Nov 15th Health Fair Results

Here are the Action Plan Initiatives of the participants who attended Consciously Rebuilding's Health Fair on November 15 2008. We are super excited that so many people came and really committed a first step of healthier living. Generally, fitness was a popular topic and in terms of specific initiatives, water conservation seemed to capture people's attention. In order to track these healthy initiatives, we had free bike raffle tickets that requested a lifestyle change related to environment, water, energy, fitness, nutrition and indoor air quality. We had tip sheets, action plans, and a video to coach participants and guide them on their decision-making. After the educational materials were presented and our volunteers assisted participants on a Starter Plan, they qualified to enter the bike raffle (*very clever).

All in all, the yoga and the bikes were a huge attraction and we hope to continue to offer these services for our next events. About 30 people attended the event over a 3-4 hour period, and they were all new people. It was a bit of a shocker to have no one attend from our networks, but I actually prefer to introduce myself and Consciously Rebuilding to newbies that are excited to hear something fresh. For the future, I would prefer to have a handful of new people who honestly want to know who we are and what "green" and "health" means to them than to have hundreds of friends or peers who've heard it all before. This was a turning point in Consciously Rebuilding and how we will truly reach our target community....even if it's at a person-by-person pace. Every person was well worth our time and I am satisfied with the response that we got. Two people won bikes, we got many monetary donations, and ABC26 News ran a story on the event.

Consciously Rebuilding is a force to be reckoned with and we're welcoming everyone on this ride of change and healthy fun living.

Peace and Blessings,

Yasmin

504ward

It feels good to be appreciated. Check me out, http://www.504ward.com/, http://www.504ward.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=10, http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=32152

We are pressing onward and appreciate all those who want to press with us. We also had another Health Fair on Saturday, November 15, 2008 and I will be posting pics and video soon :)

---Yasmin

Social Entrpreneurs of New Orleans (SENO)

On October, 23, 2008, Consciously Rebuilding was recognized at "Be the Change: A celebration
of Social Entrepreneurs in New Orleans." The event was hosted by SENO to bring together the positive efforts in rebuilding the City. We are blessed to have been honored as Social Entrepreneurs that advocate for community health and "Green" living. SENO is a great network striving to keep talented people, such as myself and Andrea, in New Orleans. You can check out our profile on SENO's website http://www.seno-nola.org

----Yasmin

Walk the Beat for the NOPD!!!!

Greetings!!!! Today began with an awesome opportunity for Consciously Rebuilding to participate in the Walk the Beat 5K Fundraiser for the Police Departments of New Orleans. Our membership with the Central City Comeback Committee allows us to have the 6th District Police Department as a supporter of our education and "Green" Housing initiatives in Central City. They support us, so we support them.

---Yasmin

NOLA100

On Friday, October 17, 2008 I attended an event at Global Green to acknowledge the efforts of NOLA 100. NOLA100 is an organization that has been working to rebuild homes in Holy Cross for the last 100 days. Using Americorps workers and Salvation Army funds, they have maneuvered through various obstacles to come away having renovated almost 50 houses into comfortable, energy efficient homes for the people of Holy Cross.

Here are some of the slides that are the most relevant to Consciously Rebuilding as our efforts to be "Green" are targeted to low-income and communities of color. The lessons I took away from the NOLA 100 experience is that little initiatives really add up. Especially in low-income communities that are rebuilding, retrofitting and rehabbing are more feasible options than purchasing a new customized home.

---Yasmin