I have been hearing about the Mountain Thunder Coffee story from various friends since we moved to the Big Island of Hawaii. This morning we took a trip up Kaloko Drive to the main coffee mill located at 3,000 feet elevation in the cloud forests on Hualalai Volcano. As you leave the main highway atContinue reading “Mountain Thunder Coffee Tour”
Author Archives: heartfeltassociates
The Markets Game – A Mixer, Icebreaker and More
If you are training, putting on a conference or bringing people together who do not know each other for a meeting, the markets game can be a good start. It brings people together to chat about who they are (demographics), where they are from (geographics), and what they enjoy and care about (psychographics). I firstContinue reading “The Markets Game – A Mixer, Icebreaker and More”
What’s in a battery?
It is an exciting time in the energy innovations business. And I am wishing I had paid more attention in high school during physics class. It was my worst subject. I just did not know how to relate it to the real world. After a lifetime of applied physics lessons, I am actually learning howContinue reading “What’s in a battery?”
Seven Tips for Getting Grants
Sometimes grants seem to be the perfect solution to every need at nonprofits. I learned early on to be careful what you wish for when you apply for grant monies. Here are a few guidelines when thinking about going for grants. When someone from a foundation or family trust offers money to your organizationContinue reading “Seven Tips for Getting Grants”
Thematic Events
Last weekend we attended the 11th Annual Grow Hawaiian Festival at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook. It was a celebration of Hawaiian culture and traditional foods. Almost everything at the event supported the theme. They made a point of focusing on the original 27 “canoe plants” known to have come withContinue reading “Thematic Events”
Talking Story
I was walking back down the hill to our home in Hawaii after running, when a new neighbor smiled and said hello from her lanai just behind her house. She held a bunch of bananas and a shrink-wrapped package of macadamia nuts, gifts to a new neighbor. Flora and her husband have a family-run coffeeContinue reading “Talking Story”
10 Guidelines for a Useful Brochure
We once asked a state park office how often they have to fill their brochure rack. The enthusiastic clerk explained, “It’s great, virtually never. No one takes them.” Here are ten guidelines to keep your brochures where they belong, in the hands of your guests, instead of in the rack or on the ground.Continue reading “10 Guidelines for a Useful Brochure”
Living Off-grid – A Lesson in Energy Consumption
In the early 1980s I was a nature center director in Pueblo, Colorado. The energy crisis nationally energized us to be early adopters and models of conservation measures. We put a solar hot water heater on the center, added clivus multrum composting toilets and built a solar greenhouse both as demonstrations and to showContinue reading “Living Off-grid – A Lesson in Energy Consumption”
Gift Shops – Eights Ideas to Consider
Great gift shops extend the learning experience in a community or at a natural science or cultural site. They encourage us to invest and take home a symbol of the visit. These are traits that you might consider in planning or revamping your gift store. 1) Sell fair trade goods, sustainably crafted, with enduring value.Continue reading “Gift Shops – Eights Ideas to Consider”