Posts Tagged ‘events’


One thing leads to another, rain barrel Workshops

Monday, May 21st, 2012

It is funny how things work. You always hear the saying that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Or, in the environmental field that “one person can make a difference”. We nod our heads agreeing, but then we go on like before.

Here at Maxi Container and our sister site, mirainbarrel, we have decided that we are going to make a difference, one rain barrel at a time. There are so many reason why using a rain barrel to harvest rain water makes sense. The water is better for your garden, you help reduce pollution and storm water run off, you save money, etc.

But one thing leads to another. Last month we hosted the first Rain Barrels on the River Front with the Sierra Club Great Lakes Program and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. One of the attendees was Claire M. Galed. As it happens Claire is the Manager of the Huntington Woods, MI Department of Public Works.  She contacted us and now, Maxi is teaming up with Huntington Woods to sponsor a rain barrel workshop for all  Huntington Woods residents on July 22, 2012.

We are very excited to be working with Claire and Huntington Woods.  Clearly, here is one person who is making a difference.

Download the flyer here

Sign up for the Huntington Woods workshop or any of our workshops at mirainbarrel.com/signup


Rain Barrel Season has started in Michigan, and it is Great!

Monday, May 14th, 2012

Joshua and Jasmine play in the rain barrel display!

Boy, have we been busy. Rain Barrel Season started early and the response has been overwhelming. On April 14, 2012 we partnered with the Sierra Club Great Lakes Program and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to host Rain Barrels on the Riverfront. Over 100 participants used Maxi Container’s Rain Barrel Kits to build their own Rain Barrels.

A week later, April 21 and 22, we were at the Grosse Pointe Live Green Fair, were our own Joshua Rubin was interviewed on Fox 2 News about our rain barrels. After the interview, people were waiting at our booth to purchase our repurposed rain barrels.

Upcoming events include, Chelsea Live Green Fair, May 19 and 20, Rochester Green Living Festival, June 22, 23, and 24, Wyandotte Green Live Fair, July 11, 12, 13, and 14, The Lavender Festival, July 13, 14 and 15 and the Farmington Founders Festival July 20 and 21, 2012.

April 28, 2012 found us at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Livonia hosting a Rain Barrel workshop. Part of the proceeds were used to benefit St. Paul’s community outreach garden initiative to “Feed the Hungry.” Over 20 people participated and went home with their Rain Barrel helping to raise money for their community garden and to help protect the Great lakes by reducing pollution caused by Storm Water run-off.

Rick talks to the attendees at St. Paul's Rain Barrel Workshop!

May 4, 5, and 6th found us at the Plymouth Green Street Fair. This is usually one of the better green events and this year’s did not disappoint. After gloomy weather on Friday, Saturday and Sunday were bright and sunny, bringing thousand of people to Downtown Plymouth. In the past two years, we sold out of rain barrels at the Plymouth Green Street Fair, so we made sure to have extras. Interestingly, while we sold more rain barrels then in years past, it was our compost tumbler that sold out. Another big hit was our rain barrel stands made from wood reclaimed from used wooden pallets. We also introduced RainSaucers and our up-cycled steel drum benches.

We had a wonderful time at all of these events interacting with people interested in rain water harvesting and protecting our environment. If you have an event our are interested in setting up a fundraiser for your non-profit group, feel fee to give us a call at 1-800-727-MAXI or contact me at rick@maxicontainer.com.

Grosse Pointe Live Green Fair our booth Setup

Our setup at Grosse Pointe Live Green Home Show

I had a great time on my birthday at the Plymouth Green Street Fair

Our RainSaucer Garden

 


Gearing up for Green

Monday, February 6th, 2012


Tis the season!
[enter applause]

We’ll  you may be thinking, “what season” or “aren’t the holiday’s over?”.

Yes! You are correct but the Green Season is just about to begin.

Maxi Container hasn’t just begun a transformation into a green enterprise, we are only embracing our most honored values and traditions and giving back to mother earth by selling our Terra Cotta Rain Barrel Kits. The product itself isn’t new but the attitude and determination as well as honest price and great results make our barrel better. It’s not the fanciest, it’s not the sleekest but it’s the best you will find for $60.

Trying to make your own barrel, that’s cool ask us for advice. We have plenty of barrels of all different colors, shapes, and sizes perfect for rain water collection. Please don’t just use a Rubbermaid garbage can made from low density polyethylene, that will eventually crack and bow when full. Don’t use a barrel you got for free from the car wash or any anonymous source. Get it from the barrel experts over at Maxi. We guarantee you get a previously used food grade barrel each and every time, it’s our profession and we take it to heart.

Preventing storm water runoff is only the begining, soon you will see our Rain Barrels everywhere ($40 shipping anywhere in the U.S.) but that’s not all… we teach  workshops and make our weekends our work and go around Michigan’s best Green events too… lookout for a calendar widget on the sidebar coming soon.

For now I will leave you with this, a slide show of last years all star Maxi “Green Team” at our Rain Barrel events, enjoy!

View all of our photos from last years Green Events here.


Green Fairs…Grosse Pointe Farms, Plymouth, Rochester…

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Rain Barrels and Strawberry Planter

Maxi Container kicked of the spring season this year with a busy schedule. We participated in Green Fairs in Grosse Pointe, Plymouth, and Rochester.  Community based events like these are a good way for us to meet the public and get feedback on our products, while educating people about water conservation, composting and container gardening. This past year we have redesigned our home and garden products, added new ones, and increased our commitment to green living by getting as heavily involved in these type of events.

Local Motion Green hosted an Earth Day Celebration on April 30. This was the first time Maxi had gone to Grosse Pointe Farms, and the response was tremendous. We had a great time talking to people who were excited about gardening and sustainability. The atmosphere was excellent with live music and events for kids too! Maxi also donated fiber drums to be used as recycling bins at Grosse Pointe Academy. You can read the whole article here.

The next weekend was the Plymouth Green Street Fair, May 6, 7, 8.  Last year this was a great weekend, full of fun and friends. (Joshua and Richard are from nearby Farmington Hills) This year it was nothing less. Maxi was met with huge response on our Rain Barrels. We sold out! It was a fun filled weekend, which included a musical performance from American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox. They dyed the fountain green and even had a FLASHMOB (public choreographed dance) randomly in the center of downtown. Overall we had a wonderful time in Plymouth. (It helped that our tent was across from the amazing Plymouth Coffee Bean.) To view pictures from the event click here.

Last weekend (May 13, 14, 15) was the Rochester Green Living Festival, which has a strong reputation as being one of the premier green fairs in Metro-Detroit. They provide a rich experience, full of activities, entertainment and green vendors. There is something for everybody. The festival started as an Earth Day Expo and has grown significantly over the past few years. Unfortunately, this year was plagued with bad weather. On and off showers on Saturday detoured some, but we still did well. Sunday was a wash out, too cold for most to want to leave the house, with almost no attendees. Maxi still enjoyed being in Rochester for the first time, meeting all of the eco-conscious people looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and live a more sustainable life. Thank you Rochester and we hope for better weather next year!

Our upcoming events are the Ferndale Live Green Fair July 15-17, which takes place in Downtown Ferndale (9 mile and Woodward Ave.). The same weekend, on Saturday July 16, our very own Joshua Rubin will be in Armada, MI at the Lavender Festival, giving a Rain Barrel workshop/class. Maxi will also be at Birmingham’s Green Breeze on July 23, on Old Woodward between Maple and Brown Street. Please come out and join us at these GREEN events!

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