The Blog

Green Options (GO) Buffalo and Tapestry High School teamed up this winter to teach valuable mechanical skills to hardworking high school students.

Check out this video about the program.

Submit your project now.There are only ten days left for WNY college students to submit projects to win a $3,000 grant for the environment!

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo (CFGB) has announced three $3,000 grants available to support projects developed by a team of three or more college students.  Eligible projects must address regional environmental issues.  Click here for details about eligibility.

The Green Bowl will accept submissions until December 31, 2010, so submit your project soon!

Click here for more information or to submit a project.  Voting on finalists will begin January 24, 2011 and the three winning projects will be announced in February.

Please note, the CFGB can only release grants to 501( C )3 non-profit organizations.  A non-profit administrator or partner organization must write a letter of support for your project, stating their commitment to administer a grant award on your behalf.

Click here to read the College Green Bowl Grant Requirements and Obligations document.  Please look over this document with a potential non-profit administrator for your project.

ReNU Niagara, a community outreach program of Niagara University, will implement a GreenRoots Leadership Development Program aimed at building a youth and adult sustainable resident leadership base in Niagara Falls to help reduce existing demographic disparities.

“The goal of this program is to build individual and civic empowerment capacity through effective training and the application of environmental revitalization projects,” said Jill A. Shuey, executive director of ReNU Niagara.  “We are looking to provide residents of Niagara Falls with the creative tools to create change and positively impact their surroundings.”

Ultimately intended to address the leadership gap that exists in the city, the program’s mission intends to disprove common misconceptions that youths are not engaged in the process to make their community a “green” or “sustainable” community.

This summer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited MAP.  “It’s unbelievable …amazing. The work is inspiring,”

Natasha, is a young, vibrant African-American woman who has been at the Massachusett's Avenue Project (MAP) Growing Green Program for 4 years.  Natasha graduated from high school this June and started college this fall.  She is the first person in her family to go to college and has surmounted a great deal of challenges to get to where she is.   Natasha and her sister were removed from their home in elementary school and placed with an aunt, who was already caring for 2 young children.  Natasha was left to care for herself and her sister a lot of the time and rarely saw her biological mother.

While working for MAP, Natasha usually gave her aunt her paycheck to help pay household bills.  Three years ago she was overweight and diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.  She credits Growing Green with teaching her how to make healthier food choices which helped her lose weight and get her diabetes under control.  She has become a community educator, leading farm tours and workshops on urban agriculture, healthy eating and youth enterprise development.

Since 2003, MAP has worked with young people whose families are financially disadvantaged or face the challenges of adjusting to a new culture and way of life.  We work to provide our young people with a bridge to success, and for the past 3 years 95% of our high school seniors have graduated and gone onto college and all were the first in their families to go to college.