I have to give my shout out to Mark Rabkin who was the first to alert me to this video. Cleveland is truly an awesome place to be right now!
Posts Tagged ‘Go Green’
Cleveland is the place to be right now!
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 How much progress is still progress?
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009A friend of mine on Facebook asked the question, what was better about the “good old days?” It started me thinking. How much of the “green” and sustainability movement is really just a return to the old ways of doing things.
We bought a Victorian era building. Much of it was coolled with passive air circulation from the basement, and now architects are trying to build on that design and improve it. Unfortunately in the hundred years in between, we got caught up in the great idea of indoor cooling and central air. This building has a natural high insulation value due to its triple brick construction. Today, Americans are moving back to thick wall construction to make buildings more efficient.
When it comes to food, we are all thrilled with the idea of locally grown food. We pay extra for organics, and go out of our way to find meats and eggs that are free of hormones and antibiotics. We act as though the ideas of eating seasonally, cutting back on meat, and growing our own food is a brand new concept. Truth is, at one time most food was organic. While there has been use of some forms of natural pesticides as far back as the Sumarians, artificial pesticides were not heavily used until the 1940s and 50s. Before the refrigerated rail car, all fresh produce was seasonal. Home canning insured that vegetables were preserved naturally. In Victorian era days, some fruits and vegetable were so exotic that they developed special utensils just for the purpose of serving them. Celery had a special dish, as it was rare to see it at the table. Dairy products, meats, and poultry were farm raised and free range. It wasn’t until we started packing animals in cages so small that they couldn’t move and stacked so tightly together that infections ran so rampant that we began to pump them full of antibiotics. Thus also began the introduction of hormones to increase yields. I won’t even start in on all the genetically modified produce that we unknowingly consume every day. To make fruits look riper we blast them with nitrogen. We even stripped the nutrition away from flour and rice to make it whiter. Then because it had no vitamins, we had to “enrich” it.
Before the rise of the automobile and the suburb, this country was built on cities with walkable neighborhoods. People used streetcars to get into the city centers. Outlying areas were farmlands that sustained themselves. The idea of commutes and driving one person to a car for miles back and forth every day was an idea that couldn’t even be comprehended.
So I am over simplifying things. Things in many ways are much improved. Cities were sooty and foul smelling places where people lived ten to an apartment. But that didn’t even begin to improve until the last few decades-remember our river caught on fire only a few decades ago. It just makes one ponder how much better some things were. People wasted less. We used and reused most everything. Clothes were repaired, not tossed into a landfill. When one ate out, a proper restaurant was the destination. Today, many Americans go through the fast food drive through and eat in their car in the parking lot-generating a ton of wasted paper and garbage. Paper was used to light fires and not tossed. I bought a rotary reel mower, which has been used for years, but paid nearly as much as a gas powered machine, that is likely to last only a single season.
How much have we sacrificed in the name of progress? Isn’t it funny how today progress often means going backward?
Are we really that lazy?
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009As I sit next to the open window, enjoying the fresh breezes drift in, the quiet of mid afternoon is being shattered once again by the landscapers. Across the street and several doors down is a home that has their lawn managed by a service. Why, in heavens name, I do not know. This is a standard residential lot. The landscapers merely mow and trim the front yard-a small plot of land that would be barely large enough for the truck they use to haul their machinery. I am willing to concede that I am one of the only weirdos left who insists on a reel mower powered by my own strength. I can concede that they may need to use a powered trimmer-after all it is a service, it should be well trimmed. What blows my mind is the size of the riding mower that these guys employ. The first time they rolled up, I was mowing my own lawn. I thought that they were unloading so that they could do several lawns, or at least the front and back. No, just this small postage stamp area. While they pulled out the ramps, figured out the logistics, mounted the mower, unloaded it, gassed it up, and mowed the lawn, I was already finished. I also did not spend a dime on gas, small engine motor oil, or upkeep. I did not haul a 500 pound monster of a machine across town to get the job done. I did not have to use a flatbed truck big enough to service a small farm to get it done. Carbon output=0.
Con we really be so lazy as Americans that we will go this far? I get using a service if you are busy or have a yard the size of a football field, but c’mon! Okay, rant over….. Please resume normal programming…
More layoffs, less plastic bags….Time for a rethink!
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Local architecture firm, KA has had yet another round of layoffs. This time they cut pretty deep, laying off shareholders. Could this spell the end of a Cleveland institution? While I do not know the ins and outs of the company or its financial statements, I am aware that the development and architecture industry in Cleveland has taken a pretty big hit in Cleveland that last few years. It has caused me to think about the future of the city and what we will be doing as we move forward. KA is an architecture firm that has been around for decades. Recently they have received some great awards for their designs by AIA, ICSC, and Cleveland Restoration Society. They should be thriving. So why the deep cuts and desperate lay offs? Is this a sign of the times or simply a bump in the road? Now let’s take a look at the Flats. The project slated for the East Bank of The Flats was the golden ticket to Cleveland’s future. It was going to change the downtown landscape, bring new business, and jump start a new era of prosperity in downtown Cleveland. As I drove by that area the other day, I had to pause. While it is true that the credit crisis is responsible for the slow down of development in this major project, why was so much of the existing building stock simply razed? Our rapid transit to the waterfront has been all but abandoned. Remaining buildings are all but empty and the entire area is a ghost town. If this is Cleveland’s future, then it is a bleak one… As I look at the stock prices of local developers and others in the building trades, I am forced to concede that these are indeed dire times for some of our biggest players.
So what does this mean for Cleveland? I think it is representation of our region as a whole. It has become time for this area, and other major areas to stop the in fighting and start thinking of the future of the city, the region and all our citizens. While we argue about the mall site, or Tower City for the new Convention Center and Medical Mart, similar ideas are being proposed in other cities. While we discuss and debate, New York is looking at their own concept of a medical mart. Other cities are beefing up their convention centers and we rattle on. When the project finally gets built, will it be too late to actually make an impact on Cleveland’s future? What about the responsibilities of Merchandise Mart Properties? Now that we have already allowed Woolstein to raze most of the flats and we are left with a huge mud patch, have we set a precedence for other companies? What if the economy takes another turn, will we have an empty Medical Mart and allow the operators to walk away scot free? It is my humble opinion, that if we have a huge mud pit with ample room, that we could easily build a convention center there. Let us simply get moving and stop the endless babble. Much like our local companies that refuse to change, if we hang on to the way of thinking and do not start to think outside the box, we are in for more rounds of layoffs (we just laid off 2 council members and it looks as if we will be laying off a couple more in a few years…). I look at our history. We tore down a beautiful Hippodrome. We destroyed a host of beautiful buildings in the name of progress. What stands there today? Some of the largest open parking lots I have ever seen. We need to start thinking of our city as a valuable asset. Our downtown real estate is too valuable to allow developers to tear it up and leave it. Are we destined to have a huge Flats Parking? We need to start thinking of Cleveland as a great town, and as such, stop bowing down to the pressures of corporate interests who may do little or nothing in the end for this town. If we want to be a “Green City on a Blue Lake” we need to institute tough legislation on recycling (especially for commercial properties) and stop the lip service. In these tough economic times, those companies who refuse to embrace change and take this opportunity to reinvent themselves risk being left behind while more nimble newcomers take away market share. Cleveland is in the same boat. If we do not take this chance to really make a real change in how we operate, we risk losing the momentum that we have started and will fall back to being the “mistake on the lake.”
What do I propose? While not being an economist or a public official, I am very opinionated. Here are some of my suggestions. I am sure that I am alone on some of them, but at least they represent some “out of the box” thinking that is needed to really get things moving in this town.
Implement a mandatory 5 cent charge on all plastic bags used at retail outlets. According to Supermarket News, Metro Inc (of Montreal) started a 5 cent bag charge in all its outlets and plastic bag use was reduced by 70%.
Immediately begin a comprehensive curbside recycling service to ALL areas of the city and impose fines for those who do not recycle. It works in San Francisco, and even Lakewood, so why not here? The savings in tipping fees will pay for the roll out and the savings in fuel costs for transporting garbage to a landfill some 40 miles away will pay for the ongoing costs. Furthermore, new business opportunities will be available. Resale of of used goods would increase and new shops could be opened.
Mandate deconstruction over demolition of existing buildings. Materials could be reused and new businesses started, like architectural salvage and used building materials. Along with that, mandate that all houses that are abandoned and not up to code must be repaired or become the property of the city. These homes could be deconstructed and the income generated from sale of the materials could stimulate the local economy. The city would then own viable property in landbank that could be sold at auction to developers and private owners for reuse.
Offer true tax incentives that attract new businesses to the city. Make them valuable and real. Furthermore, make them based on job creation and structured so that businesses see the advantages of staying in the region for longer periods (i.e. make them revocable if job creation does not stay at a desired level for 5 or 10 years).
Offer tax incentives for business that reuse large empty buildings inside city limits. The old Hugo Boss factory and Ashbury Court buildings have been empty and an eyesore for at least a decade, with no incentive to have them utilized. The Jay Hotel is sitting empty in a prime Ohio City location waiting for rehab.
Make all real estate transactions with the city transparent and rehab programs public knowledge. No more behind the scenes dealings.
Make developers use the land they buy (yes, the flats) and impose fines for not following through. This will stop things like the flats from being razed and left empty. Furthermore, make parking lots pay extra taxes for their underutilized lots. Any lots in the city limits that is used for paid parking must pay by lot size. This sill ensure dense structure. Parking lot operators will have to build upwards to make their lots more viable and the city will benefit from the taxes imposed. This will also free us from the grip of parking lot operators who refuse to sell or develop the large open lots in valuable areas (like the middle of downtown), by making them build up or lose the profitability of their current location.
While some of these things may seem crazy, I see benefits to all of them. Until we move out of our current comfort zone, we cannot expect real progress and prosperity in this city.
Calling all artists! and designers, and architects and sales reps
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Zero Landfill is one of my favorite groups. I LOVE it. Now that we have been in the business long enough to collect a shelf of binders, a stack of samples and a pile of catalogs, I am amazed at what sales reps have to deal with. Not only do they have to keep these things up to date, but they need to be shuttled about and shipped around. Many of these poor reps have piles of these in their homes or cars, and when the company updates them, what do they do with the old ones? What about the carpet samples that are no longer available? Laminate chips, flooring samples, fabric swatches, binders, tile…often these become landfill fodder. But a great group was formed a few years ago. Michael Dungan is the guy that I know that is key to this organization. His idea is that why should all this stuff fill a landfill, when there are artists who could tap into this and create great art? I was turned onto Zero Landfill in the first year by Christy Grey at the Red Dot Project. It was held in a parking lot. Architects, designers and reps brought their samples out and artists culled what they could to stop it from being thrown out. Since that first year, a lot has changed.
Since inception, Zero landfill has diverted tons of material from the landfills. In the meantime, they have provided free materials to artists and others in Cleveland. I caught up with Jonathan Sin-jin Satayathum there. Jonathan is the designer who did the decor for the Greenhouse Tavern on E 4th Street. He and another friend of mine, David Fox have been volunteering there for a few years now. Jonathoan was able to rescue a plie of prfectly good carpet squares for use in the Greenhouse Tavern. Re purposing always out trumps recycling! There are pollination days and harvesting days. One Friday is pollunating (drop off) and the following is harvest (pick up). So if you have materials that might be usable for artists or even repurposed like carpet squares, check out the site for directions. If you are an artist, or great reuser, drop by next week for a chance at some goodies! Last week i picked up a couple large carpet samples, one is a new mat by the front door and one is a cat scratcher. I was shocked to see boxes of tiles. There were enough for a kitchen floor! There were stacks of art books and work books. This made one local art teacher a happy man! It will be a great way to enrich the imaginations of his students this fall. There were stacks of wall paper sample books. The paper would be great for homemade card projects or envelopes. I wish I was a crafter! Some were so pretty they would make great art all by themselves in a nice frame. This was just a few of the items that were there last week. Come buy and pick up stuff for your next project!
And no matter who you are, Zero Landfill could use volunteers. Those samples often come in a book and must be removed so the cardboard backing will be recycled. Everything is arranged and weighed when it comes in, so pollinate days are a great time to help out! Pick up days are crazy, too so drop by and help carry boxes out for your local artists! It is a great group, so come help out. Besides, you never know who you may rub elbows with, though they may be a little dusty!
Is it finally cool to be green?
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009One of my readers commented the other day about issues surrounding the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” rule, which is a great way to conserve water. In case you are wondering why this is such an important rule to try and employ in your home, 30-40% of the water used inside the average home is flushed down the toilet. If you own a standard toilet that has any age to it, you are likely flushing a couple of gallons of water with every flush. If you drink as much liquid in the summer as I do, that can add up to 30 gallons or more every single day. I recommended cleaning with and sprinkling baking soda in the toilet to help alleviate odor issues. It made me think of the problem I have when visiting family. Do I just continue with my yellow/mellow rule? What about when visiting friends that think like I do? Have we finally gotten to the point where we can look past these issues and concentrate on the fact that water is a precious natural resource that should be conserved? So are your cool friends the one who have the lovely scent of lilacs in the bathroom, or the ones with the box of baking soda on the back of the toilet tank? This spun off into a whole line of thoughts:
How old can your clothes be before they are simply not good enough to wear anymore? I own a few suits, and they are a decade old now. So do I look out of place for having a jacket that is slightly out of style, or do I look cooler for wearing a suit whose life sycle has been extended by much more that most? What about my shoes? At what point is it not cool to keep polishing my old shoes that look like they were my grandfathers? So are your friends cooler for having the latest fashions, or for not having bought a new pair of jeans in this millennium?
Then there is my lawn. I never fertilize. Ever. I do not water. Ever. In Cleveland, when we get to those hot dry months with no rain, then my lawn just starts to look brown and crispy. I do not care. A lawn can soak up a few thousand gallons of water every year. Why? Native plants are perfectly suited to the Ohio environment and adept at surviving the harsh winters and hot summers. So why should I waste water on making a patch of grass look good in front of my home? So do you look at the nicely manicured green lawn and think, wow-how great? or wow-I hope they have a rain barrel?
My mother is a product of the 50′s mentality. She has always been the queen of whiter whites. She made sure that the lawn was always green. Her flowers were always the best bloomers. I think a little differently. If my whites are not quite as white, I can stand proud knowing that I washed with cold water and skipped the bleach. If my lawn is brown or my flowers less bloom filled, I can stand tall knowing they are organically grown with no chemicals and as little water as I can get away with. I use less cologne. I iron less frequently. So, can I finally relax and know that I am cool? What do you think?
Declaration of Independence!
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
So I get emails from a great site that I wanted to share with you. It is foodindependenceday.org. They are trying to get everyone to commit to buying the food for their 4th of July celebrations from the most local and environmentally friendly sources possible. We here in Ohio have it made! With so many farmers markets, and so many great local farms and CSAs, it should be easy. They are forming a petition to send to local government officials to encourage them to support their local economies as well by also buying local. There is an interactive map of the US that shows the locations of those who want to be on it. I was flabbergasted to see that there were no Clevelanders on the map! I know that many of you are probably growing most of your own July 4th meals yourselves, so please take a moment to sign up! Supporting local growers is a great way to vote with your dollars. Not only is your food fresher, and thus usually tastier, you are supporting your neighbors. But it is biggger than that. Locally produced food means less stress on the environment. Tomatoes trucked from California, fruits from Chile, apples from New Zealand, these things all add tons of CO2 to the air to get onto your plate. Why not stick to what is fresh, local, and seasonal. Local farmers are in general smaller entities. We need to support them, or they could go away, being bought up by corporate giants. Now I have nothing against corporations in general, but I like my food produced by the family farm, where they are more likely to care about quality of the product and quality of life for the workers and the consumers. So go and declare your food independence and lets make this map packed with little markers for Cleveland!
Those of you with kids, who are growing your own “victory gardens” should check out the whole site. Pull out your video camera, and help your kids make a video about “Why I Am A Victory Grower.” There is a great contest and your kids can get a free membership and seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. They are a group that tries to preserve and propogate rarer species of plants. The top 5 videos will also be featured a conference in Washington DC. What fun! Help bring awareness to Cleveland as a local growing hotspot and have fun with your kids while you are at it! You might even teach them something while they are not in school-you clever parent you! There are examples here.
Green and Clean
Sunday, June 21st, 2009What exactly is cleaning in a green manner and how can it be done? Can you effectively be green and still be clean? What about the methods and products that you need to use? These are just some of the questions that arise when a company tries to become more green. While there are a ton of resources out there, I thought that i would share with you some of my thoughts and ideas with you.
The main idea of green cleaning is to reduce the toxicity of the cleaning process. Introduce less chemicals to the environment, and less toxic ones at that. Toxic ingredients found in common household and consumer products include: chlorine bleach, it can irritate the lungs and eyes and in waterways can become toxic organochlorines; Napthas and mineral spirits, enough said; Phthalates and Ether-type solvents; Methylene chloride; Butyl cellosolve and petroleum distillates, the reason you wear rubber gloves when using oven cleaners; Sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide, drain cleaners; Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), suspected hormone disruptors; Ammonia, a poisonous liquid that is noxious to the lungs, and can create a form of mustard gas when mixed with bleach; and many others. At home, it may be fairly easy. Most home issues can be cleaned with vinegar, baking soda and a sponge. Little to no toxicity, no waste, and all natural. In a commercial setting, the issues can be more complicated. First choose a line of cleaners that are environmentally friendly. This may take a little effort, depending on the location, but there are plenty of options out there. Choose products that require less water. A cleaner is not environmentally friendly if it requires a bucket of water to rinse away the residue. Secondly, employ cleaning tools that are also environmentally friendly. Choose towels or mop heads that can be washed and reused. If you must you a disposable paper product, find one that is unbleached and has recycled content. Once you establish these protocols, make sure that the cleaning staff is well educated on the products. A green product does little good, if the staff is using twice as much as needed. In fact, it may become more toxic if not used in the right proportions.
The best way to green your cleaning routine is to make it less necessary. Make sure to install walk off mats. Keep air ducts clean to reduce dust. Keep windows closed during periods of high winds, or during dusty conditions. Buy products that are durable and can be cleaned easily. High traffic offices should not have white carpeting and waiting rooms with children should have dark colored furniture, with fabric that resists stains. Using less products to keep things clean is the easiest way to have a green cleaning program.
The important thing is to start now. Formulate a plan and implement it. Start with what is easily attainable, and add to it as you go along. There are plenty of resources for getting a green program to work, and a stack of books written on the subject. Feel free to email me for some options. Good Luck!
Consumers are insisting on greener packaging and healthier foods!
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009The research is coming in from many sources, and it is intriguing. I have been discussing the topic of consumer priorities with a professional in the industry via the web. I wanted to do a little research and find out if my perceptions were on target or totally off base. I was pleased to find plenty of information on consumer demand and what corporations are doing to fulfill those demands.
First I read a study from Ipsos Marketing. Like a good consumer, before sharing their findings, I looked them up and found they had a good reputation, so the data they present is reliable. They asked consumers the one area that companies needed to focus on when developing new feed products. The results were that consumers were more interested in fresh ingredients, additional health benefits, and more environmentally friendly packaging should be top priorities. Their data suggests that consumers are more interested in health, both of the body and the environment, than they are are in convenience or new and different. This information is derived from respondents around the world, not just the US or Europe. When asked to prioritize the #1 area to concentrate on, respondents averaged about 25% each for freshness, health benefits and enviro-friendly packaging. On the other hand, new and different products, convenient packaging and “quick and easy” each ranked at less than 6%. This reflects a big change over the end of the 1990′s.
Trends are showing that locally grown produce is the hottest thing in 2009, according to The National Restaurant Association. Whether that is due to taste, quality, value or environment has yet to be seen. I know that the people that I talk to on this point, say it is all of those things. Locally grown produce is simply better. It has a lower carbon footprint, is usually cheaper, and has the benefit of being fresher and better tasting. That means it falls into the concerns of the consumers mentioned above. Furthermore, the NRA says that restaurants are planning to invest some dollars in green initiatives. 40% of full service restaurants and nearly 30% of quick service will invest in green this year. Consumers are doing the same, but in a more concerned way. They are spending less on organics as food budgets have shrunk, but more in green areas that will save them money in the long run-like Energy Star appliances. Moreover, they will invest in simple things that can have an overall impact, like buying and using durable reusable shopping bags instead of plastic.
How do we really feel about the buying decisions that we make? According to a BBMG study, 77% of participants said that they believed that they could make a positive influence on the world by the buying decisions that they made. &2% have said they “punished” companies by not buying their products if they did not align with their core values. We are a mouthy bunch, too. 55% said that they have told others to buy products that were environmentally or socially responsible. Likewise, 48% told others to avoid companies whose practices they didn’t agree with. Furthermore, the internet gets that word around. 28% have said they post recommendations and reviews on blogs, message boards and social sites.
Deloitte paired with GMA to produce a report on Green Shopping Insights. Theis is the most comprehensive survey, as they interviewed over 6,000 shoppers at 11 major retailers. The report is a long 28 pages, but some of the key messages can be had in the executive summary:
Sustainability considerations either drive or influence the buying decisions of more than half the shoppers interviewed in our study. However, for most green shoppers, sustainability considerations are an important purchase driver, but secondary to other dominant purchase drivers. For most shoppers sustainable considerations become a tie-breaker when other factors are in relative parity. Because of this effect, sustainability characteristics drive a relatively large amount of product switching. Once a more sustainable product has captured the shopper’s commitment it tends to create brand stickiness by retaining the shopper’s loyalty through repurchase…
A significant minority of committed and proactive green shoppers are willing to pay more for green products, however, the larger potential population of shoppers that lean towards green want price and performance parity for sustainable products because it is not their dominant purchase driver…
We learned that there is an unfulfilled, latent demand for green products that could be realized through increased product development, in-store communication, and product availability.
The bad thing about surveys is that one can always wonder if responses are based on what the asker wants to hear. Regardless of the whys and whether or not consumers will actually do the things that they day they will, corporations believe they will. Companies across the globe are working hard to reduce emissions and provide more eco friendly products. Many grocery stores have begun reducing or eliminating plastic bags all together. Wal Mart has a goal to use 100% renewable power and be a zero waste company. They are reducing packaging in their supply chain and increasing recycling across the corporation. In fact, it has been said that to reduce shipping, Wal Mart is single-handedly responsible for the extra concentrated laundry and dish detergents that are available today. They are adding organic clothes and foods. They are expanding their seafood to be more sustainable. In some areas they are treating water and garbage in areas where there isn’t enough to begin with. Marks & Spencer is using 18% less packaging and food trays now have recycled content. DuPont is even giving awards for innovation in product packaging. All of this points to satisfying a savvy consumer with a demand for greener products.
Local Harvest
Friday, June 12th, 2009
One of my readers sent me a link to this great site. It’s called Local Harvest and it has information on local restaurants, markets, CSAs, farms, pretty much anything to do with local foods. This isn’t just for Cleveland, it is the entire country, so spread the word to your friends and relatives across the country. Help support the smaller local farmers and promote local foods!
