Tia Diaz-Balart was featured on the radio show, “Women Making a Difference” with renowned author, businesswoman and radio show hostess, DeAnna Radaj. DeAnna is a nationally recognized speaker on healthy home design, color therapy/theory, psychology of clutter for adults and children, and a variety of business topics for the individual, small business owner and entrepreneur. Visit the Bante Design Web site for a list of all workshops and appearances at www.bantedesign.com.
DeAnna has been featured in numerous magazines, TV and radio segments, the former editor of WI ASID newsletter, and author of the column Harmony2Share (www.design2share.com) She was part of the 2004 Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse and was a featured presenter at the 2006 Snowmass Village Wellness Weekend, Milwaukee/NARI consumer shows, and the Midwest Home Expo in Chicago. She is the author of “Designing the Life of Your Dreams from the Outside In” and “Feng Shui for Teens.”
Listen in as DeAnna and Tia discuss the inspiration behind the EcoChamber and how the people in the chamber are making a huge difference in the world.
See Balance Magazine’s Feature on EcoChamber Founder, Tia Diaz-Balart
Tia is a woman whose belief in “striving for progress, not perfection” is indeed her winning formula catapulting her to perfection, indeed!
If you have a difficult decision to make, how many people do you discuss it with?
Tia Diaz-Balart's personal passion
I always involve other people in my decision-making process. I subscribe to the idea of surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me, and I value their insight and input. I confer with my husband, co-workers, partners and my closest friends. I don’t always agree with everything, but others’ views help me come up with the best decision.
Has networking with other women had a positive impact on your personal and professional life? Absolutely! Networking with other women is really multi-faceted. I gain so much inspiration from the wonderful strength and power of women. They’ve given me the courage to take on additional responsibilities and risks and to believe in myself.
When you were a child, did you have a hero (she-ro)? Both my Mom and Dad are my heroes. They are strong, independent, brilliant and very compassionate. And not to sound cliché, but I’ve looked up to Mother Teresa my whole life. Living in the most poverty-stricken conditions, she had such strength of character and faith, by following her beliefs and passion no matter the challenges she was faced with, to help people.
What lesson would you like women to learn from your experiences? First, don’t be afraid of failure. You have to see why you failed, then change and improve upon it. And that leads into the next important lesson, which is perseverance. Follow your passion and what you truly believe in; keep working at it and don’t take a failure or setback as anything but a means to be better, smarter and stronger. Also, women have a tendency to be sensitive to others’ beliefs to our detriment, and that is where we need to hold strong to our own convictions and keep moving forward.
How do you define success and what qualities define YOU? To me success is measured in ‘baby steps’ because I set up these big, big goals and it is so easy to lose sight of the little successes without evaluation steps. The qualities that define me are that I am out-of-the-box and I’m a risk taker. I’m not afraid of change or something that is out of the ordinary for the greater good. That’s part of the excitement of life!
Do you believe in the concept of “giving back,” and if so, how do you give back? Giving back is what life is all about. I don’t think I would be satisfied or content if I weren’t giving back. Even something as simple as smiling at a stranger can make a huge difference in the world. The concept of the EcoChamber is entirely about giving back, it’s about making sure we have clean water and food and are changing the world. And, really, isn’t that what life is all about?
Companies and individuals wanting to promote Haiti’s relief cause now have at their fingertips a toolkit of free resources such as online banners, the Pan American Development Foundation and the Organization of American States announced.
“After making a donation to www.PanAmericanRelief.org people are asking to do more for Haiti. These tools are a great way for them to get involved,” says John Sanbrailo, PADF’s Executive Director.
PADF – a non-profit organization that also serves as the OAS’s natural disaster relief arm – has worked in Haiti for 30 years on economic development, protecting human rights and responding to natural disasters.
Donations may be made at (877) 572-4484 or online at www.PanAmericanRelief.org
The online toolkit (which includes banner ads and email signature line promotions) is available at www.PanAmericanRelief.org and www.AyudaPanAmericana.org. Additional free items will be included in the toolkit during the next few days.
Created by the social marketing agency Interlex in San Antonio, Texas, the promotional materials include the image and message from Jimmy Jean-Louis, who plays the “Haitian” on NBC’s “Heroes.” Jimmy is PADF’s Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti’s Children and is involved as one of the spokespersons for the PADF-OAS Haiti relief campaign.
“Social media will accelerate the giving process, engage new donor communities and mobilize word-of-mouth for organizations that may not be household names but are well-respected within relief and development circles for their outstanding work,” says Rudy Ruiz, President of Interlex, which is PADF’s communications agency.
Interlex, which is donating its services pro bono, has created a campaign that includes public service announcements for television and radio, print advertisements, online banner ads and more.
“Social media helps donors do more than give,” says Ruiz. “It empowers them to stay involved in the cause and build a community of caring donors mobilized behind effective non-profit partners like PADF.”
About Interlex
Interlex is a leading advocacy, cause-related and corporate social marketing firm with offices in San Antonio, New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Its mission is to help clients make a positive impact in the lives of diverse audiences.
It is one of the largest Hispanic-owned agencies in the nation and provides a range of global and national clients with seamless General and Multicultural Marketing services within an integrated full-service agency model. Clients include federal and state government agencies, major non-profit organizations and socially conscientious corporate clients such as American Express, Care Improvement Plus and SafeLink Wireless/Tracfone. www.interlexusa.com
About PADF
PADF is a non-profit organization established in 1962 to promote, facilitate, and implement social and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the past year, it had more than 5.6 million beneficiaries in 18 countries.
PADF is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Haiti. With nearly three decades of work on the ground, PADF now manages a large portfolio of activities ranging from community-driven development to protecting human rights.
Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., and has field offices in Haiti, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere.
Washington, D.C., January 12, 2010 – After the devastating 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti, the non-profit Pan American Development Foundation is encouraging people to donate through its special website www.PanAmericanRelief.org
“This is a critical time for Haiti and our neighbors need our help,” says Amy Coughenour, Deputy Executive Director of PADF. “PADF will be working with civil protection authorities, the private sector and community organizations to provide immediate and long-term assistance.”
PADF – the natural disaster relief arm of the Organization of American States (OAS) – set up the safe and secure www.PanAmericanRelief.org so individuals may find out information and make donations.
At the same time, the non-profit organization is also working with major corporations to coordinate their response. Most recently, PADF’s corporate partners like DIAGEO, Chevron, Royal Caribbean International Ltd., Citi and Federal Express provided relief to El Salvador after Hurricane Ike and in Guatemala to help after the worst drought in three decades.
PADF has more than 150 people throughout Haiti working on a number of projects, including community driven development, disaster mitigation and protecting human rights.
About PADF
PADF is an independent, non-profit organization that creates public-private partnerships to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through these partnerships and as a unique affiliate of the Organization of American States, PADF creates economic opportunities, strengthens communities and prepares for and responds to natural disasters.
Having worked in every country in the region, PADF engages community-based groups, governments and the private sector in the process of implementing appropriate solutions for sustainable development.
In the past year, more than 5 million people in 18 countries benefited from PADF and its programs. www.padf.org
Ovie Mughelli, star Atlanta Falcons Fullback will be honored as the first Earthman’s Pro Football Eco Player of the Year, February 5th, two days before the 2010 South Florida Super Bowl. The ceremony will take place at Harbordale Elementary. a green school less than a mile from the Super Bowl International media center in Ft. Lauderdale. Additional highlights will include an award-winning Earthman Concert with school children and adults in Mughelli’s honor..
Friday, Feb. 5th - Harbordale Elementary - 900 SE 15th St. - Ft. Lauderdale
The wife of U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart is inspired to work toward a greener future because of something that happened to her as a girl, which almost claimed her life.
Tia Diaz-Balart says when she was young doctors didn’t think she would live past the age of 13-years-old after an accidental poisoning. That experience not only had a direct influence on how he lives today, but it has also inspired her to create a new company that is working toward an eco-friendly tomorrow.
Diaz-Balart admits she looks at the environment in a completely different way since the birth of the couple’s son Christian.
“I think of his future and think of what kind of world can we leave for him and for his children and all the children around the world,” said Diaz-Balart.
Tia recalls when she was just two years old she inhaled some chemical fertilizer fumes as she followed her grandfather around while he attended to the family’s lawn. Some of the chemicals used in the fertilizer became embedded in her lung tissue and began to make her very, very sick. Tia said a couple of hours after she started feeling the effects, her mother found her gasping for air in her room.
“She came in and I was rocking in my bed and I was blue, couldn’t breathe. She rushed me to the hospital.”
That was just the beginning of a long recovery process.
“Anything that was not normal, my lungs would inflame and shut down,” said Diaz-Balart. “They would create mucus and collapse and get pneumonia. I was in several comas. Literally every other week I was in the hospital.”
Tia said some of the medicine she was given to help her badly stained her teeth so she rarely smiled. She said the doctors knew it was the chemicals in the fertilizer that was making her sick, but they didn’t know how to cure her.
“They had literally given up. The told my parents I would not live past 13 and there was nothing else could do for me,” said Diaz-Balart.
Desperate for anything that may help their daughter, Tia said her parents sent her to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, where she lived for a year with other children with similar conditions. Although she still required daily heavy medication and hospitalization at least twice a year, it was a big improvement. In college she became a vegetarian, which changed her life.
“I went from being in the hospital two times a year every year to being a vegetarian, and a healthy vegetarian, and not going in the hospital for 15 years,” said Diaz-Balart.
Tia said over the years she learned about organic foods, recycling and other things that are good for the environment. Last year she launched the first ever EcoChamber; a Chamber of Commerce which not only supports companies already doing ‘green’ things but helps them network with other eco-friendly companies across the globe.
“If we can encourage through the EcoChamber more and more businesses to start taking simple steps that will be better for environment but better for bottom line, that can have a huge impact globally,” said Diaz-Balart.
In 2008, Tia founded the EcoChamber which is a global chamber of commerce focused on helping green businesses prosper while promoting environmentally-responsible legislation that is good both for business and the environment. The EcoChamber serves to unify the diverse eco industries such as energy and agriculture thereby creating a louder and more powerful voice for global progress. Learn more in this episode on CasaVerde.
Hi Everyone!
I think the “audio gods” don’t like me…good grief…What’s up w/the audio just turning on and off and playing all on it’s own?….ugh.
Tia was an incredible guest! How cool is she? Taking an idea and turning it into a global initiative is awesome! Check out the website at www.ecochamber.com for more info. The EcoChamber is a “green” chamber of commerce that can work w/your city’s existing chamber or start one on your own. Contact Tia at info@ecochamber.com or 1-877-326-3522 for more info to get started.
EcoChamber is about pulling ALL forms of eco-friendly and sustainable businesses, whether they have/make an eco-friendly product or offer a “green” service OR just employ eco-friendly principles in their business operations. It’s GREAT!
They also have started an EcoChamber Ambassador program for students. This initiative will be available on college campuses across the country. Again, contact Tia at the above-mentioned numbers/address for more info.
Tia Diaz Balart, Luis Valenzuela, Helena Poleo, Kathryn Moore, Robert Ruano and Eco Models
If you missed the launch event for the EcoChamber and Pure Energy Radio on Monday, July 13th, then you missed out on an amazing event! Over three-hundred attendees packed Metro 1 Properties to celebrate the opening of the EcoChamber and the debut of Pure Energy Radio. A strong mix of professionals, government officials and environmental enthusiasts created a perfect atmosphere to advocate for green business growth. Guests enjoyed networking while sipping on organic cocktails courtesy of VeeV Acai Spirit and nibbling on delicious hors d’oeuvres from Green Gables Café and Om Garden. Most importantly, the key to the event’s success was not the quantity of attendees (although there were moments where guests overflowed to the outside lanai) but the quality of the attendees. It was an especially inspiring scene for those who have been promoting sustainable initiatives to see such strong support from the “right people” in South Florida’s “green” community.
Susie Glass, Tony Cho and Tia Diaz Balart
For those of you who are not already aware, the EcoChamber is the first global green chamber of commerce dedicated to helping organizations create and implement sustainable business practices while counseling on how to make sound and profitable business decisions driven by the new “Green Economy.” Founded by Tia Diaz-Balart, partner of South Florida Public Relations Firm Gordon|Diaz-Balart and wife of U.S. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, the organization’s mission “is to serve [our] members through advocating, promoting and being a resource for sustainable practices on a local, national and global level.” The success of this event indicates the tremendous impact that the EcoChamber has already had on South Florida’s sustainable future. The organization has been widely and rapidly embraced by a large majority, if not all, of those involved in the “green” community.
Tia Diaz Balart and Earth Man
The event also celebrated the debut of Pure Energy Radio, broadcasting live on 880 The Biz (WZAB) with host Sean O’Hanlon, Executive Director of the American Biofuels Council. According to O’Hanlon, what sets the Pure Energy show apart from others is that “it doesn’t focus on ‘clean, green and sustainable’ but rather on the consumer return on investment (ROI) of various ‘green’ products and services.’” The show began with a discussion on which forms of energy should be pursued and whether geothermal energy in Florida can be produced in Florida (the answer is yes.) O’Hanlon also interviewed Mrs. Diaz-Balart to discuss the relevance and goals of the EcoChamber and the importance of having a global Chamber focused on the economic development of sustainable businesses.
Howard Salus (on right)
Being that the event was hosted at Metro 1 Properties many attendees had a first look at the beginnings of the firm’s Green Building Resource Center. Metro 1 Properties is a commercial firm that focuses on sustainable real estate solutions, and has designated a portion of the office for green businesses and service providers to showcase products. The goal is to create a space for the community to learn about green services, products, practices and principles. From environmentally friendly materials to low flow fixtures, guests could physically touch and learn about eco-friendly products available to them right here in South Florida. In addition to promoting products and services, the GBRC hosts numerous education seminars from LEED® training and networking events all geared towards promoting green building practices.
Earth Man
One of the highlights of the evening was a guest performance by Earth Man from the Earth Man Project. The performance took the audience on a journey celebrating the Earth and the gift of life our planet gives, what is happening to this gift, and communicating an understanding that the power to make a difference exists. Founded by Lanny Smith, also known as Earth Man, the Earth Man Project is a non-profit organization that teaches kids about the importance of preserving our natural resources by using music, art and interactive designs.
For more information on the EcoChamber, a non-profit environmental business advocacy group, visit www.ecochamber.com or contact (877) 326-3522. “Pure Energy,” hosted by energy expert Sean O’Hanlon, is a weekly talk radio program broadcast live from Miami, Florida on 880 The Biz, (WZAB) every Monday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST. The show can also be heard live here on PureEnergyShow.com. And last but not least, if you didn’t have an opportunity to see Earth Man at this event than you can check him out at his incredible Website: www.earthman.tv .
Sean O’Hanlon interviewing Tia Diaz-Balart, founder EcoChamber
Sean O’Hanlon rocked the airwaves last night during the debut of Pure Energy. The show was broadcast live from Metro1 Properties and more than 200 people were on hand to listen to the broadcast. Although there was a slight snafu with the phone lines, the discussion around which forms of energy should be pursued became a heated discussion. 880 the Biz host Rich Roffman joined Sean and they preceded to debate whether you can produce geothermal energy in Florida (the answer is yes).
Sean also visited with the founder of EcoChamber, Tia Diaz-Balart, about the importance of launching a global green chamber of commerce. The EcoChamber will be working on policy decisions around the world to ensure that sustainable business practices are adopted.
You can see photos from the launch party at our Facebook fan page. For those of you who missed the live broadcast, we’ll be posting the podcast soon so check back.
With expanding government and private funding, the green business sector is a force unto itself. Now, two Miami entrepreneurs with a unique vision take an old idea and transform it to help businesses worldwide. For over 400 years, business owners have banded together to form Chambers of Commerce, local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community. Now, with the reality of global economies and the growth of the “green” movement, comes the Eco Chamber - A non-profit Environmental Business Advocacy group.
This new global organization, founded by Miami business leaders Tia Diaz-Balart and Gregory Clayton, will focus on assisting businesses worldwide in supporting and advocating the growth of sustainable products and practices. They are also initiating a university outreach program to include tomorrow’s sustainability leaders. As stated through their mission statement: “The EcoChamber’s mission is to serve
our members through advocating, promoting and being a resource for sustainable practices on a local, national and global level. This will improve not only our environment, but also our economy and quality of living as a whole.”
The Eco Chamber’s Board of Trustees is comprised of highly experienced, educated, and motivated individuals from many areas of business and academia. Joseph Winn, the President/CEO of GreenProfit Solutions, Inc., is the youngest Board member, and will be serving to advise and promote the university outreach program.
We encourage everyone to learn more about this new organization at: www.ecochamber.com
End of Energy Obesity by Joanna Schroeder
Throughout the book, Tertzakian outlines how America became energy obese as well as the way our country can curb it's energy... Full Review
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Tia Diaz-Balart was featured on the radio show, “Women Making a Difference” with renowned author, businesswoman and radio show hostess, DeAnna Radaj. DeAnna is a nationally recognized speaker on healthy home design, color therapy/theory, psychology of clutter for adults and children, and a variety of business topics for the individual, small business owner and entrepreneur. Visit the Bante Design Web site for a list of all workshops and appearances at 
Companies and individuals wanting to promote Haiti’s relief cause now have at their fingertips a toolkit of free resources such as online banners, the Pan American Development Foundation and the Organization of American States announced.
PanAmericanRelief.org is a secure method to help
In 2008, Tia founded the EcoChamber which is a global chamber of commerce focused on helping green businesses prosper while promoting environmentally-responsible legislation that is good both for 
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