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News 2010
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December 1, 2010 - Twelve Home Energy Savings Workshops Delivered in Miami-Dade County
In partnership with Miami-Dade County and its Office of Sustainability, Dream in Green delivered a series of twelve Home Energy Savings Workshops for residents throughout the County from August-November 2010. The workshops educate homeowners about ways to save energy and water through simple conservation measures like changing incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents. Although the workshops are designed for residents with little or no background in conservation, homeowners can unlock meaningful savings on their utility bills and success stories abound. To enable workshop attendees to hit the ground running when they get home, each receives a free conservation tool kit valued at over $100. Due to the success of these workshops in the community, Dream in Green will be delivering additional workshops for the County in 2011. Please stay tuned for more information about upcoming workshops. Learn more about Miami-Dade County’s energy efficiency campaign. -
October 21, 2010 - Dream in Green Wins Great Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainable South Florida Award for Green Education & Outreach
For the second consecutive year, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce honored Dream in Green with the Sustainable South Florida Award for Green Education and Outreach. The Award recognized Dream in Green for its Green Schools Challenge and Home Energy Saver programs. The Green Schools Challenge educates K-12 students about conservation and sustainability and is currently in its fifth year of implementation with over 100 schools participating throughout South Florida. The Home Energy Saver program educates homeowners about simple no and low cost measures to reduce energy and water consumption. The two other finalists in the Green Education and Outreach category were the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association and Florida International University’s 2011 Solar Decathlon Team. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce honored other leaders in the South Florida community, including Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, who received the Green Visionary Award, Habitat for Humanity, which received the Green Building Award, and Waste Management, which received the Green Business Award. -
September 23, 2010 - Dream in Green Names Gabriole Van Bryce as its New Executive Director
Dream in Green is pleased to announce that Gabriole Van Bryce has been selected for the position of Executive Director. A former teacher and sustainability consultant, Gabriole brings a unique combination of passion, expertise and experience to the organization. Dream in Green warmly welcomes Gabriole and wishes her many years of success with the organization. Dream in Green also thanks its outgoing Executive Director Kristen Hebert for all her hard work and dedication from 2009-2010, as well as Interim Executive Director, Rennie Peddie, who facilitated the 2010 Professional Development Training Day at TERRA and helped to ensure a smooth management transition. Read more about Gabriole Van Bryce. -
September 9, 2010 - Dream in Green Kicks-Off 5th Annual Green Schools Challenge Program with Teacher Training Day
Roughly 200 teachers, administrators and facilities staff from 100 K-12 schools attended the event at the TERRA Environmental Research Institute, where they received training on how to implement the Green Schools Challenge program at their schools. Principal Caridad Montano of TERRA welcomed the attendees to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools District first green school, which opened in 2009. The District’s Facilities Director, Jaime Torrens, and Eco-Sustainability Director, Ana Rijo-Conde, also participated at this all day event alongside guest speakers, which included Dr. Jack Parker, Professor Emeritus of Florida International University. Dream in Green’s Interim Executive Director, Rennie Peddie, facilitated the training and reviewed a roadmap for implementing the Green Schools Challenge program. Dream in Green would like to thank the Miami-Dade County Public School District, TERRA and Principal Montano, Whole Foods and a host of volunteers for their support in connection with this event.
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2010-2011 Green Schools Challenge Enrollment Breaks All Records
This past September, enrollment in Dream in Green's K-12 Green Schools Challenge (GSC) grew substantially, breaking the previous record of forty-three participating schools. Encouraged by almost a half million dollars in energy cost savings, fifty-nine new K-12 schools joined the existing forty-three 2009-2010 Green Schools Challenge participants in efforts to eliminate energy waste at their schools. A grand total of 102 Miami-Dade and Broward County now participate actively in the Green School Challenge!
To support these schools’ effort, Dream in Green has again joined forces with the Miami-Dade County Public School District's (MDCPS) Department of Planning, Design & Sustainability to achieve even better energy savings results. Specifically, Dream in Green’s staff has teamed with MDCPS’s Department's Eco-Sustainability Officer, Ana Rijo-Conde, and Administrative Director, Victor Alonso, to provide on-going and active support for GSC teachers and administrators in their efforts to support student-led initiatives that strive to decrease each school’s respective carbon footprint.
In further support of conservation efforts by participating schools, MDCPS’s chief Green Innovator, Superintendent Alberto Caravalho, has again offered the District’s schools a 75% rebate on the energy savings each school achieves. This unique and cutting-edge program allows schools to use their rebates in any way they choose. Nearly all of the schools have reinvested these monetary rebates into further reducing their school’s energy usage or creating a more sustainable environment at their respective school!
Just recently, forty-five GSC “Champion Teachers” gathered at Miami Beach Senior High School to share their successes and plans for future activities. As a result of this important meeting, this year’s participating schools will dedicate this spring to not only greening their schools, but to improve efforts to enhance energy conservation in their communities. Go GSC!
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August 28, 2010 – Dream in Green is a Finalist for the 2010 USGBC LEEDership Awards
The 2010 LEEDership Awards will be presented by the South Florida Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at the Chapter’s GalaVerde event on August 28, 2010. Dream in Green is a proud finalist in the competitive Outstanding Green Business category of the LEEDership Awards. Other finalists for this category include The Spinnaker Group, Pirtle Construction and Alterna Corp. Other LEEDership Award categories include Outstanding Green Local Government, Outstanding Green Elected Official and LEED project categories like New Construction, Commercial Interiors and more. The keynote speaker for the event will be the USGBC CEO and Founding Chair, Mr. Rick Fedrizzi. Learn more about the GalaVerde event, including how to purchase tickets for this exciting event. -
August 28, 2010 - Delivery of First Free Home Energy Savings Workshop
Together with Miami-Dade County, Dream in Green will deliver Home Energy Savings Workshops throughout the Districts in the coming months at no cost to residents. The first of at least 13 workshops will take place in District 11 at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition – Arnold Hall, from 9:00am to 12:00pm on Saturday, August 28th. During the three-hour workshops, attendees will learn how to reduce energy bills by 30% and also access the energy rebates and incentives available. Additionally, attendees will receive a free home energy savings toolkit worth $100 and free compact fluorescent light bulbs. See event flyer.
Space is limited, so register now by calling 3-1-1,
or visiting green.miamidade.gov. -
May 25, 2010 - Dream in Green Founder and Chairman of the Board, Nick Gunia is recognized as one of Miami’s emerging young leaders.
When the Miami Herald asked readers to nominate emerging business leaders under 40, they were flooded with candidates. Executive Business Editor Jane Wooldridge announced the results and it is our pleasure that we were told our Nick Gunia was amoungst this presdigious list and thank him for contribution.
Read more. -
Thanks for Making "Keep the Dream Alive" a Tremendous Success!
April 10, 2010, Dream in Green kicked off Earth Month by hosting its Keep the Dream Alive fundraising event at the Miami Event Space. More than a hundred attended to support the Green Schools Challenge and honor South Florida's 2010 Green Innovators, the Honorable Vice-Chairwoman, Perla Tabares Hantman of the Miami-Dade County Public School Board, for her support of green programs including the Green Schools Challenge, Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, Miami-Dade County Public Schools for his Eco-Sustainability Initiative and Waste Management for leadership and innovation in recycling, green practices and education programs.
Thanks to our sponsors:
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March, 2010 - Green Schools Challenge Success Story
During the 2009-2010 School years the GSC reached new levels of success. With a record 48 participating schools, here is what was accomplished:
- Saved over $435,000 in energy costs;
- Conserved over a million kilowatt hoursof electricity and;
- Reduced more than three and a half million pounds of carbon dioxide..
For the full story and lots of info please View/Download the Booklet
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February-March 2010 - Dream in Green Launches Transportation Initiative in Partnership with the Ford Motor Company
During the months of February and March 2010, Dream in Green, in partnership with the Ford Motor Company, will be launching a new initiative to raise awareness about and reduce the environmental and health harms of transportation to and from schools. This exciting new endeavor features two key components, namely a no-idling campaign and a Bike/Walk to School Day.
The no-idling campaign is important because vehicle exhaust from idling creates unnecessary pollution, which is harmful to the environment and everyone's health. Vehicle exhaust is particularly harmful to children because they breath more and at a faster rate than adults. By not idling and turning off one's engine, drivers can save money, help safeguard children's health and prevent up to three pounds of air pollution per month. The Bike/Walk to School Day component of the transportation initiative is designed to highlight the benefits of biking and walking to and from school, including more exercise for better health, energy savings and good old-fashioned fun. -
February 9, 2010 - Dream in Green and the City of Miami Deliver the 2nd Home Energy Saver Challenge Program Training Session
Dream in Green, in partnership with the City of Miami, Home Depot and EarthAid, delivered the second Home Energy Saver Challenge Program training session at the Home Depot store in Coconut Grove on February 9, 2010. The
two hour training session is the first step in a program designed to help City of Miami residents save money on their utility bills and protect the environment by lowering their energy and water consumption. In addition to the in depth training session, each participant received a $150 Home Depot voucher to purchase energy saving products, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and insulation. Participants' energy usage will be tracked online using EarthAid and prizes will be awarded for the top energy savers.
For more information about the Home Energy Saver Challenge, please contact us. -
January 28, 2010 - Dream in Green Holds Green Schools Challenge Mid-Year Meetings for Participating Teachers and School Staff
Dream in Green held mid-year meetings for teachers and staff from the fifty schools participating in the 2009-2010 Green Schools Challenge program. At the meetings, participants discussed their progress and shared success stories in connection with the fourth annual Green Schools Challenge program. Dream in Green staff also reviewed conservation tips and techniques and assisted participants with fine-tuning their 5-Strand Plans for the remainder of the school year. Additionally, Dream in Green presented the new transportation and no-idling campaign sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. Dream in Green would like to thank the Ransom Everglades Upper School for hosting our 2009-2010 Green Schools Challenge mid-year meetings.
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