Archive for December, 2008

Solar power is popping up everywhere under the sun!

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Why have we so slow to adopt solar power? I do believe that America is a great nation filled with great minds, and when we set our minds to it we can accomplish anything! We put a man on the moon in a few short years. We’ve harnessed the atom for good and for bad. So why have we so slow to take up the cause of solar power? The only thing we are missing is making it more affordable and more efficient. That may soon be changing. There are some exciting things happening in the world of solar, and some breakthroughs that may make sunshine a valuable commodity. There is a company called Solyndra that is making cool new cylindrical solar cells. Check out EcoGeek for the full article, but the idea is that the cylinders will be easier to install and have more surface area and require less orientation to the sun. A company called Konarka is working to make simple panels for portable power needs. The Most exciting news is the move into the industry by some big companies. The more the competition, the higher the demand for innovation. We are seeing solar panels that are designed like roof tiles, solar panel windows, and even solar panels being integrated into the skin of buildings.

Now, solar panels are starting to pop up all over the world. Jimmy Carter had them installed on the roof of the white house in the seventies, and I hope Obama will put them back. In Israel, there is a new kibbutz that is slated to be the first solar powered community. Duke energy is renting rooftops in North Carolina to produce a portion of its electricity for the grid from solar power. In Spain, reflectors are being used to concentrate the sun’s rays and make them more efficient. Dubai, who never does anything small these days, is building an entire covered mixed use center under a solar powered roof. How much electricity could be generated in war torn countries in the Middle East that do not have reliable electricity? Holy Sunshine-even the Pope is getting into the act. He is having solar panels installed at the Vatican! I think that solar power is an idea whose time has come!

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The Secret is Out! Great Lakes Design Collaborative will be moving in 2009!

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

As the year draws to a close, we at Great Lakes Design Collaborative are taking a look back at some of the cool things that happened over the year. The biggest news is the acquisition of a new building for our offices. The deed will be recorded in the morning and we will be starting 2009 with a new project. I plan to have a daily blog update on our progress, as we shoot for LEED certification on a building that is over 100 years old. For everyone who has thought about going green, feel free to ask questions as we move forward. I will let everyone know about the trials and successes in all areas of the project-from permits and construction to certification and recycling. Here is a picture of the site as it stands today:

As the site looks today

As the site looks today


As you can see, this is a big project. We are excited, because we want to help be part of the change of the entire EcoVillage neighborhood. The buildings are located at the corner of 58th and Lorain, adjacent to the Eco Village Townhouses. Around the neighborhood will be the new Green Cottages being built by the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust. The entire site will be green and we are going for LEED certification, at a Platinum level. The space on the right will be refurbished and leased. There will be two spaces for lease, and we are currently looking for interested tenants. The space on the left will include a gallery space and our offices. The rest of the site is another exciting project, but you will have to watch for more details! Want to see what the site will look like? Check out this great rendering:

The future home of GLDC

The future home of GLDC

We are happily working with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corporation, and are happy to be a part of their vision for this under appreciated area.

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Posted in Cleveland, Green, Our Offices | 6 Comments »

Not going Green could cost you some green…

Monday, December 29th, 2008

There are studies about everything these days-flu vaccines, why people vote the way they do, how bat sonar is affected by wind turbines-but there is one that really stuck out for me. A. T. Kearney published a study on how the retail supply change is being affected by going (or not going) green.  Mainly they are talking about packaging and environmental concerns are soon going to affect the retail sectors ability to compete.  They coined a term that was new to me:  Ecoflation.

“The Ecoflation scenario is a vision of a future where companies have to deal with environmental costs previously borne by society,” said Andrew Aulisi, director of WRI’s Markets and Enterprise Program. “Environmental concerns are driving a global trend of policy activism and regulation. Our scenario describes this trend and the most pressing environmental challenges, and finds that the earnings of consumer goods companies are exposed to significant risk rising out of their supply chains.”

This seems like good news to me. While the language is confusing this is still a good read. As if on cue, I found this article by GreenBiz.com. It is all about how a group of industry leaders are working on a plan to green up the supply chain. It is great news for us environmentalists, as members include Wal Mart, and Sysco.

The stewardship group has set an ambitious goal for what aspects of the food chain should be addressed; among the list of issues to be addressed are employment processes, pest management and pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions, packaging use and impacts on soil, water and stormwater.

One reason that this is important, is it shows us how we can make a difference with our buying dollars. Retail often leads the way in green agriculture, but now we are getting the “big boys” involved. As Whole Foods has taken over most of the natural foods market, consumers have demanded greener products across the board. Case in point is the selection of organic produce, natural foods, and naturally raised animal products that are being integrated into nearly every store.

The next move for us consumers is to insist that retailers embrace sustainability on a corporate level. Shopping only at stores that have green stores is an idea (being in the green interior design industry, I think this is idea #1). Supporting business with a green corporate strategy is another. It is great to buy organic produce, but if you by it from a conglomerate who doesn’t recycle or do anything to reduce electricity is supporting the wrong company. It is up to us, the consumers, to tell big business what we believe is important and make them follow through. The easiest way is with our dollars. You have to buy food anyway, buy it where you can make a statement.

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Give a Hoot! Don’t Pollute!

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Once more, I left the house and found a random plastic bag has blown up into the yard and ended up at my steps.  I understand that sometimes things get away from us in the wind.  When the wind whips a piece of paper out wrapper out of my hand, I pick it up, but I am no more likely than anyone else to go chasing it down the street.  I guess this is the universe’s Karmic revenge.  Nearly every day, rain or shine, winter or summer, there is new garbage in my yard.  I used to think that people just tossed all their litter on the ground.  I watched one garbage day, however, and noticed that nearly all the cans in my neighborhood weren’t covered.  A slight gust of wind, and the contents resting on top are blown off.  We know that the sanitation workers aren’t going to pick it up.  It will lay on the ground, be picked up by the breeze, and eventually end up in the lake, river, ocean-or my yard.  So please, cover your garbage.  If you want to throw it away, make sure it stays gone!

Litter is a definate problem in our area. I have watched many a person unwrap their candy bar and toss the wrapper on the ground. I saw a kid throw a pop can right in the middle of the street while riding his bike. One car at the corner market had a car in front. When the driver got back in, she rolled down her window and threw a bag of fast food garbage right onto the street and rode off. The real tragedy was that the shop keeper keeps a can or box in front of his store-less that 3 feet from this woman’s car. In a city where we complain about the city being poor and needing a make over, start with your garbage. Keep our city clean, and spend the city’s money on something more important.

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Posted in Cleveland, Green | 3 Comments »

Bring back the Crying Chief

Friday, December 26th, 2008

I am a child of the sixties.  Born at the very end of the baby boomer generation.  Those of you old enough should remember the poignant commercial featuring the native American.  I ran accross these great ads on You Tube and thought that I would post one.  But which?  In the end, I decided to post these three, as I think they speak for themselves.  It’s an interesting look at how we have made so little progress in the last 30+ years.


Then, in 1978, this ad aired:

Twenty years later, this ad ran in 1998:

Ten years later, should we bring this campaign back?

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Do Not Call-Do Not Mail!

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

I hate junk mail.  Who doesn’t?  But I mean that I really hate junk mail.  It exhausts me.  The average person spends 8 months of their life dealing with junk mail.  With identity theft on the rise and the need to shred, I bet it is more than that!  I have to open all the credit card “borrow money checks,” the offers of credit and anything with my name on it and shred it.  I have to open every envelope from American Express, because they often diguise their special offers to look like a statement.  I get the Gold Clipper coupon book.  It has the same ads every time, and I have never used it for anything, but they still send it.  I also get a weekly circular.  Someone must know that I don’t buy the paper, it is mostly advertising and therefore a waste of trees) because I get all the coupons and sale ads that I have been trying to avoid.  Top that off with the coupons and special values from any store that I have ever bought an appliance or had change my oil, and it is quite a stack.  I used to have a tiny mailbox, in the hopes that the mailman would just stop bringing some of it.  Somehow that didn’t work.

The ones that irritates me the most are the charities that send me return address stickers.  First off, I don’t like being pushed into anything.  If I wanted the darn stickers, I would buy them.  I don’t.  I use them-why just toss them in the recycling bin?  Still, I am not going to send you any money (i never have, why would I start now?) and I have return address stickers to last me a lifetime.  images

How does one really get rid of this mountain of wasted paper?  I try to always opt out of sharing information when the credit card company send me their privacy policy.  Sometimes it can be quite a tricky matter, calling between 2 and 4 am on  Tuesday or Thursday-Mountain Time.  I have tried calling some of the catalog senders, and the best I have gotten is “we send that to everyone.”  Yeah, I know.  That is the problem.  Some companies are so sure that you are gonna send away for that Obama painted quarter or silver dollar with the twin towers on it that they send me a prepaid return envelope.  I sent it back empty.  They have to pay for getting it back, and it is my belief that it is their surcharge for wasting the paper in the first place.  They never learn, I still get them.

That is why I love the group ForestEthics.  They are working to save the world’s forests.  They have published a study that indicates that junk mail produces the equivalent emissions of 9 million cars.  They want it stopped, and so do I.  They are making corporations accountable for their actions and rating them on their policies.  Check out the Naughty & Nice list.  They have started a petition to start a US Do Not Mail Registry.  If you are like me, then you are already listed on the do not call registry.  Amazingly enough, it works.  In the past couple of years, I have only gotten one telemarketer call.  Politicians, charities are not included, nor are the surveys that I opt into.  I love it!  No more screening my calls.  No more jumping out of the shower to grab that call that is some guy trying to sell me carpet cleaning.  Just think, you could be free from all that crap that you don’t look at anyway.  The mailman will love you for lighteneing his load.  The recyclers will have less to pick up.  Less trees will have to be cut down.  It is a win/win.  Some print media makers may end up out of work, but I am willing to take that risk.  I mean, direct mail is considered successful if it gets 4-5% response.  Reason enough for them to consider another line of work!

I urge everyone to sign this petition.  Go here and sign it.  It only takes a minute, and it costs nothing.  Unless you like opening junk mail, in which case stop by on Fridays and I will give you mine.

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Paper Made from Poo! Saving the Elephants-One Dungball at a Time!

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

While visiting Bizarre Bazaar, one vendor was selling this great product. It was paper made from elephant dung. No, it didn’t stink and it wasn’t crappy-let’s get those jokes out of the way up front. The product is by a company called Mr. Ellie Pooh. They feature paper products like cards and journals that are 100% handmade. The content is 75% recycled elephant dung.  The products are all natural, made from 100% recycled content, use no toxic chemicals and are naturally colored using water soluable salt dyes.  They don’t make all their own products, some of the more exotic selections come from a company called Maximus.  Maximus uses the same environmental friendly processes as Mr. Ellie Pooh, but they use some other fun recycled materials like cinnamon bark and rice paddy straw.  While the papers themselves are cool, and the final products are nice, it is the overall story that I love here.

Mr. Ellie Pooh products

Mr. Ellie Pooh products

First, they are recycling.  This is a subject that is important to me, especially without having curbside recycling (get on the ball Cleveland).  There is plenty of recycled paper out there, but this is true innovation at work.  Who first thought up the idea of using elephant poop?  What about other animals?  Since it is natural, it is bio-degradable too.

Second is supporting workers in underdeveloped countries.  These companies are located in Sri Lanka, not a country that springs to mind when speaking of a robust economy.  Making these papers gives jobs to people who might find it difficult making a living.  By supporting these types of companies we are also telling emerging economies that the environment should play a big role in their future development, a story America hasn’t been so quick to tell.

Mr. Ellie Pooh also has programs that allow groups to sell their products to raise money.  Now organizations can sell real crap to fund band camp or get shiny new uniforms.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather buy elephant pooh paper than another overpriced chocolate bar!

Lastly is the story of the elephant and the land.  In a time when forests are being wiped out to make room for cattle, companies like Makimus and Ellie Pooh are trying to preserve the land in order to support the elephants.  The story of this majestic mammal is becoming a modern day tragedy.  First hunted for their ivory, now poached for many uses, the elephant has been driven to the brink of extinction.  Even if elephant hunting were to miraculously stop overnight, their natural habitat is rapidly diminishing.  Some elephants in the wild are so terrified by humans, that they will starve rather than cross a road.  By using the dung to produce paper, companies like these help to support orphanages and reserves for these beautiful creatures.  In a country that has nearly 10% of the Asian elephant population, these efforts can make a rather large impact.  In addition, the long term plans of these companies are to expand and harvest wild elephant dung, an effort that could employ more people and make preserving the natural habitat in Sri Lanka a priority.  Money talks, too.  So they make a profit on the goods that they manufacture.  This means that this is no charity.  Profit is king, and who knows, perhaps a profitable venture like this could spread the idea to other parts of the globe and jump start efforts for other elephant populations like India and Africa.  In fact, I just discovered that it is already being done in Thailand!  Who came first, I don’t know, but it could be an elephant dung explosion!

This product is available at local zoos and across the country.  Check out the website and see where.  Save the elphants, buy some poo!  If you are organizing a fundraiser, then sell some poo and make a difference!

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Posted in Green | 2 Comments »

One Block off the Grid

Friday, December 19th, 2008

I found a group that I have recently joined and I encourage all of you to do the same.  It is called One Block Off the Grid.  This is a community site that enlists people from various geographic area to sign up.  If enough people from one city sign up, they will bring it to that town.  Their goal is to make solar electricity more affordable by using group pricing.  They get a bunch of people together in one area who want to install solar panels and negotiate huge discounts.  Members of the first campaign saved up to 40% off solar power.   This seems like a great endevour!  The biggest issue in installing solar is making it more affordable for the average household, and in Cleveland we can use all the help that we can get!  As we have seen from recent events, there is great power in numbers.  If enough people are involved, 1BOG works with the city, the suppliers, and the community to help everyone make the best possible decision based on real facts.

Even if they don’t start a campaign here in the NE Ohio region, you can get access to a lot of information from this site.  They can demistify some of the process for you and make the daunting task of even considering solar, a lot less scary.  But I still like the money part.  So sign up today, and with a little help from One Block Off the Grid, we can make Cleveland a much greener place to live!

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Posted in Cleveland, Green | 3 Comments »

Relight Cleveland’s Variety Theater Marquee-with LEDs

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

One thing that Cleveland does, that it hasn’t always done, is save old buildings. I know that Playhouse Square was in danger of facing the wrecking ball. I have seen pictures of the grand arch that once stood on Public Square. I have heard of various markets that used to stand all around the city. That is why I was so enthusiastic to read the blog titled:
The Cool History of Cleveland. I had no idea that Cleveland had other ball fields, an aquarium, a huge ice rink at University Circle, or that the City Hall is relatively young. The reading is fascinating.

the Varety Theater

the Varety Theater

While reading it, I was struck by how another Cleveland Landmark is being saved. The Variety Theater is located at 11815 Lorain Ave. According to Cinema Treasures:

Warner Brothers opened the Variety Theatre in the 1920′s, and became independent by the 1950′s. The theatre, a huge theatre with a balcony, had shown sub run films during the 1970′s, and brought in cult midnight movies in the early 1980′s. The theatre was also used as a “haunted theatre” for a couple of years in the 1980′s, in which there was a haunted tour of the theatre, while horror films were playing on the screen.

Lack of off street parking and the high cost of utilities and other expenses for a single screen theatre forced the Variety to close in 1984. Later on, a private school in the Cleveland area, Freedom Academy, used the theatre as a performing arts school. A boxing academy last occupied the Variety.

Since 2006, the Variety Theatre has been in the process of restoration and renovation by new owners, the Friends of the Historic Variety Theatre, which hopes to reopen the theatre as a venue for both onscreen and live performances.

While attending the most recent Cleveland City Council meeting, I discovered that Cleveland invested a bit of its own money in saving the Variety. Councilwoman Brady was the champion of this project. I am excited about this renovation and glad to see that progress is being made to restore it to its former glory. There are some great pictures that you can see on the Variety Theater website. You can help with the renovaton by buying a bulb or sponsoring a letter on the marquee. My only question is will those bulbs be LEDs? When it comes to restoration, there are still plenty of ways to make a space greener while restoring it to its original glory. High efficiency HVAC, timers on lights, and reflective roofs are just a few. When it comes to theaters and lighting a marquee, my biggest concern is the bulbs being used. LED bulbs are a great substitution. They give the same effect, lower energy usage costs, and last longer. There is nothing worse than seeing a theater restoration project beginning to look rough because a bunch of light bulbs have burned out, and there is no one, or no money to replace them all. While the money is there at the beginning, I hope they will plan on LED bulbs from the very start. I offered to sponsor a few bulbs myself; if they assured me that they would be energy saving bulbs, but as of yet I have heard nothing.

Recently New York City and the Broadway Theater district entered an agreement to change all those lights on Broadway to LEDs and Compact Fluorescents. If the lights of Broadway can burn just as bright with less energy, Cleveland can too. While I applaud the city for helping to save its landmarks, I think that they should be looking at reducing the energy usage of these projects BEFORE they get the rubber stamp. If the Friends of the Variety had to add energy efficient bulbs to their plans in order to get the large sum of money from the city, I am sure it would have happened. Is this a big deal? Yeah! According to the New York Times, one theater on Broadway has over 600 bulbs. By switching them all from 25 watt incandescent to 5 watt LEDs and CFLs they draw only 20 % of their original energy. If Mayor Jackson and the Cleveland City Council want this to be the “greenest city in America” then clearly there will have to be some mandates on the money they give out. The marquee isn’t lit yet…I encourage everyone to visit the Variety website and ask them to please think about saving energy now, before the marquee is relit!

Update: I received an email from the development corp that is doing the renovation.  They say that they WANT to use LED or CFL bulbs, but they may get a corporate donation of bulbs to light the marquee.  I say, a donation of outdated energy draining technology is not a good donation.  I did however, forward the email along to Sylvania corporation in the hopes that they may make a donation of their own!  I still encourage everyone to call or email the Westown Develoment Corporation and urge them to insist on energy saving bulbs!  ( I didn;t even mention the green roof!)

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Posted in Arts & Culture, Cleveland, Green | 7 Comments »

Ohio Gets Greener-and ADDS Jobs

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

I have often spoke of building green industries in and around Cleveland. We need to be more worried about adding green industries than trying to save the failing auto plants that dot the Ohio landscape. My partner, Bud Perry,  just sent me this email that I wanted to share with all of you:

So, in these troubled economical times, factories & businesses everywhere are laying off people left and right. Meanwhile in Toledo and Perrysburg, Ohio, three companies are doing just fine. In fact, they’re doing more than just fine, they’re practically booming! Xunlight Corporation and First Solar of Toledo have seen dramatic rises in their bottom lines and Willard & Kelsey Solar Group of Perrysburg is going to be adding nearly 400 jobs. What do they all have in common? They manufacture solar panels. The news should be spread far and wide, shouted from the rooftops, blared from the streets, that Ohio is the place to manufacture alternative energy products. Willard & Kelsey, manufacturers of thin-film solar panels are even renovating a defunct factory for their new digs. Way to go Willard & Kelsey Solar Group!

solar panel

solar panel

Bud read an article in a Crain’s publication that spoke about companies who were adding jobs.  Xunlight, a technology spin-off from the University of Toledo, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight into electricity. The company develops thin-film silicon based photovoltaic products and manufacturing equipment for high-throughput production of flexible and lightweight photovoltaic modules at low cost.  First Solar (Toledo or Perysburg?) is a German-American company that also produces solar panels-their goal is to produce solar elcetricyy cheap enough to make it compete with conventional electricity sources.  Willard & Kelsey Solar Group has taken over the defunct Delafoil plant and is in the process of rehabbing the 250,000 square foot space.  Good news for the Toledo area, who seems to be becoming a solar mecca.  These companies are joining Advanced Distribution Generation, Innovative Thin Films, and Calyxo (formerly Solar Fields)  in the Toledo/Perrysburg area to add jobs to the local economy.

So, with plenty of open factory real estate, and a ready to go manufacturing work force, what can Cleveland do to bring some of these next generation “green” industry jobs here?  What about wind power?  Wind turbine manufacturing is a growing industry.  We need to make it grow here! I agree that the lagging economy, the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area, growing unemployment, and an over abundance of empty real estate can make this a scary time to invest in the future.  However, now is also the best opportunity to change the viability of this city and the entire region.  Now is the time to go green and add jobs here.  Now is the time to really  Believe in Cleveland!

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Posted in Cleveland, Green | 2 Comments »