The TROHGG Blog / Week 34 … This and that behind the scenes of the green reno of war-time house in Brantford

AS PROMISED, more on the recent AdVENTURE in Business Trade Show at North Park Collegiate … Two of the more practical green-related ventures were Austin Gilbaldi’s Grass Groomers and Brandon Radlo’s Complete Green Solutions. Gilbaldi had a new, realistic take on an old grass-cutting concept.
He kept it simple, with only the most basic startup costs, well below $1,000. He would only walk door to door in the Brantwood Park Road area, seeking customers for $25 each. No transportation, just the barebones needed – lawnmower, gas container, weed eater and work gloves … Radlo’s idea made things easy for people wanting to dispose or recycle electronics.
They wouldn’t even have to leave the comfort of their own homes. For a reasonable fee, he would pick up items and take them away … The other proposed businesses in teacher Marisa Rank’s Grade 11 and 12 entrepreneurship course were: Homegrown Clothing (Jake Smith); Party Bus (Justin Carr); Sunny Swamp Comics (Vance Kwan and Sun Trinh); Paws Pet Care (Annu Gill and Calleigh Ross); Hat Trick Hockey Camp (Brooke Elliot and Sarah Grant); GD Cupcakes (Sam Grimster and Jessica deLottinville); Slap Shots (Nik Banovic); The Meal Wheel (Cassie Hladysh and Chelsea Andrade); Supreme Summer Sports (Luke Ciere); Academic Adventure Camp (Michelle Waterhouse); MultiVerse Books (Jason Langley); CreativiTee (Steve Laidlaw); Markini (Mark Irwin); A+Tutoring (Anna Lu); Glitch Fixers (Don Tran); and Take A Pic (Timmy Thongkham and Tyler Boyd) … in all honestly, don’t be surprised if some of these ideas actually come to fruition at some point …
Should mention that since last week’s YBC profile of Northern Clean Energy Ltd., the newest member of the TROHGG project team, the Caledonia geothermal solutions company has unveiled its website. You can access it at www.ncenergy.ca …
TROHGG members wrote on Twitter: @habitatbrant (Habitat Brant): Great day yesterday. The crane came and the roofs of the houses are up. Pictures at facebook.com/HabitatBrant …. @WoodNewman (Leanne Wood Newman):
Hey @kevinamagee! Thanks so much for stopping by @flying_camel last night! This community is lucky to have you! … @atomicspark (Adam Hislop of TheGreenHub.ca and Atomic Spark): Can someone check the #tweetstock5 live stream? It’s at http://livestream.com/atomicspark …. @CamelBG (Beth Gurney of Flying Camel): Non-golfer off to golf with the folks at @euro_line. Hoping members of my foursome are patient and forgiving! …@octopusred (Lucas Duguid): Good morning everyone. We’ve got a big day today so let’s get started …. @taephoto (Tae McIntosh of Tae Photography): Neat way to avoid email spam – temporary e-mail aliases …
Facebook post of the week: From Greg McMillan (TheGreenHub.ca): Going for the trifecta Thursday with Yani McMillan. Taste of Glenhyrst, then with Leanne Wood Newman at Flying Camel 16th  anniversary party, then bumping into Lucas Duguid at Tweetstock V along with Adam Hislop and Tiff McIntosh and probably other TROHGG team members. Lots to do in ‘boring’ Brantford, eh? …
Had a chance to speak with two men who have helped out with the City of Brantford’s economic development advisory committee – Stan Gorecki at Taste of Glenhyrst and Michael St. Amant at the Tweetstock V after-party at Therapy Lounge …
Both said they were interested in TheGreenHub.ca and the TROHGG project and we made arrangements to follow up with meetings in more formal settings …I had already connected with Gorecki, who is active on the Glenhyrst board, through Linkedin and Facebook …St. Amant, by the way, is the candidate for the Brant Progressive Conservative Party, and he’s gearing up for the fall provincial election …

Also had a chat at Taste of Glenhyrst with one of the art gallery’s board members, Katherine Newsome, and husband, Craig Newsome, of MMMC Architects … Earlier, Craig had told me about a green backyard project he was planning on … very creative, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone … Overhead a woman advising Katherine how the Taste of Glenhyrst could be improved next year … didn’t catch all of it, but it would be hard to top the 2011 version …

IMAGES
Top photo: TROHGGers at the Sweet 16 anniversary party at Flying Camel, from left, Leanne Wood Newman, Beth Gurney, Lily Cocetta, Greg McMillan, Yani McMillan and Lisa Herbert.
Second photo: Austin Gilbaldi, left, gets some business pointers from TROHGGer Lucas Duguid of Octopus Red.
Third photo: TROHGGers Adam Hislop and Tiff McIntosh at Tweetstock V after-party at Therapy Lounge.
Bottom photo: TROHGGer Adam Charleau at Tweetstock V.
Photos by Tae Photography and Greg McMillan