NEGEF News: March/April 2010                                                                       the Spring issue

Flatbread of the Day: Grassroots & Cheese

Support NEGEF by eating the best flatbread in New England! Join us for a NEGEF Benefit Bake at the American Flatbread restaurant in Waitsfield, VT on May 7th. Flatbread is open for dinner from 5 to 9:30pm, and will donate a portion of the night’s proceeds to support the NEGEF's root$hare campaign to help us give more support than ever to crucial grassroots groups in 2010. See you there!

Rockin' Boston

Don't miss Alternatives for Community & Environment's Jammin' For Justice 2010 event! Celebrating the 15th anniversary of ACE, a partner of NEGEF's Boston Grants Initiative program, the event will also honor NEGEF with an Environmental Justice Award.

Jammin' for Justice takes place from 6pm-9pm on Wednesday May 26th.

Fresh & Local: Seafood!

As Spring comes nearer, us New Englanders all find excitement in the fact that eating local finally means more than potatoes, beets and carrots. But how to eat local when half of your foodshed is under water? NEGEF grantees Prescott Park Arts Festival and Seacoast Eat Local asked themselves just that question.

The answer? The Fishteval! Working with local groups, including local fishermen, the Fishteval engaged Seacoast residents around seasonally fresh seafood and introduced the Fresh & Local Seafood logo (pictured left). Hoping to bring together 1,500 attendees, the event brought 4,000 people to Prescott Park in Portmouth (NH). The second Fishteval will take place on September 25, 2010.

Check out the Seasonal Availability of New England Seafood chart.

Boston Bruin Lends a Hand

Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference joined volunteers and NEGEF staff at a home weatherization organized by Boston Grants Initiative grantee Cambridge HEET in East Cambridge late February. Ference helped to install energy saving tools like low-flow shower heads, programmable thermostats and CFL bulbs. Andrew also donated $5,000 to NEGEF's Boston Grants Initiative.

WATCH THIS VIDEO to see what Andrew thinks about the grassroots!

To learn more about HEET's work, WATCH THIS VIDEO.

BGI's 1st Ever Grantee Gathering

Thanks to all of the incredible Boston area activists who came together on April 10th to network, learn and share at BGI's 1st Ever Grantee Gathering. We had awesome workshops on Conflict Resolution from the MA Office of Dispute Resolution (thanks to Mette and Courtney!) and Youth Engagement from the Hyde Square Task Force (thanks to Galicia & Ashley!).

In our Spring grant round, the Boston Grants Initiative funded 15 Boston groups, investing over $80,000 in crucial grassroots work. Don't miss BGI's next deadline: June 15th.

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NEGEF's Boston Grants Initiative: 6/15 Click Here For More... Doris Duke Charitable Foundation EE Retrofit Grants: 5/24 Click Here For More... Looking for a grant but don't have a 501(c)(3)? NEGEF can be your fiscal sponsor! Click Here To Learn More...

Grow Smart RI’s Power of Place Summit WHEN: May 14, 2010 WHERE: Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence RI Click Here For More... Boston Natural Areas Network Spring Festival & Perennial Divide WHEN: May 22, 2010 WHERE: City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive, Mattapan MA Click Here For More... Slow Money's Second National Gathering WHEN: June 9-11, 2010 WHERE: City Natives, Shelburne Farms, Shelburne VT Click Here For More... Second Annual Local Energy Solutions Conference WHEN: June 19, 2010 WHERE: Grappone Center, Concord NH Click Here For More...

MA grantee Hamilton-Wenham GREEN helped put together New England's first municipal curbside composting program. Shiny new green bins will be out starting March 31st. Click here for the story

Need help with financial planning? Developed for a recent workshop at the RI Land & Water Summit, check out Writing an Effective Budget from NEGEF staff. Click Here For More...

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