Spring Greening

Why we were in New Orleans in December

About 8 months ago, Christina Heinrichs said she was going to have her 40th birthday party in New Orleans.  Having only just met Christina and Pete, her husband, because of Historic Green, I was at first not sure if I would go.  But then, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to combine a "landing trip" to New Orleans to meet with our friends and partners related to Historic Green, have fun with Christina's friends and family, and see my mom, who lives in Denver.  Susannah Tuttle, Jeremy Knoll, Brad Wood, Pete Heinrichs, Christina Heinrichs, and Jodi Wilson, have all been committed to Historic Green for well over a year now, and we all got to reconnect in December!  Jodi and I met in Minnesota - she was an architecture student at the U of M, and after she graduated, she moved to Biloxi to work for an  architecture firm.  I asked my mom to join us because, let's face it, she's a lot of fun. 
So we made our travel arrangements, packed our bags, and off we were!  Anisa Baldwin Metzger, of the USGBC, was instrumental in arranging meetings for us, and our big meeting at Greater Little Zion that she arranged, was a huge success.  We had various meetings throughout our trip - Susannah and I were in town the longest, and Brad was in town for the least amount of time, but I think we all made the best use of our opportunities.  I had not met so many of our friends and partners, so getting to see some of them face to face for the first time was great. 
I look at the pictures from our trip in December, and I just keep thinking how we're getting closer and closer to our big event in March.  It's exciting and daunting at the same time.  
Here's Mom and I at Voodoo BBQ

Top Ten Lists

Last February, Dave asked the Planning Krewe for Historic Green to come up with a top ten list for interested volunteers.  This is what we came up with:

1. It’s a resume builder: volunteerism attracts the right sort of employer/school/company.
2. Gain valuable AIA Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs).
3. Learn new skills – whether it’s eating crawfish boil for the first time, or how to mesh sustainability with historic construction/deconstruction/renovations.
4. Make a real, tangible difference in the lives of people.
5. Support an economy still devastated from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
6. Meet people, make new friends.
7. Hear some of the best music in the world!
8. Eat some of the best food in the world!
9. The experience will make for more than a few good stories.
10. What else are you going to do with your spring break?

I love all the items on that list, but I wanted to share MY top ten list for being involved in Historic Green:

1. It just feels good to be doing something that I believe in.
2. Discovering Coffea - best crepes and ambiance - Thank you Jodi Wilson!
3. Charles Allen III. The first time I met Charles, he gave me a hug. 
4. Susannah Tuttle.
5. Having coffee with Bob Berkebile at Jeremy Knoll's house.
6. Christina and Pete Heinrichs. How lucky to meet someone in NOLA who lives 4 miles away from me!
7. That picture with David Beckham.
8. Ghetto mimosas at Elizabeth's.
9. Everyone on the "Krewes" involved in Historic Green. 
10. The immense professional and personal growth I've experienced since October 2007 in being involved in Historic Green. 

Getting in the team spirit!

  When Jeremy, Susannah, and I were in NOLA in December, we had the wonderful opportunity to be taken on a tour by the Make it Right folks.  Here we are on the country's first digital playground - all solar powered!  This picture is all of us on the super cool spinning thing (which is not an official term) but it was still a total blast!  On the spinning thing, there are green lines where you're supposed to stand, and there's one orange line where apparently, people who are natural leaders, stand on.  Jeremy, even though he's color blind, is smack dab in the middle of the orange line!  Who knew?