Recently during my travels for the Sierra Nevada Energy Watch project, I came across a group that has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars of work to the Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley.
They call themselves “The Over the Hill Gang.” This local treasure consists of a dedicated group of individuals who contribute their time and expertise to keep the park running and in its prime.
This weekend I attended an inspiring, local event in the town of Truckee, where Sierra Business Council is headquartered.
It was the Sierra Green Buildings Association’s Annual Fall Green Building Tour.
Fall is a particularly beautiful time of year in the Sierra Nevada, especially when the trees have their brilliant colors of yellow and red as they do in Sonora this week.
It is hard to believe that only a month ago our towns were filled with smoke, that we struggled with the knowledge that our town might not survive the economic hardships brought on by the Rim Fire, and that we lost many of our favorite recreation areas.
Even a black-thumbed plant assassin like me can love the tradition of a barn raising: it’s a beautiful thing to envision a community gathering together to put its collective shoulders and backs into the heavy lifting required to assemble an essential new structure for a neighbor’s ranch or farm.
Everyone involved gets the satisfaction of helping improve the community as a whole by directly supporting an individual. The farmer gets a new barn, the community gets a thriving, happy neighbor producing and flowing both food and money back into the local economy. Importantly … and it really is important … everyone also gets to revel in shared victory inside the newly completed structure.
Brittany Benesi is the Communications Director for Sierra Business Council, promoting programmatic work that catalyzes community, economic, and environmental vitality throughout the Sierra Nevada. Originally from Seattle, Brittany has lived and worked in the Truckee/Tahoe area for the past four years. While finishing her degree, Brittany worked as a Youth Mentor with Seattle Tilth’s Youth Garden Works Program, helping homeless and disadvantaged adolescents develop job skills through urban agriculture. Once in Tahoe, Brittany started her work with Sierra Business Council as a Communications Intern and quickly made her mark with her focus on positivity, team building, and a commitment to the triple bottom line. Brittany is a graduate of Seattle University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies, a specialization in Education and Communications and a minor in Psychology.
As a child of the Pacific Northwest, Brittany grew up with a full appreciation for the natural world and the amazing recreating opportunities found therein. As a Sierra Nevada resident, Brittany especially enjoys running, hiking, snowboarding, stand up paddle boarding, and any time she gets to be outside with her husband, Steven, and canine companion, Shasta.
It’s never easy coming home from a great trip –especially when what could have been a vacation was actually part of my job!
Coming home has given me the opportunity to see Truckee and its businesses through a new lens though, one that shows the real value of acting local.