A few months ago, a co-worker forwarded an e-mail to our office staff with an excerpt from “The Simple Truths of Service”, a book by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz. The e-mail was basically a short story about a cab driver that was inspired to change his attitude in the way he worked. Instead of getting up expecting to have a bad day and complaining about it, he chose to change the way he looked at his job – to make his first priority to serve the public in the best way he could. He made sure his cab was spotless inside and out (how often have you run into that?), offered soft drinks/coffee to his patrons as well as a choice of magazines, asked people what they would like to listen to on the radio, if they wanted to talk or be quiet, among other small differences. I’m sure it wasn’t long before the driver noticed the impact this made on his patrons. I’d bet he also found that he didn’t find himself complaining about the patrons, because they weren’t complaining to him… The story states that he built a clientele that would specifically call for him, and his income the first year doubled, and continues to climb to this very day. It never ceases to amaze me the power of a good attitude, especially in service. When you break it down, we were all put on this earth to do a job, and every job involves serving someone. Be it something as seemingly insignificant as driving a cab, or as highly impactful as leading a nation, we are all serving others. Imagine what change could come about if we all consciously chose to consider the other person first rather than ourselves? Granted, I will take my Pollyanna rose-colored glasses off for a moment and acknowledge that there are people out there who will never seem to be satisfied or impressed by your hard work, and will most likely never change. But (glasses back on) what would it hurt to try? We certainly wouldn’t be any worse off ourselves, and who knows, maybe the (random act of) kindness can turn around someone else’s day. One of the tag lines in the story was that we can either quack like ducks (complaining), or soar above the crowd like eagles. Are you a duck or an eagle? Personally, I choose to fly like an EAGLE!

Submitted by: Suzanne Mayberry

Having just gotten married about four weeks ago, I was knee-deep in all kinds of wedding planning. As a bride-to-be, I used online wedding resources such as www.theknot.com for inspiration and advice. One of the trends that became apparent to me was sustainable wedding-planning practices. Among topics such as “Spring Weddings” and “Wedding Hairstyles,” you will find “Eco-friendly Weddings.” Upon looking into such a type of wedding, I found that some practices are quite simple, and may be something you’d do without thinking about … while others require more effort and could be more costly.

Here are some ideas that I found:
• Use recycled paper for your invitations and minimize as much as possible the amount of paper you use
• Choose in-season flowers and a florist who grows flowers locally and organically
• Grow your own flowers for the ceremony and reception arrangements
• Re-use ceremony flowers for the reception; donate what’s left to a nursing home or send them with your guests
• Use small plants as centerpieces that guests can take home and plant later
• Use recycled glass bowls or vases to hold the centerpieces
• Make a donation to a charity in honor of your guests
• Research and buy from a jeweler who does not sell “blood diamonds”
• Purchase wedding bands made of recycled metals
• Purchase your wedding gown-second hand or wear one that’s been passed down to you from a relative
• Donate your wedding gown to a charity
• Serve a menu of organic and locally-grown and raised food
• Donate left-over food to a food rescue group or take it to a shelter
• Use natural beauty products for your wedding beauty routine
• Take a volunteer honeymoon—one in which you give your honeymoon time back to a good cause

Wow, so many ways to be sustainable! In looking back, one thing I did was rent vases for the centerpieces. This saved money, and created no waste. Also, I made my own invitations, so I was able to recycle what paper waste I had left.
As you can see, there are many ways to conserve materials, take advantage of local resources, and give to others while planning a wedding. While scanning through the above list, you’ve probably thought of some other ways to practice sustainability in preparation of a wedding, so please share! For more ideas, visit www.theknot.com and www.greatgreenwedding.com; the two resources I used in this blog.

Submitted by: Lee (Miller) Boyland

As a designer how do you know when you achieve good design? Is filling the program requirements or getting the right number of seats in a space enough? Is pairing the right shade of paint with the carpet the answer? Or is it something more?

As I listened to the speakers at the dedication celebration for Ivy Tech Greencastle’s Center for Workforce and Economic Development, I was absorbed in their gowing enthusiasm and felt the magic of the power of good design. Their stories wove together like threads in a tapestry – each vibrant line intertwining with the next to create a fantastic whole cloth. From the Greencastle Mayor, Putnam County officials, State legislators, Greencastle business and industry owners, Ivy Tech Chancellor and Foundation, Students and faculty; all brought a passion and committment to the project to create a brighter future for Greencastle and the Wabash Valley Region.

On to this visionary cloth was added the gift of the Rokicki wetland site that set the tone for the architectural solution. The expanses of glass invites the daylight in and warms the interplay of textures and colors that creates a welcoming space for all who enter the doors. From the first day of class, this commuter school with historically low campus population began to experience a curious phenomenom. The students came and they stayed; lingering to enjoy the many opportunties to learn, study, and collaborate. Five years in the making, the promise of a brighter future is clearly on its’ way.

Congratulations Ivy Tech and Greencastle, Indiana!

Submitted By: Janet Thomas