CANTON -- GardenShare's Growing Community Award will be presented to Local Living Venture at reception at TAUNY, 53 Main St., at 2 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2017

Local Living Venture is a nonprofit responsible for spreading knowledge throughout the community regarding affordable and sustainable solutions that local people can implement in their daily lives, said Gloria McAdam of GardenShare. They are especially concerned with local food, clean energy, northern forest, green building, simple living and homesteading skills.

“Through hands-on, learning workshops Local Living Venture implements healthy and low-cost living styles for community members as well as strengthening local community ties,” she said.

In nominating Local Living Venture for this award, GardenShare Board member Jan DeWaters wrote, "Since they first formed out of the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair in 2009, this group has emerged as a leading authority in all-things-back-to-basics. By offering a wide array of educational programming, as well as a number of community gathering events, they are filling a need here for teaching people important, often-forgotten skills our ancestors practiced on a daily basis, and are also bringing people together to join in community as they venture forth with putting their newly-learned skills into practice. To me, this group is a unique and valuable piece of our north country community building effort."

The Local Living Venture expressed that they are grateful to receive this recognition: "As a relatively small, volunteer run organization it is easy to feel like you are laboring away in the background," said Local Living Venture Chairperson Chelle Lindahl, "Being recognized for our efforts by such a dynamic organization as GardenShare means the world to us, and invigorates our work in the community we love."

"All of us at GardenShare offer our congratulations to Local Living Venture," commented GardenShare executive director Gloria McAdam. "We appreciate all you do to promote a strong, healthy, and sustainable community here in the North Country."