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Super Bowl XLVIII Dining at MetLife Stadium Will be the Greenest in HistoryThe Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national non-profit organization, has pioneered the Green Restaurant® movement since 1990. The GRA has been the leading voice within the industry, helping thousands of restaurants in 47 states and Canada to green their operations, using transparent, science-based environmental certification standards. MetLife is the first stadium in the world to meet the rigorous environmental standards of the Green Restaurant Association. MetLife Stadium and its foodservice partner Delaware North Companies Sportservice earned the title of first Certified Green Restaurant® stadium from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), exceeding its certification standards. With over 200 on-site restaurants servicing up to 100,000 people in a day, this is the largest food service operation ever to receive this certification. The Green Restaurant Association worked with Delaware North Companies Sportservice to achieve 61 different environmental measures at MetLife Stadium. The most notable green accomplishments include:
Michael Oshman, CEO and Founder of the Green Restaurant Association calls the certification a ground-breaking accomplishment among sports venues. “This achievement sets the environmental bar f “We are so proud to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association,” said William Lohr, Sportservice general manager. “MetLife has been a great partner working toward the green certification. Earning this certification coupled with becoming ISO 14001 certified means that we can proudly say we are serving up the Greenest Super Bowl ever.” 50 Contestants Unveiled for the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge
The contestants will gear up for the competition to save more animals – during the months of June, July and August 2014 – than they did over the same three-month period in 2013. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an i “For the past four years, the ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge has helped shelters across the country energize their teams, rally their communities and blast through their previous records for saving more lives,” says Bert Troughton, vice president of strategic initiatives at the ASPCA. “In 2014, for the fifth and final year of the contest, we’re beyond thrilled to work with a new batch of 50 contestants and we cannot wait to see what adoption records they’ll shatter next.” The 50 contestants in the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge are:
The ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a $100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win $25,000. Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between $10,000 and $25,000 in additional grants. In total, $600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal All her life, Rachael Ray has been an advocate for animals and a supporter of animal welfare groups. Her love for animals and for her pit bull, Isaboo, inspired her to create a pet food called Nutrish® to raise money for animals in need. Ray donates her proceeds from the sale of Nutrish® to organizations like the ASPCA so they can implement programs like the $100K Challenge and support shelters and animal organizations around the country. The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes. For information about the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, please visit http://www.aspca.org/100K. Organic Valentine’s DayFrom our friends at Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org), comes a fantastic list of organic product suppliers who have great ideas and gifts to make your Valentine’s Day a happy and healthy one for us all. Whether you are looking for Fair Trade and Organic flowers, chocolates or paperless / recycled cards and gifts, here is a great list of resources for Valentine’s Day. Flowers:
Chocolate:
Gifts:
Organic Wine: Valentines Cards:
You can download these beautiful cards designed by Liz Welch at www.organicconsumers.org. Cards have a blank interior, and a message about Fair Trade and Organics on the back. Or visit these great sites for more options. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. We are the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. www.organicconsumers.org America’s Largest Fundraiser for Tree ResearchRegistration is now open for the STIHL Tour des Trees, an annual weeklong cycling event that travels hundreds of miles through a different region of North America each year. The event, which is America’s largest fundraiser for tree research, benefits the Tree Research & Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Every Tour includes tree plantings, educational programs and community engagement activities in addition to spectacular scenery, bucket-list cycling and a level of camaraderie that sets this ride apart from other charity fundraisers. This year’s STIHL Tour des Trees will traverse Wisconsin from July 27-Aug. 2, 2014, and will include stops in Madison, Door County, Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The University’s arboriculture and urban forestry curriculum is one of the nation’s best, and noted researcher (and TREE Fund grant recipient) Dr. Richard Hauer will be a featured speaker at dinner in Stevens Point. The Tour concludes Aug. 2 on the campus of Mount Mary University during the International Society of Arboriculture’s International Tree Climbing Championship. Featured in Forbes, the Huffington Post, and CNN, recent Tours have cycled through Canada, New York, Virginia and Oregon, educating the public about the importance of urban trees and planting dozens more along the way. "Riding in the STIHL Tour des Trees gives me the opportunity to educate, inspire, and change communities across the U.S. It is an exciting week spent doing something for kids, trees and myself," said Justin Espy, a field testing technician at STIHL Inc., certified arborist and two-time Tour rider. Cyclists come from a variety of professions and include arborists, educators, entrepreneurs, accountants and tree enthusiasts from all over the world. Registration for the full Tour is limited to 100 cyclists and often sells out early. Each full-Tour cyclist commits to raising $3,500 for the TREE Fund, and the $100 registration fee includes lodging and meals as well as a custom apparel kit and full mechanical and rider support for the entire week. A partial-Tour registration option with a prorated fundraising requirement is also available. Since 1992, the Tour has raised more than $6.6 million for tree research and education programs, making possible more than 400 TREE Fund research grants focused on arboriculture and urban forestry and the safety o The TREE Fund’s mission is to support sustainable communities and environmental stewardship by funding research, scholarships and education programs essential to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. The TREE Fund has supported research that has led to important developments in: • Understanding air pollution reduction and carbon sequestration by trees • Determining the costs and benefits of urban trees • Improving conditions for tree growth in difficult sites • Strategies to manage diseases and pests that affect urban trees For more information, visit www.treefund.org. 5 Places in Your Home to Find Scrap MetalIn the United States only 35 percent of Americans recycle, but 65 percent feel guilty if they don’t. Often times consumers aren’t recycling simply because they are confused on which items are recyclable or not. Sims Metal Management, the world’s largest metals and electronics recycler, has created a great infographic to help share household scrap metal recycling tips and outline five places to find these items in your home. Sourcing valuable metals from around your home and recycling them can help the sustainable development of the planet. Learn how recycling ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal found around the home can save energy and benefit the environment. While the recycling of paper, plastics, glass, rubber, cloth and other such items are popular among many homeowners, recycling scrap metal is not. Few are aware of how many recyclable objects containing metals might be in your home. A couple examples include cell phones, batteries and much more. Learn and understand what metals you can recycle and the enormous value generated via the recycling of these metals. Click here to find out more. Not only can you save tons of energy by recycling the scrap metal found in your home, but you could earn money off it too! Sims Metal Management has scrap metal recycling units across the country where you can sell your scrap metal in return for cash. Find the facility closest to you by clicking here. As a homeowner, your initiative to recycle scrap metal will not only help reduce your carbon footprint, but help sustain our planet in the future. This year, take steps to include the recycling of scrap metal around your home along with items that are generally recycled. Energy saved equals a greener planet! |
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or stadiums and sporting events the world over.”
The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today released the names of the 50 animal shelters that will compete in the 2014 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, with a total of $600,000 in prize grants up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs. 
ncrease of 12,050 over the same period in 2012. 
lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation. 
f the tree care workforce since 1976, along with scholarships for college students across the country.