Monday Mailing
Year 19 • Issue 20 11 February 2013 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Quote of the Week: “It’s a popular fact that 90 percent of the brain is not used and, like most popular facts, it is wrong…It is used. One of its functions is to make the miraculous seen ordinary, to turn the unusual into the usual. Otherwise, human beings would go around wearing a stupid grin, saying, ‘Wow’ a lot. Part of the brain exists to stop this from happening. It is very efficient, and can make people experience boredom in the middle of marvels.” ~Terry Pratchett Oregon Fast Fact #68: Oregon's state birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day.
Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design Grant Opportunity Salem-Keizer Education Foundation Volunteer Opportunity Public Process and the Perils of Dismissive Engagement Interactive Map of Current Transportation Projects2nd Annual Know Your Region Website Provides a Clearinghouse for Economic Development Publications and Presentations WEBINAR: UTILIZING THE VILLAGE: Effective Reengagement and Recovery Programming in Rural Communities Video Tutorial for New and Improved American FactFinder USDA, National Endowment for the Arts, Artplace, work Together to Bring Opportunities to Rural Artists In Australia, Wind Power is Already Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels and Solar is Right Behind Beer will Help Power Alaska Brewery Funding Opportunities Galore February Issue of Local Focus Now Online
1. Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design Grant Opportunity CIRD supports rural communities with a population of 50,000 or less located in a non-metropolitan county or a metropolitan county on the urban fringe. CIRD defines “community” broadly: not just the town center or area within the town boundary, but also the surrounding areas that depend on its goods and services and contribute an economic base, agricultural land or open space, and recreational opportunities. Entities that are eligible to serve as the lead applicant to coordinate a CIRD workshop in a host community include but are not limited to: municipal, tribal, or county governments; local non-profit entities such as main street organizations, preservation groups, historical societies, or chambers of commerce; regional planning organizations; university community design centers located within 50 miles of the community; or local for-profit businesses. Two or more communities may submit a joint application. State-level entities may support an application, but cannot serve as the primary applicant. Community buy-in and action is rarely successful without the support and active participation of community partners, so we encourage applicants to begin building local partnerships during the application process in order to apply as a team. For more information, click here. 2. Salem-Keizer Education Foundation Volunteer Opportunity The Salem-Keizer Education Foundation is making a huge push to finish sorting the first 200,000 books to be distributed to schools. If you would like to participate in this community effort on February 15th and 16th from 10am- 3pm, please let me know and I can follow up with them! Volunteers can also sign up on HandsOn or just show up!
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Public Process and the Perils of Dismissive Engagement “What would you like to see here?” And there it is. Perhaps the most inane question ever posed in the course of a public design process. And posed it is, constantly. “We’re doing a master plan for downtown. What would you like to see here?” It’s crazy. In one sweeping question, practitioners not only set the stage for unmet expectations, they devalue the art and craft of urban design at the same time. Steve Jobs famously said, “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” He didn’t mean that people are incapable of articulating their own needs and desires. He meant that they can identify things they want to be able to do, or problems they need solved, but they’re not necessarily equipped to deliver the most elegant solution. To access the full story, click here.
4. Interactive Map of Current Transportation Projects This interactive map from Reconnecting America shows 2013 transportation projects, sorted spatially by the population of the area and the number of projects occurring there. By clicking each region, a list of projects appears, complete with details including the project’s name, status, and transit technology, and a link to the project’s source. To access the map, click here. 5. Know Your Region Website Provides a Clearinghouse for Economic Development Publications and Presentations The website for Know Your Region, an EDA-funded and NADO-managed project, provides a variety of resources on regional and local approaches to economic innovation and competitiveness across the United States. Recent publications and presentations, as well as a library of other tools and resources, are available throughout the website and are intended to help local officials, economic development practitioners, community leaders, and citizens assess the local and regional assets leading to long-term regional prosperity and sustainability. Continue to check back for new updates and reports as they are released. Know Your Region can be found online here. 6. WEBINAR: UTILIZING THE VILLAGE: Effective Reengagement and Recovery Programming in Rural Communities FEATURED PRESENTERS: Gary Chapman, Executive Vice President, Communities In Schools (CIS), National network Constance Thomas, Executive Director, Berrien County Collaborative, Inc., Communities In Schools/Family Connection - Nashville, GA · JEFF FITE, Director of Job Readiness and Training, Sojourners Care Network, Youthbuild of Southeast Ohio - McArthur, Ohio Participants will come away from the session with: Information and resources about trends in the field of recovery programming, including the importance of designing tailored programs and the focus on career and college-ready standards. Examples of two highly effective reengagement and recovery programs serving at-risk youth in very rural communities. Page 2 of 5
Practical advice on key practices to deliver relevant curriculum, build strong partnerships, and support rural students through the transition into college and career. To register for this free event please visit: http://ruraldropoutprevention.weebly.com/webinarthree.html. Please contact Monica Melville at mmelville@mahernet.com if you need technical assistance registering or if you do not receive a registration confirmation email within 24 hours. 7. Video Tutorial for New and Improved American FactFinder The Census Bureau announced earlier this week that it has revised American FactFinder. Check out the new http://factfinder2.census.gov. The new version provides two easy ways to search for information (Community Facts and Guided Search) as well access to all data through Advanced Search, which was previously the only option. Folks love this new version so much that someone has already posted a short demonstration on YouTube at http://youtu.be/annJJW3ZUjA. And while we are on the topic of Census data, don't forget about the state- and county-level data that is available in seconds through the Census Bureau's QuickFacts. This is still the fastest way to find basic Census data. 8. USDA, National Endowment for the Arts, Artplace, work Together to Bring Opportunities to Rural Artists As part of USDA’s effort to partner with foundations and increase investments in rural America, the Department has been working with the National Endowment for the Arts and Artplace to maximize grants that are being made in rural communities. ArtPlace is a non-profit organization which implements a funding pool from thirteen national and regional foundations and six national banks. In the past two years ArtPlace has invested nearly $30 million to support organizations aiming to improve their communities through creative place-making. Last week in Florida, ArtPlace held its first convening of grantees and invited USDA staff to the conversation. Many rural communities across the country are realizing that culture may be among their greatest assets and that innovative approaches to preserving those resources will be essential to strategies aimed at revitalizing main streets and enhancing communities so that people want to base their lives and businesses in rural America. For more information, click here. 9. In Australia, Wind Power is Already Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels and Solar is Right Behind According to the latest research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, electricity from wind power can now be supplied more cheaply in Australia than power from either coal or natural gas — and solar and other forms of renewable energy aren’t far behind. Older coal-fired power plants from the 70s and 80s still compete at lower prices than renewables— but only because their construction costs have depreciated. For the deployment of any new power generation in Australia, renewables now appear to be the way to go. Australia currently charges polluters $23 in Australian dollars per metric ton of carbon they emit, but the study concluded that wind power would still undercut fossil fuels even without that correction of the market’s failure to properly build in the costs of carbon pollution: To access the full article, click here.
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10. Beer will Help Power Alaska Brewery JUNEAU, Alaska — The Alaskan Brewing Co. is going green, but instead of looking to solar and wind energy, it has turned to a very familiar source: beer. The Juneau-based beer maker has installed a unique boiler system in order to cut its fuel costs. It purchased a $1.8 million furnace that burns the company's spent grain — the waste accumulated from the brewing process — into steam, which powers the majority of the brewery's operations. Company officials now joke they are now serving "beer-powered beer." What to do with spent grain was seemingly solved decades ago by breweries operating in the Lower 48. Most send the used grain, a good source of protein, to nearby farms and ranches to be used as animal feed. But there are only 37 farms in southeast Alaska and 680 in the entire state as of 2011, and the problem of what to do with the excess spent grain — made up of the residual malt and barley — became more problematic after the brewery expanded in 1995. To access the full article, click here. 11. Funding Opportunities Galore ING Run for Something Better Offers Grants to Establish Youth Running Programs - The program provides a minimum of fifty grants of up to $2,500 each for schools to establish a running program or expand an existing one for children in grades K-8.... Deadline: May 15, 2013 Saucony Run for Good Foundation Seeks Proposals for Youth Running Programs - The foundation awards between ten and twenty grants a year to community organizations working to reduce obesity and promote healthy lifestyles in youth under the age of 18 through participation in running programs.... Deadline: February 13, 2013, and December 13, 2013 World of Children Accepting Nominations for 2013 Humanitarian, Health, Youth Awards The World of Children award program honors individuals who have created proven, high-impact programs that make a permanent difference in the lives of children in the United States and abroad.... Deadline: April 1, 2013 Peace First Prize Seeks Nominations of Young Peacemakers - Five young leaders (between the ages of 8 and 22) in the United States will be awarded two-year, $50,000 fellowships in recognition of their work to address injustice and create lasting change in their schools and communities.... Deadline: April 12, 2013 Open Society Foundations Invites Applications for Human Rights Photography Audience Engagement Grants - Five to eight grants of $10,000 to $30,000 will be awarded to support photographers interested in using an existing body of work as a tool for social change.... Deadline: June 18, 2013 Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation Announces 2013 Toolbox for Education Grant Program - Ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, Toolbox for Education grants are awarded in support of projects that encourage parent involvement in local schools and build stronger community spirit.... Deadline: February 15, 2013
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Getty Images Invites Proposals for 2013 Creative Photography Grants - The grants are designed to help nonprofits that do not have the resources to employ photographers, filmmakers, or communications professionals but understand how bold imagery and strategic thinking about communications are essential to their mission.... Deadline: March 1, 2013 12. February Issue of Local Focus Now Online The current issue of Local Focus, the League's monthly magazine, is now available. This month’s cover story, “Crunch Time for Property Tax Reform” looks at the outreach effort needed from city officials in order to advance the League’s property tax proposals. To access this month’s issue of the Local Focus, click here.
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