Ore Dock BotEco Center
SmartPrize 2016 Tourism Award Winner
Smart Prize 2016 proved to be an exciting year in inventions and innovations, with a host of bold, creative concepts and decisive designs. The Living Dock took the Tourism award bringing in $3,000. The visionary collective of the non-profit organization, Ore Dock Boteco Center, presented a design that seeks to provide the community with safe, sustainable year-round access to the Lower Harbor Ore Dock.
We conducted a followup interview with Gisele Duehring, who notified us that in October the Living Dock received a letter of endorsement from the City of Marquette. “Next step,” she added, “we will meet about interpretation of the bottomlands agreement by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).”
Gisele noted that this may require some trips to Lansing, so some of the SmartPrize prize money will help defray travel costs. “The bottomlands agreement interpretation or, if needed, modification, is crucial for moving forward with our subsequent step. That step is to apply for grants to cover the expense of a design costing exercise.”
Gisele mentioned that a second expenditure of SmartPrize prize money entails publicity, such as Facebook boosts for some posts, magnets and stickers advertising giving opportunities, signage for events, and website costs.
The Living Dock will be attending one of the UP200 crossings and handing out ‘hot docklette’ (hot chocolate), where they will have a banner and hand out stickers and/or magnets. They are listed as a donation recipient via smile.amazon.com and Thrivent Inc.’s Thrivent Choice program. Additionally, people can donate directly via their website, http://oredockboteco.org/
“So you see, through the stickers, signage, Facebook posting boosts, and website, we are spending money to make money… The positive exposure and vote of confidence SmartPrize provided Ore Dock BotEco Center is invaluable, and the prize money is vitalizing! We appreciate all the hard work that made SmartPrize possible!” says Gisele.