Sonnenschein July Green Evening Cafe

The Sonnenschein Green Initiative hosted the seventh ‘Green Evening Cafe’ in downtown Hohenwald on July 28, 2009.  Becky Newbold of  the  Lewis County Herald presented the fourth Green Business Award for July 2009 to Bart Leonard, co-owner of the Buffalo River Coffee Company.  

Leonard talked about how the Coffee Company applies the principle of reduce, reuse, restore and recycle.  Leonard’s business was started in an existing structure, their use of fair trade coffee and use of recycled and biodegradable products such as Green Ware cups and using coffee grounds in compost, all contribute to their sound environmental practice.   Leonard and his wife Renea also offer used books and Internet service to the community.

After the award, Mike Dumont of  ‘Vision Perry’ and the Commodore Hotel and Café in Linden, spoke on adaptive reuse.  Dumont renovated the Commodore Hotel and Café, originally built in 1939, as well as renovating the old bank building with loft space used as an Arts Center.  The Dumont’s, sensitive to energy conservation,  use tankless water heaters for the hotel and café, with an on demand or ‘heat as you use’ application.  The Dumont’s also use biodegradable supplies and Green ware.

Other speakers included Adam Turtle, who spoke on new green business start-up strategies.  Since the mid 1960s he and his wife, Sue, have started several successful green businesses, and currently own and operate Earth Advocates Research Farm and “Our” Bamboo Nursery near Summertown. 

Doug Stephenson of Village Media also talked about start-up techniques for green business.   Stephenson started several successful businesses over the years and agrees with Mr. Turtle that you first need to know your community and meet their needs for a successful green business. Stephenson also develops web sites and writes articles for numerous publications.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Kelli Carroll with the Tennessee Technology Center of Hohenwald, Tennessee.  She announced that the Technology Center would be accepting applications for a new, innovative Green Jobs Technical Training Program.  This program will offer one year of education and training in a diverse range of green education studies and will educate students in current initiatives in green technology and power.  

Several other representatives from the center were in attendance, along with Rick Brewer who stated the classes would be three trimesters, with a class size of twenty, initially beginning in the Autumn of 2009, with the possibility of an evening class being offered later.  Call the Tennessee Technology Center at 931-796-5351 and your Career Center at 931-796-3747 for more information on the diploma program and financial aide.

Lastly, members of the Sonnenschein Green Initiative gave updates on Green Business projects.  Debbie Landers, Chamber President-Elect and local businesswoman, led an interesting discussion on the results of the 2008 Financial Permaculture Green Business Design. Connie Sharp and Jennifer English introduced a new Green Business Incubation, Access Consulting, sponsor for the evening event, Access Consulting.  Sharp and English will offer Green Design Services, such as energy tax incentives, green incubation, writing grants and green events.