It Is Easy Being Green In Northeast Ohio

"When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world." -John Muir



The people passionate about sustainability in Northeast Ohio never cease to amaze me. From the moment the realization of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability(E4S) existed, which claims 7,000 members, I have been in awe that our tiny area of the world has incredible thinkers, inventors, and
pioneers in sustainability.


Upon reviewing my weekly email from the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, I found an unusual amount of green building events. Oh maybe it is because spring has sprung but I don't think so.

Here are some of the events:

• NEO Green Building & Design Expo: http://www.neogreenexpo.com/, March 20, 2010
• Sustainability Breakfast Series: Finding Green in Existing Buildings: http://www.cleveland.uli.org/, March 24, 2010
• Majora Carter: Greening the Ghetto: How Much It Won't Cost Us, March 30, 2010
• Second Annual Green Gala featuring speaker Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: http://www.ecowatch.org/, April 9, 2010

If you live in NEO please take the time to attend one of these events.
Happy Spring!

Land, Water, Sky Connection

My husband, Patrick, and I tightly packed our two dogs and luggage into the car and were off for a week's long adventure at the beaches of the Outer Banks. If you have never visited this area of the US, you may want to reconsider where to take your next vacation. Being from northeast Ohio and used to seeing green or white depending on the season we were in awe of the constantly shifting sandy dunes topped with sea oats against a backdrop of white-capped sea and blue sky.

The sandy landscape, crashing waves and big fluffy white drifting clouds sprinkled with magnificent soaring birds became a giant playground for all of us. The dogs enjoyed chasing seagulls and running from the big scary bath water that sometimes caught their toes. Xena bit at the foam that forms from strong waves coming to shore. She loved that foam! Reece just happy to be with his people, smiling wildly in the sun and wind. My husband most enjoyed renting a Jeep and taking it off road on the beach to a remote area where we saw the wild horses of the OBX. For me it is always the wildlife that brings me the most joy. Watching creatures able to live in their natural environments with little threat enables me to relax. Not to mention the phenomenal star activity at night. I saw two shooting stars the first night. The clear open sky without the added sky glow that we get in the city showered us with flickering stars at night.

It is easy to see why we flock to this landscape in order to relax, to unwind, to de-stress. This is a connection to the earth by land, water, and sky. Spirit has given us a giant playground for our very own. We need the connection of the earth to rejuvenate and ultimately to survive. Understanding this very needed two-way connection is the first step to understanding sustainability.

Earthy Greens Collection

As an architectural sales rep for Sina Pearson Textiles I am very impressed by the use of sustainable practices for many of Sina's fabrics.

One of the newest "green" textiles collections is the Earthy Greens Collection consisting of Big Dots and Eco-Pile.

Big Dots is Crypton Green and is third party certified by MBDC Cradle to Cradle silver. The fabric boasts post consumer recycled polyester fiber content. Being a Crypton the upholstery fabric may be used in many applications from healthcare to hospitality to home use. The use of large circles along with horizontal stripes gives this fabric a hip, modern flair.

Eco-Pile is a chunky chenille and the second fabric in the Earthy Greens Collection. This chenille is woven with biodegradable and recylced fibers. With high durability(100,000 double rubs) and its soft hand Eco-Pile is sure to fit into any design.

For a glimpse of more beautiful earth-friendly textiles, please visit Sina Pearson Textiles' website at http://www.sinapearson.com/.

SURPRISE! Check out LEED certified buildings in OH

The excitement of the first LEED Platinum residence in Ohio has tripped my curiosity for what other types of facilities are LEED certified here in our own backyard in Ohio. To my surprise the list is quite long and includes a medical center, a zoo, grocery stores, universities and a church.

Curious? Take a look at what I found to be LEED certified, silver, gold or platinum:

Metro Parks Ranger Station, Metro Parks Serving Summit County, Akron, OH-PLATINUM
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of WC, Wooster, OH-GOLD
Key Bank-Tiedman LEED EB, Brooklyn, OH-CERTIFIED
Dayton Children's Medical Center, South Campus, Phase I, Springboro, OH-CERTIFIED
Giant Eagle New Albany, New Albany, OH-GOLD
Giant Eagle Market #229, Brunswick, OH-CERTIFIED
JM Smucker Company Renewal Building, Orrville, OH-SILVER
Akron Zoological Park Education Center, Akron, OH-CERTIFIED
Cleveland State University, Rec Center, Cleveland, OH
University of Cincinnati Student Life Center & Campus Life Rec Center
Ohio State-Ohio 4-H Center
Lorain Community College
Wright State
Hiram

This long incomplete list shows the commitment for a better tomorrow made by many companies and government agencies in Ohio. Many other facilities are not listed but may be committed to healthy buildings.


The USGBC(United States Green Building Council) compiles a list of the LEED certified projects in each state on it's website. To see the list for Ohio visit: http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx?CMSPageID=247.

Please send me a story about the green practices you have incorporated into your home or business.

First LEED Platinum Home in Ohio

Jetson Green is one of my favorite daily updates. Please link to them to see the first LEED Platinum Home in Ohio. A community open house is scheduled for May 20, 2009 please contact Columbus Housing Partnership for more information.

To see other LEED certified projects in Ohio go to: United States Green Building Council.

Green Ohio? Who knew?

Since the early '90's I have aspired to be a socially responsible member of Ohio by recycling, minimizing my water intake, walking when driving is not necessary and turning off lights when leaving a room. The Ohio University liberal college experience as well as the interior design program awakened me to many other ways to become a sustainability advocate. Then in my early 20's I assumed Washington, Oregon and California would be the only places to find like-minded green folks. Lacking money due to an interior designer's salary and my family kept me grounded to Ohio since those heavenly days at OU. Little did I know about the quiet green movement creeping throughout Ohio.

Ohio is now a hot bed of green activity including green building organizations, sustainable agriculture groups and alternative energy businesses. Don't believe me then check out the following links for green building organizations:
Cleveland Green Building Coalition
Northwest Ohio Green Building Council
Columbus Green Building Forum
Green Energy Ohio

Recently the Cleveland Green Building Coalition became a charter member of the USGBC(United States Green Building Council) and has formed a strategic planning committee to evaluate the green building needs of Northeast Ohio. This is very exciting to me, an interior designer/sustainability consultant focusing on helping small businesses and residences become healthier and more socially conscious all while saving money on operational costs.

Because the topic of a Green Ohio is so large and has many hats, I plan on blogging about this topic often. There is a fantastic organization called Entrepreneurs for Sustainability(E4S) that can help small businesses in any area of sustainablity. E4S is a regional organization with a list of thousands of members in Northeast Ohio. Check it out!