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Reduce energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings by 10 percent, largely through weatherizing existing homes and businesses.

Purchase and generate 20 percent of electricity from alternative energy services such as solar, biogas, wind and hydroelectric sources.

Decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels.

Divert 70 percent of solid waste away from landfills.

Plant 300,000 trees throughout the city, which would help reduce air pollution and help manage stormwater.

Nutter envisions ‘green’ city by 2015

Full report available on the GreenWorks Philadelphia web site.

There has been a huge amount of activity in “green” or sustainability practices all over the world. I, for one, am very excited to hear about all the innovative ideas that are currently being generated especially here in Northeast Ohio.

I had the privilege to attend Cleveland State University’s alumni event last night featuring Majid Rashidi, Ph.D., P.E., Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department who presented on energy and unveiled his renewable energy design idea. Over one hundred alumni were in attendances that were thrilled and impressed about his patent, a prototype coming to fruition near one of the CSU buildings.

His prototype, therefore, is an entirely new concept in capturing maximum wind capacity away from the traditional wind turbine displayed at the Science Center. Visually it is a smaller version but technically it will display four mini wind turbines (2 stacked on either side) affixed to a “water tower” type cylinder apparatus.

When I recently drove to the CSU campus, using the Chester exit, to my surprise a metal, scaffold structure currently being constructed along the side the Physical Plant building off E. 25th. It will also power a sign affixed to the building advertising CSU’s and Dr. Rasidi’s innovation in wind energy. Dr. Rashidi also described it as the “urban” wind turbine because Cleveland does not have as much wind as Texas.

I am looking forward to the success of this project that will hopefully revolutionize and redefine what Cleveland can be in the future. It is also inspiring the talent and creativity we have here in Cleveland as well.

He will also be working on another prototype that will be displayed at Progressive field in the very near future.

Please check out the link to gain further information on this project.

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/giving-turbines-a-boost-with-curves/#more-563

• Cleveland Magazine: RTA considers elminating 7-day-a-week service
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  Love Marc's vision of life in a digital city. Can we marshal the resources to make Cleveland the first?

A special section of the Philly News:

Rethinking Philadelphia

Some interesting articles:

Economic, social and environmental forces – not to mention a new president – are transforming the nation and the world with breathtaking speed.

They are also fueling an almost about-face in the fortunes of the Philadelphia region, propelling it to the forefront of the coming change. A renewed focus on metropolitan regions, especially older, denser core cities and their surrounding suburbs, like this one, has been building for the last few years. In recent months, the focus has become sharper and the future clearer.

The metropolitan moment

The big shifts in national policy on the environment, energy and transportation are all well-suited to collective decision-making. And federal economic stimulus money is also targeted to these areas, as well as foreclosure prevention and workforce development, which also reap benefits that go beyond county boundaries

The big idea: Think globally, act collectively

The new Metropolitan Caucus announced earlier this year brings together local elected officials from the five counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania (including Philadelphia) to focus on issues of common interest.

City makes new friends

“Every state and every region in the country is stuck with some form of anachronistic and expensive local government structure that dates to horse-drawn wagons, family farms and small-town convenience . . . it’s time to reorganize our state and local government structures for today’s realties rather than cling to the sensibilities of the 20th century.”

Forget ‘Kumbaya’: The dirty little secret on regional thinking

Bending to the pressure of the recession, the Yankees today announced new ticket prices.

Tickets in the first row of sections 15A, 15B, 24B and 25 will be reduced, from $2,500 to $1,250, per regular-season game.

Yankees announce new ticketing plans

• Stand By Me video mashup
  From @marccanter4real

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• Bytes From Lev: Oracle and Sun – Redux
  Lev quoted in the WSJ!

• Internet for Everyone | Help define the future of the Internet in America.
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Yesterday, I was in Washington DC representing Purdue University on the Education Council of the National Association of Manufacturers. The Council consists of about 30 members drawn from all levels of education across the country.

Roy Church, the president over Lorain County Community College, sits on this Council. The work of this group is fascinating. They are sharing their innovations in moving away from systems of public education that no longer work. Their focus is not education reform but education transformation.

Among other things, we got a briefing from the Boston Consulting Group on new international research focusing on the linkage between education and innovation.

I came away from my meeting of the Council impressed by the extent to which Roy Church has become a national voice for education transformation.

The day before, I was representing Purdue University at the Council on Competitiveness in Washington.

A smaller gathering, this meeting focused on the evolving role of colleges and universities in regional economic development. The staff from the Council had called together representatives from Penn State, The University of Akron, and Purdue to explore a national network of colleges and universities guiding the development of new models of regional economic development.

This week, we were exploring new models of regional leadership. It’s clear to me that Penn State, The University of Akron, and Purdue will form the core of this new network.

Back in Cleveland, civic “leaders” are still trying to decide — after a decade of trying — where to locate a convention center. (Which, if wildly successful, will generate low wage jobs in the hospitality industry.)

The pie fight continues.