For Immediate Release

August 23, 2007

Contact:  Councilman Zachary Reed

216-410-5734 or gregoryd100@hotmail.com

TAX REFERENDUM GROUP ANNOUNCES DRIVE-THRU PETITION SIGNING

 LAST CHANCE TO SIGN PETITIONS

Your last chance to put the sales tax issue on the ballot by signing a petition will be Saturday, August 25, 2007 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. 

Come join the putitontheballot.com volunteers at the following drive-thru locations:

• Main Cleveland Post Office, 2400 Orange Avenue, Cleveland, 44101

• Lakewood Post Office, 1475 Warren Road, Lakewood 44107

• Cleveland Heights Post Office, 3 Severance Circle, Cleveland Heights 44118

• Cuyahoga County Administration Building, 1219 Ontario Street, Cleveland 44113

On July 26, a .25% sales tax increase was passed for Cuyahoga County. The tax goes into effect October 1st (for 20 years) unless 46,000 signatures of registered Cuyahoga County voters are submitted by 4:30 pm Saturday, August 25, 2007.

City Xpressionz Urban Art Festival organized by Cleveland Public Art, with aerosol art exhibitions and b-boy and b-girl battles and other entertainment.

Free to watch.

The 30th Annual Slavic Village Harvest Festival, is a popular ethnic street fair which attracts over 50,000 visitors each year to southeast Cleveland's Warszawa neighborhood.  Special events include a pierogi eating contest, the 19th annual Kielbasa Cook-Off and dancing by the Tatra Highlander Polish Folk Dancers.  More information

Arts and Cradts will be available for the children, live performances and a DJ will be there all day long.  Stop by and support the local street sale vendors

See Cleveland in a whole new way: without your car!  Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens will be open for you to enjoy because MLK Dr. will be closed to cars.

Some of the FREE activities in Rockefeller Park include:

• Plays by local theatres
• Inline skating lessons
• Music by new artists
• Chalk Festival
• History of the Cultural Gardens
• Bicycle safety classes
• Yoga and Tai Chi
• Ultimate Frisbee tournement
• Ethnic Dancing

For more information visit walkroll.com.

Help the Nature Center design its Stewardship Volunteer Center. The stewardship center will be a community design and barn-raising event with opportunities to use brain and brawn to create a wonderful gathering place for volunteers.

First up, an environmental mural brainstorming session, with local muralist Katherine Chilcote. With cob and straw-bale, we will be able to sculpt plaster, paint with natural pigments, and create mosaics or murals to ensure that this green building embodies one of the key tenets of sustainable design: enduring aesthetics that create a sense of place.

Please join us and lend your ideas to this public art project that will become a part of our community’s culture. RSVP to Jan Zorman, by August 27th, at 216-321-5935, x229.

Planning and development for a commuter rail line from Cleveland to Lorain continues.

For more information, email Ken Prendergast at All Aboard Ohio.

"Maritime should be central to what we do," Wasserman told the board, which seemed pleased with the draft plan. Cleveland's port looks to grow, boost projects 25-year goal: 'premier' status Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter

The public can comment on the draft plan.

Bone on up Great Lakes isues with this glossy overview and here's the latest (unless you can trump this) on Modern Tonnage.

I found this at a Canadian site:

APPLICATION by Great Lakes Feeder Lines Inc. pursuant to the Coasting Trade Act, S.C., 1992, c. 31, for a licence to use the "CFL PROSPECT", a container ship registered in the Netherlands, to operate a dedicated container feeder service between Halifax, Nova Scotia, Montréal, Quebec and Hamilton, Ontario commencing on or about August 1, 2007 and ending on or about July 31, 2008.

McKeil Marine argues that the application is intended to avoid paying duty on a foreign vessel and to take advantage of all of the associated cost savings based solely on economic factors that should not be taken into consideration. According to McKeil Marine, Canadian operators have found that the current economic burden of Canadian regulations and requirements makes domestic container movements cost prohibitive; if this were not the case, Canadian operators would have been moving containers domestically some time ago.

Staff and consultants will present schematic plans for the Cleveland Metroparks' new West Creek Reservation Stewardship Center, an innovative home for watershed stewardship in the region.

The 11th Hour, a documentary produced and narrated by Leonard DiCaprio, features interviews with over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders—many of them Bioneers presenters. The film explores how humans have impacted the earth's ecosystems and a number of emerging solutions.

Movie passes are available through Great Lakes Bioneers-Cleveland for a free viewing of The 11th Hour.

For more information or to request movie passes please email lesliek@ix.netcom.com or jenonahill@aol.com

Museum Executive Director Bruce Latimer and EcoCity Cleveland Executive Director David Beach will be interviewed Thursday on WCPN 90.3 FM's "Around Noon" program. They will discuss the merger between the Museum and EcoCity Cleveland that was announced in June.

Comedy filmmaker Gary Burns (waydowntown) has teamed with journalist Jim Brown to paint a unique picture of suburbia focusing on one newly transplanted family. Surreal snapshots of exurban life (desperate housewives, a musical chorus line mowing the lawn) are intercut with statistics, talking heads (The Geography of Nowhere’s James Howard Kunstler, et al.), and cultural references (Jane Jacobs, etc.) in this surprising movie that is both “enlightening and disturbingly funny” (Village Voice). Cleveland premiere. 35mm. 93 min. www.radiantcitymovie.com

Bike to work with Cleveland Bikes, the last Friday of every month this summer. Join ride leaders at the following departure points around the region and meet us for free breakfast and coffee at AJ Rocco’s Espresso Bar on E9th and Huron Rd. in downtown Cleveland.  Showers will be available for participants at the YMCA at E.22nd and Prospect. 

More information

Comedy filmmaker Gary Burns (waydowntown) has teamed with journalist Jim Brown to paint a unique picture of suburbia focusing on one newly transplanted family. Surreal snapshots of exurban life (desperate housewives, a musical chorus line mowing the lawn) are intercut with statistics, talking heads (The Geography of Nowhere’s James Howard Kunstler, et al.), and cultural references (Jane Jacobs, etc.) in this surprising movie that is both “enlightening and disturbingly funny” (Village Voice). Cleveland premiere. 35mm. 93 min. www.radiantcitymovie.com

Formal dedication ceremony for the Towpath Trail through Steelyard Commons, a one-mile loop that will (in a few years) connect to the Towpath.

While Pennsylvania is moving ahead of Ohio in implementing a Renewable Portfolio Standard and attracting renewable energy manufacturers, it's not out of the woods just yet.

Take an active role in Pennsylvania's energy future. Participate in this one-day forum hosted by ACI (Affordable Comfort, Inc.) on Wednesday, September 5 and explore critical issues that will set a path for effective energy policy, rate structure, and consumer action:

• Pennsylvania at the Crossroads: Win Big or Lose Big, with luncheon Keynote, Rick Gerardi, Senior Manager, Residential Buildings Performance Programs, Lockheed Martin.

• PA Residential Energy Opportunities from a National Perspective, with Bill Prindle, Deputy Director, ACEEE and Steven Cowell, CEO, Conservation Services Group.

• Programs that Work, with David Lee, Director, Residential Branch, ENERGY STAR® New & Existing Homes Program, US Environmental Protection Agency; David Carroll, President, APPRISE, Inc.; and Steve Baden, Executive Director, RESNET.

• PA Housing Stock, with Mark Fortney, Director, PA Housing Research Center.

• What issues are on the Table, and What is Happening Today in Pennsylvania, with speakers such as PA State Representative Chris Ross; Liz Robinson, Executive Director, Energy Coordinating Agency; Shane Rooney, of the PA Public Utility Commission; Joel Morrison, Program Administrator, West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, and many others.

Roundtable discussions will follow concerning topics such as Consumer Education, Demand Side Reponse Initiatives, ENERGY STAR and LEED programs, the Keystone HELP Program and Finance, the new PA Home Energy program, and more.

Ohio Lake Erie Commission meeting with topics including announcement of the Lake Erie Protection Fund grant recipients, Lake Erie Award recipients and winners of the recent Life on Lake Erie photo contest. There will also be an update on the Ohio Lake Erie Balanced Growth pilot projects, along with reports from the advisory committee.

All commission meetings are open to the public and include a public comment period. Organizations and citizens are urged to attend this meeting and provide input on issues of concern.

This year's CUDC lecture series kicks off with a presentation by the New Weather Group, an international collective of architects, artists and engineers who produce environmentally based urban interventions. They are in Cleveland to install a work centered on the courtyard of the Sculpture Center.

 Eco-Travel Matters

Join Adult Programs Coordinator Stacey Heffernan for a chat about eco-travel and why it matters.

More information

Third Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference sponsored by the Healing Our Waters Coalition. This is a major conference for Great Lakes activists.

More information.

Kyle Vincent, singer songwriter and certified presenter of Al Gore's climate crisis presentation, will give a talk and present a slide show featuring the latest statistics on climate change. He'll include information on dietary importance in the fight against climate change and explain why a plant-based diet is the most effective means of reducing our carbon footprint.

Kyle was one of 1,000 volunteers selected for training with Al Gore through The Climate Project, a non-profit organization with the mission of increasing public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level throughout the United States and abroad.

Third Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference sponsored by the Healing Our Waters Coalition. This is a major conference for Great Lakes activists.

More information.

Urban design and architecture firm Studio Techne opens their doors to the public and celebrates a new installation piece in its courtyard from New Weather Group, an international collective of architects, artists and engineers who produce environmentally based urban interventions.

Exhibit featuring portraits of people who work in the unique commercial districts of Cleveland Heights. Some portraits were created in summer workshops at Heights Arts Studio that include monoprints with Jeanne Regan, caricature with Reed Simon, painting with Anna Arnold, and wild wire portraits with Catherine Butler.

The exhibit runs from September 7 - 22, 2007 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 1 to 5; Closed Sunday and Monday.

Movies on the Mall This SummerParkWorks announces summer line-up for popular Movies on the Mall Entertainment Series

September 7- Casino Royale @ 8:00 PM 

June 29, 2007 – CLEVELAND.   Summertime in Cleveland wouldn’t be complete without ParkWorks’ Movies on the Mall entertainment series. These fun and free films will be played on a 20-foot outdoor screen downtown on Mall B, located off of Lakeside Avenue across from Cleveland City Hall.  A complete schedule of Movies on the Mall events is attached.

The movie series kicks off Thursday, July 12 at 9:15 PM on Mall B with the showing of “Talladega Nights”.  In the coming months, Clevelanders will also be treated to screenings of “Flushed Away,” “Best in Show” and “Casino Royale”. 

At all movies, free lawn games will be available for the public.  Anyone can start a pick-up game of bocce ball, badminton or croquet on the malls.  Lawn games can also be utilized anytime during the week by simply checking them out from the Convention Center security desk.

Third Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference sponsored by the Healing Our Waters Coalition. This is a major conference for Great Lakes activists.

More information.

OSU Extension Community Gardening Program. Receive a map to the gardens on the tour, tasty, healthy garden samples, and Lolly the Trolley transportation to 6 of the 18 participating gardens.

For more information, call 216-429-8224.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology Joe Hannibal will lead a walking trip to look at rocks and minerals used for monuments and gravestones in the cemetery. This trip will also visit the quarry and ravine areas.

To make reservations, call Lake View Cemetery at 216-421-2665.

Come on down to Edgewater State Park in Cleveland, OH.

FREE admission - FREE parking - it's your park!
11 am - 5pm both days
FEATURING
The Windjammers Performance Kite Team from Detroit
ON THE MIDWAY
Kite Shops, Make-a-Kite Workshop, Balloons, Fun Stuff
THREE FIELDS OF ACTIVITIES
*Solos*   *Pairs*   *Teams*    *Games*
Ballet and competitions to Amaze the Whole Family!
The Animal Corral will include "Birds Without Feathers Kites"
Sponsored by OSEK - Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites
more info @ kiteinfo@osekcleveland.org

Come on down to Edgewater State Park in Cleveland, OH.

FREE admission - FREE parking - it's your park!
11 am - 5pm both days
FEATURING
The Windjammers Performance Kite Team from Detroit
ON THE MIDWAY
Kite Shops, Make-a-Kite Workshop, Balloons, Fun Stuff
THREE FIELDS OF ACTIVITIES
*Solos*   *Pairs*   *Teams*    *Games*
Ballet and competitions to Amaze the Whole Family!
The Animal Corral will include "Birds Without Feathers Kites"
Sponsored by OSEK - Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites
more info @ kiteinfo@osekcleveland.org

See Cleveland in a whole new way: without your car!  Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens will be open for you to enjoy because MLK Dr. will be closed to cars.

Some of the FREE activities in Rockefeller Park include:

• Plays by local theatres
• Inline skating lessons
• Music by new artists
• Chalk Festival
• History of the Cultural Gardens
• Bicycle safety classes
• Yoga and Tai Chi
• Ultimate Frisbee tournement
• Ethnic Dancing

For more information visit walkroll.com.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

The Great Lakes Brewing Company will be the celebrity chef at this week's market. The cooking demonstration begins at 11 a.m. and will include free samples! Jeff Sherman will perform as the market's live musical guest and River Chiropractic will do complimentary spinal screenings.

Beauty and blight. That's what you'll discover when you join Friends of Big Creek on a hike into the valley. The auto salvage yard...the historic wallpaper factory building...the old bridge remnants...natural areas...salt piles...Dollyland Civil War encampment site...shale cliffs. It's all there under the bridge. You'll also learn more about the Lower Big Creek Greenway Redevelopment and Restoration Plan.

Park and meet behind Sal's Restaurant, 3850 Pearl Road, just south of Denison Avenue. For more info call 216-269-6472.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Join the Nature Photography Club on the second THursday of each month to explore environmental phtography, learn more ab out the camera and apply a cariety of phtographic techniques.  For the latest information on the Nature Photography Club, visit www.ShakerLakes.org or call Sara Thorne-Briechle, director of programs and vcolunteers, at 216-321-5935 x. 237.  Free.  All are welcome.

Thursday, Sept. 11, 7 - 9 p.m.

Photo Club member Lori Molesky will show and comment on her very beautiful work with nature.  Lori has exhibited her work in many shows and one-person exhibits.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Peter Annin, author, Great Lakes Water Wars will address this session of the fifth annual League of Women Voters' environmental series. Fee. Call 216/781-0555.  

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Lecture at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy explains how, by planting native species instead of alien ornamentals, we can use our gardens to nourish local biodiversity. Join us before this Explorer Series lecture for live music, food and beverages for purchase and afterward for stargazing in the Mueller Observatory, weather permitting.

Ticket information.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/EuclidCreekFiles/ECUpcomingEvents.htm

Learn how to safely preserve your summer harvest. How to use water bath and pressure canner; tips, resources and more.

Ashtabula Beach boasts a rare look at a complex dune habitat on Lake Erie, hosting several native perennial grasses, trees and willows.  We will explore this hidden gem in Northeast Ohio with renowned naturalist Jim Bissell.

More information.

Dedication of the first public art installation resulting from the City of Cleveland's percent for art program.

Sponsored by the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Public Art, and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.

Cuyahoga County residents are invited to dispose of their unwanted oil-based paint, pesticides, and other household hazardous wastes.

For a complete list of waste materials accepted go here.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

Attend one or more clean-ups and make a difference in keeping one of Ohio's most prized treasures - the Lake Erie watershed - vibrant and beautiful!

For event listings, click here.

5:30 Social Networking. Meet other shareholders, foodies, and farmers and enjoy delicious appetizers with food grown in Cleveland market gardens and local farms

6 p.m. Presentation & Discussion on local food and farm restoration

7 p.m. Concert by Plum Creek String Band from Oberlin!

Come learn about innovative local foods Australia-style. Darren Doherty is a permaculture designer from Australia. Permaculture is a design method that seeks to create a “permanent agriculture” that mimics natural systems and minimizes chemical and fossil energy inputs. Learn about his experiences around the world developing permaculture and a “keyline method” of farming that enables farmers to build soil and store water. Lecture and discussion to be followed by concert by the Oberlin-based Plum Creek String Band. EVENT IS FREE WITH A $5 SUGGESTED DONATION.

This Fall, The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District will be co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Habitat Stewards Workshops.  Adult volunteers will become certified as Habitat Stewards and will be equipped with the knowledge to help residents in their communities transform their schools, worksites, and backyards into wildlife habitats. 

The 24 hours of training is taking place beginning the evening of Monday September 17, 2007 and continuing Monday and Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. until  October 3, 2007  at the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District offices at 6100 West Canal Road Valley View, Ohio.  Instruction will also take place on Saturdays September 22nd and September 29th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Certified stewards will be requested to complete 30 hours of volunteer service upon completion of the course. Registration fee is $50.00 per person and includes an instruction manual and numerous resource materials, two Saturday and evening classes of instruction and certification upon completion.

            Wildlife Habitat subjects to be included in the sessions include: four components of establishing a Natural Wildlife Habitat, use of native plants, how to attract wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and amphibians, establishing a rain garden in a habitat, composting and other topics.

To register contact the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District office weekdays at 216-524-6580 X10 or visit our website at www.cuyahogaswcd.org.

Are you in for higher electric rates when Ohio's electricity rate stabilization plans expire next year? This conference will let you know what to expect.

The Cleveland Artists Foundation examines relatively unknown examples of the "Modernist" movement in Cleveland as it relates to the home. The exhibition looks at how movements in early 20th-century art, architecture and technology influenced the work of Cleveland architects, artists and craftspeople in the mid-20th century.

With a focus on residential architecture (as opposed to the broader, and more often visible, public architecture), the exhibition focuses on the work of six architects: Don Hisaka, John Terence Kelly, Robert Little, William Morris, Ernst Payer and Fred Toguchi.

The exhibit runs through November 24.

This Fall, The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District will be co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Habitat Stewards Workshops.  Adult volunteers will become certified as Habitat Stewards and will be equipped with the knowledge to help residents in their communities transform their schools, worksites, and backyards into wildlife habitats. 

The 24 hours of training is taking place beginning the evening of Monday September 17, 2007 and continuing Monday and Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. until  October 3, 2007  at the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District offices at 6100 West Canal Road Valley View, Ohio.  Instruction will also take place on Saturdays September 22nd and September 29th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Certified stewards will be requested to complete 30 hours of volunteer service upon completion of the course. Registration fee is $50.00 per person and includes an instruction manual and numerous resource materials, two Saturday and evening classes of instruction and certification upon completion.

            Wildlife Habitat subjects to be included in the sessions include: four components of establishing a Natural Wildlife Habitat, use of native plants, how to attract wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and amphibians, establishing a rain garden in a habitat, composting and other topics.

To register contact the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District office weekdays at 216-524-6580 X10 or visit our website at www.cuyahogaswcd.org.

Come see two documentaries celebrating local foods efforts around two Great Lakes Cities. The Real Dirt on Farmer John follows Farmer John’s journey from farm boy to counter-culture rebel and one of the pioneers in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement. The Real Low Calorie Diet captures our very own local foods movement in Northeast Ohio. From vacant lots and food deserts of inner-city Cleveland to the fields of fifth generation farmers, see how grassroots change is still the defining force of American democracy. $5 suggested donation for Real Low Calorie Diet.

Be on call for global warming!

The time is here – Congress is finally making plans to tackle global warming.  We need to make sure these plans do what scientists say is necessary.  Join your neighbors, from concerned citizens to volunteers within the civic, environmental and faith communities, to find out how we can help Senator Brown and Senator Voinovich be leaders on this issue.  Scientists have determined the US must cut global warming pollutants by 80% by 2050 and say that we must act now to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.   On September 19th find out how you can be part of this solution.

To RSVP or for more information contact Ben Walsh at (802) 734-7680 or ben@greencorps.org.

Thank you and I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Ben Walsh
Northern Ohio Field Organizer
National Environmental Trust

Learn how to hone your idea and clearly present it to the Civic Innovation Lab's grant-making panel. Space is limited to 10 applicants per session.

Email to register.

As part of the Cleveland goes modern: Design for the home exhibit, this special event focuses on The History of Modernism in Cleveland. How did Modernism come about, and how did it show up in Cleveland? A conversation on the history of the "aesthetic" of Modernism. Free and open to the public.

The Stonebridge Group is committed to revitalizing the downtown lifestyle and has  long range plans that marry all the fine points of living downtown with the natural landscape. 

4pm Building Dedication and Ribbon cutting ceremony

6pm Celebration on the bridge, food and drinks

RSVP online.

This Fall, The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District will be co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Habitat Stewards Workshops.  Adult volunteers will become certified as Habitat Stewards and will be equipped with the knowledge to help residents in their communities transform their schools, worksites, and backyards into wildlife habitats. 

The 24 hours of training is taking place beginning the evening of Monday September 17, 2007 and continuing Monday and Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. until  October 3, 2007  at the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District offices at 6100 West Canal Road Valley View, Ohio.  Instruction will also take place on Saturdays September 22nd and September 29th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Certified stewards will be requested to complete 30 hours of volunteer service upon completion of the course. Registration fee is $50.00 per person and includes an instruction manual and numerous resource materials, two Saturday and evening classes of instruction and certification upon completion.

            Wildlife Habitat subjects to be included in the sessions include: four components of establishing a Natural Wildlife Habitat, use of native plants, how to attract wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and amphibians, establishing a rain garden in a habitat, composting and other topics.

To register contact the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District office weekdays at 216-524-6580 X10 or visit our website at www.cuyahogaswcd.org.

Join us for walking tours on one of Cleveland’s hidden treasures. There will be special hour long guided hikes at 7:30 AM, and 8 AM, led by renowned Northeast Ohio naturalists. The rest of the morning the Dike 14 Nature Preserve will be open for self guided hikes. There will be stops along the trail staffed by the region’s leading environmental education organizations to share information on the geography, history, plants and animals of the Dike 14 Nature Preserve. Come experience Cleveland’s only nature preserve along the shore of Lake Erie.

Celebrating with Walk + Roll Cleveland and the Red Ribbon Ride!

Bicyclists of all ages and abilities will explore Cleveland and the Lake Erie shoreline for the inaugural Red Ribbon Ride Ohio. The bicycle event, which features 5, 15 and 25 miles routes, will benefit the nonprofit agencies supported by AIDS Walk Cleveland and increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in Northeast Ohio.

The ride is a partnership between AIDS Walk and Walk+Roll Cleveland, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exploration and discovery of Cleveland's Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens. On select Sundays in 2007, Rockefeller Park has been open to walkers, bicycles, rollerblades, strollers, hikers, wheelchairs, and runners—allowing everyone to enjoy, explore and play in the culturally diverse neighborhoods near University Circle - by closing a 2-mile section of MLK Jr Drive to cars. Red Ribbon Ride Ohio will take place on Sunday September 23, the last Walk+Roll Cleveland of 2007.

Registration is open at www.firstgiving.com/aidswalkcleveland and ranges from $15-$25 which is donated to the AIDS Walk Cleveland. The first 200 pre-registered riders will receive goody bags with coupons and promotional items.

See Cleveland in a whole new way: without your car!  Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens will be open for you to enjoy because MLK Dr. will be closed to cars.

Some of the FREE activities in Rockefeller Park include:

• Plays by local theatres
• Inline skating lessons
• Music by new artists
• Chalk Festival
• History of the Cultural Gardens
• Bicycle safety classes
• Yoga and Tai Chi
• Ultimate Frisbee tournement
• Ethnic Dancing

For more information visit walkroll.com.

On September 23rd, the Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market (KCFM) presents Stino da Napoli who will be the guest celebrity chef and prepare some Italian culinary favorites, beginning at 11:00 a.m.  Cats on Holiday, a band that plays American influenced roots, country, cajun and blues, will perform as the musical entertainment and Curves Ladies Fitness will also present a free wellness demonstration and be passing out membership literature.  The KCFM is a unique farmers market that features weekly health and wellness education, live entertainment, and cooking demonstrations, as well as fresh, local food.  The market is open every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is conveniently located off Lorain Avenue at West 168th Street (municipal lot behind Walgreens).  It is free and open to the public.  

On September 23rd, the Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market (KCFM) presents Stino da Napoli (www.stinodanapoli.com) who will be the guest celebrity chef and prepare some Italian culinary favorites, beginning at 11:00 a.m.  Cats on Holiday, a band that plays American influenced roots, country, cajun and blues, will perform as the musical entertainment and Curves Ladies Fitness will also present a free wellness demonstration and be passing out membership literature.  The KCFM is a unique farmers market that features weekly health and wellness education, live entertainment, and cooking demonstrations, as well as fresh, local food.  The market is open every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is conveniently located off Lorain Avenue at West 168th Street (municipal lot behind Walgreens).  It is free and open to the public.  

Reclaiming Vacant Properties: Strategies for Rebuilding America’s Neighborhoods, the first national conference focusing on helping realize the potential of vacant properties as community assets – highlighting strategies to ensure they benefit the residents, communities, and cities around them.

Registration information.

This Fall, The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District will be co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual Habitat Stewards Workshops.  Adult volunteers will become certified as Habitat Stewards and will be equipped with the knowledge to help residents in their communities transform their schools, worksites, and backyards into wildlife habitats. 

The 24 hours of training is taking place beginning the evening of Monday September 17, 2007 and continuing Monday and Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. until  October 3, 2007  at the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District offices at 6100 West Canal Road Valley View, Ohio.  Instruction will also take place on Saturdays September 22nd and September 29th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Certified stewards will be requested to complete 30 hours of volunteer service upon completion of the course. Registration fee is $50.00 per person and includes an instruction manual and numerous resource materials, two Saturday and evening classes of instruction and certification upon completion.

            Wildlife Habitat subjects to be included in the sessions include: four components of establishing a Natural Wildlife Habitat, use of native plants, how to attract wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and amphibians, establishing a rain garden in a habitat, composting and other topics.

To register contact the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District office weekdays at 216-524-6580 X10 or visit our website at www.cuyahogaswcd.org.

Reclaiming Vacant Properties: Strategies for Rebuilding America’s Neighborhoods, the first national conference focusing on helping realize the potential of vacant properties as community assets – highlighting strategies to ensure they benefit the residents, communities, and cities around them.

Registration information.

E4S National Knowledge Network event on "The Future of Design: Biomimicry with Janine Benyus." Don't miss this opportunity to hear one of the world's top speakers on sustainability.

Registration information.

Learn how to hone your idea and clearly present it to the Civic Innovation Lab's grant-making panel. Space is limited to 10 applicants per session.

Email to register.