Brewed Fresh Daily

The future of Cleveland began yesterday at E4S’ annual meeting, where they used a blog powered by “harvesters” to captured the flavor and feel pf the folks gathering there. Visit ClevelandsNewStory.com/ to get a glimpse of what Cleveland is becoming.

I only need 2 Prius and probably not that many solar panels:

Sure, the $66,666.67 per household may not be enough to buy a Tesla Roadster, but this money could go a long ways towards stimulating a green economy. If $700 billion was distributed to every US household for green technologies, each household could buy:

* 75 solar panels that produce 200 watts each
* 3 Toyota Prius
* 25 wind turbines that produce 3.4 kWh per day

Well, you get the idea. Rather than dividing the money up among households, the investment could turn our economy green on a larger scale…

Imagine a $700 Billion Bailout for the Environment : Red, Green, and Blue

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.

I’d like to do the same with my mulberry tree:

In an effort to eat fewer imports during Cleveland’s winter I made a decision to learn to preserve food this summer. I began with the fruit that grows in the backyard of my century-old, Ohio City rental. First, I tackled the annoying mulberry tree by my driveway. Giving myself an attitude adjustment about the mushy, stinky, fly-attracting mush, I decided to pick the ripened fruit before it hit the ground. I got some recipes online, some mason jars, and some pectin and made my first ever batch of jam. It was fun, edible, empowering, useful and gift-worthy…

You really should click thru and read the rest of this post, it’s packed with info and well-written.

Lustfelt 4 My Rustbelt: A Lady’s First Larder

From Michael Feigenbaum:

So after labor day here we are at the farmers markets every week the tables are full with the bountiful harvest.The selection gets better by the week, i am curious why the consuming public always seems to thin out about the same time? This is due to 1. kids back in school 2. weather is less perfect 3. people have less time to shop. Are these accurate answers? i do not know but would love to hear from some people who could help understand this phenomena and suggest how we could increase the traffic when the food is so abundant…

for heaven’s cake: market musings

Last week I found myself disagreeing with Polensek over the proposed carwash for 185th St. While I’m glad he’s taking a stand against the RTA’s proposed cuts (particularly the elimination of ALL community circulators), I don’t think he’s helping the case by being angry:

An angry Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek spoke for most of the people at the Tuesday afternoon meeting when he said “the cuts you are proposing are falling on the backs of working men and women, the elderly and the poor.”

He said elimination of some circulator routes will harm riders and the businesses who serve them, noting that RTA will stand for “Return To Automobiles.”

Polensek acknowledged to role of fuel prices, but blamed some of RTA’s costs on “million-dollar articulated buses,” the $200 million Euclid Corridor Project, and the Lakefront Line extension of the RTA rapid system.

Interesting that the deficit for public transportation is equal to the revenue from the new Cuyahoga County tax set aside for the proposed Medical Mart (that isn’t happening). Which would you rather invest in? Public transportation or convention center space? What’ll have more of an economic development impact?

RTA riders decry proposed cuts, price hikes

Just got an email from fest organizer Debra Weaver complete with sponsor info. I’d be happy to send it to you if you’re interested:

On September 13, Wick Park will be transformed into a “green world” that will include environmentally oriented businesses, community organizations, and local and regional agencies. Throughout the park, there will be workshops, displays, demonstrations, entertainment, food, and “green” merchandise vendors. The Festival itself will be put together with an emphasis on sustainable practices – minimal energy and resource consumption, maximum recycling and waste reduction…

Youngstown Moxie II: The Grey to Green Festival :Youngstown, Ohio

From Tim Ferris:

At a time when ridership is making buses bulge at the seams, cutting service and charging more for what remains is the last thing you want to have happen. Service and bus routes should expand; administrative staff should be cut; salaries should be cut; grants should be acquired; general taxes should be levied. But service should expand both in the number of buses circulating each route and in the hours of operation.

We found out recently that GCRTA has no idea how many people actually ride these things. We ride quite often, and the fare boxes are always inoperable.

The shopping areas depend on bus traffic. So do schools. So do the legion of newly minted commuters.

Here’s some input from somebody who buys and uses a weekly ticket at all hours and for all destinations…

I agree. Just when a major shift is happening in people’s transportation habits, discouraging ridership is a bad move. Any other suggestions or comments on RTA’s proposed changes? Will you be attending one of the public meetings?

Tim Ferris: this is just about the last place to cut

Tri-C has an important announcement about its new Green Academy.

A week or so ago, the Toledo Blade carried a story about the potential of green jobs in Ohio. The story tracked a new report on green jobs issued by the University of Massachusetts. You can download a copy of this report from this page.

From Chris Varley:

TheStreet.com’s Jim Cramer sees Cleveland and the surrounding rust belt environs as harboring the next wave of true innovation, trumping even the much vaunted Silicon Valley. From ValleyWag…

Tech Futures » Blog Archive » Cleveland Valley vs. Silicon Valley