Merrickville Village Green Community Underway!

Congratulations, Merrickville! A Green Community groundswell of support has sprung up, with the aim of making Merrickville the Greenest Village in Canada.

What does that mean? It means that we in the Village will seek out the tools, techniques, and technologies that make the most sense both environmentally and economically.

In other words, we will use innovative green thinking to generate some 'green' (i.e. dirty old money), for the benefit of our businesses and residents, while maintaining and improving the environment.

Earth Hour walk in the Village

Come join us for a candlelight walk in the village of Merrickville on Saturday March 27. We will meet up at the Blockhouse park at 8:15pm and take a leisurely stroll around the village. Bring a candle, join in the fun.

The 1st Annual Merrickville Eco-Fair

Mark your calendars for the Merrickville Goes Green 1st Annual Eco-Fair to be held April 17 2010 at the Merrickville Community Centre.

Come see how easy it is to tread lightly upon the earth, while supporting local business. At the Fair you can learn:

* how to garden with nature;

*where to buy organic food;

*how to grow your own food;

*how to build or renovate an environmentally-friendly home;

*how to clean your home gently; and more!

There will be prizes, a kids' art exhibit, and delicious home-made snackies, too!

Visitors to the Eco Fair will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite design in the Artists Competition, to help us choose a new logo for the Merrickville Goes Green program (see Artists' Competition below.)

Merrickville Goes Green Sponsors Artists' Competition

Merrickville Goes Green is sponsoring a competition for artists in Merrickville-Wolford to design a 'green' logo for reusable shopping bags to be distributed in the village.

Local artists are asked to submit designs which reflect the ideals of local, sustainable, and ethically-based practices. The winning design will be chosen at the Eco-Fair on April 17.

Deadline for submissions for artists, or to sign up as a vendor is March 31 2010. You can sign up using the form on the page below, or contact Merrickville Goes Green representative Scott Kelland at 613 269-3884.

The winning designer will receive a prize, as well as recognition for their artistic talents. Merrickville Goes Green has found a Canadian supplier to print the winning design on organic cotton shopping bags.

The Fair will also feature local vendors and exhibitors and several presentations on the theme of 'Green Living'.

SPECIAL NOTE TO ARTISTS AND VENDORS: If you are a vendor or an artist, here's your chance to get your wares in front of a happy hometown crowd!

The success of this project depends on your participation, so join up, sign up, and get involved!

Merrickville Community Centre,
Read and Main,
Merrickville, Ontario

How to get here
From within Ontario and from the Quebec border, Merrickville may be reached via Highway 401 which runs alongside the St. Lawrence River.

Take the #705 The exit off the 401, and head north up County Road #15 until you reach the village (about 46 km).

From Ottawa, go south on Highway 416 and take exit #34 to County Road #43. Go west on CR #43, past Kemptville to Merrickville (18 km).

View Larger Map

Merrickville was once awarded the title of 'Prettiest Village in Canada' during the Communities in Bloom competition. In 2010, let's strive to be known as the Greenest Village in Canada

Why go Green?

This is one of those classic 'good news/bad news' situations:

The bad news: the current world situation has had and will continue to have effects on our economic viability. Anything that impacts peoples' disposable income affects travel and tourism dollars, which in turn will affect the Village.

The good news: there has never been a higher profile and awareness of all things local and sustainable i.e. green.

The way ahead: create a Project Office to implement a 'green' approach to renewal to provide economic stimulus (get us some more of that dirty old money) while at the same time providing environmental benefits - in other words, build a green community!

Whew! Sounds impressive, huh?

What is this Sustainable Stuff, anyway?

Well, if we define efficiency as 'doing things right', and effectiveness as 'doing the right things', then sustainability is maintaining the capacity to do things right, and to do the right things.

This implies that, to be truly sustainable, green initiatives must pay their way, and in fact must enhance economic success i.e. generate us some CASH.

'Doing good by doing well' is the motto of sustainability in our Village Green Community!

OK I'm Interested, What 's Next?

Right now our focus is on a little bit of planning and a whole lot of action! We are looking at the 'best in show' examples of successful green initiatives in other communities, and we will shamelessly steal the best ideas we can find, that seem to make sense for the Village.

You can see some examples at this link Eco-Perth Green Community Initiative

Some opportunities have already been identified, such as an innovative way to reduce the number of plastic bags we use in stores in the village. Done right, it will create a benefit for businesses and the environment. Expect to see more about that that real soon.

At the same time, we are working on putting the necessary structure in place to manage this puppy i.e. establishing priorities for action, acquiring resources (we need some of that dirty old money, too, plus facilities, equipment etc.), fleshing out our Communication Strategy to keep you in the loop and get your feedback, and a few other administrivia-type activities.

But our focus is on getting stuff done!

How can I Find Out More?

Well, the aforementioned Communication Strategy is still being developed; there will (shortly) be regular communiques to all residents, through a variety of media.

But in the meantime you can use the contact form below to ask questions or offer advice, or get involved in the Artists Competition or the Eco-Friendly Fair.

All electrons you use will be recycled into other messages, so fire away!

Merrickville Goes Green is a community association formed to assist in the exploration and implementation of volunteer and community development that promotes ‘Green Entrepreneurship’ and ethically-based, sustainable practices. Our motto is 'Eco-friendly steps towards a sustainable future'.