Northeast Ohio’s Notable Nine

What is better than a “Top Ten” or a “Year in Review” list?  The Notable Nine, of course.  A whiz-bang combination of both, and yet unique in number, the Notable Nine have managed to multiple-handedly change the game in Northeast Ohio.

Without further ado, I present…

The Notable Nine

9.  Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Action and Resources Guide: In the second year of its decade-long endeavor, this mayor-led initiative has published a report on how to move forward.

8.  The Restoring Prosperity Report: A collaborative effort between the Greater Ohio Policy Center and the Brookings Institute, this report offers policy recommendations for improving Ohio’s long-term prosperity.

7.  The Northeast Ohio Green Map: You can add sustainable organizations, initiatives and infrastructure to it too!

6.  Water|Craft Urban-Infill Vol. 3: This book by the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative’s PopUp City is jam-packed with ideas on regional water issues and new urban design approaches to tackle them.

5.  NEORSD Project Clean Lake:  No one likes Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), including the US EPA.  CSOs allow untreated sewage to go into our otherwise beautiful watershed and Great Lake.  The NEORSD is now going to do something about it.

4.  Trust for Public Land: Taking the reigns for completing the Towpath Trail and connecting it to Lake Erie, the Trust for Public Land is making it possible to build a greenway through downtown Cleveland.

3.  Flats East Bank Loan Guarantee from HUD: The redevelopment of the Flats East Bank is perhaps not so far off after all.

2.  Reimagining Greater Cleveland: The Cleveland Botanical Garden is using the $167,000 grant they received from the Great Lakes Protection Fund to help transform vacant land in Northeast Ohio into ‘green’ infrastructure.

1.  Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant and the Regional Prosperity Initiative: There’s nothing quite like getting federal dollars for sustainable community building in Northeast Ohio!

(Continue reading for Honorable Mentions and Maybe Next Times)

The Full (Green) Cleveland

Check out this wonderful article posted on the Urban Gardens blog about sustainable initiatives in Cleveland:

The Full (Green) Cleveland

Here are some of the initiatives mentioned in the article (Stay tuned to Renovating to read about many others):

• E4S Sustainability Implementation Groups
• RTA Healthline and tree planting along Euclid Ave.
• The Cleveland EcoVillage
• Cleveland Plus
• Tri-C Green Academy and Center for Sustainability
• Solar panels at the Science Center and at Progressive Field
• The Culinary Vegetable Institute
• The Chef’s Garden
• The Greenhouse Tavern
• Blue Pike Farm (click here to read about this and other urban farms!)
• Spice of Life Catering
• Green Corp
• The Fresh Fork Market

What’s missing from this list?  Leave a comment to add to it!

Local Government Reform

Most people who live around Cleveland are tired of hearing about corrupt public officials doing shady deals, having closed-door meetings and dressing in drag.  While it’s fantastic that Mayor Jackson has supported the movement to make Cleveland a model of sustainability, other public officials all around Ohio have yet to get it.

Whether publicly elected officials understand the importance of sustainability for our region or not, one thing is perfectly clear.  We need more collaboration between offices and in order to do that, we need reform of our current government system.

In light of this, I was pleased to receive the following email this morning: