The Discovery

By John Steinbach Pamela Steinbach

"Saying we 'discovered' this organization rather than founded or started it just seems the right way to describe what happened."
We discovered Grassroots Green in late 2006 and early 2007.

It came about as we discussed the possibility of doing a fundraiser focused on green practices and services here in northeast Indiana. We were looking at opportunities, talking to others, and along the way, we kept meeting up with all kinds of people who were ready to get started on making a 'green change' at the grassroots level in our area. They brought to the table a variety of ideas and resources. In many ways, Grassroots Green already existed: we simply gave it form. A large part of our work involved documentation, much like a scientist taking field notes of a newly discovered ecosystem.

One of the first things we discovered was that many people care deeply about the environment and want to take action. A number of organizations we came across continue leading the way in good green practices. They gave us sound advice, and we decided to pull some of these people together. They became our first Advisory Group.

As we started the Green Living Guide, our discoveries accelerated. We talked with entrepreneurs, inventors, business leaders, activists, politicians, farmers, architects, average homeowners doing remarkable things to save energy, people digging up their backyards to get the freshest local organic produce possible and people doing so many other great green things that it's impossible to list them all.

We also discovered our mission and voice as we worked. We found that we wanted to be a voice of hope and celebration of the good things that are happening, a source of solid information on how to make a difference and, at times, a force pushing needed change.

This new thing called Grassroots Green and our Green Living Guide are expressions of our discovery. We hope it contains the excitement, passion and sense of possibility we found in our explorations into green northeast Indiana.

There is much more to explore in the green terrain of our area. We'll keep you posted with our field notes in the form of www.grassrootsgreen.us, and we'll be back with more of our discoveries in our second issue.

Partners in Discovery

As Grassroots Green took shape, we discovered many people who became invaluable partners and contributors to our venture.

Carol Schwartz
On my first day of retirement from my graphic design job, I did something high on my list of 'Things to Do When I Retire' and went to a yoga class taught by Pamela Steinbach, who, with her husband, John, founded Grassroots Green.

I am a believer in connections in my life - people, 'light-bulb' inspirations, opportunities - finding me just at the right time. Pamela and Grassroots Green is one of those happy connections for which I am grateful. Yoga class has moved down my list, and doing something to make sure our Earth will be a good place for our grandchildren moved way up.

Dick Schwartz
I am an electrical engineer by training, with 38 years of experience in the electric motor industry in marketing, sales and engineering. I particularly like making technical subjects understandable for non-technical audiences.

I enjoy sports and outdoor activities. My current favorites include in-line skating for fitness and tennis for competition. Proud accomplishments include representing Indiana in basketball at the international Senior Olympics and skating the Indianapolis Monon Trail end-to-end - round trip (33 miles) - on my 60th birthday. An emerging passion is outdoor photography.

My involvement with Grassroots Green represents an opportunity to apply my skills to do some good for our planet. Besides, I'm having fun!

Britton Marketing & Design Group
Jeff and Sue Britton have marshalled their team to provide us with creative possibilities we never envisioned for this guide. Both are actively involved with the ACRES Land Trust, Jeff as a board member who also produces a weekly public radio spot broadcast throughout Indiana, and Sue as editor and designer of The ACRES Quarterly. Together, they offer the benefits of more than 45 years of experience in the marketing field (Sue, 20 years; Jeff, 25).