Home

5.8.08

Submitted by GCBL staff on May 8, 2008 - 11:11am.
Posted in | »
  • Cleveland has more in common with Eastern Europe than we assumed. Tremont residents Phil Pavarinni, Jr. and Ohio Citizen Action Cleveland Area Program Director Liz Ilg will meet with representatives from five different countries that all have a Mittal Steel plant as neighbors in Luxembourg on May 12, to plan for an international effort to get Mittal to clean up. They’re networking with CEE Bankwatch (Croatia), Environment Hamilton (Canada), GroundWork (South Africa), GARDE programme of Environmental Law Service (Czech Republic), Friends of the Earth Luxembourg, Karaganda EcoMuseum (Kazakhstan), National Ecological Center of Ukraine, Solidarity ArcelorMittal Poland, Steel Valley Crisis Committee (South Africa), and Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (South Africa).

    Ohio Citizen Action will release a documentary on Mittal Steel and Cleveland at the Museum of Contemporary Art (8501 Carnegie Ave.) on Friday June 6 at 7 pm.

  • Biking to work is a big part of Cleveland Bicycle Week, and not just for downtown commuters. University Circle is participating and offering locations to securely lock a bike and shower/change for work. A bike station will be available at the W.O. Walker Center (Stokes & Euclid) and The Cleveland Clinic Fitness Center (in the Walker Center) for any employee of UH, Case Western Reserve University, or the Clinic. Use their showers (including complimentary soap and a towel) for free if you ride during bike week.

    Beginning and ending meeting sites can be found in a number of locations throughout the region, including Arabica on Juniper Drive in the Circle. Visit NOACA's Bike Buddies page to find a partner for your commute.

  • Ohio City Bike Coop will host Cleveland's first Bicycle Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, May 17. Get a map of Cleveland landmarks, both popular and obscure, pair up with another cyclist (before, or at the event), and try to find all the clues without getting lost or breaking any traffic laws! Start at OCBC with a rider orientation, mechanical safety check, bike law briefing, and light breakfast. Finish at Whiskey Island for award ceremony and speeches. Discounts at shops and restaurants along the way, fun prizes for finishers in many categories. The event is suitable for everyone; you will not need weeks of training, a $2500 bike, the nerves of a bike messenger, or even your own bicycle (rentals are available) to participate.
  • Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in San Francisco discusses the high cost of maintaining transportation infrastructure, public demand for walking and biking facilities, and the future of federal funding for transportation.

    Of particular interest to this region is the way Heminger considers big transportation investments, like the $5 billion Bay Bridge (or, our $1 billion Innerbelt Bridge) a chance to ask: “shouldn't it provide access to non-motorized trips, since we're building it for one hundred years at such an enormous cost?” Linking walking and biking to community vitality, livability and public health makes the case stronger.

  • From Ohio Environmental Council:
    Ohio's largest coal mine owner would have Ohio believe that it has but one choice: either save the jobs of 1,000 Ohio coal miners or save Captina Creek and its endangered eastern hellbender salamander.

    The controversy stems from repeated releases of contaminated coal waste from one of Ohio's largest mines to one of the state's most pristine waterways.

    State regulators want to deny a request by the coal company to turn a beautiful Belmont County valley into a storage pit for millions of gallons of polluted waste water.

    The OEC believes a balanced approach can keep miners employed yet protect Captina Creek and its endangered species. We are calling for a series of reforms to tighten oversight of Ohio Coal mining, including a substantial boost in state inspectors and an end to coal waste lagoons.