2010 Annual Report Summary
The 2010 report was submitted by Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, outgoing Illinois State Coordinator.
Funds were used to support seven pre-event professional development workshops at the Sustainable Living Expo, with a theme of Good Choices, Smart Living, Help Yourself. Pre-Expo workshops included (1) Basic Grant Writing and the SARE program (3 hour workshop) by Deborah, (2) High Tunnels for Season Extension; (3) Basic Commercial Specialty Crop Production; (4) Wildlife on Your Place; (5) Energy Tax Incentives and Grants; (6) Basic Solar Knowledge; and (7) Customer Service for Small Businesses. This new event was a partnership with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), other organizations and championed by the Shawnee Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) district.
Organizers reported: “The SARE investment enabled us to build a foundation for a unique program, relevant to our region’s depressed economy and focused on the opportunities that exist locally for strategic investments in sustainability. This program holds the promise of introducing sustainable agriculture to the mainstream population, not just the “believers,” and overall turnout for the event reflected our diverse target audience. The 2010 Sustainable Living Expo Steering Committee is very grateful for the consideration and adaptability of the SARE-PDP program to redirect underutilized funds to what has proven to be a strategic collaborative effort. It has been nothing less than a breakthrough for a region that often lags behind in the adoption of innovative agriculture/conservation practices, and they could not have covered expenses without SARE’s assistance.”