Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Downtown San Mateo Association Announces Winners of "Christmas in the Windows" Contest

On Thursday, January 28th at 3pm, the Downtown San Mateo Association will recognize the winners of the “Christmas in the Windows” contest that benefited local non-profit HIP Housing, in addition to several other community organizations.

In December, the Downtown San Mateo Association (DSMA) launched a new holiday event called “Christmas in the Windows” designed to bring more foot traffic to the Downtown business district and support local community groups while adding festive Holiday cheer to the storefronts.

21 Downtown businesses took part in the contest by decorating a Christmas tree with an “All The Ingredients” theme. Most of the businesses partnered with artists or community organizations and pledged to donate winnings to the charity which helped decorate the tree. The contest was judged and voted on by members of the public who visited Downtown San Mateo during the month of December.

The winners and prizes awarded are as follows:
Best Overall Tree ($500) PlayNTrade Video Games; Decorated by PlayNTrade
Best Theme ($200) J’me Boutique; Decorated by Baywood Elementary School
Most Creative ($200) The Larose Group; Decorated by Peninsula Youth Ballet
Santa’s Choice ($200) Happy Yogurt; Decorated by Happy Yogurt
Board of Directors Choice ($200) East West Bank; Decorated by San Mateo Firefighters

“We’re urging everyone to come out this Thursday to help recognize the important non-profit groups that contribute to our success as a Downtown,” said Kelly Mitter, Executive Director of the Downtown San Mateo Association. “We are proud to be matching the prize money and donating $1,300 to HIP Housing so they can continue their vital work in providing affordable housing in San Mateo County.”

WHO: The Downtown San Mateo Association and Hip Housing
WHAT: Announcement of “Christmas in the Windows” contest winners
WHERE: Hip Housing, 364 South Railroad Avenue, San Mateo CA, 94401
WHEN: Thursday, January 28th at 3pm
INFO: Call 650-342-5520, email events@dsma.org or visit http://www.dsma.org/
PRESS: **Special Photo Opportunity** Contact Liz Stigge at 650-548-6700 or lstigge@prmagic.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Celebrity Garden Expert Michael Weishan at the South Bay Home and Garden Show

(Santa Clara, CA, January 2010) --- If the weather outside is frightful, the South Bay Home & Garden Show is here to make your home delightful! Join one of the most respected lecturers, writers and TV personalities, Michael Weishan, at the 2010 event, where he'll be a featured speaker from January 22 - 24. Weishan, the former host of "The Victory Garden" on PBS is taking his craft to another level by teaching consumers the art of "Greening the Victory Garden", providing a fun-loving style and his practical, dirt-under-the-nails gardening expertise that empowers audiences around the country to get up and get dirty.

Celebrity speaker Weishan is a renowned specialist in residential garden design, and has a three part seminar series acclaimed by home and garden lovers everywhere. The first is an overview to the history of the "Victory Garden", focusing on why it worked and how it can easily be implemented today in the Bay Area. The second is entitled “It’s All in the Plants”, and includes the importance of laying out the garden in advance. Learn what types of edible flowering annuals for beauty and flare are perfect for your own backyard while learning valuable harvesting tips. His final seminar is about “Going Green in the Garden” which will center on frugality and healthy, home grown vegetables, as well as the importance of putting the garden to bed for the year. Each one of his topics includes recycling, and planning tips made easy.

Nominated to the prestigious Garden Club of America’s National Speakers List, Weishen was also the gardening editor at Country Living for five years and host of PBS' “The Victory Garden”. He is currently the coordinator of a brand-new garden blog made popular through his website, entitled “Old House, Old Garden” which narrates the tales, tips and techniques of Traditional Gardening. He has appeared on numerous national TV programs including The Today Show, CBS Early Show, and his own weekly NPR program, The Cultivated Gardner. An honors graduate of Harvard University, Weishan is active in the Adams House Senior Common Room at his alum mater, and has published three successful books: The New Traditional Garden, From a Victorian Garden, and The Victory Garden Companion.

In addition to Weishan, the South Bay Home & Garden Show features hundreds of local home remodeling and renovation experts, lush landscaping, and a star-studded lineup of celebrities such as Anthony Gilardi of HGTV, who will be leading a series on woodworking and local kitchen and bathroom guru Steven Katkowsky, a regular on ABC-TV. Katkowsky has a dynamite presentation on how to “add up” to three times the storage space in any living area.

The all new South Bay Home & Garden Show is now proudly run by Nor Cal Events, and is certain to be the ultimate home and garden destination for the New Year. Expect this exciting show to provide the answers to all your interior design, construction and gardening needs – and it’s just as easy as 1, 2, 3.

WHO: Author, Host and Garden Expert Michael Weishan
WHAT: South Bay Home & Garden Show
WHERE: Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara CA
WHEN: January 22-24, 2010
HOURS: Friday: Noon – 8pm, Saturday: 10am – 7pm, Sunday: 10am – 5pm
COST: General Admission, $10, online $7; Seniors (65+)$8 online $5; Children 12 & Under are Free; Active Military in uniform or per valid ID will receive one FREE admission compliments of Nor Cal Events.
PARKING: FREE parking at the Santa Clara Convention Center
INFO: http://www.southbayhomeshow.com/ or call 408-236-2000
PRESS: The Larose Group at 650-548-6700 or hlaurie@prmagic.com / lstigge@prmagic.com


Celebrity interviews, Digital Images and Additional Information Available

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Downtown San Mateo Association Partners with Goodwill for E-waste Drive

On Saturday, January 9th, from 8 a.m. – noon, the Downtown San Mateo Association and Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties will host an e-waste drive at the downtown San Mateo Caltrain station. In an effort to provide Downtown San Mateo with “all the ingredients” for a progressive, eco-friendly community, the DSMA designed an event that will bring a free service to individuals and corporations that want to donate old computers while also helping to build educational and job opportunities.

“In the state of California, you aren’t legally allowed to just throw your computer out with your weekly trash pick up,” said Arnab Pal, business engagement specialist for the San Mateo County Goodwill. “You have to go through an e-waste recycling program.”

There are many incentives for recycling computers and other e-waste through Goodwill. Besides the tax write off benefit, Goodwill makes sure that donated computers are not illegally exported or end up in landfill. All the computer’s hard drives that are refurbished are wiped to the standards of the Department of Defense. Each year, through its refurbishing and recycling program, the non-profit diverts over 2 million pounds of computers, televisions and other electronics from ending up in landfills.

One of the most unique factors about the Goodwill’s e-waste recycling program is it funds Goodwill’s certified computer training programs, which creates opportunities for job training and placement for people overcoming barriers to employment.

“In the IT technician training program, people are placed as interns within Goodwill’s organization and they learn how to refurbish computers and that becomes their primary job,” said Pal. “At a time when many people are struggling with unemployment, we are thrilled to be creating green collar jobs within the local community. Plus, everyone who graduates one of the training programs gets a refurbished computer, setting the stage for their occupational success.”

Goodwill also boasts a highly involved recycling and training center, ReCompute, located in Redwood City. ReCompute recently obtained a portion of the funds from the California Green Jobs Corps, which awarded $936,429 in grants to San Mateo County. The California Green Jobs Corps opportunities offer 1,500 at-risk youth, aged 16-24, career training in energy/utilities efficiency and sustainability, green construction, green waste, agricultural and natural resources, solar power and alternative automotive fuel.

The e-waste recycling event is just another one of the green and sustainable efforts coming from the Downtown San Mateo Association. At the annual Wine Walk last June, the DSMA and the city of San Mateo reached their goal of producing zero waste at the event and are envisioning more cutting edge environmental outreach programs for 2010.

“We are proud that San Mateo County is leading the way in green initiatives here in the Bay Area,” said Kelly Mitter, Executive Director of the Downtown San Mateo Association. “In December, the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club released a report that ranked the city of San Mateo ahead of others in completing the 21 climate action ‘milestones’. We are one of the greenest cities on the Peninsula.”

WHO: Downtown San Mateo Association and Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties
WHAT: Free e-waste computer and electronics recycling event
WHERE: Downtown San Mateo Caltrain Station, 385 First Avenue, San Mateo CA, 94401
WHEN: Saturday, January 9th from 8 am – 12 Noon
INFO: Call 650-342-5520, email events@dsma.org or visit http://www.dsma.org/
PRESS: Contact Liz Stigge at 650-548-6700 or email lstigge@prmagic.com


The Downtown San Mateo Association has “All the Ingredients” to promote downtown businesses and to assist in building a responsible and sustainable community