On February 17th, a new non-profit organization will announce themselves and their services to the Tampa Bay community at a kick off event at Florida Business Interiors in Ybor City. ACTgreen Partnership was born from the idea that in order for the sustainability movement to show significant progress, not only does it have to appeal to a wider demographic than it currently does, but its impact has to be felt.

"I know that the people involved in the local sustainability movement understand that green living, business, etc. is healthier, cost efficient, energy efficient, less resource intensive, but we need to bring that message to a wider audience if a cumulative impact is going to be felt. We need to stop living in our own vacuum, our own circles and bring that message to others," said founder Jack Bevilacqua. "I think that at some point we have to stop talking and start doing."

ACTgreen is a little unique in their approach to non-profit work, as the path by which they are to complete their vision runs through existing non-profits. The mission statement of ACTgreen Partnership is to improve environmental health and sustainable economic development in Tampa Bay, through collaborative green initiatives and educational programming with other non-profit organizations in order to improve the quality of life for the populations they serve.

This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2010.