Got this email from Julia Barton at OSU Extension. Just what I have been hoping for!

Hort and Ag Educators in Northeast Ohio,

Burten, Bell, Carr ,a local community development corporation in Cleveland, has issued a Request for Qualifications for an arborist or horticulturalist to submit a feasibility study, business plan, and design for an urban tree farm on Cleveland's east side.  Some of you may remember an article over the summer in the Plain Dealer about the Kinsman neighborhood which has lost a considerable percentage of it's population over the years.  Burten, Bell, Carr has plans to consolidate 20 acres in one part of the neighborhood to start an urban tree farm as a sustainable, economic development project.  See attached parcel map.

The Cleveland Institute of Art is extraordinarily important to Northeast Ohio and the world for the great artists and designers educated there, and for the great artists and designers who are the educators, and staff. Each year, the work of the diverse CIA faculty is showcased in an exhibition not to be missed... the reception for 2007 was last Friday, December 7, and a great event, as always... perhaps the last ever in the historic Gund Building Reinberger Gallery space, as the CIA moves in total to Euclid Avenue.

 

Here is an encouraging sign. 

Nature's REAL real estate developers are setting up house at the mouth of the Cuyahoga.  When they move into the neighborhood, Great Blue Heron and other species follow.

'Tropics expand' as world warms

 

Climate change is causing the tropics to widen, with possible impacts on the global food supply, research suggests.

 

Detox Your Home: Freshen Your Space Naturally

 

I couldn't read the fine print on this until I blew it up in Photoshop.   Was it the RTA's effort to be humorous?  Or a tagger who knew his codes?

How will northeast Ohio contend with the massive disposal of analog TVs in 2008-2009?

From Waste News:

Many TVs will be tossed when new FCC rules take effect in 2009

(Waste News; 11/12/2007, Vol. 13 Issue 14, p1-23, 2p, 2c --You will need your Cleveland Public Library card number and PIN to read this article electronically)

In my twenties, I worked for the Cleveland Metroparks and I did not own a car.  I rode the bus places and I walked and walked, or rode my bike.  One of the places I loved to visit was Bedford, Ohio.

I just learned that Harlow’s Maple Popcorn is produced by Suzanne Finnerty, (who is Mary Beth Matthew’s sister) and Esther Andes (who does marketing).  It is made in Burton, Ohio by Amish gals who work with Ms. Finnerty and Ms. Andes.  The artwork of the Maple Sugar Shack on the cellophane bag is produced by Mary Beth’s sister – hey art runs in that family!

E-mail today from the American Solar Energy Society:

Energy Bill Passes the House!
- Please Call Your Senator Today -
 
This is the moment of truth. The time for action is right now.

“We’ve got it all, together” here in Cleveland, Ohio!   And I'm not talking about the Nutcracker rats, either!

 

What makes a realNEO candidate   REAL?  Money?  Business support? Life experience? A newspaper endorsement?

Climate Change and Great Lakes Water Resources (a 44 page PDF), a new report from the National Wildlife Federation, looks at threats to the Great Lakes from global warming and water diversion, and concludes that states need to approve the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.

As part of the Star Neighborhood Development planning for the Star Complex and surrounding one mile radius, I have been planning the redevelopment of the current Cleveland Institute of Art Gund Building and land, on East Boulevard in Cleveland, shown below (full size image here).

Ed Morrison posted this today at BFD; it is an article about green industries and regionalism in the East Bay area. Here's my response (posted here so as to not be accused of veering "off topic").

 "exchange between local mayors led to putting aside "our cities' chauvinism" in the belief that together they can be stronger that "the sum of the parts…"

 

 

(Continued from the web site)
“This was truly a wonderful experience for so many reasons. First, I learned a lot about murals, especially since I've never done one outside before! I also got really good at climbing scaffolding with an armload of painting stuff. But besides all of that, I saw personally what an impact positive public art makes in a community. Because I was there working on it for 6 weeks I got to see a lot of the people of the neighborhood and no matter what their lives were like all the rest of the time, for the few minutes that they stopped to look at the mural or to talk to me, they were happy. I got to see the people driving by slow down and crane their necks around to see what was on the side of the building and many times people would shout compliments or encouragements out their window as they passed by. The experience gave me a first hand look at how art affects people's lives. I want to make the distinction that most of the people who witnessed my mural getting painted and who will see it forever afterwards are the not the type of people who get exposed to art in either museums or galleries. They were in no way conditioned to see things in a certain way or with a certain attitude. The reaction I got from people was a pure unfiltered response from the heart.
Art has the ability to communicate to all of us through very simple means. People respond to things that are aesthetically pleasing and beautiful and when art can embody those basic principles it has the capability to reach out into the soul of Everyman and begin to awaken our higher self. Because art has the means to become the key, more people need to be exposed to art, not just any art, but art that can establish that raw and pure connection to our very core. This, in my opinion is the goal of public art. Our world today needs all the positive influence it can get and having something available in the community that can passively affect everyone that walks or drives by it is essential.”

From: http://www.transcendentbird.com/about12.html  

November 28, 2007, renowned architect Carl Stein, FAIA, Principal of elemental architecture, llc, of New York City, shared his valuable understanding about the environment in Northeast Ohio and the world, focusing on the energy of buildings and a specific analysis of the Breuer Cleveland Trust Tower, in downtown Cleveland. This is the only high-rise by revolutionary architect Marcel Breuer, and it is globally appreciated as a masterpiece of modern design and construction... yet it is planned for demolition by Cuyahoga County Commissioners Dimora and Hagan.  Stein worked with Breuer for many years, including when Breuer built the Cleveland Trust Tower, and Stein's conclusion is there is no rational excuse for demolishing the Breuer. As Stein states, "just that Breuer and this building are so important is enough reason to preserve the Breuer"... although Stein gives many other reasons!

One environmental fundamental is NOT consuming the wrong things wrongly or unnecessarily - when you must consume then do so as smartly, locally and close to good sources as possible. In that sense, buying from artists and crafts people can't be beat, and there are many opportunities these days to buy local arts and crafts for gifts for the "holiday" season (when all are encouraged to over-consume at all levels). One very cool such shoppening, that brought a huge crowd together at E4th and Prospect, this weekend, was the Bazaar Bizarre... featured on today's header (full size here).

Cleveland is rightfully championing local hero Mike Symon for his national recognition.  Tremont has hung a banner in his honor.  We should all be thankful, at this time of year, to live in a part of the country that knows how to live well.