When we talk about going “green” all eyes in NE Ohio seem to be on Cleveland. With good reason. Mayor Jackson and his team have aplan for Cleveland to move forward in creating a green economy within the city. Goals for the city are to reduce our carbon footprint, increase recycling, reduce waste, and most importantly to drive economic growth through green industries. These are all good goals and by 2019, we hope to be the leader in not just the region, but in the country when it comes to reviving the local economy through a greener future. But if we are going to talk green, we cannot forget some of the great things that are going on around the region OUTSIDE of Cleveland.
One such project is the NEOhaus Institute. This is a grassroots organization that is working to bring an ecovillage to Akron. They have brought together local green builder, Lance Schmidt and local green consultant, Tom Crain and some strong supporters to form this “coalition”. They displayed at the Home and Garden Show and realized this positive press made this the opportune time to look at this concept.
I attended their monthly meeting last night. I was truly impressed at the enthusiasm of the attendees in the room and the thoughtful discussions that arose form the group. Topics included green zoning and green districts, putting those most in need back to work, building community, using modern technology, marketing ideas and public policy. The presentation was by a local county employee and by a rep from Ohio Prairie Nursery, a producer of rain gardens and native plants. by the way, they are having a Native Plant sale on July 17th, complete with tours of some of the projects they can help you with.
Now, this group is still just getting its legs, but in many ways that is a help. They have the advantage of building on the resources and experiences of others who have come before. They are looking at areas of Akron that are in dire need of help. By looking to the Cleveland Ecovillage neighborhood, they can see what has worked and what hasn’t. By tapping into the resources and history of projects done by CSU, they hope to engage the leaders of the University of Akron. By looking to the successes of public policy and regulations done in other cities, like Cleveland’s chicken and bee law, they can show policy makers the benefits of some of this kind of legislation. I was proud of the work they are doing and excited for them for all the plans that they have. This may be the right time for them, too. With more local companies setting up shop in the area, they can work together to make things happen.
If you have ideas or recommendations, connections or comments, I am sure that they would welcome your input. You can find more about the concept in on their site. Here you will also find their contact information. Please consider sending them an email with your insights, and help turn the entire region from rustbelt to greenbelt.
