We are seeking stories from or about small businesses related to their efforts to green their productivity in three areas: success stories, green innovations and eco-bloopers. These stories will be considered for programming on a new high definition online TV platform, GFTG TV. Preference is given to stories on or from companies with fewer than 50 people and especially "TLCs", companies with fewer than 10.
Success Stories - we want to hear about the things that have already worked. We are particularly interested in stories that demonstrate how behaviour changes helped reduce costs, and their impact on the environment.
Green Innovations - this can be an innovation that is 'new to you'(although the technology may have been around for a few years)or is avant guarde (such as applications derived through biomimicry). Again we are interested in what behaviour changes were needed for adoption.
Eco-Bloopers: This program stream has a broad spectrum. On the 'left' of the spectrum, we are looking for stories geared towards things that did not work, where the story fosters the opportunity to get help from someone else who tried and succeeded. The Eco-Blooper may identify where there is a consistent problem based on ecological illiteracy, such as the common problem of those that market products as 'chemical free'. Eco-bloopers can also ask questions related to greenwash, to seek clarification and promote the needed behaviour changes to address it.
We are interested in materials from anywhere in the world. To see some of the programming already available go to our .net address and click on GFTG TV.
Lynn Johannson
Head of the Collaboration
goingforthegreen.net and GFTG TV
Canada
www.goingforthegreen.net
Small Business - Success Stories
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My enterprise has not got any successful result. But I know an environmental success story that I want to share with you.
Forestville California
Outline of Need: In the mid 1980s the California State North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued an action plan mandating that Forestville County Sanitation District (CSD) discharges to the Russian River and tributaries be treated to Advanced Wastewater Treatment Standards, a tertiary treatment process. Moreover, the adjacent community of Mirabel Heights, served by septic tanks with a 71% failure rate, was declared a public health hazard due to contamination of surface and ground water by human wastes. This was also having a direct impact on the health of the river.
How Rural Development Helped: Working together with local community leaders, regulatory agencies and congressional leaders, a two-phased solution was derived. The first phase involved construction of a centralized sewage collection system in Mirabel Heights along with a force main to pump the sewage to the Forestville CSD treatment plant. The second phase will upgrade the Forestville CSD treatment plant to meet the more stringent tertiary treatment standards. Pipelines will also be constructed that will enable the tertiary treated effluent to be used for irrigation by local schools and parks. Rural Utilities Service funding in the amount of $5.7 million was leveraged with $1.3 million from Sonoma County and $1 million from the EPA to accomplish the $8 million project.
Results: Some of the many positive environmental benefits from this project include:
Resolution of an existing threat to public health.
Protection of an important recreational river and fisheries habitat.
Protection of the quality of the groundwater supplies.
Abandonment of the failing septic tanks in Mirabel Heights that were contributing to both groundwater and surface water pollution.
Conservation of water in a region that experiences drought and water shortages. There will be an annual savings of 40-50 acre feet of potable water by using the tertiary treated effluent to irrigate public facilities instead of well water.
helen white
United States