Celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of Wendy Park on Whiskey Island. Activities include:

“Down Under” Wine tasting from 2 to 4 p.m. Sample six Australian wines presented by Ian (directly from Sydney Australia) of Heidelberg Distributing. Advance Ticket sales: $35 per person. Tickets the day of the tasting $40. Includes cheese and crackers. Outdoor event. RSVP by June 23.

One hour cruise on the Royaliste, a pirate ship that has arrived early to the port of Whiskey Island Marina for the Tall Ships festival. Take a unique cruise of Cleveland’s lakefront complete with cannons, pirates, parrots, and arghhh, a welcome rum drink. Day Cruise at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. for $35. Sunset Cruise at 8:30 p.m. for $45. Only 10 seats per cruise, so reserve your seat early. Must be 21 or over. Ship will not sail in heavy wind or rain.

Watch the U.S. Coast Guard train and conduct mock rescues and maneuvers with boats and the Detroit Station helicopter. Free. Maneuvers will take place June 24 and 25. Itinerary to be published soon.

Celebrate 40 years of the Nature Center at the Center’s fourth biannual family benefit. This family-focused event will feature nationally-acclaimed children’s musician, Justin Roberts, along with games, crafts and nature hikes for children of all ages. Families can enjoy dinner while buzzing around the numerous silent auction items. Beat the swarm—the events sell out fast! Advance tickets required. Tickets: $40 per adult and $10 per child; children under two are free. For more information or to register, contact the Nature Center at (216) 321-5935 or visit www.BugBash.org. If you would like to volunteer, call (216) 321-5935 x 237. Bug Bash 2006 will benefit the Nature Center’s Early Childhood Programs, including underserved children. Please register by Tuesday, June 19.

Tour the latest developments in Cleveland's Historic Gateway District and sample food and beverages from some of downtown's most exciting restaurants. Proceeds support non-profit developer Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation. Fee. For more information, email or call 216.771.8088.

Ohio Environmental Council leads the quarterly meeting of the Northeast Ohio Watershed Council. Discuss water quality issues in Northeast Ohio. Contact Kristy Meyer or call 614-487-7506 to RSVP. Fee.  

SPACES Gallery's exhibit with artist-in-residence from the Czech Republic Pavel Kopriva. Site specific installation that 'toy(s) with the balance between art and science.' Kopriva will lead a gallery discussion tonight. Free and open to the public.

The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) in partnership with the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Nance School of Business, Cleveland State University, invites you to participate in “Building Innovation Zones for a Second Curve Economy,” a forum and workshop for regional leaders.

Registration information.

Join us on June 28 for the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts Spring Statewide Meeting. The agenda includes an update on state and federal policy issues, opportunities to network with colleagues, an update on land trust accreditation and new educational opportunities and an afternoon training session devoted to successful fundraising for land trusts. All are welcome to attend, especially land trust board members and staff, land use and resource planners, and those working in state and local governments on natural resource and farmland protection concerns.

The Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts (COLT) is a voluntary association with representatives from state and local land trusts, non-profit conservation organizations, and concerned citizens dedicated to sustaining and expanding the state’s green and open spaces. COLT provides a network and forum for professional and technical support to the conservation organizations that work to conserve land for the benefit of the people in Ohio. Those participating in the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts have diverse, but complementary purposes, ranging from the protection of watersheds to the preservation of prime farmland to the restoration of natural areas.

Great Lakes United and the Ohio Environmental Council invite you to a

 Special One-Day Video Conference on Revising the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Wednesday, June 28, 2006, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Business Center
1220 Huron Road East
(Near Playhouse Sq. Behind Wyndham Hotel)
Cleveland, Ohio
(you’ll join participants gathered in Chicago, Ann Arbor and Toronto!)

Does Cleveland have a well-articulated strategic plan for revitalizing housing city-wide? If so, what exactly is it? What planning tools are imperative to its being a success? Does this strategic plan need to be more grounded in a regional approach?

Panelists: Robert N. Brown, director of Cleveland’s City Planning Commission; Prof. Thomas Bier, director, Center for Housing Research & Policy, Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University; and Sabra Pierce Scott, Cleveland Council representative (Ward 8) and chair of its Community & Economic Development Committee Moderator: Theresa A. Schwarz, senior planner for the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

To make reservations, call 216.621.0082 or visit www.cityclub.org

Brainpower is our most valuable commodity today. Regions that value learning from each other will move quickly. By asking what we can do together, or what I-Open refers to as "strategic doing", we can begin to build entrepreneurial networks, important infrastructure to accelerate open innovation.

Join us this week to learn, connect and build your entrepreneurial opportunity with Africa. Expand your networks and welcome visiting African scholar and celebrated leader Kudzai Shava, Director of the Disability Resource Center at Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe. A prolific writer, Mr. Shava will share his research on education, disability issues, and infant development.

Working since 2002 to teach blind youngsters to be peer educators about HIV/AIDS, Kudzai Shava develops sustainable income-generating projects for the blind so they can continue their education and be mainstreamed into society. What best practices can we share to benefit Cleveland and African communities?

MoveOn.org is hosting a National Day of Action to keep the momentum going. We'll come together at gas stations across the country to expose Republican oil corruption and we're going to get lots of press attention. At all of the events, gas station visitors will leave well informed about who's responsible for our addiction to oil.  

Link to RSVP: http://political.moveon.org/event/oilfree/9532?id=8114-6968920-MvESWRi9OYn2UtQL42X3NA&t=3

Or click here to search for events near you:

Annual meeting with installation of board members, officers and committee chairs, 2006 CES Leadership Award and Scholarship Awards, and a report on the state of the society.

For reservations, go here.

This series was designed to educate and inform residents about the importance of the Main Street program, its success in other communities and how it will benefit the city of Lakewood. Focus is on the long-term vision for implementing the Main Street program in Lakewood with time for the community to ask questions and offer suggestions. The Wasmer Auditorium, Lakewood Hospital. For information.

Green Drinks is all about having a fantastic time socializing with fellow informed and involved members of our community; all the while enjoying delicious food and drink in a great locally owned establishment. Many of you already make a conscious effort to support the local economy - please continue to do so by spending your hard earned dough in places that are locally owned and buy their products locally! It DOES impact our economy and it ensures that these great businesses will be here to stay!

Read more about fire

More details about Green Drinks

FREE guided, historic walking tours on select Thursdays throughout the summer:

Today's tour is of WHITMAN / JAY

Call (216) 781-3222 or email info@ocnw.org

Each Thursday guest speakers come to CWRU campus to address different energy issues over lunch, provided from local restaurants.

Today, Elaine Barnes, Director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, will be speaking on energy policy in Ohio.

This presentation is part of a summer long Lunch & Learn series of guest speakers sponsored in conjunction by the SOURCE office, SURES undergraduate research program, and the Energy Advisory Committee.

Location map.

Join us on Friday, June 30th for the next Bike to Work Day. Learn from our experienced ride leaders tips and tricks on riding to work all year round.

Pick a starting location by logging onto www.clevelandbikes.org and ride along with a ClevelandBikes ride leader, or just meet us between 8 and 9 AM at the downtown destination, which will be at A. J. Rocco's Espresso Bar, located near the corner of Prospect and Huron. They'll be providing free coffee and bagels.

Former Sierra Club president Larry Fahn and Blue-Green Alliance director Dave Foster will discuss why environmentalists and union members should join together to fight for sustainable jobs through fair trade and smart energy policy.

For more information, contatct susan.knight@sierraclub.org or chenthorn@usw.org.

Although some of us view bees and wasps as a nuisance, these beneficial insects serve an important function and are among the most interesting animals. Meet at the front door to the exhibit area on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m., when the weekend naturalist leads a walk around our trails. Walks are about one hour.

July 2, Sunday at 8:00 am join Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society (www.wcasohio.org) for a birding field trip to Lorain County Metropark's Bacon Woods.  Our target birds include Cerulean Warblers, Cliff Swallows and White-eyed Vireo.  Mary Anne and Tom Romito will lead this field trip along the Vermillion River.  Bring binoculars and prepare for wet trails.

Water is a valuable resource, even when it falls from the sky. The LEED rating system provides 2 possible credits for storm water management; one for rate and quantity, and one for treatment. There are a variety of strategies for handling storm water including bioswales, green roofs and porous pavement. Join us for this LEED@Lunch session to talk about challenges and successes in achieving LEED points for storm water management.

Register by 5:00PM today! For more information or to register.

Cleveland Arts Prize honorees will be recognized July 7, 2006 at Public Square, preceding the annual free concert by the Cleveland Orchestra.  The tens of thousands expected to attend the concert will be introduced to the Arts Prize winners and their work via a video presentation produced by ideastream, shown on giant screens at 8:30pm.  The awards will be presented to the artists at a ticketed ceremony and reception in the English Oak Room beginning at 5:30pm. The public is invited and may purchase tickets on-line at www.clevelandartsprize.org

After a two-year hiatus to redefine and revitalize the organization, The Cleveland Arts Prize reduced the number of monetary prizes from five to three, increased the monetary amounts of the prizes and became more inclusive within each of the artistic disciplines. For the first time in its 46- year history, the Arts Prize is awarding an emerging artist ($5,000), two mid-career artists ($2,500) and presenting two honorary awards for a lifetime of achievement. 

Cleveland Orchestra's annual "American Celebration" on Cleveland Public Square, with fireworks. Free and open to all.

The FREE 6th Annual Water Quality Exposition will be held Saturday July 8, 2006, from 9am-5pm, at Rockefeller Park Lagoon.  Activities include water quality testing demenstrations, fishing instructions, and guides to Lake Erie fish.  Along with music, and other misc. family activities.  For more information contact David Wright, Nature Center Naturalist at, 216-321-5935 ext233.  Or e-mail at Wright@shakerlakes.org.

Ever thought you wanted to learn more about solar panels and whether they could work for you? REpower SOLUTIONS is offering a two-day workshop for solar energy enthusiasts, July 8-9,2006.

Come learn how solar electricity works by participating in the installation of a solar-electric lighting system for a business in Shaker Heights. Each day of the workshop will include instruction to address the basics of solar electricity, the equipment, and their functions as applied to the installation. Participants will complete the installation by the end of the workshop.

The two-day workshop costs $290 and includes lunches, instructional materials, and a certificate of completion. Space is limited. For more information or to register, visit www.repowersolutions.com/education.html, or contact erika@repowersolutions.com.

You are invited to join us for a night among the vines, featuring a multi-course wine tasting menu prepared with the freshest, locally grown ingredients. Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy presents 'the Good Food Feast.' Out-of-the Ordinary Eating, in an Out-of-the-Ordinary Landscape. Saturday, July 8th at  6 pm - 9:30 pm $175 per person Reservations are required & limited seating is available for this intimate event. Proceeds to benefit CVCC's Countryside Farmers' Markets. See attached invite for more details. To make reservations, call 330-657-2542.

Ever thought you wanted to learn more about solar panels and whether they could work for you? REpower SOLUTIONS is offering a two-day workshop for solar energy enthusiasts, July 8-9,2006.

Come learn how solar electricity works by participating in the installation of a solar-electric lighting system for a business in Shaker Heights. Each day of the workshop will include instruction to address the basics of solar electricity, the equipment, and their functions as applied to the installation. Participants will complete the installation by the end of the workshop.

The two-day workshop costs $290 and includes lunches, instructional materials, and a certificate of completion. Space is limited. For more information or to register, visit www.repowersolutions.com/education.html, or contact erika@repowersolutions.com.

Environmental brown bag lunch on the state of urban forests and the Heights area with Jen Braman of Peace of Nature Landscape and Garden Design.

Building Gaming and Simulation Networks

Mike DeAloia, Tech Czar for the City of Cleveland, and a team of collaborators discuss efforts to establish a downtown Gaming Center, with deep ties to regional game design and development networks in the region.

Learn more here.

The tall ships are returning to Cleveland -- more than 20 ships will set sail for Cleveland's Northcoast Harbor, one of the legs in a race from Cleveland to Chicago. The Parade of Sail, where the ships enter Cleveland harbor, is from 3-6 p.m. on July 12. Visitors can tour the ships from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 13-16 for $10.

Training session offers a refreshing alternative to the old fundraising mentality that "ultimately builds sustainable funding and gets the organization off the treadmill of year-to-year fundraising." Presenter: Tammy Zonker.

Free. To register: Go here, scroll down to this session, and click “Register.”

For more information.

Hear the sound of 1,000 drums. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, classical, rock, polka, and more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance and more. Enjoy exhibits, concerts, poetry slams, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, and activities for kids, all transformed by technology.

That’s Ingenuity 2006, and it’s happening this July in The Festival Village at Prospect Avenue and E. 4th St. in downtown Cleveland.

Go here for event schedules and information about how to get involved.

Come to a FREE screening of "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit" this Thursday night at 9 PM; the movie will be shown on a 20 foot outdoor screen.

This event is part of ParkWorks' "Meet Me on the Mall" series and will be preceeded by lawn games like bocce, badminton and croquet. Visual entertainment in the form of stilt walkers and puppeteers will start at 7:30 and snacks will be available as well.

Youngsters and those young at heart are especially welcomed. It might be a good idea to bring lawn chairs or a beach blanket. Ample parking is available on the streets surrounding Mall B.

Mall B is located Downtown, off of Lakeside Avenue, next to the Convention Center.

The "Meet Me on the Mall" series is presented with the generous support of The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, 90.3 ideastream, RTA, the citizens of Cuyahoga County and the Board of County Commissioners.

FREE guided, historic walking tours on select Thursdays throughout the summer: Today's tour is FRANKLIN CIRCLE.

Call (216) 781-3222 or email info@ocnw.org

Hear the sound of 1,000 drums. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, classical, rock, polka, and more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance and more. Enjoy exhibits, concerts, poetry slams, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, and activities for kids, all transformed by technology.

That’s Ingenuity 2006, and it’s happening this July in The Festival Village at Prospect Avenue and E. 4th St. in downtown Cleveland.

Go here for event schedules and information about how to get involved.

FREE popular public lecture on Healthy Breathing Habits presented on Friday, July 14 at 7 PM at Lakeshore Dance and Gymnastics, 701 Beta Drive, Unit 27, Mayfield Village.  Toll free number for registration is 1-888-748-8874.  Could the way that you are breathing be making you sick?  Discover healthy breathing habits to increase stamina and stop symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, nasal drip, congestion, poor sleep, snoring, allergies, GERD, headaches, chronic fatigue, plus much more. The Buteyko breathing method is a safe, simple, natural solution that treats the source of the problem which is dysfunctional breathing.  Restore normal breathing 24/7 by practicing breathing techniques which prevent asthma, sleep apnea, nasal polyps, high blood pressure, panic attacks and about 100 other ailments caused by hyperventilation syndrome.  By retraining the respiratory control center in the body, the need for expensive medications/machines, along with their negative side effects is eliminated and quality of life improves.  Breathe well, be well.  Discover how at this educational event.  Contact: carol@correctbreathing.com or visit www.correctbreathing.com 

The day the first high speed passenger trains of the Ohio Hub System roll into your city is not the time to unlock the old depot or break ground for a new station. It's also not the time to be planning for transit-oriented development. Join a discussion hosted by Ohio Rail Development Commission about what makes the best location for a station and more. Lunch w/fee.

Principles of downtown real estate development workshop with Donovan Rypkema, an international expert in downtown revitalization and historic preservation.

Sponsored by Heritage Ohio, Sandusky Main Street Association, and Chase.

To register, go here for more information.

Hear the sound of 1,000 drums. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, classical, rock, polka, and more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance and more. Enjoy exhibits, concerts, poetry slams, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, and activities for kids, all transformed by technology.

That’s Ingenuity 2006, and it’s happening this July in The Festival Village at Prospect Avenue and E. 4th St. in downtown Cleveland.

Go here for event schedules and information about how to get involved.

Come to see and learn about the unique forested and wetland "Oxbow" area and its importance as a potential trail link between the Metroparks' Brookside and Big Creek Reservations and its connection to Memphis Avenue and Brooklyn's "Civic Center."

Sponsored by Friends of Big Creek. For more information call 216-661-4998.

Hear the sound of 1,000 drums. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, classical, rock, polka, and more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance and more. Enjoy exhibits, concerts, poetry slams, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, and activities for kids, all transformed by technology.

That’s Ingenuity 2006, and it’s happening this July in The Festival Village at Prospect Avenue and E. 4th St. in downtown Cleveland.

Go here for event schedules and information about how to get involved.

Monthly meeting of the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnerhship for Biodiversity, the regional collaboration for conservation.

For more information, contact Renee Boronka at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 216-231-4600, x3505. 

The Cuyahoga County Natural Resources Assistance Council (NRAC) will answer questions about the fourth round of Clean Ohio conservation funding at a workshop. Go here for more information, or call 216-443-3700.

The next deadline for Cuyahoga NRAC applications is September 15.

In the interest of advancing a proposal for regional/commuter rail service, All Aboard Ohio and Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough invite you to attend a meeting of stakeholders along the Norfolk Southern railroad from Cleveland west into the West Shore communities of Cuyahoga, Lorain and Erie counties. This is first step toward realizing a long-sought economic development asset for the region.

What have some of our leading builders, architects and developers learned in pursuing their urban projects? What design elements appeal to potential Cleveland buyers? How are successful deals put together? Are tax abatements necessary? What is the prognosis for the future of market-based housing in Cleveland?

Panelists: John J. Carney, managing partner, Carney & Carney; Paul Volpe, president, City Architecture; and Nathan Zaremba, president & CEO, Zaremba Construction.
Moderator: Keith Brown, president of Progressive Urban Real Estate.

To make reservations, call 216.621.0082 or visit www.cityclub.org

The Lakefront West Project is a portion of the designated Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Scenic Byway. This public meeting will explore transportation alternatives such as pedestrian and bicycle connections to city neighborhoods and to the lake as the Ohio Department of Transportation prepares a plan for the West Shoreway. One goal is to balance east-west movement with north-south multi-modal access.

The Birdtown Historic District in Lakewood will be considered by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. A public hearing on the nomination will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakewood Public Library, Madison Branch, 13229 Madison Avenue, Lakewood. A representative of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office will be there to discuss the nomination and answer questions.

Northeast Ohio group of the Sierra Club gathering for members and the public -- picnic and tour at Wendy Park on Whiskey Island.

Mingle with other nature-minded people on the boardwalk of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. Refreshments and music.

Register here or by calling 216-321-5935.

Cleveland Restoration Society's 34th annual membership meeting and preservation awards.

For details, go here or call 216-426-1000.

Meeting information at http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/about/meetings.html

This event brought you by Cleveland365.com and The Civic Innovation Lab will bring together young professionals, entrepreneurs and The Honorable Mayor Frank Jackson. Providing an opportunity for Northeast Ohio's professionals to engage in a community dialogue with the Mayor.

Hors D'oeuvres, cocktails and live music. Complimentary tickets available online.

Come hear Richard Stuebi speak about his new role as the BP Fellow for Energy and Environmental Advancement at the Cleveland Foundation, and answer, What does a regional energy agenda include?

Stuebi has nearly 20 years of experience as an executive, entrepreneur and consultant in the energy industry, with most of the past decade focused on advanced energy technologies and business opportunities.

He works with various public and private sector stakeholders to promote commercial activity in advanced energy in the Cleveland area.

Lunch is provided so PLEASE RSVP to Bethany Pope bethany.pope@case.edu

Are you looking for a business idea to launch in the sustainable economy? Perhaps you are looking for a job with a business that values sustainability principles and you want to help them implement these ideas? Join your peers the fourth Tuesday of each month at the E4S Connection and Learning Center to get linked to the sustainability economy!

Click here for more information and to register.

Dike 14 Nature Preserve Committee Meeting. Agenda items include update on city actions and environmental education updates. Also, discussion of next steps to making Dike 14 a nature preserve.

For more information, email. 

An event for tech companies to find small business clients and non-tech companies to obtain help with technology needs.

Go here for registration information.

The U.S. EPA will hold a public meeting for comments on a proposed cleanup plan for the Ford Road Industrial Landfill, which is along the Black River in Elyria.

Documents are available for public viewing at the Elyria Public Library West River Branch. For more information, call 800-621-8431.