Greenville Business Magazine 2009 October : Page 15Greenville Forward Making “Momentum” with Popular Monthly Series BY KATE HOFLER, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR GREENVILLE FORWARD Greenville, Town and Gown, Arts in Education, and Green Build- ing, among others. While the makeup of Momentum attendees can be as eclectic as possible in our southern town, most of the people who come to Greenville Forward’s program share a common interest in, or concern for, the issue being discussed. Guests of August’s event ranged from a member of the Furman University Board of Trustees to the mayor of the City of Mauldin, and a few water and conservation experts thrown into the mix. The discussion was stimulating because it asked questions that most people tend not to think about when conservation is discussed. Where does our drinking water come from? How much are our natural resources worth fiscally? The answer to this second question was astounding. According to Keith, “South Carolina’s natural resources are worth $30 billion and support 36,000 jobs.” By asking different questions than the ones that usually come Brock Koonce, Program Director for Greenville Forward W ith a title like “River Dance,” it is possible that many people signed up to attend August’s Momentum Series hosted by Greenville Forward to see Executive Director Russell Stall’s dance moves. However, the hour-long lunch discussion actually focused on how the natural resources in the Upstate are important assets that shape the region’s identity for the future and that need to be protected. On August 20th, Greenville Forward continued its Momentum Series programming with the latest installment featuring Tom Keith, Executive Director of Friends of the Reedy River. Green- ville Forward is a local nonprofit working to steer Vision 2025 in a productive direction, and the monthly Momentum event is designed to offer educational enrichment and stimulating discus- sion about pertinent issues in Greenville County. The program is just under a year old and has been considerably successful, with reservations for the most recent series filling up within a day of the news announcement about the topic. Brock Koonce, Program Director for Greenville Forward, has been the maestro behind Momentum and is responsible for its monthly implementation. Programs in the past covered topics such as Latino up in a discussion about conservation and the use of natural resources, Keith was able to introduce new thoughts about protecting the environment. From the conversation, there were certain issues involving the perception of conservation that kept coming up: our citizens do not truly understand the value of conservation as a recruitment tool; advocates for environmental efforts do not communicate this information effectively; in a tough economic time it is even harder to convince citizens of the importance of conservation. Once these three points were established, the conversation moved to problem solving tactics. An essential point was made that individuals and non-profits must make it their concern to address these issues. In addition, Keith suggested that similar non-profits must come together and pool resources to educate the community instead of battling each other for support. Since the creation of Momentum, Koonce hoped that attendees would leave each session with a plan in mind or some kind of “takeaway” to keep the momentum of the discussion moving. Koonce says, “The whole idea is that we are trying to help the community get their hands on these issues so they can become more enlightened and engaged in what is happening here. Momentum was designed to start a conversation on an important Greenville-related topic and provide the forum for moving it forward.” While these “takeaways” have thus far been more verbal in nature, Koonce says Greenville Forward is always looking at ways to expand the program to provide further tangible action items. At the end of the conversation, Keith offered a quote to provide some perspective on the importance of protecting our natural resources and to offer fodder for further conversations, “Everything is connected, everything changes, so pay attention.” ■ OCTOBER 2009 | GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 15 >>columns - Greenville Forward Making “Momentum” with Popular Monthly SeriesKate HoflerWith a title like “River Dance,” it is possible that many people signed up to attend August’s Momentum Series hosted by Greenville Forward to see Executive Director Russell Stall’s dance moves. However, the hour-long lunch discussion actually focused on how the natural resources in the Upstate are important assets that shape the region’s identity for the future and that need to be protected. Publication List |
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