A Green Light for Conservation

 The city of Akron deserves a Green Light Award for moving us into the future. They (and note this is a city, not even a park system) are eliminating ODOT's roadside mowing by using low growing, low maintenance plantings. [1]It's no surprise that Cleveland is being left in the dust and the rust when our neighbor, from the same struggling area, is actively finding and implementing new solutions.

In contrast, Cleveland Metroparks actually maintains some of ODOT's interstate land.  Manicure might be a better word as it is fussed over and mowed more than ODOT itself would do.

And, though the renaming off the Rocky River Nature Center was rushed through over public objections, their fuel conservation study proceeds at the pace of rush hour traffic. CMP fuel costs for this year will top $1 million - enough to encourage all possible speed.

The failure of CMP to promote green policies is ongoing. The Clubhouse at Big Met Golf Course was supposed to get a LEEDs rating [2], but apparently never did. Is that because the southern exposure, with a roof overhang carefully designed to block the summer sun, was surrounded with asphalt which absorbs the heat? (There are ways to harvest energy from asphalt [3] roads - but this situation merely adds heat load to the building.) Another bad energy choice was adding plastic curtains and heaters to extend the season for outdoor seating.

A repeated excuse is that initial costs for Green Building are higher than conventional methods. How sad - we can justify a Potty Palace at Frostville [4], but "can't afford" to build wisely. This not only lacks vision, it is downright blind.

Contrast that with Summit Metroparks platinum LEEDS project [5] which shows, in Living Green, their actual commitment to conservation. They even used waterless toilets - no need for pump stations, sewers or the energy to build and maintain them - thus saving taxpayers' dollars in the future.