John McGovern · SustainLane ranks Cleveland #1 for Local Foods

September 22nd, 2008

via Peter McDermott @ LocalFoodCleveland.org >

Each year SustainLane releases the “most complete report card on urban sustainability in America”, which ranks the 50 largest cities in categories like air quality, green economy, metro congestion etc.

This year Cleveland placed first in two categories: local food/agriculture and water supply.

As I see it, these are arguably the two most important categories in the entire study. Without a sustainable food and water supply, the basic functions of a city cannot be met. As the challenges we face in creating a sustainable regional economy become more pressing, it is essential that we have this basic infrastructure in place to meet the needs of our city. It’s great to see that we’re getting national recognition for all of the hard work being done by leaders in Northeast Ohio.

The report notes “12 farmers’ markets and 225 community gardens reported, serving truckloads of fresh food to its population of over 450,000. A nearly 600 percent increase in total number of farmers’ markets and a sizable increase in community gardens since 2006 explain Cleveland’s ascent in this rankings category.”

In fact, Cleveland has over 20 farmers’ markets but we’ll let that slide.

Category: Economic Development, Entrepreneurs, Food, Gardening, Sustainability

3 Responses to “SustainLane ranks Cleveland #1 for Local Foods”

  1. Trevor Clatterbuck Says:
    September 25th, 2008 at 4:38 am

    Not to mention the dozens of restaurants proudly serving locally sourced foods! Cleveland certainly has one of the strongest local food economies I have seen, and it has literally been my job to do such due diligence (it’s necessary for writing a business plan and more)! My company has sold to over 50 restaurants in Cleveland, and that is in 12 weeks of operations. I’m glad I found this post…I’m putting the SustainLane on my radar for next year to make sure Cleveland can again rank at the top again.

    Congratulations to all of the local food heroes in this city!

  2. Ed Morrison Says:
    September 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    This recognition presents a very promising economic development opportunity. See how Portland OR is organized to focus on the opportunity: http://snurl.com/3tz4y

  3. Mark W. "Some Guy on Bridge" Schumann Says:
    September 25th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

    You’re right, Ed. Locally grown food and access to fresh water will only increase in importance as transportation becomes more expensive. They are things that Cleveland has naturally, like the sun in Phoenix and the moutain views in Denver. We absolutely should use them to our advantage.

    Speaking of local food, have you tried http://www.cityfresh.org ?