After encountering many people who have almost a phobia toward anything pro-environment, Jeanne Sparks and her like-minded friends created the North County Green Team to change the negative stereotypes of environmentalists with a television show.
“We’d like to highlight the wonderful, positive environmental actions going on in the North County,” Sparks wrote in a statement. “There is so much going on now that we’d like to recognize businesses, organizations, and individuals for the efforts they are making and to encourage others to do more.”
The North County Green Team has produced three episodes that air on the local Comcast channel 25. Each episode focuses on such themes as public grow gardens or recycling programs. The next show slated to air will be on home energy conservation, a topic Sparks said everyone can benefit from.
“I’d really like to reach people and say it’s not really that hard to make minor changes that can be really beneficial,” she explained. “I’m hoping that this TV show, and getting a group together, will encourage more of that.”
The Green Team, established less than a year ago, is currently working on its fourth episode, as well as getting its second project underway: community building.
“You start getting people together, things start happening,” Sparks said.
The group will be host to a social gathering called Green Drink on March 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Costa de Oro Wine Tasting Room, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave. in Santa Maria. Anyone interested in environmental issues is encouraged to attend to learn, socialize, and network. During these gatherings, the Green Team hopes people can connect, share, and build on one another’s ideas.
“Not many are involved [in the environmental movement], but it is growing. One of the reasons I wanted to start this effort was to encourage more people to do more and for them to come together with each other,” Sparks said, emphasizing how important teamwork is in accomplishing a greener and cleaner community. “Once you start coming together with each other, you get this synergy effect, you meet other likeminded people, and together you can do more than you might do on your own.”
The television show airs on Mondays at 10:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 3 p.m., and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in Santa Maria and Orcutt.
For more information, visit northcountrygreentv.org.
Intern Jason Banania compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2012.