Is your Garden an Earth Day Worksite? Sign up now!!

I justed wanted to remind you about Columbus' city-wide Earth Day: Lighten Up! two-part event. The Green Columbus web designer elves have been hard at work and the 2011 website looks great! It is ready for your work-site registration! In addtion, volunteer registration to participate at a registered worksite and/or the Celebration at Franklin Park will be open on Tuesday March 15th! We are looking forward to some great achievements this year! Thanks for pitching in to make it a success! If there is someone else we should contact instead of you, or someone you think would want to get involved, please provide the contact information (name / e-mail address), or forward this email. If this email, or one similar to it has already been sent to you, I apologize for any repetition.
Here is the link:
http://www.lightenup2011.org/

If you already registered your worksite (non-profit, business, school, place of worship, area in your neighborhood, park, etc) last year, you can use your 2010 login info. If you've forgotten your password all you need is your email address and to click the Forgot Password link.

If you are new to the Earth Day Worksite Weekend event, or need to re-register here's how to register your worksite:
· Choose the ‘Get Involved’ button at the top of the page
· Choose the ‘Register a Service Project’ link (after the ‘Volunteer’ link)
· Choose the ‘Log in’ link (using username from last year) or the ‘register’ link (to create a new account). There is a ‘Forgot Password’ link if you know the username but forget the password.
· Once logged in, choose ‘Create Worksite’.

Let me know if you run into any issues with this process. Again, individuals will be able to sign up to volunteer starting March 15 until April 15th at midnight.
There will be 3 Worksite Leader Rally sessions to get everyone the information and supplies they need prior to the worksite events! More information on this to come, but the dates and locations are:
Saturday, April 2 at 2pm (only for projects NOT involved in litter abatement) at Eartha Limited
Monday, April 11 at noon at Whetstone Park (for any type of project)
Wednesday, April 13 from 5pm to 6:30pm at Keep Columbus Beautiful (for litter abatement projects)

I know there are still some outstanding questions about availability of trees, supplies, etc. We are working hard to get all the details worked out and get those answers to you. Feel free to send your questions to me or Erin, if you haven’t already heard back from us.
Derek S. Lory
440-622-4756

Two new Grants for Gardens

Community gardens offered $68,725 in aid


Tuesday, March 1, 2011 02:51 AM
By Robert Vitale and Elizabeth Gibson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Columbus and Franklin County are offering grants totaling $68,725 to community gardens looking to take root for the first time, as well as those interested in growing.
Groups can apply for up to $4,000 each through the Columbus Foundation at columbusfoundation.org. The deadline to submit an application is April 1, and the recipients will be announced on April 23 for Earth Day.
Columbus handed out $15,000 for community gardens last year and will distribute $30,000 this year. County officials decided to join in and will contribute the rest with federal funding.
County and city officials said community gardens are a good way to bring neighborhoods together and to increase access to healthful produce. "We've realized over the past couple of years that, not only is there a bigger interest in community gardening than we thought, this is something people need help with," said County Commissioner John O'Grady.
egibson@dispatch.com
rvitale@dispatch.com


The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Offers Grants For Community Gardens
March 2, 2011

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. is offering $1,500 grants to communities and organizations involved in creating community gardens and green spaces.
The goal is to plant 1,000 gardens and green spaces across the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. To help achieve that goal, Scotts Miracle-Gro launched a new program called GRO1000. Communities interested in pursuing 2011 GRO1000 grassroots grants can apply online at http://thescottsmiraclegrocompany.com/GRO1000  by March 31, 2011.
Projects should include the involvement of neighborhood residents and foster a sense of community spirit.
"Something happens when communities grow and learn together," says Jim King, Scotts Miracle-Gro senior vice president of corporate affairs. "People develop a sense of pride and accomplishment when they get involved in cleaning up their neighborhoods, growing flowers or cultivating their own healthy local food, and we want to help them get the job done."

Throughout 2011, Scotts Miracle-Gro and its partners will establish gardens and green spaces in Los Angeles; Houston; Chicago; New York; Ontario, Canada and Lyon, France. Those partners include Keep Amreica Beautiful, Plant A Row For The Hungry, Garden Writers Association, the National Gardening Association and Franklin Park Conservatory