“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.

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.

Location(s)

Christina Ayers, Director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at the Cleveland Clinic, will be the guest speaker at the June roundtable of the Corporate Sustainability Network.

RSVP by June 12th to m.herlevi@csuohio.edu or by phone at 216-523-7278.

A small group of dedicated interior designers and architects in
Cleveland are closing the loop on a wasteful practice in their industry –routinely tossing samples of wallcoverings and carpets into landfills.

You wouldn’t think these little binders of materials would amount to much, but last year ZeroLandfill diverted 50,000 pounds by simply providing a dumpster for artists and schools to dive into. They’re starting up again, setting out a dumpster at

on June 6 and collecting from noon to 6 pm this and every Friday during the summer. Click here to see what materials they can take.

Recipients of ZeroLandfill materials range from local artists and arts educators to local recyclers. The need to transport and dispose of these products in landfills is reduced dramatically or avoided altogether. In fact, less than 5% of the materials collected by ZeroLandfill in 2007 entered the solid waste stream.

And, the idea has become viral: the Cleveland effort spawned ZeroLandfill Cincinnati, Toledo, Louisville and Boston.

Podcast interview with ZeroLandfill volunteer Mike Dungan by Artist Review Today

Location(s)

ZeroLandfill is a summer long beneficial reuse program held in NE Ohio that supports local artists and arts educators while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity.

Since 2005, the ZeroLandfill project team has assisted the architectural and interior design community in identifying, diverting from local landfills, and repurposing back into the community nearly 50,000 pounds of specification waste that holds value for other audiences.

Take the opportunity to purge your library and begin pulling your expired specification samples and binders.

Location(s)

HOW MANY DAYS CAN YOU AVOID COMMUTING ALONE, DURING THE WEEKS OF July 20th – August 2nd?

Carpool - Find a partner, even for just 1 day a week, using our free service at www.OhioRideshare.org.

Bike To Work and To Do Errands - View or print a FREE county bike route map at www.noaca.org/bikemaps.html

Ride the Bus - Visit www.noaca.org/cc2008.html for all the regional transit links Walk - No additional equipment needed!

Telecommute (Work from Home) - First time? This is a good week to try it!

Compressed Work-Week - Work four 10-hour days and take a day off!

Please share your commute story at www.noaca.org/cc2008.html and we will calculate the emissions you saved as a region!

Commuter Challenge 2008 is brought to you by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s Air Quality Programs, Rideshare Program, and Bicycle Planning. NOACA is a regional transportation and environmental planning agency. For more info call (216) 241-2414 ext. 252 or 373.

Sustainable Value: How the World’s Leading Companies are Doing Well by Doing Good is garnering national attention for its author, Case's Business as an Agent of World Benefit Associate Director, Chris Laszlo. In this San Francisco Chronicle editorial, Laszlo argues,

Location(s)

Monthly networking night of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability.

Register here.