I had lunch today at Isaac's Way in my hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick. It is my favourite restaurant in town for three reasons:

1) The food is great.

2) They are a member of the Fredericton Green Shops Program - a great program the city developed to recognize local business. Every community should duplicate this program.

3) They are currently running a silent art auction to raise money for community programs - how cool is that!

How does it work?

-  Paintings by local artists hang in the restaurant from January to May.

- Customers write down their bids in a binder that circulates around the restaurant (click here to see the book)

-  Winning bidders are contacted in early May - they pick up the paintings and the proceeds go to local charities. In this case, it is dance (my daughter is a dancer), but it could easily be for environmental programs.

If I recall correctly, the owner said they have raised over $14,000 since they started the private auctions.

What a great concept - perhaps you can entice restaurants and artists in your home town to do the same thing!