7th Annual CCAN Polar Bear Plunge

Coming OUT of the Potomac.  SUCCESS!  

 

 Why I Plunge in the Potomac Every January
In the summer of 2006, I went to see the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and was truly disturbed.  As the credits were playing, I stood up from my seat, I thought, "This is RIDICULOUS!  I want to DO something!"  As I walked out of the theatre complex into the daylight, I was approached by representatives of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) who asked me if I wanted to help fight climate charge.  "Of course!" I answered.  When they asked me if I wanted to join their e-mail list, I didn't hesitate to add my name.  A few weeks later, I received an invitation from CCAN to attend a Clean Energy Open House at the home of Mike Tidwell, CCAN's founder and executive director.  I attended and my life was changed forever;  I went from light green to dark green.  I saw Mike's solar panels, his laundry drying outside in the sun and his native plants growing in his yard.  I went inside his house and saw a video he made about all the energy efficient actions he has taken in his house including using a corn-fired stove, Energy Star appliances and compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs).  I left that day with my first CFLs (they weren't easy to find in stores back then) and went home an unplugged my appliances (Mike taught me about phantom energy and how even though appliances are turned off, they are still using energy, running up your electricity bill and putting CO2 in the air).  As time went on and I read more and became more active in the green community, I realized I wanted to choose only the most sustainable options for home and work life. 

So when CCAN has their annual Keep Winter Cold Polar Bear Plunge, I don't hesitate to get cold for about a minute each January.  Two days ago, I participated in my 5th Plunge, which was CCAN's 7th.  The first year I plunged, I noticed that the event wasn't very green.  This shocked me since CCAN was an environmental organization, but I've learned over the years that even environmental groups don't know how to green events, so for my second year Plunge, I volunteered to help make this annual event GREEN and have continued to help make it green ever since. 

How We Greened This Year's Plunge
Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, a local roaster out of Crofton, Maryland, provided attendees with fair trade, organic coffee (and they also generously provided organic tea while lori hill event productions provided fair trade, organic hot chocolate).  You can buy CBRC's coffee in stores.  The cups and stirrers were compostable and did I mention how delicious the coffee is? 

CBRC provided a variety of fair trade, organic coffee. 

Perfect Settings, an event rental company out of Landover, Maryland, donated our table linens and also provided table and chairs.  They get it when it comes to going green.  Some of their services include taking back linen hangers, bailing and recycling plastic linen covers, renting recycling containers and then picking up the recycling at the conclusion of the event. 

Waste Neutral Group out of Baltimore ensured that our waste was disposed of properly.  They provided bins for recycling, composting and landfill.  We barely created any waste and the majority of it was compostable (coffee cups and food waste) or recyclable. 

Waste Neutral's waste free area.  From left to right:  composting, landfill and recycling.  

Mark's Kitchen out of Takoma Park also gave us a great deal on vegan and traditional cookies.  Vegan and vegetarian diets are better for the environment for many, many reasons.  Look for future blogs about this topic! 

 Other Details
We plunged into the Potomac River by National Harbor which is right by the Woodrow Wilson Bridge at the Maryland-Virginia border outside of Alexandria, Virginia.  The air temperature was in the low to mid 30s and the water temperature was 38.  We had about 100 or so plungers and about 100 more supporters (who will hopefully join us next year). VIPs included Congresswoman Donna Edwards from Maryland (it was her second year plunging!) and James Hansen, world-renowned NASA climatologist (his first year plunging).

My Fundraising
Thanks to my generous donors (47 and counting), I exceeded my goal of $2,000 and raised a total of $2,098 (and money is STILL coming in!).  As of Saturday morning, I was the top donor who wasn't a CCAN employee!  As of today, Lise Van Susteran (a CCAN board member and sister of Fox News' Greta Van Susteran) has me beat by 82 bucks! For more photos by John Robinette, visit my Facebook page. 

Warm hat, kids' beach towel, mens' bathrobe, ratty sneakers = one glamorous gal!

Ready, set, plunge!  (All photos courtesy of John Robinette)

 

 

 

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #14

Organic, Locally Roasted Coffee

Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company Coffee offers 5 varieties of coffee -- all of which taste amazing!  From  beginning to end, their entire process is top notch and good for the Earth.  They source only the best coffee beans and then produce all of their great coffees with one of the most eco-friendly roasters in the world which has nearly 80% reduced emissions. 

But the best part is that 2% of gross sales on every product they sell goes back in support of community organizations and groups that are helping make a measurable impact to the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

$12 to $13 each

Available for purchase online or through retailers in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  

2nd Annual Bethesda Green Gala

For the second year in a row, I worked with Bethesda Green to produce the 2^nd Annual Bethesda Green Gala which raises funds for Bethesda Green and presents Bethesda Magazine’s Green Awards to local businesses, organizations and individuals.  

No surprise, the Gala featured numerous green initiatives, many of which are featured and pictured below. Special thanks to balance photography for serving as our event photographer that evening. 

 

Held at Round House Theatre, the entrance was decked out with gorgeous seasonal flowering plants and trees from American Plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The registration consoles and bars were made with AGL recycled plastic grass provided by Perfect Settings rental company which also provided table linens and metal cocktail tables, as well as dishware, glassware and flatware so that we could avoid using disposables.

Our name badge inserts were made of 100% recycled paper, the holders were made of recycled content, and the lanyards were made of recycled soda cans.  After the event, inserts were recycled and holders and lanyards were reused for future events.  

Honest Tea provided bottles of their tea and Honest Ade.

Honest Tea TEO (Tea Executive Officer) Seth Goldman wore a little bling in honor of the gala. 

Local winery Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards provided red and white wine.

Travelling Bean served cappucino and espresso made with coffee beans from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, a local roaster of organic, fair trade coffee beans.

Baklava Couture, which make baklava with local, farm fresh ingredients and nothing artificial, provided dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cast of Thousands Entertainment provided trees on stilts which thoroughly entertained the crowd. 

The silent auction featured sustainable gifts and services.  77% of the auction items had an environmental component. 

That's me with Nathaniel Corn of balance photography celebrating a successful evening.

Sixth Annual Polar Bear Plunge the Coldest Ever!

I did it! On Saturday, January 22, I plunged into 30-degree water in 20-degree weather and raised over $1,523 (and counting!) thanks to nearly 50 friends, family, colleagues and clients.

I had an amazing time at the Plunge! I bundled up (8 layers on top, 3 on the bottom if you count my suit) and looked a bit like the Michelin Man and didn’t feel cold at all – even when I took off all those layers to get in the water. In previous years, I actually felt sick as soon as I hit the water, but not this year. I kept charging forward, full speed ahead and had the most amazing time! Everybody is ALWAYS in such a good mood and so many people really get into the spirit of the day.

lori hill event productions helped out with some of the logistics and in recruiting the day’s sponsors who also helped out a bunch. Be sure to give these folks you attention and business if you can.

Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company
            












 Not only does Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company produce some of the region’s finest coffees (if you were at the Plunge, you know!), they do it with modern eco-technologies. But more importantly, they are devoted to making the world around us a better place. CBRC pledges 2% in support of their H2O-Initiative that contributes funding to local organizations devoted to restoring our regional treasure, the Chesapeake Bay. Visit their web site to find out how you can purchase them at a store near you.

New Leaf Vegan Society
For three years in a row, Dale Ball from New Leaf Vegan Society has baked her buns off to provide the most delicious vegan muffins, cookies and brownies. We are confident she shocks skeptics when they realized they are eating vegan treats! New Leaf believes in a tasty plant-based outlook towards a more compassionate and sustainable future for ourselves, the animals and the planet. They are a valuable resource for delicious recipes, tips and hot topics.


Perfect Settings
A rented table looks pretty naked without a beautiful linen to adorn it and we are grateful that Perfect Settings, a party rental company with one of the most extensive product lines in the area, helped us adorn our tables with beautiful grass green linens. There are many party rental companies out there, but Perfect Settings makes every effort to reduce their carbon foot print. Furthermore, they recycle all plastic linen bags and cardboard, offer recycling services to events through the rental of recycling bins, purchase 100% wind power and have the most environmentally friendly tables and coverings in the special events industry.

Waste Neutral Group
We wouldn’t walk the talk if we didn’t dispose of our Plunge waste responsibly, so for the past three years, Waste Neutral Group has taken our compostables (all food, coffee cups and collars, wooden stirrers, napkins, paper waste) and recyclables and diverted them from the landfill. Whether you are planning an event, or are a commercial business or institution, Waste Neutral will come up with cost effective alternatives to help you divert needless waste from going to the landfill.

Brrrr! I'm Taking the Plunge!

Why I Plunge
Visiting the home of Mike Tidwell, the executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, in the summer of 2006 for one of his clean energy open houses turned me from light green to dark green. I credit CCAN for the sustainable practices I engage in at home and in my business and I’ve developed quite a passion for the fight against climate change. I’m trying to do my part to raise awareness about it and to help CCAN in their battle to change legislation. Accordingly, it has been my pleasure and honor to participate in their Annual Polar Bear Plunge for the previous 3 years even though I’m not a fan of the cold.

Make a Pledge!
If you'd like to make a pledge -- I'll take pledges of $5 to $500 -- go to my plunge page.

I Hope You’ll Join Me
I always have a great time at the Plunge. Seeing people of ALL ages is so inspiring and some folks wear amazing costumes. We drink great organic/fair trade coffee from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company (we also provide hot tea and cocoa) and Dale Ball from New Leaf Vegan Society gets up at the crack of dawn to prepare her tasty vegan muffins and cookies. Be sure to get to the Plunge site early because Dale’s treats go fast! Our food and beverage spread always looks so nice because Perfect Settings party rental company donates the most beautiful table linens. And afterwards, Waste Neutral Group takes away all our waste – compost, recycling and the tiny bit that goes to the landfill.

The actual plunge itself is less than a minute. In fact, your time in the water is mere seconds. It’s a small sacrifice for a great cause.

Afterwards, we all head to an after party close by and nosh on great food and many of us have an adult beverage or two. This year, we’ll be at McLoone’s Pier House, a restaurant that cares about the environment.

If you'd like to join me, you can register at Keep Winter Cold.

Tips for an Effective Plunge
When I arrive at the Plunge site, I have my bathing suit on under my multiple layers of clothes (long johns under pants and about 3 or 4 layers up top). When it comes time to plunge, we all head into the heated tents to strip down to our suits. I then put on a bathrobe and wrap myself up in a blanket. I also bring a towel. For the previous 3 years, I’ve worn flip flops which is NOT a good choice because they fly off as soon as I hit the water. This time, my plunge attire will consist of a pair of old athletic shoes, my bathing suit, a hat, a scarf and some gloves. After the Plunge, we head back into the warm tents to change back into our warm clothes. Be sure to bring a Chico bag (or some other nylon bag – no plastic!) in which to place your suit and any other wet clothing.

If you are on the fence about plunging, I hope you’ll – pardon the pun – take the plunge and participate in the Plunge! You’ll have a great time!

Hold Your Next Event at a Green Venue on the Chesapeake Bay

About 15 years ago, when I listened to mainstream radio (before I discovered NPR), I remembered hearing commercials for a venue called Herrington on the Bay. It sounded like it was somewhere in Jamaica, but it is just about an hour from me, down the road in Rose Haven, on the western shore of Maryland.

When I recently visited the venue, owner/operator Anna Chaney Willman laughed when I recalled their very memorable commercials. They have since moved away from that image and have successfully become a resort that keeps its eye on protecting the environment.

I’m a sucker for any venue on the water, and Herrington sits on the Most Environmentally Sensitive Marina, Herrington Harbour South, as awarded by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in 1999 as well as Boating Industry Magazine in 2006. Whether you are holding a business retreat or a wedding, you can hold your event along the water or inside the main building. Regardless, the views are stunning.

Noted for lusciously landscaped lawns with clear views of the Chesapeake Bay, miles of natural marshes inhabited by native wildlife, 600+ acres of preserved wooded walking trails, quaint waterfront Inn accommodations, private beaches, and phenomenalsunrises and sunsets, Herrington is the perfect eco setting for all occasions.

And they take being green seriously. Below is just a taste of their long list of green initiatives:

- They participate in Anne Arundel County’s recycling program
- Their chefs are committed to offer the best in sustainable Chesapeake cuisine and they purchase products from Maryland and regional farmers, watermen, and vendors who offer sustainably-raised and harvested produce, beef, oysters, crabmeat, shrimp, fish, eggs, and more
- Breads and desserts are prepared in-house with organic and natural ingredients
- Organic herbs are grown on-site, and used in food preparation
- Coffee is provided by Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, an eco-friendly, local roaster (we are HUGE fans here at lori hill event productions)
- Wine and beer lists include sustainable and organic options
- Reverse osmosis filtered water is offered and proceeds benefit the Chesapeake Bay Trust
- That evil Styrofoam is prohibited. Cornstarch-based plastic ware or biodegradable and/or
recyclable plasticware is used when china is not an option

So go visit Anna and her team and discover the beauty of this very eco-friendly venue.