A diverse movement of individuals and organizations is promoting sustainability in Northeast Ohio. Below are some of the significant accomplishments in 2008 and goals for 2009 categorized by issue area. It’s amazing what’s going on!

General (items that don’t fit a category)

Accomplishments in 2008 

• SustainLane national city sustainability ranking for Cleveland: 16
• Continued impact and growth of the Cleveland Office of Sustainability and sustainability programs in Akron and other cities

Goals for 2009 

• Make the SustainLane top 10 sustainable cities. Key areas for improvement: regional policies to stop urban sprawl, better recycling, and reduced carbon footprint. 
• Assure that federal economic stimulus funds promote sustainability 
• Achieve greater social and economic diversity of people in the sustainability movement
• Create widely shared 2019 vision and goals for a green city on a blue lake (see potential goals below)

Arts & culture

Vision
The arts challenge us—open our eyes to new possibilities and new worlds. In a region undergoing transformation, the arts force us to confront the tired old ways, expose the ugliness, and inspire us to envision a better future. We hunger for inspiration, to be touched by higher truths. We want to tell our stories, sing our songs. We need festivals, happenings, dancing in the streets. For us, a sustainable community has poetry, elegance, and joy. It has a beautiful soul.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Success of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture grants to sustain arts organizations
• Promotion of “rust belt to artists belt” idea

Goals for 2009 

• Implement “artists belt” programs to attract artists to Northeast Ohio 
• Development of more live-work housing for artists 
• Completion of major parts of the Gordon Square Arts District 
• More artists creating a new story for Northeast Ohio

Building

Vision
We are builders. We want better communities, housing, schools, jobs—and all that will require changes to our built environment, both new development and redevelopment. We plan to meet our needs with affordable, high-performance buildings that use far less materials and energy than conventional buildings, while being healthy, delightful places for the occupants. We dare to imagine that our buildings can be like living machines that give back to the earth more than they take. And we are extending our design intelligence to place our buildings together on great streets and public spaces—the public realm that enlivens the best cities.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Cuyahoga County land bank program created to gain control of vacant land 
• Ideas for putting vacant land to productive use by the Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland project
• Four LEED for Neighborhood Development projects planned in Northeast Ohio
• Enabling of Cleveland green district overlay zoning 
• Launch of green and affordable housing program by Environmental Health Watch 
• Cleveland Green Building Coalition reorganizes as chapter of U.S. Green Building Council
• Home deconstruction pilots and formation of Urban Lumberjacks

Goals for 2009

• Complete pilot projects to test how to put vacant land to productive use with ecological restoration, urban agriculture, and renewable energy production.
• Expand housing deconstruction programs and create green jobs 
• All new government buildings required to achieve LEED Silver green building certification
• Design the world’s greenest convention center in Cleveland 
• 1,000 new residents living in downtown Cleveland and 500 in downtown Akron

Economy

Vision
Business—with its vast command of people and resources—has the power to change the world. In Northeast Ohio, that power is being harnessed to accelerate the transformation to greater sustainability. Our most successful and innovative businesses pay attention to the "triple bottom line" that broadens the measure of success to include economic capital, social capital, and natural capital. These businesses operate within a network of collaborative relationships, linking local capacities with the most advanced thinking from around the world. They are committed to this place, while participating in a global conversation about the responsibilities of sustainable business in the 21st century.

Accomplishments in 2008

• More sustainability programs and green teams at local companies
• Growth of the Corporate Sustainability Network, which includes large companies working on sustainablity 
• E4S Sustainability Implementation (SI) trainings at many more organizations
• Increasing recognition of the promise of green jobs for economic development 
• Promotion of wind turbine supply chain potential

Goals for 2009 

• In the face of the recession, continue to show how sustainability saves money, creates jobs, and makes companies more competitive 
• Develop green job programs with federal stimulus funds in areas of housing deconstruction, weatherization, renewable energy production, urban food
• National recognition from Business as an Agent of World Benefit Global Forum at Case Western Reserve University in June

Education

Vision
Educated people are our greatest asset, but what and how do we teach? The interdependent, global society of the 21st century demands new lessons and approaches to learning. So we are teaching the habits of healing, regeneration, collaboration, the ability to think in whole systems. We are celebrating creativity and provocative questions. We are developing civic spaces in which to share, learn, debate, and invent our future. Most of all, we are listening to this place, discovering how to live here, learning how to love this part of the planet. And we hope that if we can pass this love on to our children, they will stay here and be able to find their own future.

Accomplishments in 2008 

• Sustainability activities spread to all local colleges and universities 
• Start of Baldwin-Wallace sustainability major 
• Launch of Tri-C Green Academy 
• Oberlin College planning for carbon neutrality 
• Weatherhead School of Business adopts sustainability and design as themes 
• High school green projects – Beachwood, Central Catholic, Old Trail School, etc.

Goals for 2009 

• All local colleges and universities signed on to the University Presidents Climate Commitment and pledge to reduce energy consumption 
• All local colleges and universities pledge to buy more local food

Energy/climate

Vision
Our civilization is driven by fire—driven by the burning of fossil fuels in our vehicles, buildings, and power plants. But there are signs the fire is not sustainable. The atmosphere is heating up from greenhouse gas emissions, and the era of cheap oil will soon come to an end. Quickly, we need a massive transition to an economy running on clean, renewable energy. Communities and companies that do not adapt will suffer serious economic disruptions; those who adapt first will gain competitive advantage. In Northeast Ohio, we are committed to being a leader—seeking out the energy alternatives that will drive innovation and prosperity. Joining with progressive cities and regions around the world, we will reduce our energy burden on the rest of the planet.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Organization of the Cleveland Carbon Fund 
• State energy policy with renewable portfolio standard and energy efficiency requirements
• $66 million over next 3 years in funding from state of Ohio for renewable energy projects as part of state Economic Stimulus bill
• Launch of Great Lakes Institute of Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve University
• Beginning of regional carbon footprint planning by GreenCityBlueLake Institute 
• Increasing demand for training in alternative energy installation 
• Wind turbine plans for more sites around Northeast Ohio

Goals for 2009

• Build a demonstration wind turbine on the lake 
• Advanced energy company locates plant in Northeast Ohio 
• Half of all cities in the region sign on to the Mayors climate agreement 
• Climate goals written into the region’s long-range transportation plan 
• Complete three “deep energy” retrofits that reduce home heating costs to nearly zero.
• Launch of an energy efficiency retrofit program for rehabilitating Cleveland buildings 
• Go-ahead for Cleveland Public Power waste-to-energy plant 
• Installation of several major photovoltaic projects in Cleveland

Food

Vision
We are what we eat, and, in many ways, the earth also is shaped by what we eat. Industrial-scale agriculture consumes vast amounts petroleum, chemicals, soil and water. And the processing and transport of food products thousands of miles to our tables consumes even more resources and energy. Northeast Ohio has beautiful farmland and a climate that permits cultivation of a diversity of crops. By eating more foods grown with care by local, organic farms, we can reduce agriculture's ecological impacts and support the local economy. We can also eat healthier! So we are developing a regional food system that links farms with consumers in the city—creating markets that nourish the soul and the earth.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Continued growth and popularity of farmer's markets and urban food production 
• Development of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Council 
• Northeast Ohio Food Congress 
• Chickens and bees ordinance in Cleveland

Goals for 2009

• Eat Local Challenge – thousands of people and businesses committed to spending 10% of food dollars on local food over a year
• Completion of regional food system plan with strategies for increasing local food production
• Better composting programs 
• Scale up the market garden and urban farming training opportunities to meet growing market demand for local food

Health

Vision
We are enmeshed in webs of life. Our health depends on the health of our families, communities, and the ecological functions of nature. We understand these relationships, and we are committed to promoting health in all of its dimensions. This goes beyond health care—an area where Northeast Ohio is already an international leader—to a profound questioning about what it means to live a good life in the 21st century. After all, health is not just the absence of illness; it is the fulfillment of possibility. Therefore, we seek to nurture the potential of every person.

Accomplishments in 2008 

• Cleveland Clinic expands community health and environment programs
• Expanded view of health to include healthy, green housing and healthy food 
• More programs to promote active living and walkable neighborhoods

Goals for 2009

• Broaden concept of health to include total community health 
• Expand awareness of potential health impacts of climate change 
• Increase programs to get more children to experience the healing powers of nature

Land

Vision
We live with diverse landscapes in Northeast Ohio. We have natural areas harboring remnants of biological richness that evolved here since the last Ice Age. We have a working countryside of pastoral beauty and picturesque small towns harkening back to the settlement of the Western Reserve. We have vibrant urban neighborhoods, great city centers, and an incredible industrial landscape. We love all these special places and seek to sustain the best qualities of each, emphasizing conservation, restoration, and redevelopment. In short, we seek a regional pattern of settlement that allows us to live sustainably on the land.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Northeast Ohio mayors study of regional collaboration and tax-base sharing
• Western Reserve Land Conservancy completes anchor strategy plan and protects another 873 acres of land 
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History nears 5,000 acres of protected natural areas 
• Progress in planning and developing greenway trails – Flats, West Creek, Big Creek, Treadway Creek, Doan Brook, Walworth Run, and other locations

Goals for 2009 

• Develop regional tax-base sharing program to distribute the benefits of growth 
• Develop science-based plan to preserve biodiversity in the region 
• Create a Cleveland Waterfront Conservancy to accelerate greenspace improvements on the lakefront and riverfront 
• Open Dike 14 as a natural area on the lakefront 
• Open another section of the Towpath Trail in Cleveland 
• Pass state enabling legislation for the transfer of development rights

Transportation

Vision
Great cities concentrate choices and opportunities. Everything is made accessible, and the key to this accessibility is proximity. When the things you need—work, friends, shopping, recreation—are located close together, then you don't need much transportation to reach them. In Northeast Ohio, we are developing cities, towns, and neighborhoods that offer this convenience. And our transportation investments—for transit, bicycle facilities, walkable streets and urbane boulevards—are contributing to the life of healthy communities where everyone has real choices about how to get around.

Accomplishments in 2008

• RTA HealthLine opening with bike lane on Euclid Avenue
• RTA plans for new Red Line transit stations at Cedar and Mayfield roads
• Akron Metro transfer station opens with state's largest solar panel array 
• Cleveland publishes its bike network plan 
• First Cleveland Bicycle Week

Goals for 2009 

• Incorporate carbon reduction strategies into update of NOACA’s and AMATS long- range transportation plans
• Develop affordable transportation strategy for increasing trips by transit and bike
• Move towards passenger rail service in the 3-C corridor 
• Enact a state “complete streets” policy 
• Build a downtown bike parking station 
• Start construction on the West Shoreway Boulevard 
• Develop a better plan to replace the I-90 bridge over the Cuyahoga River

Water

Vision
We are water beings. Our bodies are mostly water, and at every moment we are exchanging water molecules with the surrounding environment. Indeed, we have a more intimate relationship with our local lakes and streams than with any person. As people of the Great Lakes, we are also stewards of the largest bodies of freshwater on the planet — a global resource of incalculable value. In many ways, our legacy will be determined by how well we care for water. We have come a long way in the past 30 years, and we are committed to doing even better in the future. We will celebrate water and be an example to the world.

Accomplishments in 2008

• Great Lakes Compact passed in Ohio 
• Cuyahoga River proposed delisting of fish impairment
• Green bulkhead prototypes tested in Cuyahoga River navigation channel
• Rain garden demonstrations 
• Greater awareness of stormwater problems and the benefits of low-impact development techniques to protect water resources

Goals for 2009

• Celebrate Year of the River – the 40th anniversary of the burning river
• Create the capacity to address stormwater issues with a new authority of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
• Spread the Lake Erie Balanced Growth program statewide to link land-use planning to water quality