For those who missed the meeting

A successful meeting was had this evening. The following are the details in point form, just to give an idea for those who were not able to be present.

As scheduled, I DO 2 will be happening on Saturday 2 September 2006 in Arima. Click here for details on the starting point and the route.

1. Those who want to travel in the car pool can meet at 7:00 a.m. at Glen's house, 21 Lyndon Street, Curepe. We will leave for the latest by 7:15 a.m. and head to our starting point in Arima.
2. Terscha will play the bride/Environment
3. Michelle will be her 'assistant', carrying the garbage bag and playing the bottle and spoon for the wedding march and to draw attention to the procession
4. Items to be supplied:
- Green wool - Elspeth
- Printed pledges, face paint and bridal face painting - Janessa
- Scissors - Glen
- Bottle and spoon, bridal bouquet - Michelle
- Vikash - questionnaire to monitor public feedback/comments
- Video documentation - Rosanna
- Photography - Elspeth

Members of the 'wedding party' who will be reading out the pledges to members of the public (and tying the green commitment bands on their wrists), please wear white tops and blue jeans.

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Other ideas that came up in the meeting:
1. Getting a bridal shop to sponsor a nice new wedding dress.
2. In addition to using the bride on the streets, take her to other events (e.g. concerts and plays) in which a captive audience will be exposed to her 'out of the blue'. This will also give us the opportunity to say more about her, possibly even having the bride herself say a few words.
3. Getting the bride to attend public environmental meetings (e.g. public consultations held by companies like ALCOA; any other public meeting that has to do with the environment, etc.).
4. Getting a dramatic group to develop a play incorporating the bride and her trail of bottles as a central figure
5. Putting an ad in the papers which is simply our original invitation minus the street route details (see below). It will simply feature the photo of the bride with her trail, the pledge, the Greenlight logo and website address and the logo of our sponsor.

I DO 2 ... the route

Dear Greenlights,

The following is the route for Saturday 2 September

Gather at Sorzano Street, walk down to Queen Street, cross the Arima Dial, down Queen to the Arima Market, turn right to the Arima Council Car Park (opposite FCB).

The other alternative (if you don't know Arima and are not good with directions) is that we meet on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. at Glen's hosue - 21 Lyndon Street, Curepe - and do a car pool to the meeting point. Those interested in doing this, please do either or both of the following:
(a) Send us an e-mail
(b) be at the meeting on Thursday 31st, 6 p.m., 21 Lyndon Street, Curepe

Important meeting for I DO 2

Dear Greenlights (and anyone else reading this who is interested),

Image of the bride representing the Environment - I DO (part 1), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad - 5 August, 2006

There will be an important meeting this Thursday 31 August at 6:00 p.m. at Glen's house, 21 Lyndon Street, Curepe.

The purpose of this meeting is for us to work on the bride's bouquet and tiara and finalise details (map, transport and any other elements) for the I DO (part 2) procession on Saturday 2 September in Arima (further details and map of route to come by end of week).

Please respond to this if you will be able to make it to that meeting. Please also give us an indication of how many people plan to come to the procession in Arima so we can try to organise transport or car pooling if necessary.

I DO 2

A quick reminder that the follow up to the I DO project will take place on Saturday 2 September 2006 in Arima. So keep that day open if you intend to be a part of it. The exact meeting time, route and other details will be supplied closer to the date.

What has been done:
1. Yesterday a new bridal trail was made out of the plastic bottles
2. The wedding dress is being cleaned for its second incarnation as "The Environment"

What needs to be done:
1. Michelle to make the bridal boquet and confirm that she will wear the dress and play the bride/Environment
2. Write letter to police requesting permission
3. Plan route
4. Videotape event
5. Photograph event
6. Article
7. Environmental Commitment Vow to be printed an photocopied
8. At least 5 - 10 people to volunteer to be vow-readers/tiers of bands on the day.

Please contact us with any confirmation, suggestions and/or questions concerning the event. Thank you.

Meeting and Mission

Thanks to the Greenlights who attended today's enjoyable and successful meeting to (a) view the I DO footage and (b) brainstorm our next project, to be taken to the streets on Saturday 2 September, 2006.

It has been decided that we will repeat "I Do", but with a few differences:
1. We will do it in Arima
2. The bride's trail will consist of other kinds of garbage, not just plastic bottles (the comment was made that Trinis love colour and the garbage could be more colourful. Also, different kinds of garbage will bring home the point of separating our garbage into plastics, paper, tin, glass, etc. for recycling. This kind of behaviour will not happen overnight, as many things need to be put in place. But they do it in other countries. No reason why we can't as well one day).
3. Our new member, Vikash, who is a statistical analyst, will be helping us to gather data so we can monitor the effectiveness of our efforts
4. We will print out sheets with information on locally-based companies which deal with the recycling of different materials (to give to civilians)
5. We will have a petition for people to sign re the need for the Government to get moving on implementing the plastic bottle bill
6. Michelle Issava has offered to play the bride this time around and to also make the bouquet (the old one mashed up).
7. We will have more people on the bandwagon

Those interested in being a part of this, please keep in touch. Updates will also be given on this blog/via e-mail.

Viewing and Brainstorming gathering

Date: Friday 11th August 2006
Time: 6 p.m.
Venue: CCA7 Art Gallery (building #7, Fernandes Industrial Complex compound, Laventille).

The purpose of this is two-fold:

1. To view the footage (about 30 - 45 mins) of the I DO procession

2. To agree on the issue we want to address for our next street project (Sat 2 September 2006) and brainstorm on the creative mechanism we will use to carry our message to the streets and the people. Artists and people with ideas, think of the streets as our massive canvas.

We have already done street projects in Tunapuna/Curepe, POS ... and now we are thinking that heading south should be next. Anywhere from Chaguanas down.

IMPORTANT: If you are coming, please indicate by responding to this message by Wednesday night for the latest ... to give an idea of how many people are coming. This is necessary in order to set up the TV/video in a suitably sized area at CCA7.

I DO photo recap

(The vow):

Do you _____________ take the Environment to be your lifelong companion, to protect her and cherish her, respect her and honour her through all seasons, in good times and in bad ... forever?

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For those who were unable to make it this morning to the I DO procession, here are a few of the many photos of what turned out to be a very enjoyable and impactful morning.

The Environment (symbolised as a bride) was played by Gabrielle Hosein. Here she stands in her 'dressing room' (the bandstand in Woodfrod Square) just before we hit the streets of Port of Spain. Thanks to Tersha and her mother for making the bridal bouquet out of all kinds of junk and rubbish (cigarette boxes, aluminium cans, cardboard things, tissues, plastics, etc. In other words, things we often see floating in the drains).

Walking across the grass of Woodford Square with her trail dragging behind her.

A pity we didn't see this earlier. We might have been offered free parking.

Yes, it would be a wonderful world if people wouldn't litter (among other things).

Self explanatory.

Crossing the street at Independence Square

Janessa ties a commitment band around the hand of a citizen. Many people committed to the environment. There were those who really looked as though they meant it, those who were into it for the fun/curiosity, those who wanted to be on TV, those (male) who wanted to simply gawk at the bride.

Say it loud.

A group of youths dressed in green gravitated towards the bride. Several of them were among the many for the day who said I DO and cut bottles from her trail to free her from the 'strangulation' of garbage.

Homelessness. Another issue.

David reads the vow to some little children.

The little boy cuts a bottle from her trail and deposits it in the bag we provided.

Thanks to:

All of the members of Greenlight who were a part of this.

Gabrielle Hosein (for playing the bride/Environment)

Sonja Dumas (for lending us the dress, which she had acquired from a garage sale)

Gayelle TV (for always being there)

CNC3 TV (to the camera man who could not find us and turned up at the end but still captured a good final moment)

The members of the public who committed

Mother Nature (for giving us great weather)

Route change for I DO procession

Dear Invited Guests.

Instead of meeting on Brian Lara Promenade for the I DO procession (on Saturday 5th August, 2006), we will be meeting on Woodford Square within the 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. timeframe. The bride will begin her walk down Frederick Street, around Cipriani Circle (roundabout near KFC) in the road past RBTT and up Abercromby back to Woodford. This change is necessary since the police only told us today that we also need to get permission from the Promenade Committee and the City Corporation. Got permission from the latter but decided against Promenade as it will cost $1,250. Beyond the budget for this environmental wedding.