Capital Area Community Voices and Grassroots - Tell Your Story

There's a new tool in town for community leaders who want a website for telling their stories online. Capital Area Community Voices, found at CACvoices.org, offers an online community of Lansing-area groups and organizations that are working to make our lives happier and healthier.

Some reasons to use the new CACvoices:

• Easy to use - as easy as writing in a word processor
• Can upload or create photos, links, email forms, Word or PDF documents
• Undo any action
• Handle multiple users easily
• Different groups can use different tools to fit their needs
• Easy to customize with add-on products
• Online shared workspace
• Constantly growing and evolving
• Free trainings and support

To get started, visit CACvoices.org, explore the site a bit, and when you're ready to become a member, click "join" in the upper-right corner. There's also an upcoming training for new users on March 2nd from 10 AM to 12 noon at the Ingham Co. Health Dept.; contact Kendall Leon at (517) 353-9170 or kendallleon@gmail.com to sign up.

Another tool you might find useful is called Grassroots. This free community mapping software is easy to use, doesn't require a download, and lets you share maps with your friends and neighbors. Check it out at grassroots.wide.msu.edu. Some features to keep in mind:

• Built on Google Maps
• Draw points and label them with text, pictures, and links
• Draw routes between points or freeform
• Turn on satellite view to see where you are
• Save maps and share them with others

Hoarding - Consequences of Clutter for You and Your Neighbors

Compulsive hoarding is a fear of throwing things away as well as an emotional attachment to the items. Hoarding not only impacts the individual but it is also a public health and safety risk. Piles of clothing, boxes, and papers are a danger zone for catching on fire. Also, in case of emergency, lots of clutter could prevent someone from exiting the house on time. Homes with extreme clutter are in danger of being red-tagged by the city. Learn more about changing a hoarding habit, or helping someone else to change, with the whole story.

Litter - Dropping Trash or Picking It Up Is Likely to Catch On

Litter is a persistent issue in our neighborhoods. It may seem like a small problem at first, but it can snowball into something much bigger. Fortunately, neighbors can help clean up some of the little things that we notice in our daily lives. If everyone contributes, the positive vibes of the neighborhood will increase for years in the future. Kids will notice butterflies instead of soda bottles, cardinals instead of cigarette packs, and the beautiful environment instead of gross pollution. To learn more, read the whole story.

Michigan Agri-Energy Conference

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is hosting the 2007 Michigan Agri-Energy Conference, taking place March 13-14 at the Holiday Inn South in Lansing. This conference will address opportunities and challenges of renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind, solar, etc. for the agricultural industry. The target audience is farmers, agriculture service providers and commodity organizations. More details are available at www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops, click on Upcoming DEQ Workshops. Register online by March 1st to get the "early bird" rate for a significant savings.

Choices: a conference that celebrates food and health

Food is central to our daily life. The 2007 Choices Conference (PDF brochure) will teach us how a slower-paced life, including slower paced meals, can benefit our personal health, families and friends, schools and communities. It will be held on Tuesday evening, March 6 and all day Wednesday, March 7 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center East Lansing, MI. The general public is invited for the Tuesday events. Contact Diane Drago, Conference Coordinator at dmsdiane@concentric.net or (517) 663-5147 for more information on registration, sponsorship, and exhibiting.

Citizenship Day

The Michigan Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association is preparing for Citizenship Day to be held from 10 AM - 4 PM on March 24, 2007 at Lansing Community College. This event will feature pro bono AILA member attorneys, paralegals, and other volunteers that will assist eligible legal permanent residents to prepare naturalization applications, and provide limited advice to those with questions about naturalization. For more information, read the flyer (DOC).

• "Thank you so much for providing citizens the opportunity to attend the 'How to Achieve Energy Savings' seminar. It was great and not only did I learn lots of information but it was fun! Urban Options, Lansing Board Water and Light and Allen Neighborhood should be commended on the time you all gave to teach us many valuable ideas about saving energy."
  - Linda Stewart



• "I like the focus on energy savings and community programs - not just what ANC is doing. Quick summaries of what is out there and a link to a more detailed description. Otherwise, people may not read the whole thing! Good Work."
  - Corie Jason



• To contribute your comments for next month's Talk Back, email Jason Weller at jasonw@allenneighborhood- center.org or call him at 999-3913.

• March 1: FAIR: 7:00, ANC
• March 5: ABC 6:00, Pilgrim Church
• March 7: ENO 7:00, Foster Center
• March 8: Holmes St. School Community: 6:30, ANC
• March 10: Breast Health Workshop: Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options, 10:00-Noon, ANC
• March 10: March 10: ENO Spring Souper, 3:00-7:00, Resurrection Parish Hall
• March 12: Potter Walsh 6:20, Faith Fellowship Baptist Church
• March 13: PLACE 6:30, ANC
• March 21: Foster Your Neighborhood 7:00, Foster Center
• March 22: Green Oaks, 6:00, Christ Lutheran
• March 28: Hunter Park West 6:30, ANC