindsight is 20/20 and your darned if you do... and darned if you don't make the call. I suppose changing the decision of that day would be easy with the new information. Sometimes you just can't see it coming.
I will use that to overlay into my main point for this beginning of the year report on Greenfundraiserstore.com and our progress in the beginning of our 4th year. Many of you know from past reports that our focus point and business model has evolved into an e commerce strategy. I am pleased to report to you that 2013 was a record year in growth of sales and new customers clicking/purchasing from our "Little Green Store...".
What we really didn't see coming is the interest on a much bigger national stage. While most of our efforts and attended events have been right here in Metro Detroit Michigan we have found most of our buyers/shoppers coming from just about every where else. That is good news in that the message and interest level is now proven and turning the wheels of growth. Here is what we have seen in 2013 in the way of top region activity:
26 % West Coast-California, Washington, Oregon
15% Southern States- Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina
20% East Coast- New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts
14% Midwest- Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana
25% All other
Final thing.... in the last quarter of 2013 we were happy to make a contribution to a cause that was very meaning to me on a personal level. We chose to support "The Philippines American Foundation" in their fundraising efforts for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan "Yolonda". This had special meaning to me personally since a client and personal friend in Dennis Vista passed away suddenly around the time of this calamity. Dennis introduced me to the kind and generous culture of the Philippine's. I later discovered that he had been working on building a mango farm back in his birth place located in the Philippines. He had created jobs in a green industry and in the end was doing what he loved.
http://www.filamccomichigan.org/
Spring time is just around the corner... right after the next "Polar Vortex". Keep the faith!
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com
Nobody mentioned the words "Polar Vortex" before as far back as I can remember. I even took a weather class back in the day at CMU and never heard anyone mention a "Polar Vortex". Well it appears these things are for real since we are now recovering from the nations second one in this short year. So what does this have to do with anything? Let me tell you about the conversations in my household and place of business these past few weeks. How many days can you miss school from a snow/ice event or below zero cold snap? That seems to be up for debate. At this point our district has had 11 days off and that my friends is a few too many days according to the rules we know. All that being said it will be interesting to run up to the end of the school year to see what if anything is done to account for the excessive days. FYI... I found this handy little link that calculates snow days in your zip code. Try it!
http://www.snowdaycalculator.com/calculator.php
If we were to believe everything our parents/grandparents tell us... they for sure would NOT have missed most if any of these days. Are today's generation too soft? Is it all just an over reaction to the possibilities of what might happen if we venture out in the cold or snow? I myself use a simple albeit a sad tool in trying to make the determination. I recall a snowy morning not too many years ago that some might have questioned why school had not been called. Yes the road were snowy but not excessively so. Plow trucks were doing their desired best attempt to clear the way or motorists. Unfortunately there was a horrific crash that led to fatalities of students being transported to school. Hindsight is 20/20 and your darned if you do... and darned if you don't make the call. I suppose changing the decision of that day would be easy with the new information. Sometimes you just can't see it coming.
I will use that to overlay into my main point for this beginning of the year report on Greenfundraiserstore.com and our progress in the beginning of our 4th year. Many of you know from past reports that our focus point and business model has evolved into an e commerce strategy. I am pleased to report to you that 2013 was a record year in growth of sales and new customers clicking/purchasing from our "Little Green Store...".
What we really didn't see coming is the interest on a much bigger national stage. While most of our efforts and attended events have been right here in Metro Detroit Michigan we have found most of our buyers/shoppers coming from just about every where else. That is good news in that the message and interest level is now proven and turning the wheels of growth. Here is what we have seen in 2013 in the way of top region activity:
26 % West Coast-California, Washington, Oregon
15% Southern States- Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina
20% East Coast- New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts
14% Midwest- Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana
25% All other
Final thing.... in the last quarter of 2013 we were happy to make a contribution to a cause that was very meaning to me on a personal level. We chose to support "The Philippines American Foundation" in their fundraising efforts for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan "Yolonda". This had special meaning to me personally since a client and personal friend in Dennis Vista passed away suddenly around the time of this calamity. Dennis introduced me to the kind and generous culture of the Philippine's. I later discovered that he had been working on building a mango farm back in his birth place located in the Philippines. He had created jobs in a green industry and in the end was doing what he loved.
http://www.filamccomichigan.org/
Spring time is just around the corner... right after the next "Polar Vortex". Keep the faith!
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Twas the night before Christmas.... Amazon Drone delivery.... right down the chimney?
It must be the future as we are on the cusp of closing out 2013. This year as we close out the year I can't help but to think about the science fiction we used to only dream of in comic books and movies. Who remembers the Dick Tracy comic? The squared off jaw and squintey eyed Tracy used to talk into his futuristic wrist watch and fly around in a rocket powered trash can. Never a chance this will become reality? Think again. By know we have all seen the Samsung watch. Looks suspiciously like the Dick Tracy special. I wonder if there will be a law suit over this?
How about the flying trash can? Well from some of the YouTube Videos I've seen that is not far off. How about the water jet powered boots you can slap on... attached by a tether and fly around like Iron Man or Wonder Women?
![]()
![]()
No doubt technology is passing many of us by faster than a high speed bullet train. This year has been one of great hope, progress, setback, disaster, growth/destruction, life/death. A mixed bag for sure. As you wade through the list of things yet to do in 2013 try and contemplate the blessings we have as a nation. Just a short few years ago we were flat on our backs as a country with massive bankruptcies from institutional titans who were not to big to fail. Today many have made adjustments to the "new realities" and perhaps it is for the better.
All that aside I want to take this time to say "Thank You" to all who have helped us stay on the mission of growing Greenfundraiserstore.com from a seed that has begun to take root. If you visited with us at an event or clicked on our store site this thanks you is for. We certainly are in a different place today then when things got started in April 2011. Not as much running from event to event. Not as many hours trying to tweak the plan.
![]()
The e commerce store has taken hold across the country and I cannot think of a better operational partner than Amazon for the platform. One of my favorite things to do is tell people about "who" from "where" has selected "what". Truth be told I think of this as what Ernie Harwell used to in the golden days when he would announce "That ball was caught by a man from Kalamazoo, Michigan...". How'd he know that? Did he really know the man was from Kalamazoo? What I find interesting is places I've never heard of like Arkadelphia, Arkansas or Sunnyvale California. I have visited Sunnyvale and will likely return but have not yet visited Arkadelphia.
![]()
So in the theme of the celebration of the Christmas season I want to take you to a new reality for the legendary St. Nicholas. Imagine the new stories to be written about the trials and tribulation in the near future when the sleigh and reindeer have to share the air space with the delivery drones from Amazon. How shocking this will be to Santa and how reindeer will be startled! If you haven't heard this story that broke last week on a CBS interview with the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos Amazon is piloting the use of drones to deliver packages right to the door step. Science fiction? Maybe... just like the Dick Tracey watch!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-unveils-futuristic-plan-delivery-by-drone/
What ever happened to "Down the Chimney with Old St. Nick. Santa may be replaced or perhaps develope his own fleet of smart drones for delivey right down the Chimney? Only time will tell... but one thing is clear... get ready for the future.
All the best to you and yours as we turn over the calender to 2014.
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
How about the flying trash can? Well from some of the YouTube Videos I've seen that is not far off. How about the water jet powered boots you can slap on... attached by a tether and fly around like Iron Man or Wonder Women?
No doubt technology is passing many of us by faster than a high speed bullet train. This year has been one of great hope, progress, setback, disaster, growth/destruction, life/death. A mixed bag for sure. As you wade through the list of things yet to do in 2013 try and contemplate the blessings we have as a nation. Just a short few years ago we were flat on our backs as a country with massive bankruptcies from institutional titans who were not to big to fail. Today many have made adjustments to the "new realities" and perhaps it is for the better.
All that aside I want to take this time to say "Thank You" to all who have helped us stay on the mission of growing Greenfundraiserstore.com from a seed that has begun to take root. If you visited with us at an event or clicked on our store site this thanks you is for. We certainly are in a different place today then when things got started in April 2011. Not as much running from event to event. Not as many hours trying to tweak the plan.
The e commerce store has taken hold across the country and I cannot think of a better operational partner than Amazon for the platform. One of my favorite things to do is tell people about "who" from "where" has selected "what". Truth be told I think of this as what Ernie Harwell used to in the golden days when he would announce "That ball was caught by a man from Kalamazoo, Michigan...". How'd he know that? Did he really know the man was from Kalamazoo? What I find interesting is places I've never heard of like Arkadelphia, Arkansas or Sunnyvale California. I have visited Sunnyvale and will likely return but have not yet visited Arkadelphia.
So in the theme of the celebration of the Christmas season I want to take you to a new reality for the legendary St. Nicholas. Imagine the new stories to be written about the trials and tribulation in the near future when the sleigh and reindeer have to share the air space with the delivery drones from Amazon. How shocking this will be to Santa and how reindeer will be startled! If you haven't heard this story that broke last week on a CBS interview with the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos Amazon is piloting the use of drones to deliver packages right to the door step. Science fiction? Maybe... just like the Dick Tracey watch!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-unveils-futuristic-plan-delivery-by-drone/
What ever happened to "Down the Chimney with Old St. Nick. Santa may be replaced or perhaps develope his own fleet of smart drones for delivey right down the Chimney? Only time will tell... but one thing is clear... get ready for the future.
All the best to you and yours as we turn over the calender to 2014.
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
Monday, September 16, 2013
Fundraising made easier... 2.0 platform
Operational Partnership:
This post is intended to provide some instruction on our next steps to make Greenfundraiserstore.com a seemless, simple, and effective fund raising partner for your school or civic group.
First of all we have gone through some major overhauls in our "operating systems" since our original web site build out from days past. The original site was "cute" but not necessarily the most effective platform. Let's fast forward to 2013 and looking at our operational parternship with Amazon.
Amazon has millions of customers who visit and shop on line every day. It is a name that customers know and trust which has been proven by their phenominal growth. Why not align your self with the most trusted and proven e commerce platform in the history of.... history?
Enter the partnership and the platform.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53&page=1&rd=1
How does it work?
Simple You organize your group and direct them to the webstore. Your group membership can shop on line in our Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon storefront 24 X 7 any time or day.
Easy Upon check out simply include your organizations name after your own name. Our system tracks orders that come in from your group each week and credits your group for each order placed by your membership.
Effective Each month our system will automatically update and send a percentage of profits to your organization.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/details/ref=aag_m_fi?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&seller=A38FNHOO6IEX53#aag_faq
Our new process has no forms to fill out, no complicated registration, no cost or set up fee's. It is in effect... a greening of the greenfundraiserstore!
For more information on our brief history and work visit:
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=48202209&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
We are adding new products each month so be sure to check in for new updates.
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
866-752-6626
info@greenfundraiserstore.com
*Disclaimer- Only products located within the Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon store front are eligible for a shared percentage of proceeds. Amazon is not responsible for nor is a participant in fund raising activites of Greenfundraiserstore.com or it's affiliated companies.
This post is intended to provide some instruction on our next steps to make Greenfundraiserstore.com a seemless, simple, and effective fund raising partner for your school or civic group.
First of all we have gone through some major overhauls in our "operating systems" since our original web site build out from days past. The original site was "cute" but not necessarily the most effective platform. Let's fast forward to 2013 and looking at our operational parternship with Amazon.
Amazon has millions of customers who visit and shop on line every day. It is a name that customers know and trust which has been proven by their phenominal growth. Why not align your self with the most trusted and proven e commerce platform in the history of.... history?
Enter the partnership and the platform.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53&page=1&rd=1
How does it work?
Simple You organize your group and direct them to the webstore. Your group membership can shop on line in our Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon storefront 24 X 7 any time or day.
Easy Upon check out simply include your organizations name after your own name. Our system tracks orders that come in from your group each week and credits your group for each order placed by your membership.
Effective Each month our system will automatically update and send a percentage of profits to your organization.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/details/ref=aag_m_fi?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&seller=A38FNHOO6IEX53#aag_faq
Our new process has no forms to fill out, no complicated registration, no cost or set up fee's. It is in effect... a greening of the greenfundraiserstore!
For more information on our brief history and work visit:
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=48202209&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
We are adding new products each month so be sure to check in for new updates.
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
866-752-6626
info
*Disclaimer- Only products located within the Greenfundraiserstore.com Amazon store front are eligible for a shared percentage of proceeds. Amazon is not responsible for nor is a participant in fund raising activites of Greenfundraiserstore.com or it's affiliated companies.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
2013 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan
Press Release: September 6th, 2013
Today we received notification that Greenfundraiserstore.com was again selected as one of the
101 Best And Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan for 2013. The awards will be presented at a symposium scheduled for September 18th, 2013 at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Michigan Govenor Rick Snyder will be in attendance to honor the recipients.
The selection criteria is based on an assesment completed earlier this year which was judged scored by an indepedent research organizaion. Area's of assesment include:
Education. The level of education provided to employees on sustainable practices along with industry best practices.
Communication. The extent of outreach in reporting our results of sustainable business efforts to employees, customers, suppliers and community.
Strategic Planning & Operantional Implementation. The depth to which our organization measures all maters of sustainability and the support of senior management for long term viability of the organization.
Innovation & Problem Solving. The extent to which your organization monitors the entire cycle of your company's product(s) or services(s) to determine the impact and needed changes.
Environmental. The extent to which your organization monitors all aspects of the environmental output as a result of your organizations product(s) or servcies(s).
Building & Grounds. The extent to which your organization has implemented changes to your building and grounds to impove sustainability and lessen consumption and emisisions.
Community Leadership. The level of community outreach, monitoring of economic impact , and promotion of sustainable practices your organization provides to the community.
Workforce. The extent of encouragment and support your organization provides employees for participating in sustainable initiatives at the organization and in the community.
Financial Performance. Your organizations effectiveness in monitoring its sustainable performance and innovation on improving its financial performance.
Our business has evolved since it's inception in 2010 yet the vision of providing education, awareness, and advocay for "Green Shifts' in the course of daily living remains firmily at the core of the organization.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragment and support as we continue on this journey.
Regards,
Don Sherman
President of Greenfundraiserstore.com
www.greenfundraiserstore.com
Associated articles:
http://www.grbj.com/articles/77793-association-reveals-2013-class-of-101-best-and-brightest-sustainable-companies
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/governor-rick-snyder-to-kick-off-michigans-101-best-brightest-sustainable-companies-awards-symposium-2013-09-11
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/03/new_awards_program_to_honor_be.html
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Winding up Summer of 2013....
They say time fly's when your having fun. We must be having a real blast because summer has made a late appearance in 2013 and like Ernie Harwell used to say as the voice of the Detroit Tiger's.... "It's long.... Gone...".
This is a good time of year to get ready for the fall projects that you may have put off during summer and will come ready or not. Check out our Amazon store http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53 for some of our most popular tried and true home helpers.
If your like me you pick up a bundle of lawn and leaf bags here and there when your around town. Why not have us ship you the mother load with a bundle of 50 bags? It will cover you for the big leaf fall and perhaps a few left over for spring clean up. I know this looks like a giant lunch bag... but it is actually a standard 16 X 25X 35 50 pound unprinted biodegradable lawn/leaf bag.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Summer is easy living in Michigan...
It has's been a while since our last blog and update to you and so we are overdue. Let's start with the undeniable truth that it has taken a while for it to arrive... much longer than last year.... but Summer is here both on the calendar and in my heart. My friends often ask me as part of common courtesy.... "How are you doing?" and my new standard reply is "Summer is always easy my friend!" It could never be more true than here in the mitten state. Did you hear that Wisconsin tried to steal that for themselves? It's true! I pulled out a map and tried to see what the fuss was over. Wisconsin DOES NOT look anything like a mitten. Unless your hand was crushed in a bad industrial accident or your blind Grand Mother knit you a pair of mittens. Time out!
I can't help myself... time for a commercial interruption to help pay some bills....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHJULBW
They come in Green, Red, and Grey.... free shipping if you mention this blog. Use redemption code:
michmitt13 at the check out.... ;)
So it is clear to me that Michigan is indeed the Mitten state... and the rabbit state if you live above the bridge... we have no tie in at this time for a rabbit promotion... just yet... ;)
What make summer living so easy? Let me count the ways. First... a flexible schedule. No 6 am wake ups in the cold, dark and potentially snowy mornings. Second... flip flops in shorts. Now I know the professional standards of dress have changed over the decades. I used to wear a suit, dress shirt , and tie every day for at least the first decade of my professional career. But... someone invented casual Friday and I could hardly have needed to be told twice. Who's idea was the neck tie anyway? I say it had to be...I dare take the risk to say this.... a woman. Stop to consider the idea of taking a length of silk AND then making various maneuvers to create noting short of a noose... to go around the neck.... to be pulled tightly around the neck of a man... which in reality restricts blood flow to the brain... no wonder men can be so stupid! My point is... shorts and flip flops are a more intelligent choice. No restricted blood flow to the brain... because you certainly could not wear a dress shirt and tie with shorts and flops! It is the intelligent choice! I hear Men's Wearhouse just fired their long time spokesman... George Zimmer. Look for a new lineup of shorts and flip flops to arrive in their stores soon. I GUARANTEE IT!
What is happening with Greenfundraiserstore.com you ask? After a slow roll out in 2010-12 we spent a great deal of time, effort, resources, and energy running hard. We attended events in green education, festivals, fairs, school functions, farmers markets, and executive meetings all in an effort to build our brand.
We put fund raising in the first position over everything in the model in an effort to offer a unique platform to provide educational alternative fund raising over the traditional non educational and often less healthy choices being offered in schools and community organizations these days. Here is what we learned. Overwhelmingly people told us they loved the concept. We had countless heads nodding.... yes... this is it... keep going. Get in touch with us. And so we did... we kept doing... we did the outreach and followup... but there was resistance. What was getting in the way... why the lack of engagement with what we have built?
It comes down to a few simple observations. First... change is risky. What if I give up what I'm doing now and this new idea doesn't work out? I had an Athletic Director of a near by high school look me in the eye and tell me with a straight face that "cookie dough sales are good for $10,000" or more to our fund base. I stopped to consider why an Athletic Director would trade his soul which is supposed to be about being "athletic" to a company that would line his fund with cash in exchange for calories. I should have understood this more clearly as what I was coming up against. This guy did not care at all about the message of selling "sugar" to a sea of addicts... as a drug dealer cares little about selling drugs to a drug addict. That may seem a little harsh... but from my view it is one in the same. Childhood obesity, sedentary life styles and we turn a blind eye to this talk from both sides of the mouth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIB9Y4OFPs
Second... the inner circle for most of these organizations is a pretty tight circle and can be touch if not impossible to break into. PTA groups are run by a very few people who I have high regard for. They do put in valuable amounts of time and energy when others would not never even attend a meeting let alone serve in a meaningful role. Once again... I found a certain amount of head nodding... with the same remarks of a great concept... but no actin or engagement. Many have their own agenda's or are associated with an organization that they are going to push to the front and implement. Not that they are bad idea's but my point is that there is an agenda and that is what gets brought to the front.
.svg.png)
Front the beginning there was a struggle about the business model and we debated if we should be a fund raising and educational organization who offers a window into green shifts OR should we be a green product store who offers insight into green shifts in the course of daily living with a fund raising feature on the back end?
This year after closing out 2012 with a somewhat of a disastrous finish... we decided to make a "green shift" in our business model. Many of you know that in the last quarter of 2012 we moved forward with a brick and mortar version of the Greenfundraiserstore.com with the creation and roll out of "The Little Green Store".
It was a proud moment and a fulfillment of my dream of taking a run down inefficient old home and creating something new again. Many of you saw the metamorphosis take place with the building improvements and energy efficiencies we put into the project such as doors, windows, and furnace. One thing we did not get to was an insulation inspection. That caught up to us in unexpected and disastrous ways in January 13.
I will close this blog by simply leaving you with this question to ponder, During the week prior to the "event" it was pushing 50 degrees and we really had not seen much from winter yet. We had just come off a remarkable "non-winter" the year before. Recall the massive fruit crop failures from the early and untimely emergence of spring only to be lost to heavy freezes that come later. Was winter 13 going to be a repeat performance. Then with no warning... like winter always like to do... the temperatures plunged to below freezing AND the wind blew to 40-50 mph gusts. Just enough to enter a small hole in the framing along the outside wall... fueled by the wind to create a super cold cavity... where the water supply line happened to occupy. I left the building at 5 pm or so with everything in order and making plans for spring 13
I stopped a friends in town to talk about my plans and even talked about plans of bringing our green businesses together under one roof. When I arrived I spent the first few minutes doing a walk around and picking up what the wind from the night before had blown around in the yard. When I passed the south side of the building I noticed what appeared to be what I will describe as a "frozen coke" like substance running out of the side of the building. Now I am admittedly not the sharpest tool in the shed... but your not supposed to see this coming out of the side of a building! I knew in that moment that the rest of the day was not going to be as planned. When I entered the building it was completely frosted over and clearly the furnace had stopped working. As I turned the corner to check the front office I could hear the sounds of rushing water... and I knew we had a frozen pipe burst. The chair and desk I was seated at just a few hours ago was completely covered in debris and rushing water. I made my way to the basement to shut off the water only to find bigger problems. More than a foot of freezing water had accumulated and that left me only one option... off with the shoes/socks... roll of the pants and take the arctic plunge. I won't bore you with the rest.
So the question for you is simple... was I a victim of climate change? OR just an unfortunate guy dealing with a typical ever-day issue with regular changes that come with weather?
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Lessons learned:
#1 Check your insulation
#2 I don't like working retail hours... God bless you shop owners!
#3 Every idea is not a good idea... learn from your mistakes AND move on.
#4 Sometimes your wife is right.... :)
Our revised model for Greenfundraiserstore.com is back to business basics 101.
Find a model that is workable and that shows an ability to be profitable... then grow it to scale.
We are re emerging as an e commerce store... no bricks... no mortar... just good products delivered to the people and places who want them. This year to date we are tracking at a 650% sales growth rate over our first year and implementation of the e commerce sight. While that may seem impressive if you consider the possibility that we might have made one sale last year and now we are at six. Although that is not the case we are still very much in the early stage start up stages and are having success in California, Washington State, Texas, Florida, and various east coast states... we are still alive!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM
Play it loud! And enjoy summer in Michigan! ;)
I can't help myself... time for a commercial interruption to help pay some bills....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHJULBW
They come in Green, Red, and Grey.... free shipping if you mention this blog. Use redemption code:
michmitt13 at the check out.... ;)
So it is clear to me that Michigan is indeed the Mitten state... and the rabbit state if you live above the bridge... we have no tie in at this time for a rabbit promotion... just yet... ;)
What make summer living so easy? Let me count the ways. First... a flexible schedule. No 6 am wake ups in the cold, dark and potentially snowy mornings. Second... flip flops in shorts. Now I know the professional standards of dress have changed over the decades. I used to wear a suit, dress shirt , and tie every day for at least the first decade of my professional career. But... someone invented casual Friday and I could hardly have needed to be told twice. Who's idea was the neck tie anyway? I say it had to be...I dare take the risk to say this.... a woman. Stop to consider the idea of taking a length of silk AND then making various maneuvers to create noting short of a noose... to go around the neck.... to be pulled tightly around the neck of a man... which in reality restricts blood flow to the brain... no wonder men can be so stupid! My point is... shorts and flip flops are a more intelligent choice. No restricted blood flow to the brain... because you certainly could not wear a dress shirt and tie with shorts and flops! It is the intelligent choice! I hear Men's Wearhouse just fired their long time spokesman... George Zimmer. Look for a new lineup of shorts and flip flops to arrive in their stores soon. I GUARANTEE IT!
What is happening with Greenfundraiserstore.com you ask? After a slow roll out in 2010-12 we spent a great deal of time, effort, resources, and energy running hard. We attended events in green education, festivals, fairs, school functions, farmers markets, and executive meetings all in an effort to build our brand.
We put fund raising in the first position over everything in the model in an effort to offer a unique platform to provide educational alternative fund raising over the traditional non educational and often less healthy choices being offered in schools and community organizations these days. Here is what we learned. Overwhelmingly people told us they loved the concept. We had countless heads nodding.... yes... this is it... keep going. Get in touch with us. And so we did... we kept doing... we did the outreach and followup... but there was resistance. What was getting in the way... why the lack of engagement with what we have built?
It comes down to a few simple observations. First... change is risky. What if I give up what I'm doing now and this new idea doesn't work out? I had an Athletic Director of a near by high school look me in the eye and tell me with a straight face that "cookie dough sales are good for $10,000" or more to our fund base. I stopped to consider why an Athletic Director would trade his soul which is supposed to be about being "athletic" to a company that would line his fund with cash in exchange for calories. I should have understood this more clearly as what I was coming up against. This guy did not care at all about the message of selling "sugar" to a sea of addicts... as a drug dealer cares little about selling drugs to a drug addict. That may seem a little harsh... but from my view it is one in the same. Childhood obesity, sedentary life styles and we turn a blind eye to this talk from both sides of the mouth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIB9Y4OFPs
Second... the inner circle for most of these organizations is a pretty tight circle and can be touch if not impossible to break into. PTA groups are run by a very few people who I have high regard for. They do put in valuable amounts of time and energy when others would not never even attend a meeting let alone serve in a meaningful role. Once again... I found a certain amount of head nodding... with the same remarks of a great concept... but no actin or engagement. Many have their own agenda's or are associated with an organization that they are going to push to the front and implement. Not that they are bad idea's but my point is that there is an agenda and that is what gets brought to the front.
.svg.png)
Front the beginning there was a struggle about the business model and we debated if we should be a fund raising and educational organization who offers a window into green shifts OR should we be a green product store who offers insight into green shifts in the course of daily living with a fund raising feature on the back end?
This year after closing out 2012 with a somewhat of a disastrous finish... we decided to make a "green shift" in our business model. Many of you know that in the last quarter of 2012 we moved forward with a brick and mortar version of the Greenfundraiserstore.com with the creation and roll out of "The Little Green Store".
It was a proud moment and a fulfillment of my dream of taking a run down inefficient old home and creating something new again. Many of you saw the metamorphosis take place with the building improvements and energy efficiencies we put into the project such as doors, windows, and furnace. One thing we did not get to was an insulation inspection. That caught up to us in unexpected and disastrous ways in January 13.
I will close this blog by simply leaving you with this question to ponder, During the week prior to the "event" it was pushing 50 degrees and we really had not seen much from winter yet. We had just come off a remarkable "non-winter" the year before. Recall the massive fruit crop failures from the early and untimely emergence of spring only to be lost to heavy freezes that come later. Was winter 13 going to be a repeat performance. Then with no warning... like winter always like to do... the temperatures plunged to below freezing AND the wind blew to 40-50 mph gusts. Just enough to enter a small hole in the framing along the outside wall... fueled by the wind to create a super cold cavity... where the water supply line happened to occupy. I left the building at 5 pm or so with everything in order and making plans for spring 13
I stopped a friends in town to talk about my plans and even talked about plans of bringing our green businesses together under one roof. When I arrived I spent the first few minutes doing a walk around and picking up what the wind from the night before had blown around in the yard. When I passed the south side of the building I noticed what appeared to be what I will describe as a "frozen coke" like substance running out of the side of the building. Now I am admittedly not the sharpest tool in the shed... but your not supposed to see this coming out of the side of a building! I knew in that moment that the rest of the day was not going to be as planned. When I entered the building it was completely frosted over and clearly the furnace had stopped working. As I turned the corner to check the front office I could hear the sounds of rushing water... and I knew we had a frozen pipe burst. The chair and desk I was seated at just a few hours ago was completely covered in debris and rushing water. I made my way to the basement to shut off the water only to find bigger problems. More than a foot of freezing water had accumulated and that left me only one option... off with the shoes/socks... roll of the pants and take the arctic plunge. I won't bore you with the rest.
So the question for you is simple... was I a victim of climate change? OR just an unfortunate guy dealing with a typical ever-day issue with regular changes that come with weather?
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Lessons learned:
#1 Check your insulation
#2 I don't like working retail hours... God bless you shop owners!
#3 Every idea is not a good idea... learn from your mistakes AND move on.
#4 Sometimes your wife is right.... :)
Our revised model for Greenfundraiserstore.com is back to business basics 101.
Find a model that is workable and that shows an ability to be profitable... then grow it to scale.
We are re emerging as an e commerce store... no bricks... no mortar... just good products delivered to the people and places who want them. This year to date we are tracking at a 650% sales growth rate over our first year and implementation of the e commerce sight. While that may seem impressive if you consider the possibility that we might have made one sale last year and now we are at six. Although that is not the case we are still very much in the early stage start up stages and are having success in California, Washington State, Texas, Florida, and various east coast states... we are still alive!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM
Play it loud! And enjoy summer in Michigan! ;)
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Small done Right.... Friday night Soup and Sweets Stroll in the Village...
There are so many wonderful events happening this time of year. My favorite is the annual Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade that travels down Woodward Avenue each year. As a young boy my sisters and I participated in this annual event through our participation in a precision marching drill team. I know that may seem like an unfamiliar extra curricular activity to most. Our elementary school happened to have a teacher that was a patriotic guy who put this group together and brought it to life. When I stop to consider what he and the group of parent volunteers accomplished in this group... well... it was a thing of beauty.
He taught and instilled in this group of elementary school age kids things that are sorely needed in today's kids. Thinking of the term "precision" as the main element of this group... we were... well... precise. Not only in the way we dressed in our uniforms, hats, metal heel cleated boots (polished for every event), long pants with stripe down the side for boys and perfectly pleated skirts for girls. We were taught to stand at attention in military fashion. We were taught to perform in perfect lock step harmony never looking anywhere but straight ahead.
Please... for your own fun today... click on this link... and you can play with a giant clown balloon with your mouse... careful this could suck you in for hours of fun?
http://www.theparade.org/
The point of this brief description is all to say that we marched down Woodward Avenue every year for the annual turkey day event... and that was back in the day when Santa arrived at the J.L. Hudson building for his reception key to the city, and flight to Santa's Wonderland up in the still then standing Hudson's department store.
We loved to perform and my roll in this group was fairly simple. Because I was the tallest guy in the group the instructor found me to be best suited to handle a job that at the time I did not appreciate or really understand the meaning. While my buddies got the job I wanted of flinging fake riffles around while marching in lock step... I was placed in the more conservative position of the colored guard. My job was to represent our group and I guess in a small way... our country in carrying the American flag. And so it was... while the guys behind me got the glory of slinging their riffles and precision marching in various every changing flanking patterns... my guys in the colored guard lead the way... in a more conservative... much less action pace. Years later I began to appreciate and understand the significance of this privilege and honor to carry the American flag. More on this in a future blog...
Now... fast forward to 2012 and we are past all the turkey day events... including a new way for the Detroit Lions to lose a game on T day... and we are on the thresh hold of Christmas. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us... we now enter the first full week in December. That means local small town events like the Soup and Sweet Stroll in the Village of Oxford and the special night time event in the Village of Lake Orion in the wonderful Lake Orion Light Parade.
http://www.facebook.com/downtownoxfordmi?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxford-Chamber-of-Commerce-Oxford-MI/98385592375?fref=ts
I am officially inviting you, your family and friends for a bonding experience with "Small Town America". The activities begin on Friday night in the Village of Oxford, Michigan with the annual "Soup and Sweet's Stroll". You can purchase a wrist band at "Christmas central" or Centennial Park that gives you a sampling of soups from local restaurants or sweets from local merchants as you stroll through the Village and visit their stores while window shopping. At 8:01 the Christmas Tree lighting officially takes place... but not before performances and caroling from local high school groups. Be sure to stop in at local merchants to visit their "Small done Right..." stores. Your's truly will have the new entry in "The Little Green Store..." open into the evening... we are just south of the activity center on the east side of S Washington.... look for the green light and bright white LED Christmas lights on the front of our store.
Saturday afternoon will kick off the Village of Oxford's noon time Christmas parade which marches down the main street. The great news about small town parades are that for those in the parade... it's over before you know it... while back in the day we marched in the freezing cold with the cold wind shooting down the tunnels effect created by the huge buildings in the city and covering well over a couple of miles of street lined parade goers. Small town America is different in that you get started...cover several blocks and pack up... go home. Fun... but in a "Small Done Right..." kind of fun.
But wait... it's not over yet... head down the highway a couple of miles... stop in to a local pub or restaurant to warm up and refuel. Then when the day grows dark and the newly installed LED street lights come up along with the wonderful assortment of holiday decorative lighting... for the "Lake Orion Light Parade". It is truly small town America at its best. Done Right!
http://www.facebook.com/LakeOrionDDA?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/orionareachamberofcommerce?fref=ts
Stop in to our new brick and mortar location known as "The Little Green Store" and try out our free samples of chocolate covered cherries, fair trade olive oil, AND our organic candy canes. Yes Virginia... there is an organic candy cane! ;)
http://www.facebook.com/donaldman.1?ref=hl
Enjoy it all before it comes and goes....
Best of the holiday season to all of you and your family!
Regards,
Don Sherman
He taught and instilled in this group of elementary school age kids things that are sorely needed in today's kids. Thinking of the term "precision" as the main element of this group... we were... well... precise. Not only in the way we dressed in our uniforms, hats, metal heel cleated boots (polished for every event), long pants with stripe down the side for boys and perfectly pleated skirts for girls. We were taught to stand at attention in military fashion. We were taught to perform in perfect lock step harmony never looking anywhere but straight ahead.
Please... for your own fun today... click on this link... and you can play with a giant clown balloon with your mouse... careful this could suck you in for hours of fun?
http://www.theparade.org/
The point of this brief description is all to say that we marched down Woodward Avenue every year for the annual turkey day event... and that was back in the day when Santa arrived at the J.L. Hudson building for his reception key to the city, and flight to Santa's Wonderland up in the still then standing Hudson's department store.
We loved to perform and my roll in this group was fairly simple. Because I was the tallest guy in the group the instructor found me to be best suited to handle a job that at the time I did not appreciate or really understand the meaning. While my buddies got the job I wanted of flinging fake riffles around while marching in lock step... I was placed in the more conservative position of the colored guard. My job was to represent our group and I guess in a small way... our country in carrying the American flag. And so it was... while the guys behind me got the glory of slinging their riffles and precision marching in various every changing flanking patterns... my guys in the colored guard lead the way... in a more conservative... much less action pace. Years later I began to appreciate and understand the significance of this privilege and honor to carry the American flag. More on this in a future blog...
Now... fast forward to 2012 and we are past all the turkey day events... including a new way for the Detroit Lions to lose a game on T day... and we are on the thresh hold of Christmas. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us... we now enter the first full week in December. That means local small town events like the Soup and Sweet Stroll in the Village of Oxford and the special night time event in the Village of Lake Orion in the wonderful Lake Orion Light Parade.
http://www.facebook.com/downtownoxfordmi?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxford-Chamber-of-Commerce-Oxford-MI/98385592375?fref=ts
I am officially inviting you, your family and friends for a bonding experience with "Small Town America". The activities begin on Friday night in the Village of Oxford, Michigan with the annual "Soup and Sweet's Stroll". You can purchase a wrist band at "Christmas central" or Centennial Park that gives you a sampling of soups from local restaurants or sweets from local merchants as you stroll through the Village and visit their stores while window shopping. At 8:01 the Christmas Tree lighting officially takes place... but not before performances and caroling from local high school groups. Be sure to stop in at local merchants to visit their "Small done Right..." stores. Your's truly will have the new entry in "The Little Green Store..." open into the evening... we are just south of the activity center on the east side of S Washington.... look for the green light and bright white LED Christmas lights on the front of our store.
Saturday afternoon will kick off the Village of Oxford's noon time Christmas parade which marches down the main street. The great news about small town parades are that for those in the parade... it's over before you know it... while back in the day we marched in the freezing cold with the cold wind shooting down the tunnels effect created by the huge buildings in the city and covering well over a couple of miles of street lined parade goers. Small town America is different in that you get started...cover several blocks and pack up... go home. Fun... but in a "Small Done Right..." kind of fun.
But wait... it's not over yet... head down the highway a couple of miles... stop in to a local pub or restaurant to warm up and refuel. Then when the day grows dark and the newly installed LED street lights come up along with the wonderful assortment of holiday decorative lighting... for the "Lake Orion Light Parade". It is truly small town America at its best. Done Right!
http://www.facebook.com/LakeOrionDDA?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/orionareachamberofcommerce?fref=ts
Stop in to our new brick and mortar location known as "The Little Green Store" and try out our free samples of chocolate covered cherries, fair trade olive oil, AND our organic candy canes. Yes Virginia... there is an organic candy cane! ;)
http://www.facebook.com/donaldman.1?ref=hl
Enjoy it all before it comes and goes....
Best of the holiday season to all of you and your family!
Regards,
Don Sherman
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Santa's Gone Green....
You may have noticed a subtle change that occurred this past week. At first it was not so obvious and took a day or two in order to full sink in. It started with a simple stop for lunch at one of my new favorite diners in the Village of Oxford. My daughter Amanda and I had been busy on this day putting the finishing touches on our new brick and mortar location for our green products company when we decided we needed a break for lunch. Relaxing in the former Star Buck's location recently converted into Lilly's Diner.... we shared a few laughs and talked about the recent movie offerings on the marque at the Oxford Cinema just across the street. Our waitress promptly greeted us and joined in on the conversation.
Then... it hit me. Subtle at first and then almost consuming me was the sound of music infiltrating the atmosphere around me. It was not just any music my friends... but it was the sound of Christmas music. I looked at my phone to check the date... and confirmed that even though I had just removed the Halloween pumpkins and put them into the compost pile... someone had thrown the switch to Christmas. It felt out of place and uncomfortable to have this music placed upon us a full three weeks before Thanks Giving. Then from there I realized that the rest of the world (at least here in metro Detroit) had made the decision to jump the gun to Christmas holiday sales.
The big box stores have made the jump.... the big orange box store has the full display of all types of electric LED lights (going green) and all types of inflatable holiday decorations. The car dealers are subtly changing their messages... as if Santa is going to deliver a new car to you under a giant red bow.... and the local nursery on the corner has plopped down the giant Santa on their roof and placed a huge lot of natural Christmas Trees on their corner lot. It is official... the new bench mark is the first week in November. Black Friday is now the new official national holiday. Close the post office... close all government offices.... and let's go shopping!
So it is with that in mind that we enter the fray with this message for you.... Santa has gone Green!
For those of you who may not have heard the news about the new brick and mortar green store... The Little Green Store... we are located at 94 S Washington in the Village of Oxford, Michigan. The LGS is a sister company of the Greenfundraiserstore.com and you can see that many of the concepts we have introduced to you over the past two years are now in a place you can come to see, feel, touch, smell, taste.... kick the tires before you buy. We feel that this completes the circle now by connecting the web store with our first brick and mortar location. So... keep your eye out for more to come on some VERY UNIQUE green gift idea's for this dash to Christmas.
As I like to say to my classic rock and blue's friends.... "Santa's got a brand new bag...."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOd-00xRC6g
Come on up and see us as we get the store ready for Christmas 2012... and walk through the door at The Little Green Store!
See you soon!
Don
Then... it hit me. Subtle at first and then almost consuming me was the sound of music infiltrating the atmosphere around me. It was not just any music my friends... but it was the sound of Christmas music. I looked at my phone to check the date... and confirmed that even though I had just removed the Halloween pumpkins and put them into the compost pile... someone had thrown the switch to Christmas. It felt out of place and uncomfortable to have this music placed upon us a full three weeks before Thanks Giving. Then from there I realized that the rest of the world (at least here in metro Detroit) had made the decision to jump the gun to Christmas holiday sales.
The big box stores have made the jump.... the big orange box store has the full display of all types of electric LED lights (going green) and all types of inflatable holiday decorations. The car dealers are subtly changing their messages... as if Santa is going to deliver a new car to you under a giant red bow.... and the local nursery on the corner has plopped down the giant Santa on their roof and placed a huge lot of natural Christmas Trees on their corner lot. It is official... the new bench mark is the first week in November. Black Friday is now the new official national holiday. Close the post office... close all government offices.... and let's go shopping!
So it is with that in mind that we enter the fray with this message for you.... Santa has gone Green!
For those of you who may not have heard the news about the new brick and mortar green store... The Little Green Store... we are located at 94 S Washington in the Village of Oxford, Michigan. The LGS is a sister company of the Greenfundraiserstore.com and you can see that many of the concepts we have introduced to you over the past two years are now in a place you can come to see, feel, touch, smell, taste.... kick the tires before you buy. We feel that this completes the circle now by connecting the web store with our first brick and mortar location. So... keep your eye out for more to come on some VERY UNIQUE green gift idea's for this dash to Christmas.
As I like to say to my classic rock and blue's friends.... "Santa's got a brand new bag...."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOd-00xRC6g
Come on up and see us as we get the store ready for Christmas 2012... and walk through the door at The Little Green Store!
See you soon!
Don
Monday, November 5, 2012
"Shift into Green" in Bay Nature Magazine
Here is our recent ad that appeared in Bay Nature Magazine for the October-December issue.
Please enjoy the beautiful pictures and interesting articles in this publication. We felt compelled to
support this publication since we have had such a high level of interest and visitations to our web site
from communities located in the Bay area.
http://issuu.com/baynature/docs/baynature-v12n4-octdec2012-1up-lowres
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
Founder and President of Greenfundraiserstore.com and The Little Green Store
Please enjoy the beautiful pictures and interesting articles in this publication. We felt compelled to
support this publication since we have had such a high level of interest and visitations to our web site
from communities located in the Bay area.
http://issuu.com/baynature/docs/baynature-v12n4-octdec2012-1up-lowres
Best Regards,
Don Sherman
Founder and President of Greenfundraiserstore.com and The Little Green Store
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