Enlarge D.I. von Briesen (from left), Rich Deming, Bryan Shields and Jennifer Shields at Civic By Design.

Posted: August 15th, 2009 James Willamor

At least two people in Charlotte want us to think about living or working inside the box.

Rich Deming and D.I. von Briesen shared their visions for more affordable but nontraditional housing at the monthly Civic by Design forum Aug. 11 at the Levine Museum of the New South.

Deming is a biofuels entrepreneur and an advocate for self-sufficiency, and Von Briesen, a fellow at Central Piedmont Community College, is the creative force behind the Center for Sustainability's Ecobox project.

Their idea: Reuse shipping containers to provide low-cost housing and workspaces for small businesses. According to von Briesen, shipping containers can be stacked nine high on cargo ships while each holding 60,000 pounds.

Plus, due to the nation’s trade deficit, there's a surplus of shipping containers.

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Posted: August 14th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

By Katrina Dietz

“Where do you see Charlotte in 2015?”

The Crossroads Charlotte Teen Theater Project will be answering that very question during its final performance this Saturday, August 15, 2pm at Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road.

The show is free and open to the public.

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Posted: August 14th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

By Tonya Jameson

When Anna Beeman returns to Charlotte Catholic High in a couple of weeks, the rising senior will be worried about more than SATs and graduation. This month, she made a goal and she plans to accomplish it.

The goal? Eradicate homophobia within the circle of people who are close to her. She wants to set the precedence of tolerance and acceptance. She wants to make sure no one is harassed or made to feel like outcasts because of their sexuality.

That’s a big a goal for a 17-year-old. That’s a big goal for anyone. Anna isn’t just any 17-year-old. She is one of the 41 Charlotte-area high students who attended Camp Anytown, which empowers youth to create more inclusive communities. The Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice sponsors the camp each summer. This year, students hailed from West Mecklenburg, West Charlotte, Harding, Hopewell, Myers Park, Charlotte Latin, Charlotte Catholic and other schools.

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Posted: August 13th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

Text and photo by Tonya Jameson

More than 100 people gathered Wednesday, Aug. 12, to learn how non-profits could use social media tools to converse online, but a funny thing happened after the PowerPoint presentations ended.

The meeting, Strike Up an Online Conversation: Join the Dialogue through Social Networking, was sponsored by NPower’s Project Ignite. The group helps non-profits become more technologically savvy. It helps them get wired.

The forum drew 141 people, representing 80 organizations. Panelists, such as Crossroads Charlotte’s Patricia Zoder, tossed around names such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the usual suspects. Participants took notes using laptops and video cameras. Some sat in the audience Tweeting about the meeting. Others wrote notes on paper (that white stuff you crumble and throw away).

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