NOTE FROM SUE...This is Julia Hotz's page. She's from team Green Seed and she'll be writing as well. All that follows is Julia's. Although for a while there it was a questionable as to whether Team Green Seed was still, in fact, a team, I’m happy to tell you that we are back and better than ever! Lead by three of the smartest guys I know, Ryan Geffert, Matt Pasqunucci and Mike Gennett, I know that failure is not an option for us. Green Seed is going into future matters with our heads held high, assured that nothing can get in the way of now and our goal two months from now. On Saturday, Green Seed met early at the warehouse to talk about the future of our team. With that out of the way, Sue, Em, Steve and GS ventured down the street to our storage lot, where furniture that I had never even seen before was being kept. Examining rustic mirrors and feeing the grooves in intricate armoirs, we were like kids in a candy shop claiming furniture for 299 Harristown. I think one definite thing that everyone on this project can share is our heightened appreciation for crafty, non-generic furniture. As shameful as I am to admit it, my family is one of the many families that shops at IKEA. After watching the GS and the Energy kids work tediously on sanding, stenciling and polishing every detail of a piece of furniture, I will never look at my standard IKEA wooden bookshelf in the same way again. I hope that when you all come to the Public Opinion Contest you can feel the same way I do. And speaking of the POC/staging of the homes, another thing we did on Saturday was remove all the furniture from the garage at Lincoln (You can see this on Danny’s latest vlog) With it all laid out on the driveway, we then determined which pieces need touch-ups and which need to be completely redone. Matt and the furniture crew will be tackling this task throughout this week and possibly next week as well. One of the most interesting parts of this however, was seeing how people’s opinions of the specific pieces differed. One person would love it while another would think it was the most hideous piece ever. And it would be vice versa for other pieces. I guess it just proves how broad of an audience we are appealing to with our designs. It also proves how different the likes and dislike are of the GS members! Hey All! Though the weather is hot, it’s gonna take a lot more than the temperature to stop both Green Seed and Energy^2 from working hard. For team Green Seed, tweaking the master plan has been the priority for the past week or so. I’m thankful that Danny Flaherty had has camera and taped our argument/discussion about pricing/inventory on Saturday. Something I’ve observed on this project is that the best ideas are put forward when a group of us (in this case it was the board members, Shannon, Danny and myself) are just sitting in a room and given a prompt (about our master plan) to talk about. Much better than writing down lists, we find that hearing an idea, and verbally interpreting its pros and cons is the best method for success. It’s so interesting because everyone has something different to contribute, and it really proves that there are strength in numbers, especially when the group is as thoughtful, intelligent, and creative as Team Green Seed. Another priority that not only Green Seed, but also Energy^2 has been consistently working on is getting the word out about what we’re doing. To all those reading this very blog right now and browse our website regularly, I want to extend my thanks because it’s you guys who really keep up going and give us something to work for/write for/consider. I hope you all show up to our open house/ furniture sale (dates soon to be announced) and visually see and experience our work rather than just read about it on our website. I do have one favor to ask you guys though…SPREAD THE WORD! If you’ve ever heard about that really cool six degrees of separation thing, then you might be just as amazed as I am to know how much we are all connected and how little really separates us. So please, tell a friend or a family member about us! Have them visit our website and more importantly, keep them posted on our furniture sale/open house, especially if you know anyone who is interested in moving or is looking to buy eco-friendly, hand-crafted and affordable furniture/home accessories (it shouldn’t be hard to find a friend interested in the latter) And ALSO, we want to keep spreading the word through newspapers, magazines and TV shows about us…so if you or anyone you know works in the media department and might be interested in doing a story on us, have them email us (greenandredproject@gmail.com). Or if you just wanna offer some feedback (negative or positive) then feel free to email us as well! OK, enough with asking favors from you guys. Just by reading this blog and staying interested you are helping us tremendously J That’s all for now but stay tuned! Although you haven’t heard from me a while, don’t think that there hasn’t been a lot happening at Green Seed! As you may have known, we’re entering what is called Green and Red Project 2, with a smaller initial group. A new interior designer, a new board member and a new mindset is how Green Seed is starting off their second run. Shannon Major, an incoming junior, is intelligent, hard-working, artistic, creative and is just what Green Seed needs in the interior design department. Although she’s only been around for less than a week, I feel like she has been a part of team Green Seed from day one. Mike Genett is another incoming junior, and worked his way up the ladder from a worker to a board member. With experience in business and a good head on his shoulders, Mike Genett is a perfect fit for the sales/marketing department. His ability to think on his feet and communicate well with others is why I asked him to accompany me to the National Night Out in Fairlawn. Speaking of the National Night Out, we had GREAT success there and would like to thank Scott Homa for letting us set up a table! For anyone we met who said they had furniture to donate (or anyone who is reading this now and realizes they have furniture to donate) PLEASE email me us at greenandredproject@gmail.com! It would be GREATLY appreciated! That’s all for now folks but look out for us on Scott and De’s Vlog, as well as another one of my blog updates soon letting you in on some aspects of our master plan! One thing that is important to remember not only while being on the project, but also while living your life, is that there is no sense dwelling on a disappointment. At this point, some of you may know what I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t: we were recently informed that because of construction delays / employee changes we are going to have to delay the open house/public opinion contest date of both houses once again, within 6 to 8 weeks. With this news, you basically have two options: you could either sit and pout and complain about it, or you can deal with it, and understand that with this extra time allotted both Green and Energy have more time to make even more incredible furniture, work harder on the houses not only interior but also the landscaping and exterior design of the homes, and do an even better job of getting the word out and helping more charities. Green Seed is opting for the latter, and in the time between now and the end I am going to update you with even more of the wonderful things that are going on here. We are also pleased to announce that for all of you project supporters and those who want to follow our message with “doing renovations yourself” to benefit not only the environment but also your wallet, Green Seed will be publishing a “How-to” book, with direction, tips and instructions from our outstanding DIY/Furniture Crew. More details to come!
However, this is not to say that the road to get here has been easy. One big factor of this project that we must consider before making a piece of furniture is that, as Sue would put it, “THIS IS A BUSINESS!” And a key thing to remember about a business is that you must appeal to all of your customers, being of many different ages and interests. As interesting as it may be to have, for instance, a bright orange chair with blue insignia and red flowers, one thing the designer must understand is that the purpose of creating the furniture is for people to buy it and put it in their homes. As cool as the furniture may look and as fun the furniture may be to paint, you must first consider “Is this practical?” and “Where would this go in a home?” With this being said however, I would like to point out that there is still some remarkably interesting, yet beautiful and practical furniture being churned out in the warehouse, such as Alex Tahnios’ pirate’s trail map desk or Mike Genett’s hanging “zoo” seat. Within this next week or so, it will be time to finally move in to our homes, and make the magic happen there as well. Although I have no idea what the design plan of Green Seed’s home is, I do know that a traffic light, a puzzle and perhaps some goldfish will be involved. If you’re as curious as I am, come check out 299 Harristown on August 8th and 9th J Until then, you’ll have to look at some of the pictures and videos that are updated weekly. Now, in the final month (or so we hope) of the Green and Red project, the fruits and labors of these kids are becoming more and more evident. Looking around the makeshift warehouse at 487 Broad Street, one can see the designers designing, the artists painting, the builders building and the planners planning. It is impossible not to be caught by one of the colorful, yet so professional Chris Lucca paintings, or one of Lindsay Mirrer’s hand-painted, flower adorned masterpieces, or one of Kristen Ivory’s clever do-it-yourself fix-ups, to furniture that you never would have guessed was once on a curb ready to meet its fate at the dump. Especially now with all the commotion regarding teen drinking in Glen Rock, I encourage every cynical parent to come and see what kids can do when they are doing what they love, and are motivated by a magnificent, eco-friendly cause. Another sight I encourage any doubtful parent or citizen alike is to come see these kids argue (although parents, I’m sure you see a lot of that). It is a little scary but truly remarkable at the same time, to see kids negotiating, debating and bickering over issues regarding the project, with each debater thinking that their idea is the one that will benefit the project, the home and our budget the most. Almost unconsciously, the workers (myself included) are experiencing and learning tactics that will benefit us when we are out there in a more mature working force. We are learning how to detect a quality item from something that is not so nice, and a quality worker from someone who is not so dedicated. We are learning when it is necessary to splurge on a more expensive item, and when it is okay to buy the generic brand. We are learning that although we are given a lot of freedom at Green and Red like choosing our own hours and days to work, we still need to be responsible about it and work hard. That’s all for now folks, but stay tuned with this project perspective page. In upcoming entries, I will update you with the dates and details of our project’s conclusion, as well as give you insight into what other workers of different departments have to say about Green and Red.
Have you ever ignored your mom when she told you to clean your room? I
know I have and I still do, because I swear that even though my room
appears messy to the public eye, it is actually very organized to me
because I know where everything is and would hate for it to be moved
by a cleaning lady or a parent.
However, this is certainly not the case for the Green and Red Project
warehouse. When someone asks where something is, we all kind of look
at eachother and shrug. Although they have periods of temporary
organization, for the majority of the time the office and warehouse
alike are in a state of dusty disarray. Major props to Jayson
Julianda for organizing the office beautifully! It inspired me to
organize our art supplies on a travelling gold cart.
On this journey of organization, I discovered many things. The main
one being that we should have been more organized from the beginning;
not only organized in the sense of knowing where everything goes, but
also organized in that all of our supplies expenses should have been
tracked more diligently. In total, I found FIVE of the same exact
paint brand, the same exact paint container, and the same exact paint
color. Now why would we have five of the same exact paints? I should
also mention that they were found in five different places. If we had
one organized place where all of our paints were kept and put back
properly, maybe we wouldn’t have spent much money on the same things.
That’s probably the biggest business tip I have learned for today at
least!
Oh! And another reason for organization was because we are OPENING A
STORE! Woo hoo! More details to come!
September 20, 2009
August 19, 2009
August 12, 2009
July 28, 2009
July 21, 2009
The first time I walked into the Broad Street warehouse, I remember seeing stacks upon stacks of bare chairs and tables, cluttered corners of nicked up dressers, and endless piles of dust collecting accessories. As days go by, and the P.O.C and the date of Green Seed’s big furniture sale draws closer, the stacks are coming down, and the once lack-luster, overall beige color of our enormous furniture collection is, now bursting with color and life, almost like the infamous scene in the Wizard of Oz when they first enter Oz. The nicks have been sanded, the wood has been polished and Green Seed and Energy ^2 kids alike are so excited to show you (the public on August 8th and 9th) how one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.
July 4, 2009