Location(s)

"Innovations in Sustainability: Engineering Solutions," the fall engineering conference of the Cleveland Engineering Society. Speakers include Patrick Conway, co-owner of Great Lakes Brewing Co., and Christina Ayers, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Office for a Healthy Environment.

Registration information.

Location(s)

Annual summit of the Lorain County Community Alliance, focusing on job creation and retention.

Registration information.

A collection of recent Green Jobs studies provide Ohio and Northeast Ohio with lessons on the best strategies for growth.

Lesson 1: Ohio’s strength lies in renewable energy component manufacturing
Economic benefits – Every $1 million of investment in rotors, generators, towers and other related investments equates to 1 MW of renewable energy capacity and three new jobs. Ohio could gain 22,922 jobs from renewable energy component manufacturing, with Cuyahoga and Lorain counties topping the list. Renewable Energy Policy Project (PDF) (2005).
Social benefits – Some of the most demanded occupations for renewable energy would include carpenters, accountants, engineers, technicians, mechanics, plumbers, sales representatives, and managers. Wages for many of these new jobs are higher than the US average (Economic and Jobs Impacts of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency PDF).

Here are key findings from studies of the the potential for green jobs in Ohio:

Ohio needs a job-intensive industry. From 1996 to 2006, Ohio total employment increased 2.7% while total U.S. employment increased 14%. Ohio manufacturing jobs decreased 23%, from 1.03 million in 1996 to 797,000 in 2006, a loss of 233,000 jobs (Job Creation in the Environmental Industry pdf). Highly job-intensive sectors like wind and solar manufacturing present opportunities that Ohio cannot afford to miss.

Location(s)

The NAHB Research Center will be featured at GarageInventorLive.org’s one-day invention convention. Manufacturers and business experts will demonstrate the value of a new product development platform for inventors and manufacturers. Dr. Randy Cantrell, manager of innovation research at the NAHB Research Center, will be demonstrating online commercialization tools.

Call 800-638-8556 for more information.

“Green jobs" is a broad descriptor for occupations created to conserve resources and make human activity more environmentally sustainable — jobs range from manufacturing wind turbines to developing fuel cells, deconstructing buildings and managing recycling to growing urban farms or coordinating sustainability practices at a business. In Northeast Ohio, efforts to create green jobs have focused primarily on opportunities in the advanced energy sector, but a broad agenda for regional sustainability could create green jobs in every area of our economy.

Energy opportunities

Two major studies, the McKinsey & Co. report, "Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost?" (2007), and the Political Economy Research Institute report, "Job Opportunities for the Green Economy" (2008), identify clusters of approaches for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing sustainability: 

• Improving energy efficiency in buildings and appliances
• Increasing fuel efficiency in vehicles
• Improving mass transit efficiency and infrastructure
• Reducing carbon intensity of fuels
• Improving efficiency in energy-intensive industrial production
• Expanding and enhancing carbon sinks
• Managing carbon markets
• Reducing the carbon intensity of electrical power production
• Expanding use of renewable energy technology

All of these clusters of activity will demand additional human capital in public, private and non-profit sectors.

How many jobs can Ohio expect to gain?

Location(s)

Join the E4S Network August 19 as we begin to explore how together we can create a sustainable region by 2020. What is our vision of the possibilities? What needs to be done and how do we work together to create the possibilities? Is there a group BHAG that will inspire our work? Local Food for all our families? Lowest energy bills in the nation? A swim-able Cuyahoga River? What types of businesses would we create to make this happen? What resources do we need to make this happen?

Registration required.

Location(s)

Join the E4S Network on August 13 as we explore when solar makes sense and cents for commercial and industrial applications in our region. What are the solar myths, realities, and resources available? E4S has asked local architects, installers and end-users to join us to share their experience and stories on commercial solar projects. We'll talk about photovoltaics, solar thermal hot water heating and passive solar technology.

Register here.

GreenCityBlueLake was at Ingenuity Fest this past weekend. Thanks to those who dropped by our display at the Halle Building to check out the cool touch-screen of our web site right on the window. And thanks to those who wrote out thoughts on our write board, answering, “How would you create a GreenCity on a Blue Lake?”

Here are some ideas people had:

Location(s)

There are three ways to get involved with ZeroLandfill :

1) Pollinate - Architects and Interior Design firms drop off materials on alternating Fridays from Noon to 5:00pm beginning June 6th.
2) Cultivate - Sort and classify materials every Friday from Noon to 5:00pm with volunteers beginning June 13th.
3) Harvest - Distribute materials to the arts and arts education community on alternating Fridays from Noon to 6:00pm beginning June 20th.

Volunteer at this harvesting even with ZeroLandfill NE Ohio, their second one this summer.

For complete details go here.