I have had a great time working at the film festival this year. I had forgotten what hard work food service can be (I am working in the pass holders hospitality suite). Despite being on my feet, I am having a great time! I have met a bunch of great people and look forward to hanging our with them at other events in the future. I try to see a few films every year and the staff have always made the whole event look so easy and seem so streamlined. By being behind the scenes, I am seeing just how much hard work goes into making this whole thing look so effortless. Imagine a ballet of 500 strangers and 100 leads, choreographed by a madman on crack and set to the music of Chopin, Glen Campbell and Justin Timberlake-and you can begin to imagine the organized chaos that is the Cleveland International Film Festival. If you know anyone who works for the festival, call them and thank them for all their hard work.
I did manage to sneak away for a few hours last night to my favorite networking group Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S). I love the topics that are raised and the speakers that they feature. There is something great about being able to hang out with a bunch of like minded individuals, and discuss how we can all contribute to making the planet a better place. Last night they featured a group of great speakers. I enjoyed hearing about what the University Circle Inc. is doing to make that area more sustainable. They are adding more regional services in an effort to make some things more accessible, like streetside recycling bins. Ben Campbell was there from the Slavic Village Development Corp. and he had exciting things to say about the future of that area. They are working hard to address the concerns of this neighborhood that is in transition and make it more sustainable and green. I got to hear what Hyatt is up to in reducing its waste and saving energy. There was a rep from Interface. They make green carpet, and I don’t mean green as in just the color. They have a carbon neutral company that manufactures commercial carpet squares. They are leaders in the industry, by buying carbon offsets, recycling, reducing waste, etc. In fact, they look at ALL aspects of every thing they produce and make sure to make it it as sustainable as possible. They are a fantastic company with a great mission. Lastly, I got to meet Andrew Watterson, from Cleveland’s office of sustainability. We all know that things can move slowly in Cleveland, but I think that this city has done more in a few short years to make sustainability a priority than many cities in the country. Andrew and his department are doing more than their share to make that happen.
As for the office, things are still moving slowly forward. Bud has finalized the presentation for the site and we have started the application process for federal stimulus dollars. We are talking with retailers and looking for sustainable businesses who are interested in relocating to Cleveland and leasing a space in our green building. The loan packet will be going off to Shore bank in the next week, and we are consulting on forming a non profit to run the Eco Park. Next month is the Eco Village Block Club clean up day, and we look forward to starting the beautification of the outside of the building and cleaning up the garbage and weeds that are everywhere. It will also be a great opportunity to meet the neighbors!
Also next month is the Green Dream. This is an eco friendly showcase by the students of Beachwood High School. We will have a table there and plan to show off some of our designs, as well as some of our eco friendly materials. It is being held at the Beachwood Community Center on April 17, from 1-7pm. Come by and see us and the other exhibitors. Best of all-it is FREE! We hope to see you there.
Tags: Cleveland arts, Cleveland neighborhoods, Events, New Office
