AICP, Founder and President, Sarasota Green Connection
How can green products and services be mainstreamed in a community? And how can the Earth Charter, which will help create a future that will work for all, be used for networking and community building? Mary Anne Bowie has accomplished these goals in Sarasota by making it easy to find green products and services and by hosting monthly community eco-forums.
Since 1994, Mary Anne, an urban planner, has addressed national conferences regarding sustainable approaches. (See http://www.bowieurbanpalnners.com/) Instead of only talking about sustainability issues, she decided to deliver local solutions. In late 2002, Mary Anne invited Sarasota's most dedicated environmentalists to discuss two critical questions: "How can we mainstream green?" and "How can we promote the Earth Charter?" The Earth Charter, developed over a 12-year period in 75 countries with thousands of people in conversation, contains sustainable values and principles for the future (see http://www.earthcharter.org). Mary Anne likes to describe it as "motherhood and apple pie for our planet earth."
Through Bowie Urban Planners and Sarasota Green Connection, Inc., Mary Anne began hosting a monthly eco-forum, the Sarasota Green World Café, in the fall of 2002. Initially these events were held in Mary Anne's office space, then at the new Fruitville Library, and later at Rosemary Court. Sarasota Green Word Café now meets at the Whole Foods Market Whole Lifestyle Center in downtown Sarasota. Initial events were held Saturday morning; now they are held Thursday evenings. Free and open to the public, the Green World Café events feature a local speaker committed to sustainable principles and practices. The speaker, usually a business owner, shares his or her passion for environmentally preferable solutions to today's challenges.
Near the end of each presentation, the presenter selects an Earth Charter principle that particularly "speaks" to them and an interactive conversation is held with the audience. Two questions are addressed: "How can I live that principle?" and "How can I promote that principle to my larger community?" The forum uses the world café technique of having powerful and meaningful discussions that are oftentimes "outside the box."
Events are advertised in both in the local media and on the Internet via the 1000-person list serve. Compiled over the past four years it consists of attendants at various events and visitors to the Sarasota Green Connection website, http://www.sarasotagreenconnection.com/. Thus, one of Mary Anne's contributions to sustainability has been to build community while teaching about the Earth Charter and providing sustainable business owners a venue to share their passion.
In addition, Mary Anne has increased the demand for green products and services by increasing their visibility. She has provided this visibility with Sarasota Green Marketplace outside vendor events; by creating Sarasota Green Connection Approved Businesses, a clearinghouse for businesses selling environmentally preferable products and services; by creating http://www.sarasotagreenconnection.com/, a powerful website that contains the business directory and is beginning with its on-line sales; and by publishing Sarasota Green Pages, licensed by Co-op America.
Mary Anne developed the concept of promoting a green marketplace as an economic redevelopment strategy in her urban planning work. Ms. Bowie was leader for the Bowie Urban Planners/Solinko Design Associates creation of the Sustainable 2001 Vision Plan for US 41 Business on the Island of Venice, Florida. The Vision Plan received the 2002 Sustainable Planning Award from the American Society of Consulting Planners because of its promotion of sustainable planning principles that have applicability to all urban cities and rural towns. The plan also received a Florida Planning and Zoning Association Award in the Outstanding Innovation Category.Â
Vendors of the original Sarasota Green Marketplace open-air events held over an 18-month period (now known as SGC Approved Businesses) can now be found in both a virtual marketplace, a web based directory at http://www.sarasotagreenconnection.com/ and within the Sarasota Green Pagesä. SGC Approved Businesses provide environmentally preferable products. They must identify their commitment to sustainable practices and philosophies in order to qualify as an SGC Approved Business. The Sarasota Green Pagesä licensed by Co-op America, contains 131 SGC approved businesses and had an initial publication of 20,000 copies.
On January 1, 2004, Ms. Bowie established Sarasota Green Connection, Inc. (SGC), with a motto of "Change begins with Choice", to further the mainstreaming of green products and services. Offices and cooperative showroom were located at 1093 Central Avenue within the Sarasota Architectural Salvage building from June 2005 to November 2005 in the Action Central area.  SGC has now partnered with Rainforest Carpentry, Inc. and in spring 2006 will open a 1750 square foot Sarasota Green Marketplace at 6301 Porter Road, east of I-75, as a regional green retail location. Customers will find environmentally preferable building products and supplies that meet the green building rating systems of both the U.S. Green Building Council (LEED) and Florida Green Building Coalition.
Summary: Mary Anne Bowie, AICP Contributions to Sustainability in Sarasota, Florida:
Founder and President, Sarasota Green Connection, Inc. (January 2004).
Founder, Sarasota Green World Cafe, (September 2002), a monthly eco-forum that is now continuing into its fourth year and that supports a 1000-person internet community.
Founder, Sarasota Green Marketplace as outdoor market vendor events, held January 2003-June 2004.
Built a network of more than 130 Sarasota Green Connection Approved Local Businesses that can be found at www.sarasotagreenconnection.com.
Operated downtown Sarasota Green Connection Showroom from June 2004-Nov 2005.
Began Sarasota Green Connection Membership with Green Buying Plan (January 2005).
Published Sarasota Green Pagesä prototype (May 2005), and 1st Annual edition (September 2005).
Founder, Green Homes Now, LLC (October 2005).
Founder, Sarasota Green Marketplace LLC with Rainforest Carpentry (Oct 2005).
Sarasota Green Connection also does business as Flexi-Pave Sarasota. Flexi-pave is a poured in place porous pavement made of recycled rubber tires.
The Sarasota Green Marketplace LLC retail showroom is scheduled to open in Spring 2006 to mainstream green building products that are people friendly and planet friendly at one centralized location, easily accessible to the regional marketplace.