Sharon Joy Kleitsch


THE CONNECTION PARTNERS From hosting “conversations that matter” at St. Petersburg City Hall, to creating an educational curriculum for a sustainable Tampa Bay, Sharon Joy Kleitsch, founder of The Connection Partners, has succeeded in engaging community leaders and key sustain- ability educators in the region to address how citizens and policy mak- ers can be educated about the area’s common future.


Kleitsch, who was also my cross-country partner during the September 2010 Natural Awakenings Stone Soup Listen- ing Tour, specializes in convening community leaders and building strong networks that lead to actions that make a difference. Kleitsch’s networks and skills recently helped facilitate a


collaboration between Progress Energy, the local utility; the Urban League; and the City of St. Petersburg. “They pooled funds and created a weatherization program for low-income communities as a result of participating in conversations about green jobs at city hall,” she advises. “It only works when you get all the right people and decision-makers talk- ing in the same room.”


THE UPSTATE


GREEN CENTRAL STATION SHOWROOM After listening to hundreds of individuals who participated in the Stone Soup Listening Tour, one key issue continued to surface in every city: the need for one central location in the community where individuals can learn from local and reliable experts about products and services that can make homes more energy-efficient. Upon returning to Spartanburg, South Carolina, my business partner, Nancy Riehle, owner of ECO International Group, and I opened the Upstate Green Central Station Showroom and online directory. With six


universities in Spartanburg, it is not unusual to receive visits from groups of students such as those enrolled in Wolford College’s environmental stud- ies program.


In the four months since the


showroom has been open, our direc- tory members, whose displays include HVAC systems, insulation products and crawl space moisture control exhibits, have realized business from local residents who stop by to learn about sustainability or who visit our Saturday Morning Fresh Market.


Linda Sechrist


While everyone would like to have one simple and easy solution that can be applied to every challenge encountered in developing a more sustainable future, this is not part of the new paradigm. Instead, it relies upon partnerships that foster cooperation and collaboration as part of a more desirable business model. “Whatever the model,” advises McLeod, “it has to be one that is committed to the triple bottom line— environmental, financial and social—because that is the one way to build local, living economies.”


Mark McLeod, Sustainable Business Alliance; call 510-757-4954 or visit SustainableBusinessAlliance.org.


David Steel, U.S. Green Chamber; email David@USGreen- Chamber.org or visit USGreenChamber.com.


Sharon Joy Kleitsch, The Connection Partners; call 727-550-9600 or email Kleitsch@verizon.net.


Upstate Green Central Station; call 864-278-8088 or visit UpstateGreenCentralStation.com


Linda Sechrist is a freelance writer and the editor of San Di- ego Natural Awakenings. Contact her at Linda@NA-SD.com.


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