Description:
Valerie Robertson’s vision in creating the environmental magazine Cape Fear’s Going Green and its partner website has galvanized the Cape Fear Area and brought together diverse groups to educate, network, and promote sustainability. Her efforts are making green living a topic of discussion, and a possibility, for all.

Executive Summary:

In 2007, Valerie realized Wilmington was eager for information on green products and services and how to incorporate them into their daily lives. Local green start-ups were struggling to become known, while consumers were ordering most of their merchandise online from distant suppliers. She decided if she could do one thing to boost local efforts, it would be to provide a vehicle for Wilmingtonians to learn about people, products, technologies and services available in their own back yard. The local environmental publication she founded in 2007—Cape Fear’s Going Green—fulfils this vision. It serves as Wilmington’s guide to eco-friendly activities, products and services in the Lower Cape Fear region. The magazine covers a range of topics designed to help residents make choices that can save money, contribute to healthier living, and assist them in being kind to our planet. Over the course of the year the magazine covers green building and sustainable architecture, water management, alternate energy, eco-friendly products, transportation, organic food and gardening, and ways to enjoy nature. It offers profiles of local businesses, groups and events, teaches about local plants and animals. Most important, Going Green offers a forum for discussion: everyone from grade-schoolers to urban farmers to green builders read the magazine and weigh in on vital topics: what kind of development does the area want? What will help bring jobs while preserving the sensitive coastal areas? What does sustainability truly mean? Going Green is distributed, free of charge, throughout the Cape Fear area. The award-winning companion website has unique content including the area’s only calendar of green events, updated weekly, and lists of volunteer and advocacy organizations. Every issue is archived at the site so readers can peruse online or print only the pages they need. In addition to publishing and distributing Going Green, Valerie continues to advocate for the environment. A member of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, Cape fear River Watch, Cape Fear Climate Action Network, and the Electric Automobile Association/Cape Fear Chapter, Valerie also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) SEA and Coffee (Science and Environmental) Academy class series. She commits to attending at least two meetings a week of other environmental groups. At a more personal level, Valerie harvests rainwater, practices raised-bed organic gardening, and talks to any neighbor who stops by about ways to nurture the earth.

What specific results have been achieved?

The most tangible result is the community of people Valerie has knit together with her magazine and website. She offers local individuals, groups, and businesses a wide range of opportunities to connect with each other. Going Green Publications creates an understanding of what “green” really means in a way people can get excited about and practice daily. In its first two years the magazine has doubled in circulation, from 3,000 to 6,000 distributed in over 100 locations across the Cape Fear Region. The companion website has from 400-700 hits per month, with an astonishing 65% of new visitors bookmarking the site for future reference. Valerie fields requests daily: local environmental groups, government agencies, gatherings and schools from elementary through the university level ask for and receive copies to use in their meetings and classrooms. She has been invited to speak at meetings of the Cape Fear Building Alliance, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and is preparing a workshop on “How To Green Your Business” for the UNCW’s Continuing Education Program. Across the region, people know Valerie as the go-to person for environmental issues. “I tell people how and where they can volunteer, leveraging my efforts--I can pick up a piece of trash, or I can publicize a stream clean-up that several people might attend, picking up LOTS of trash,” says Valerie.

In what ways are the efforts of this organization/individual unique and innovative?

Cape Fear’s Going Green is the area’s only locally-focused environmental publication--yet it also bring together the local, regional, national, cosmic issues facing us and our planet. Recent topics have included updates on the proposed Titan cement plant’s arrival to the area, deep sea coral studies conducted by the UNCW’s Marine Biology Department, and the National Solar Decatholon Competition in Washington, DC. The magazine is helping bring the larger concepts of sustainability and stewardship into common usage in the Cape Fear region. The magazine’s award-winning partner website, www.goinggreenpublications.com, hosts the area’s only calendar of green events, updated weekly, as well as lists of local resources and web-only content to supplement to magazine. Most important, Valerie continues her vision of making sustainable practices and green living available to everyone, with article on simple steps one can take to help sustain us—promoting rainwater harvesting, planting of native species, power conservation.

How has the broader community been impacted?

Valerie’s efforts help residents think outside of their home and garden. The magazine provides a forum for discussion, a place for residents to gather and voice concerns, share ideas, and learn about new technologies. ”People stop me on the street and ask questions about composting, garden, stormwater, pet waste, resource people, tax credits, farmers markets. Who can install a tankless water heater. Where to buy food. Who to vote for” says Valerie. “I’m not sure they would know to ask about these things were it not for Going Green.”