By Michael L. Counter, Jr. – Dallas South News Intern

The recession is still beating on many of our doors, and unfortunately, for some of us, the recession crossed our threshold, invited himself in, and is squatting in our lives in spite of Washington, D.C., telling us that it’s over. In a time when the President is granting us “cash for clunkers,” the notion of going green sounds like a bit of a luxury not to be afforded by today’s Southern Dallas citizen.

However, Saturday, August 15th, was a testament to the contrary. The Marcus Graham Project’s Summer Boot Camp launched GREEN.PERIOD, the culmination of their hard work, determination, and creativity that celebrates “innovation and urban renewal,” two concepts that elicit the expectations of many in this new age of Hope and Change. For Southern Dallas men & women, these expectations come with strings attached: why and how can Southern Dallas be organic and fly?

GREEN.PERIOD and its client Broccoli City — a Los Angeles-based organic lifestyle brand that promotes positive thinking and living — treated the public to free food, free beverages, and free green education on last Saturday afternoon. Now, I must admit that when I heard that Broccoli City was based in Los Angeles, it did not seem far-fetched that the company is associated with the organic lifestyle.

After all, that’s what they do out there in Cali with their botox and solar-powered cars. I was not alone in assuming that an organic lifestyle was only for the upper-class, simply another reason for the elite to appear more exclusive. One visitor mentioned,”[the organic lifestyle] is nice, but this is not for me.” We both laughed, but I, too, wanted to see the face of Southern Dallas and how area citizens could go green.

Green-savvy vendors and eco-friendly programs lined the entrance way of Southside on Lamar offering samples of how their products and programs aid surrounding communities in going  green. PROforma, a eco-friendly promotions company, offered an affordable solution to businesses who wish to market their products and goods in a sustainable manor.

But, still, in this economic climate, most business owners are cautious when changing their production and promotion plans. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I traveled along the entrance way, meeting with energy companies and food service businesses who proposed green tools to save money and save the environment.

Again, great concepts but no one had yet told me how Southern Dallas citizens could participate. By this time I was down to the last two vendor’s tables and had accepted that my search for a greener Southern Dallas did not, and could not, exist.

“Would you like to try some organic gum?” I heard as I passed the Project 7 vendor’s table. The gum was free, so I stopped and listened to their spill. They mentioned that more than “50% of their annual profits go to the 7 most critical areas of need in the world,” and told me how simple it is to make a difference. “Who knew giving back was so easy?” echoed from the front page of their pamphlet. The Southlake based organization had temporarily subsided my doubt of ever finding avenues for a greener Southern Dallas.

I moved to the final table where Seidah Williams was engrossed in a conversation with another visitor. Amid the beige and charcoal greys of the the various vendor’s tables and products, the red, black, and green of Ms. Williams braided locks were refreshing. Her petite frame was topped off with a warm smile, and I’d later find that her small stature was not a reflection of her knowledge. She was a wealth of organic and holistic information.

As a representative of The People’s Lunch Counter (PLC), a non-profit organization who provides health education and the how-to’s of incorporating health food service programs for low income communities, Seidah Williams could not have been more different from the Project 7 table. Both aid in eradicating what ails the Dallas/Fort Worth community: hunger, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS.

But, Ms. Williams’ organization is an example of a fledgling community program promoting an organic lifestyle on a budget. She went on to explain that her organization hosts a “Black August” course in the Southside on Lamar building on each Monday and Wednesday from 5pm-7pm each week in August, educating the surrounding communities on the remarkable happenings in the African Diaspora’s history that occurred in the month of August. Williams had fully restored my hope that Southern Dallas could be green and that I should keep looking for the possibility and maybe the solution.

Lincoln C. Stephens, founder of The Marcus Graham Project, had a video camera in one-hand and was ushering me into Loft 111. Prince’s Purple Rain played across flat screen televisions and Mary J. Blige called me “Sweet Thang” through the speakers as I made my way deeper into the loft. Brightly-colored Broccoli City stickers and posters told me to “Go Green” and if the freshly seasoned hamburgers and hors d’oeuvres were my key to doing so, I was game.

Hip and youthful men and trendy women of all hues and ages passed head nods, handshakes, and smiles as I prepared to speak with Mr. Stephens. Make-up artist and style maven, Bridgett Washington, owner of Shine Artistry, offered free make-up application and styling tips for modern women who wanted access to natural, healthy, and affordable cosmetics.

What I was surprised to find is that going green was the topic of conversation for the small groups of visitors and new friends that began to form around the loft. Being organic and fly did not take a backseat to the festivities.

Mr. Stephens finally peeled the video camera from his hand and made his way over to chat with me. A holy grail of sorts in my search for a greener Southern Dallas, he stated what would put my doubt to rest: “GREEN.PERIOD. is a conceptual example that will allow for urban communities to go green while being hip and young.”

The men of The Marcus Graham Procject’s Summer Boot Camp were the definition of what it means to entertain — to inform and delight. With Green Period they created the opportunity for a much needed discourse to occur: can Southern Dallas citizens be organic and fly? And as of Saturday afternoon, the answer is yes we can. We can go green without overstepping the boundaries of our budgets or risking losing sight of our culture. We can most definitely be organic and fly.

As I stood watching the crowd sway to the beats and rhymes of De La Soul and the timeless vocals of Chaka Khan in between grabbing refills of organic drinks made with Acai fruit and vegetable wraps and sandwiches, I was satisfied, and not just with the food, but with my search.

If going green has a look, it’s fashionable and chic, cool and classy.  If it has a name, it’s GREEN.PERIOD. If it has a home, it’s 1409 S. Lamar, Loft 111, a home which is literally a gateway to Southern Dallas.

Southern Dallas can be green….Period.

Michael L. Counter, Jr. is a Dallas South News intern. He attends Midwestern State University and is completing his Bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in media studies.

Photos by Dallas South Contributor Byron K. Watters of 3D Sports Visuals.

Edited by Shawn Williams