On Saturday, October 21, Peter and Susan Horn of Artisan and Janice Hatfield of Providence Builders, hosted a wonderfully informative seminar on living green. Thanks to them I was able to participate and share some of my thoughts on passive solar heating and cooling, albeit I was extremely nervous and blurted that to my audience that was already painfully aware of said nervousness. Ahhh, but that’s what the human element is all about. There were some great eats supplied by Heart and Soul Healthy Catering and the atmosphere was fresh and calming as guests were invited to mingle with each other at the East of Eden Inn. The actual seminar took place outside the Inn under a green canopy of giant oaks and magnolias. Susan in her typical fashion made guests feel welcome and set the tone of the seminar with festive displays of native vegetation. Peter supplied his usual humor and Janice, exuded positive energy which one couldn’t help being drawn too. There were lots of great folks present that shared information on living green. Following is a list of those that participated and their contribution. One of our common goals is to help educate and unite individuals that seek to further the objectives of living sustainably as well as promote relocalization as a necessary corner stone of lessening our ecological footprint.
- Peter & Susan Horn of Artisan, building cool, creative & sustainable homes – 850.231.4604
- Janice Hatfield of Providence Builders, specializing in green, aerated concrete and steel residential homes – 850.259.5395
- Kat McCrite, organic and permaculture deva – 850.835.1584
- Michelle Anderson, owner of Heart & Soul Healthy Catering
- Susan Horn – Wellness water filters, indoor air quality, green house cleaning & resources for green lifestyle – communitarian@earthlink.net
- Chris Robinson, executive regional vice president of Arbonne
- Janet Hardy of Caring Touch, massage & Reiki therapist – 850.231.9131
- Bridgette Lowe, yoga master – 850.231.2977
- J.B. Wiggins, Silva method instructor – jb@bentleywilliams.com
- Peter Horn on biodiesel fuels – communitarian@earthlink.net
- Chandra Hartman, residential designer, passive solar design in traditional architecture – www.cfhdesignstudio.com
- Florida Pest Control, green pest control – 850.243.7166
- Ray Ivy, storm preparedness & passive survivability – raivy@comcast.net 850.258.5905
- Carl Roberts, Eco$mart representative, green building materials – croberts@ecosmartinc.com
- Ladd Goodson, Freeport Steel & Framing, steel residential structures – www.freeportsteel.com
- Bruce Johnson, eco-broker, green financial products – bruce@bluewaverealty.net
- Miriam Dillon, Grayton Coast Properties, green developments – 850.830.4753
elitrope 
uh, hullo? did you forget about me?
Eric Marcus, Master practioner of the Art of Bullshit..um..that’s the ‘green’ healthy bullshit- Not the malicious brown kind.
http://themouthofbabes.wordpress.com
You must be the one that was walking around with a name tag that said ‘Chandra’s Boyfriend’. I remember you. Thanks E. for all your support, through the irritability, the crying jag and my perceived embarassing moments in front of the crowd. Love ya!
Yup. that was me. ‘Chandra’s boyfriend’…can’t remember did i have a name that day or was I just ‘chandra’s boyfriend’?..and why am I typing this down when you’re sitting right next to me? disturbing….
Hello Everybody —
I just wanted to thank you all for making Saturday’s green living seminar such a great success. Janice, Peter and I learned a lot: start later, have longer breaks, and schedule a little more time for each speaker. We invite your feedback, and are already starting plans for a green event this spring.
This time around, the best news for me was that everyone seemed to have a great time! We all made new friends, and found out about some of the great green people and resources that are right here in our neighborhood. For instance:
I saw J.B. yesterday, and he’s already had three or four calls and e-mails from people wanting to take the Silva course.
Kat McCrite is working with Jim Reece, an Okaloosa County official who was here Saturday, to get grants and necessary permits to start a permaculture demonstration garden that will also begin the process of brownfield reclamation at a former garbage dump south of the Bay.
Chandra put up a great post about the seminar on her blog. She’s also posted contact information about all the speakers. I encourage you all to check out this blog and add to it if you’re so inclined.*
There’s talk of forming a Green Drinks chapter here, so greenies will have a regular forum to congregate and support each other’s efforts towards sustainable community. Details to follow as plans congeal — please visit the Green Drinks website for more information: http://www.greendrinks.org/
Michelle and Wendy at Heart & Soul Healthy Catering made us some terrific, organic snacks Saturday, and now they’re able to offer a limited menu for delivery. Their menu is attached — what a great new option for busy folks who want to eat healthy!
Only two days later, and already this many new connections and projects are simmering nicely. I could not have asked for better outcomes than these. Thanks so much, to each and every one of you!
Fondly,
Susan
wow! that sounds like it was a wonderful experience for you all – i wish i could have been there to learn all that was offered. i look forward to being in a community where there is a more cohesive bond where sustainability is concerned.
so, did E really wear a nametag that said Chandra’s Boyfriend? he’s such a geek!
Hey, I heard that!! um… I have no response to that at the moment…but oh! just you wait. I will! I will!! and when it happens- ‘WHAM-O!’ you won’t know what hit ya’!
Yes…he did.
i was just curious… does he have a pocket protector? show him this – it might ring true for him.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1326949893
All I want to say: THANK YOU! You’ve written a great post, I like it a lot.
No, thank you! Just spreadin’ the luv and tellin’ it like it was.
I just noticed that the e-mail adress given for Peter Horn (my life, biz and parenting partner) is out of date. Better to write me at communitarian@earthlink.net, and I will forward messages to him, since we claim to be in the process of developing a new website, and he will probably have yet another new address soon. Thanks–
–Susan
We visited the boys this past weekend at their boarding school in Alabama — where the biology teacher is like a one-man permaculture campaign. He has started an organic garden, fruits of which the students and faculty eat in the campus dining hall; he also has a new and lovely hydroponic greenhouse; and most recently has begun producing biodiesel using the old fry oil from the school kitchen. This is used to fuel the school’s buses and a couple of the campus work trucks.
This school is so cool, I wish I’d attended. Still trying to figure out how I can restructure my life to participate in what they’re doing — maybe I could be the chef, since that position recently opened up and the boys have been complaining loudly about the bad food of late at school….. There is something so attractive to me about the thought of living in close community like that.