As Cleveland considers how to transform from Rust Belt to Green Belt, it is grappling with questions like, how to deliver services to a smaller population and deal with economic and environmental issues? We have Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland. Led by the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Neighborhood Planning, Inc., it's one of the more innovative approaches to how and where to apply sustainability to vacant land— whether its urban farming or greener stormwater capture. We also have a burgeoning effort by the city of Cleveland to plan for stormwater zones.

Being a shrinking city is an opportunity for Cleveland to adopt successful sustainability practices proven in other cities. Old ways of approaching the problem of aging infrastructure are just too costly. In Portland, the Green Streets program is an award-winning approach to activate treelawns and capture all of the stormwater before it ever hits the sewer. In Chicago, the city is replacing 13,000 aging alleyways with its Green Alleys. Since the alleys are not connected to the sewer system, the city found it more cost effective to apply a new technology that will filter water slowly back into the ground.

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.

Location(s)

Cleveland Fruit Share is an all volunteer effort to help neighbors pick unwanted but perfectly edible fruit from their property and find people who want to eat that fruit to donate it to.

The group is meeting to pick pears today with the permission of the home of Bobbi Grebenc. For more information.

Location(s)

Would you like to grow your own vegetables and not have them eaten by the deer?  Save money on expensive groceries and eat food that you trust?  Holly Moore Kowalski of the Avon-on-the-Lake Garden Club will share the plans for a community garden in Avon Lake and outline how residents can participate.

This is part of a series of events on environmental issues and actions hosted by Avon Lake Public Library and co-sponsored by the City Council Environmental Committee and the Environmental Affairs Advisory Board.

All interested gardeners and wanna-be gardeners are welcome.

Questions: 440.933.8128.

Location(s)

An OEFFA workshop that will explore the basics of permaculture, a system of design that uses principles and processes found in nature to create food, fuel, and fiber for people, while caring for the earth and its inhabitants.

We’ll focus on edible forest gardens; gardens which look and function like forests and provide food for people in urban and rural homes alike. From the design through planting and care, expert designers Josh Beniston of Habitats Landscaping and Brett Joseph of Conneaut Creek Farm will teach us how to create such a garden anywhere. We’ll top it all off by getting our hands dirty and installing a garden within walking distance of the workshop.

$45 OEFFA members/ $60 non-members. Class size is limited so sign up early! Please bring your own brown bag lunch. To register, send your check, along with your name, address, phone number and email to: OEFFA Workshops, 41 Croswell Road, Columbus OH 43214. Questions can be directed to laura@oeffa.org or 614-421-2022.

Location(s)

Beginning in August, Tower City will feature “Friday with the Farmer”, a new program featuring locally grown produce. Be sure to stop by the Skylight Concourse to pick up your fresh veggies for the weekend!

Location(s)

Regular meeting of the food policy coalition.

Location(s)

Between 20 and 30 different Northeast Ohio farms will bring their goods to the Cleveland Clinic farmer's market held on the grassy lawn across from the Crile building on its main campus every Wednesday through Oct. 22 from 11:30 a.m- 3:30 p.m. and will bring fresh, locally-grown, healthy food items to surrounding neighborhoods.

Open to the public. The Clinic is partnering with North Union Farmers Market.

Parking will be available close by in the 100th Street garage (corner of Carnegie and E. 100th St), and the first hour is free, although we also encourage people to walk and take public transportation. Live local music, free health screenings, and live cooking demonstrations so visitors can learn how to prepare ingredients that are in-season.

• Google Maps is launching a new feature to promote walking in urban areas:
  

  Starting today, you can tell Google Maps that you want walking directions, and we'll try to find you a route that's direct, flat, and uses pedestrian pathways when we know about them. Just get directions as you normally would. If you're going 10 km or less (some call this 6.2 miles), we'll show you a link that you can click to get "Walking" directions.

• The Cleveland Clinic is launching a farmer’s market this week. They explain:
  

  The Fairfax/Hough neighborhoods surrounding the Clinic are "food deserts," meaning healthy, fresh food options are hard to find. This market will help alleviate the draught and bring us closer to our neighbors. We've also formed a relationship with Cleveland Foodbank to support their efforts to end hunger and bring healthy foods to families in need thanks to the market. And AVI Food Systems, a Cleveland Clinic food service provider, has committed to purchase any perishable items that remain unsold at the end of the market (to) use in the Clinic’s cafeteria.

• Green building reaches its full potential when we reuse an existing building. On August 7, the Cleveland Green Building Coalition hosts a LEED-EB technical workshop: The ‘EB’ stands for Existing Building. Learn how to evaluate already inhabited buildings for energy efficiency and to achieve LEED-certification.
• Food & Water Watch have sent an activist alert opposing a new rule in Ohio that restricts "rBGH-Free" (a type of bovine growth hormone) labels from appearing on milk containers.
  
  

Location(s)

Between 20 and 30 different Northeast Ohio farms will bring their goods to the Cleveland Clinic farmer's market held on the grassy lawn across from the Crile building on its main campus every Wednesday through Oct. 22 from 11:30 a.m- 3:30 p.m. and will bring fresh, locally-grown, healthy food items to surrounding neighborhoods.

Open to the public. The Clinic is partnering with North Union Farmers Market.

Parking will be available close by in the 100th Street garage (corner of Carnegie and E. 100th St), and the first hour is free, although we also encourage people to walk and take public transportation. Live local music, free health screenings, and live cooking demonstrations so visitors can learn how to prepare ingredients that are in-season.