What is the Cleveland Carbon Fund?
The Cleveland Carbon Fund, a new fund at the Cleveland Foundation, is the world's first open-access community carbon reduction fund. Individuals and organizations alike can contribute to the Cleveland Carbon Fund for the purpose of mitigating their carbon emissions from traveling, commuting, their house or business. 

In June 2008, a Steering Committee made up of representatives from the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, City of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic, and Cleveland Museum of Natural History was created to develop and oversee the launch of the Fund.

What is the Mission of the Cleveland Carbon Fund?
The Mission of the Cleveland Carbon Fund is to sponsor the formation and implementation of local carbon reduction projects that help foster economic development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship in the Cleveland community.

Cleveland Carbon Fund Sample Pilot Projects

Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Installation.   Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents is one of the first things that families and businesses should do to 'go green'. While CFLs cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs, they last far longer and use 75% less power. A simple switch to CFLs will save a household between $100 and $150 each year! Based on installation projects out of Brown University and Oberlin College, at a cost of roughly $20,000 (or $5-10 per metric ton of carbon dioxide reduced) the Cleveland Carbon Fund could provide funding for local community development organizations to install 8,000 CFLs in a thousand low-income homes across Cleveland. In just 5 years, this would save homeowners a total of $250,000 and would reduce carbon emissions by 2,000 tons - the equivalent of taking 500 cars off the road for a year!

Showerhead Replacement.   Did you know that you can buy low-flow showerhead valves, which use half as much water and provide the same level of pressure as your old showerhead? According to the Department of Energy, installing these low-flow valves saves $11 in water heating every three months. Based on figures from Middlebury College and the Department of Energy, at a cost of roughly $30,000 (or less than $10 per metric ton of carbon dioxide reduced) the Cleveland Carbon Fund could provide funding for non-profit organizations to install these valves in more than 200 low-income homes across the Cleveland community. This would save Cleveland homeowners almost $10,000 in hot water heating and would reduce carbon emissions by more than 100 tons each year!

Home Weatherization.   During the winter months, many of Cleveland's older homes literally throw money out the window - and everywhere else that leaks heat! As natural gas costs continue to creep up, those of us who are least-equipped to handle increased expenses are hit the hardest. At a cost of roughly $50,000, the Cleveland Carbon Fund can support more than 20 weatherization projects - sealing and insulating homes to better retain heat during the winter - in low-income neighborhoods across the community. This will save Cleveland homeowners more than $5,000 in energy bills and would reduce carbon emissions by 40 tons each year! 

Learn more about your carbon footprint, and contribute to local carbon reduction projects at: http://www.clevelandcarbonfund.org

For more information, contact Brad Chase of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute at bchase@cmnh.org or 216.231.4600 x3365.