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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

A 12-Month Eco Extravaganza: The 10/10/10 Initiative Extends Far Beyond One Day

Ask any of the 10/10/10 Eco Extravaganza committee members for their feedback on the daylong October 10 event at the Mercato, in Naples, and you will hear the same comment: “It was beyond our wildest expectations!” The event, which coincided with 350.org’s partnerships with hundreds of organizations around the world, was one of 7,347 global work parties, intended to send a clear message to our political leaders: “If we can get to work on climate change, so can you!”

The plan for the Eco Extravaganza began with a long list of interactive ideas and 25 commitments from vendors interested in participating. According to committee Chair Marjorie Ziff-Levine, response mushroomed and more than 100 Collier and Lee County businesses and organizations caught the committee’s contagious enthusiasm. So did the estimated 2,000 attendees who browsed vendor booths and participated in activities that ranged from listening to James Roach, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congressional District 14, to turning over empty printer cartridges and old computers to Best Buy for recycling. “The fact that we had local government representatives attending, such as Naples City Manager Mike Bauer, was important to us,” says Ziff-Levine, whose own response to the event’s success in reaching a new audience has yet to drop below “Wow” status.

“This was not the kind of event that happens once, and then we wait 364 days for the next one,” explains Ziff-Levine, who is busy working on a list of upcoming monthly events that will keep community dialogue open and the momentum of the awareness campaign moving forward. For example, a kick-off meeting at Whole Foods on October 31 for the No Impact Challenge Week was initiated to help event participants make good on their promise for eco-action. Next, the committee will work with the individuals who signed up as volunteers for the November 7 Happehatchee Center Community Clean-up and Potluck Lunch celebration.

“We were also glad that we got to give away all of our 75 door prizes, which were donated by local businesses,” says Ziff-Levine. “I think Chris and Robin Murray were probably the most thrilled, because they won the Grand Prize trip to the Amazon, which was donated by Lulu Carter’s Outside the Box Studio.”

Visit www.UGottaGoGreen.com and www.Facebook.com/pages/Naples-FL/U-Gotta-Go-Green/266769701839 or http://tinyurl.com/TransitionNaplesFacebook to get involved in upcoming activities.