Send us a text We all love a good find at a vintage store and have done our fair share of donating or selling stuff we no longer want. These sustainable actions fuel a booming industry called the secondary market for consumer goods. But how much do we know about the consumer resale market? How can we make good decisions about where we donate, and how can we be savvy shoppers in the resale retail world? Joining us with the inside scoop is Kathleen Colan - a seasoned writer, author, and the founde...
Nov 21, 2023•30 min•Ep. 45
Send us a text In this episode, we bring you the conversation from Eco Meet CLE, a sustainability event held this October at Great Lakes Brewing Company. The theme of the evening was local food. Over 100 people joined us for food, beer, and a conversation about our local food system with a panel of guests that helped us explore the meaning of the term food system , the various roles within that system, and ways we might make it more local, more accessible, and more inclusive. In this recording, ...
Nov 07, 2023•49 min•Ep. 44
Send us a text In this episode of Eco Speaks CLE, we speak with New York Times bestselling author and climate journalist Jeff Goodell . Jeff has covered climate change for over two decades at Rolling Stone and is the author of seven books, including his latest book, T he Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death On A Scorched Planet . This is an engaging, thoughtful, and human book filled with stories that help us all understand how we can help address this moment. What would you do if your casua...
Oct 17, 2023•38 min•Ep. 43
Send us a text What if there was a way to save thousands of innocent birds from lethal collisions with our urban glass structures each year? In this episode of EcoSpeak CLE, we head to Lake Erie Nature and Science Center to speak with wildlife rehabilitation specialist Tim Jasinski , one of the founders of Lights Out Cleveland . Tim shares the challenges migratory birds face in navigating the dangerous cityscape of Cleveland and how we all help make our community more feather-friendly. Tim takes...
Oct 03, 2023•38 min•Ep. 42
Send us a text Whitnye Long Jones is a nature enthusiast, community engagement specialist, and environmental justice advocate. She channels these passions and skills into the non-profit she founded in 2017 called Organic Connects . Whitnye runs Organic Connects with her husband, Jefferson Jones, a lifelong outdoor educator, and outdoorsman. Together, they provide environmental education, outdoor recreation, and nature-based opportunities primarily for urban youth and families with limited access...
Sep 19, 2023•36 min•Ep. 41
Send us a text Emily Pek is a flower farmer and the owner of Frayed Knot Farm , a small flower farm in Newbury, Ohio, where she produces beautiful, diverse cut flowers and herbs that share stories, bring joy and support equitable and regenerative farming. In this episode, we visit Emily on her farm and discover her journey to becoming a flower farmer, the family roots and community behind her farm, the flowers behind the Saison beer at Great Lakes Brewing Company, and her grandpa's punny joke th...
Aug 15, 2023•40 min•Ep. 4
Send us a text Evergreen Recycling , based in Clyde, Ohio, is one of North America's largest recyclers of plastic PET bottles and its mission is to make single-use plastic a thing of the past. With four facilities across North America, Evergreen leads the industry in bottle-to-bottle recycling. In our conversation with Michael Sandoval , Evergreen's corporate purchasing manager, we talked about bottle recycling, the circular economy, and what the future holds. Join us as we explore the world of ...
Aug 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 39
Send us a text In this episode, we explore the world of beekeeping with Denzil and Sheila St. Clair. Sheila and Denzil have been happily married and very busy for 52 years, keeping bees, raising children, operating their bee business , and founding the Greater Cleveland Beekeepers Association (GCBA). Greg and I caught up with them on a Wednesday evening at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds , where they were demonstrating how to do an "alcohol wash" on a hive to determine if it contained harmful mi...
Jul 18, 2023•38 min•Ep. 38
Send us a text Eddie Olschanski i s on a mission. Five days a week, year-round, Eddie can be seen fishing for trash in his kayak on the Cuyahoga River in the Flats. Outfitted with just a life jacket, a trash grabber, and garbage bags, Eddie and his volunteers have plucked over 50,000 lbs of trash from the shipping canal, the last place the trash can be removed before it drains into Lake Erie. Eddie founded Trash Fish CL E in 2017 to keep our lake clean, educate people about plastic pollution, an...
Jul 04, 2023•30 min•Ep. 37
Send us a text Curious about how the water you use every day gets to your tap? If you live in Northeast Ohio, chances are you get some or all of your water from the Cleveland Division of Water and the process of getting it from Lake Erie to you is fascinating. Today is water appreciation day on Eco Speaks CLE and speaking with us is Alex Margevicius, the Commissioner of Water for Cleveland Water. Alex oversees the 10th largest water system in the US and the largest in Ohio. Join us as he explain...
Jun 20, 2023•46 min•Ep. 36
Send us a text In this episode, we hear from a number of Cleveland's sustainability community in this recording from May's Eco Meet CLE event at Great Lakes Brewing Company. The evening featured a community stage where we heard from local environmental organizations about their work and the many ways we can connect and get involved. A lot is happening around town, and we are proud of all the people doing this important work. Listen to their stories here and find what speaks to you. Eco Meet CLE ...
Jun 06, 2023•42 min•Ep. 35
Send us a text The Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op has been helping people use bikes for over 20 years by imparting skills that encourage riding for fun, fitness, and transportation. Guided by the principles of respect, resourcefulness, and reciprocity, the OCBC's small professional staff and its many skilled volunteers refurbish donated bicycles, teach bike maintenance and repair classes, operate a bicycle thrift store, and lead community programs such as fixathons all out of their 12,000 sq ft shop in...
May 16, 2023•39 min•Ep. 34
Send us a text In honor of Arbor Day, we discuss local efforts to reforest the Forest City with the Cleveland Tree Coalition and the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission . Cleveland was once known as the Forest City, but it's not so forested anymore, with less than 18% of tree canopy remaining in the urban core. This tree canopy loss negatively impacts the city and its residents. Two women working to understand those impacts and rebuild our urban forest are Samira alone with the Cleveland Tree Co...
May 02, 2023•45 min•Ep. 33
Send us a text April is a busy month in the CLE, so we bring you this short Earth Day episode where Diane goes solo and speaks about the first Earth Fest at the Zoo in 1990, what having a sustainability community means, ways to get involved, and what's in store for Eco Speaks CLE. Ways to Connect: Join the Eco Meet CLE 4 Miles 4 Water team Register for Eco Meet CLE on May 16 Eco Meet CLE on Linked in Low Power Happy Hour by Conservancy for CVNP Trash Fish with Eddie Olshanski NEO Sustainability ...
Apr 18, 2023•14 min•Ep. 32
Send us a text Spring has arrived, and here at Eco Speaks CLE, we are thinking about SOIL. It is fundamental to all life on earth, so it deserves our attention. In this episode, we speak with Nathan Rutz , the Director of Soil for Tilth Soil . Tilth is an outgrowth of Rust Belt Riders, transforming food waste into a family of soil products that nourish plants, people, and the planet. Join us as we ponder the importance of healthy soil, which Wendel Berry, the American poet, essayist, and environ...
Apr 04, 2023•39 min•Ep. 31
Send us a text In this episode, we learn how BRITE Energy Innovators is helping power the future of energy across Ohio by speaking with Jing Lyon , BRITE's Entrepreneur Programs Director, and Joe Rohan , BRITE's Accelerator Program Manager. BRITE Energy Innovators empowers founders to launch energy technology solutions and operates Ohio's only energy technology incubator in Warren, located in Ohio's "Voltage Valley." Over the past decade, BRITE has helped nearly 600 new energy tech startups and ...
Mar 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 30
Send us a text Meet members of our local sustainability community and hear from local climate leaders in this episode recorded during our second Eco Meet CLE event in February at Great Lakes Brewing Company. First, meet some of the people in the room and then hear from our climate panelists, featuring County Executive Chris Ronayne , Stephen Love with the Cleveland Foundation, and city and county sustainability directors Sarah O'Keefe and Mike Foley , respectively. Chris and Stephen were part of...
Mar 07, 2023•52 min•Ep. 29
Send us a text In this episode, we celebrate the national park in our backyard by speaking with Deb Yandala , President and CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park , and Donté Gibbs , VP of Community Partnerships. The Conservancy is the non-profit partner of Cuyahoga Valley National Park and its biggest supporter. Its 85 staff work to protect and promote the Park while managing its three stores, volunteers, cultural events, educational programs, and the Cuyahoga Valley Environme...
Feb 21, 2023•35 min•Ep. 28
Send us a text Elena Stachew and Moses Ngong are two young professionals demonstrating the power of youth in action. They lead the Cleveland Hub of Global Shapers. Global Shapers is a diverse community of young people working together to address local, regional, and global challenges through 522 city-based hubs located in 154 countries. In this episode, we get to know Moses and Elena and hear about the Cleveland Hub's work on climate change, youth empowerment and activism, and racial and environ...
Feb 07, 2023•51 min•Ep. 27
Send us a text In our first episode of 2023, we help you with all your recycling questions and give you options for cleaning out the clutter so you can start your new year off right. Joining us are Beth Biggins-Ramer , the Executive Director of Cuyahoga Recycles , and Matt Walters , the Recycling Programs Coordinator with Cuyahoga Recycles . Hear Beth tell us what’s new with recycling, what happens to your recyclables once they leave the curb, and how to find the recycling rules in your city. Al...
Jan 17, 2023•47 min•Ep. 26
Send us a text In this episode, we speak with Jess Boeke . Jess and her twin sister Sarah Pottle , are the co-founders of Rust Belt Fibershed and are growing a bioregional textile community within a 250-mile radius of Cleveland. Imagine sourcing your clothing from a regional fibershed where local fiber farmers, workers, and artisans produce natural clothing that originates from the soil and can return to the soil. This is the vision of Rust Belt Fibershed. Jess and Sarah are helping connect us w...
Dec 20, 2022•43 min•Ep. 25
Send us a text In this episode, we pull back the curtain on fast fashion with Aaron Jacobson , the creator of f aan , a Cleveland-based clothing company. Aaron designs and creates low-waste, locally-made, unisex clothing that supports the philosophy of true circular fashion. Circular fashion is the opposite of fast fashion, which accounts for 10% of global CO2 emissions and exploits workers and the environment worldwide. Hear how fast fashion works as we travel around the world in Diane and Greg...
Dec 06, 2022•41 min•Ep. 24
Send us a text Chelsea Csuhran is the Food Rescue Program Director with the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland . In this episode, we speak with Chelsea about food rescue and how her organization keeps usable food out of landfills while reducing hunger in our community. This happens with hundreds of volunteers she calls food rescue heroes . Hear how you can become a food rescue hero using the Hunger Network's Food Rescue app. This nifty app navigates volunteers as they pick up surplus food from ...
Nov 15, 2022•36 min•Ep. 23
Send us a text Debbie Eastburn is the director of Humble Design Cleveland , and her motto is "togetherness to end homelessness ." She and her team of designers and volunteers create spaces that families, veterans, and kids aging out of foster care can call home. And they do this primarily with second-hand items that people in our community have donated. Keeping it out of the landfill has never felt so good, knowing your items are creating warm and inviting homes for people emerging from homeless...
Nov 01, 2022•36 min•Ep. 22
Send us a text Cleveland Water Alliance is making Lake Erie the first SMART Great Lake by harnessing technology to monitor water quality, fuel research, drive innovation, and elevate Cleveland's role in the Blue Economy. Max Herzog is a program manager with Cleveland Water Alliance. In this episode, Max invites us to imagine what it would mean to have sensors and other technology collecting data throughout Lake Erie to warn about harmful algal blooms near our water crib or what it would mean for...
Oct 18, 2022•39 min•Ep. 21
Send us a text In this episode, we recap Eco Meet CLE with Victoria Avi and Danielle Doz a with Venture Forward Strategies . Danielle and Victoria helped Greg and me organize this meetup for Cleveland's sustainability community on September 20th at Great Lakes Brewing Company. Dan and Pat Conway sponsored the event, along with several other partners. It was an energizing evening of beer, stories, and connecting with the 89 like-minded people who attended. This gathering was inspired by the meeti...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text Marci Lininger calls monarch butterflies the guardian angels of the pollinator world. By doing good things for monarchs, we also help a myriad of other species that also need our help. This past summer, the monarch was officially designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Curious to know more about what that means and what can be done to help, we speak with Marci Lininger , with the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative , and a returning guest, Am...
Sep 20, 2022•45 min•Ep. 19
Send us a text How does nature move liquids? How does nature manage structural forces? How does nature sense motion and temperature? These are some of the questions that the practice of Biomimicry asks when faced with a design challenge. Our guests, Trisha Brown and Carol Thaler are two Biomimicry practitioners that are helping accelerate innovation based on solutions already tried and tested through nature. They are the Co-Directors of Great Lakes Biomimicry . Since 2010, this organization has ...
Sep 06, 2022•46 min•Ep. 18
Send us a text Upcycle Parts Shop is a creative reuse center in Cleveland’s St. Clair Superior neighborhood. In this episode, we speak with Nicole McGee , the center's scrappy founder and executive director. Since 2014, the shop has diverted over 47 tons of material from landfills while providing the materials for creative inspiration to local artists and makers. Located in the historic National Slovenian Home on St Clair Avenue, Upcycle Parts Shop is one of several social enterprises in the nei...
Aug 16, 2022•41 min•Ep. 17
Send us a text In this episode, we met up with Stephen Love , founder of Cleveland Plogs for an evening of "plogging", a fitness and litter cleanup craze from Sweden that is quickly spreading throughout the world and right here in CLE. Cleveland Plogs seeks to inspire a city to discover the joy of plogging by hosting monthly cleanups in the Collinwood neighborhood. We recorded some ploggers talking about why they plog and the issues they care about. We also picked up a lot of trash while doing i...
Aug 02, 2022•13 min•Ep. 16
