Location(s)

The World Peace Diet Lecture with Dr. Will Tuttle
Friday, September 5, 2008

Join Mercy For Animals for an informative lecture by Dr. Will Tuttle, who will present the main ideas in his groundbreaking and provocative book, The World Peace Diet. It is the first book to make explicit the invisible connections between our meals and our broad range of problems -- psychological, social, and spiritual, as well as health and environmental.

Dr. Tuttle offers powerful ways we can all experience healing and peace and contribute to a positive transformation of human consciousness.

Vegan snacks will be provided.

Where:     Cleveland Heights Library, 2345 Lee Rd. Cleveland Hts OH
When:       6:00 p.m. vegan snacks,  6:30 p.m. lecture begins

"Use The World Peace Diet as a guide to empower yourselves and others in making dietary choices that are powerful beyond what you can possibly imagine."  Julia Butterfly Hill, environmental activist and founder, Circle Of Life Foundation

"The World Peace Diet is one of the most provocative books I've ever read. This is a deep book, aglow with insights that penetrate and expose the complacency of a culture that has strayed painfully far from compassion."        John Robbins, noted author

"Will Tuttle brings a priceless perspective -- not only to the planetary crisis confronting us all, but also to powerful ways we each can affect it. This book is radiant with his learning and his compassion."      Dr. Joanna Macy, author, Coming Back To Life

"I am grateful for this powerful and cogent book. It has stretched my thinking (and heart) about animals, compassion, and our society."   John Mackey, founder, Whole Foods, Inc.

Visit www.worldpeacediet.org for more information.

What's your idea for reusing vacant land in Cleveland?

Neighborhood Progress, Inc. is working with the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio on strategies to put vacant land in Cleveland back into productive use. They held a charrette in May where planners pinpointed ideas—from test plots of plants that remove Lead from soil, an urban tree nursery, or growing food—for further exploration.

Read the summary of ideas from the Cleveland Land Lab charrette here.

Location(s)

A full day devoted to "Ageless Living."

A day's worth of activities focusing on mind, body and spirit. National experts will set you on the path to healthy living. The day begins with "Cleveland's Biggest Stretch" on Wade Oval, led by Prevention fitness expert, Chris Freytag.

Tremont Farmers Market
Sundays - June 22nd through October 26th from 10:00am-2:00pm
Celebrate local food at the Tremont Farmers Market at the corner of Starkweather and Professor Avenues in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood.  Featuring locally-grown produce, local artists, chef demonstrations, educational activities and musical entertainment.  If you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact us at (216) 575-0920 or tremontmarket@yahoo.com.
www.tremontfarmersmarket.com

Bioneers Conference brings visionaries to Cleveland
Submitted by Leslie Kleinman, Bioneers Cleveland

If you are passionate about restoring the health and vitality of the living world, you truly must make plans to attend all or part of this outstanding event. For the past 18 years, Bioneers — or biological pioneers — has brought together key innovators throughout North America who are changing the story of the planet from fear and destruction to hope and restoration.

Register today to participate in this three-day whirlwind of national and local workshops, beamed to Cleveland for the first time and focused on changing the way we solve our most pressing problems. The national presentations will be downlinked via satellite from 1- 5:30 p.m. each day with local workshops and tours presented in the mornings.

The conference will open Friday, October 19, when Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Andrew Watterson, the city's sustainability program manager, will address the conference. David Cooperrider, Case Western Reserve University's nationally recognized expert on business sustainability, will give the keynote address on "Designing a Toolkit for Building a Better World: Business, Peace, Community, and the Environment."

Other topics include: No Child Left Inside; Seeds the Creator Gave Us; Earth Rights; Creating Green Affordable Housing; People, Planet and Profit; Heathy Worker/Healthy Business; Local Living Economies; Birthing a New Politic; Food Activism; The Biomimicry Revolution: Imitating How Nature Does it; Green the Ghetto; Your Local Food Shed; Education for a Sustainable World; and Race, Power and Restorative Justice.

For more local information and the full conference program, go here. Or see the national conference site here.

So what is the proper decision for police and prosecutors evaluating a collision between the operator of a bicycle and a motor vehicle? What, if any, is the criminal conduct and what is the appropriate penalty? Well,of course, that depends on the circumstances of the accident, but if the cyclist is lawfully in the road, the answers could be many.  While we would all prefer that accidents not occur at all, take a minute to consider what sort of charges are available to remind the public of the need to "share the road" with cyclists.

In earlier posts, I reminded people of the need to wear a helmet and practice safe cycling. If you're a motorist, remember that a bicycle is a vehicle, subject to the same rights and rules of the road as your car (with the exception of high-speed freeways). A bicycle, like all other vehicles in the road, should turn left from the center lane of traffic. Once in the lawful position and signaling the intent to turn, the obligation falls to the trailing vehicle, which is obligated to maintain a “safe, clear distance” behind the stopped vehicle and yield to a vehicle lawfully in the road, by proceeding only after the first vehicle (the bicycle) completes it’s lawful traffic action (the left hand turn). If a motor vehicle passes the bicycle lawfully in the road, the car must do so in a safe manner and if the trailing motor vehicle is itself intending to turn left, must yield to preceding vehicle and turn from the center lane.

Formal dedication ceremony for the Towpath Trail through Steelyard Commons, a one-mile loop that will (in a few years) connect to the Towpath.

Cycling is usually discussed as important for personal or public health or easing traffic congestion and area pollution, but what of a simple economic argument?  Here are a few points to consider how increased bicycle riding adds an estimated $2.6 billion to the area economy, prepared by a Portland, Oregon economist. 

* Driving less saves the region $1.1 billion in out-of-pocket expenses that come with car ownership, such as gas, parking and auto maintenance and repair.  That amounts to about 1.5% of all personal income earned in the metro area in 2005. * If a commuting motorist spends 100 fewer hours a year behind the wheel, they save $1.5 billion in time spent traveling. Here's a clipped version of the story and a link to the full story for you to review:
Less driving is more cash for Portland: Urban living - The metro area saves on mileage, a study finds, and mostly uses it to fill the local economy's tank
Monday, August 20, 2007
DYLAN RIVERA The Oregonian Staff

Last week’s Free Times ran a short article denouncing bike access on the future nature preserve at Dike 14. Bike access at Dike 14 is part of Cleveland’s new Bikeway Master Plan, which was approved by Cleveland City Planning Commission last Friday. The article states that environmentalists are against allowing bikes onto Dike 14 for fear that it will disturb trail users and migratory birds which use the 88-acre site as a rest stop.

Some environmentalists, however, think there might be room to plan for a shared-use path leading from the main entrance along the perimeter to the ‘beak’ or western-most point of Dike 14 without it disturbing the most sensitive birding areas in the interior. They argue that pedestrians, more than cars or faster moving vehicles, are often more of a disturbance to nesting birds like hawks and eagles (as the recent blockade to a portion of the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath Trail near the nest of eagles illustrates).

It’s a sensitive issue because cyclists and hikers have historically been segregated by trail design. The legacy is inherent in this comment: “If you have any bike access (to Dike 14) mountain bikes will invade and destroy everything. City people have plenty of noise and machinery—we need to offer them a chance to connect to the natural world. Lower blood pressure, less violence, brain works better—lots of solid evidence.”

Read more about Dike 14 here. Is there room for cyclists at Dike 14 on the perimeter trail to the western point, or should it be pedestrian-only?

As the weather warms up around Northeast Ohio, it is time to get off the couch, go outside, and feel happy, healthy, and energized. On Saturday, June 30 three exciting fun and fit activities are happening in the area.

The first is the Near West Health Walk, a part of the Steps to a Healthier Cleveland, which aims to educate and engage Clevelanders regarding health and wellness. The day begins at 9 a.m. with a fun one-mile walk that ends at Market Square, on the corner of W. 25th and Lorain Ave. in Ohio City. Once participants arrive, they can refresh and reenergize with food and drink samples, wellness screening, music, and dance. Participants will have the opportunity to view Morgan Spurlock’s incredible film, Super Size Me. This is a great event for the whole family.

Another exciting family-fun event is the Tremont Farmers Market and outdoor yoga session. As you browse the market for healthy, local produce, Marcia Camino, R.Y.T., will be offering free yoga mini-sessions/demonstrations under a tent in the cool morning grass from 8:30-10. If you have ever wanted to try yoga and just haven’t had the time, this is a great time to try! The yoga is for all levels and ages and is a great confidence building activity.