Demonstration Garden of Native Plants

SATURDAY, April 21 (8:00 am — 1:30 pm) & SUNDAY, April 22 (8:00 am — 12:30 pm) at the Colorado River Refuge

The Pines and Prairies Land Trust (PPLT) is a nonprofit land conservation organization working to conserve land, water and wildlife habitat in Central Texas since 2001. IAMC volunteers — choosing to participate Saturday and/or Sunday — will plant a conservation demonstration garden and extend the plot’s existing irrigation system. PPLT will provide the plants, irrigation system supplies, volunteer coordinators, gloves and tools. PPLT will also host a riverside cookout for those working on site.

Learn more at their website.

Sign up now to volunteer in Austin.

IAMC will be assisting United by Blue, a sustainable apparel company, in their mission to remove 1 pound of trash from our world's oceans and waterways, for every 1 product they sell. To date, UBB has collected over 28,000 pounds of trash! Located along the Schuykill River, Bartram's Garden is the oldest botanical garden in the U.S. As you can imagine, this beautiful and historic park is often littered with tons of debris that has been carried downstream. Cleaning up the river banks at Bartram's Garden prevents debris from being carried further downstream and into our oceans. During this project, we will work hard but also play just the same. Throughout the day, UBB will be hosting games and contests. You may even win some cool UBB apparel! If you don't win any great prizes, don't worry because while on site UBB will have some of their sustainable t-shirts available for purchase for $20 (a $10 discount). Oh, and be sure to ask what the garment tags are made out of.

To learn more about United by Blue, visit their website.

For project information you can visit the IAMC United by Blue website.

What to wear: Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty and closed toed shoes. UBB will provide gloves, trash bags, water and snacks.

Informal Networking Lunch

How often do you get to attend a business networking lunch while wearing your worst pair of pants, tennis shoes and covered in who knows what? Well, here's your chance! After the clean-up, join your fellow volunteers for lunch at Pat's and Geno's Cheesesteaks. It may be very informal but it will definitely be worth the experience and provide for interesting conversation for the rest of the forum!

This project is open to all members and personal guests at a first come, first serve basis. So, please RSVP to Amber Getsinger at 770-325-3411 by September 2nd if you are interested in volunteering.

In the interest of including those IAMC members and their guests (18+ years of age) who cannot arrive in time for the Volunteer Service Project scheduled for Saturday morning, we have a limited number of spots open for another project on Sunday morning. While the Actives are attending the Research Roundtable, their guests and other members will still have the opportunity to participate in this wonderful community endeavor. For those enrolled in the Leadership Development Seminar, we will get you back in time for your class.

Imagine walking down the bustling streets of a downtown area surrounded by skyscraper buildings, concrete and steel in every direction you look and then all of a sudden you happen upon a garden…in the middle of the city! Well, in Philadelphia, you will see just that. On 20th and Market Street, within walking distance from the Loews Hotel, you will find one of PHS's pop-up gardens. PHS has converted what was once a vacant lot into a flourishing herb and vegetable garden. The goal for this garden is to raise awareness for City Harvest, which is a program that provides Philadelphians in need with fresh produce. Six local restaurants actually feature produce from this garden on their menus and in return donate proceeds to PHS for future greening initiatives. Volunteers for this project will do general gardening maintenance tasks such as weed removal, watering, deadheading of spent flowers, and maintenance of the fence areas outside of the garden.

To learn more about the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS) and their green initiatives, visit their website.

If you would like to contribute to PHS and get a taste of the pop-up garden on 20th and Market Street, you can do so by dining at one of the 6 participating restaurants. Sampan, Barbuzzo, Paradiso, Square 1682, R2L, and Table 31 are all conveniently located within walking distance from the Loews Hotel.

What to wear: Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty and closed toed shoes. All gardening tools and water will be provided.

This project is open to Associate Members and personal guests at a first come, first serve basis. Slots are limited to 20 volunteers, so please RSVP by September 2nd to Amber Getsinger at 770-325-3411 if you are interested in participating.

At left a video from the first IAMC Volunteer Service Project held in conjunction with the IAMC Spring 2011 Professional Forum in Albuquerque, NM. This took place Saturday, April 30, in Santo Domingo, NM, where IAMC volunteers made adobe bricks for the restoration of the Santo Domingo Trading Post. IAMC members can view an exclusive video by Ricardo Caté, of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, showing the volunteers in action by logging in to the members only section iamc.org and clicking on the video screen.