ECO SPEAKS CLE

In this episode, we wrap up our Plastic-Free July series by speaking with local entrepreneur, Rachel Regula, the founder and CEO of Little Spark Refill Shop. Little Spark is Cleveland’s first retail store devoted to sustainable living and zero waste. Her stores in Rocky River and Chagrin Falls offer customers a convenient way to refill household essentials, and personal care products, and purchase products that are safe for people ...

In this episode, we kick off Plastic Free July with Elissa Yoder Mann, Conservation Program Manager with Sierra Club Ohio.  According to Elissa, "plastic-free" is more a journey than a destination, given all the ways that plastic packaging has invaded our lives, but there are ways to have a  "plastic-less" life. 

Sierra Club Ohio is participating in the global Plastic-Free July campaign by asking people to join the m...

This is the first of an Eco Speaks CLE  series on plastic. In this episode, we tackle the subject of plastic pollution with Jill Bartolotta, OSU Extension Educator with Ohio Sea Grant. Jill is a researcher focusing on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Her work informs plastics policy, international research, and education projects. Listen and hear Greg take a pop quiz about plastic pollution and hear Jill speak about how microp...

In this episode, we talk about recycling and circularity in the City of Cleveland. After a long hiatus, curbside recycling returns to Cleveland on June 13th, and here to tell us about the reinstated program and how to participate, is Cleveland’s Recycling Coordinator, Orensel  Brumfield. Also joining us to talk about the Circular Cleveland initiative is Cathi Lehn, the Manager for Sustainable Cleveland. Circular Cleveland is a 30-m...

Bike Cleveland is creating a region that is sustainable, connected, healthy, and vibrant by promoting bicycling and advocating for safe and equitable transportation for all. In this episode, our guests Jacob VanSickle and Diana Hildebrand with Bike Cleveland speak about National Bike Month and all the ways to get out and have fun on two wheels.  Are you curious about the rules of the road for cyclists and drivers, the future of car...

April 22 is Earth Day. On this day in 1970, 20 million Americans marched for clean air, clean water, and environmental justice. In this episode, we honor Earth Day with a  conversation about environmental activism with a focus on health, diversity, inclusion and equity with SeMia Bray and David Wilson, Co-Directors of the Black Environmental Leaders Association (BEL). BEL has a three-fold mission: Advocate for environmental justice...

Jessica Davis knows salvage - where to get it, how to move it, and how to help others buy and sell architectural salvage and used building materials. Jessica is the founder and owner of Rebuilders Xchange (RBX) and she is on a mission to build a salvage economy here in Cleveland. In this episode, Jessica gives us a quick tour then we sit down to talk about how she turned 70,000 sq. ft. of the old Osborn Manufacturing plant into a v...

Meet Erin Huber Rosen, the Founder and Executive Director of Drink Local. Drink Tap., Inc.™ Since 2010, Erin has been inspiring people to "Be the Drop" to recognize and solve our local and global water issues. What started as a campaign to encourage people to ditch bottled water and conduct beach cleanups to protect Lake Erie, grew into a global campaign to increase access to clean water and sanitation in rural Uganda. Imag...

Spring is right around the corner and Eco Speaks CLE is here to help you get ready.  In this episode, we speak with Alec Mclennan, the founder and president of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care and Amy Roskilly, the manager of conservation education for the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District. This episode is jam-packed with eco-friendly spring cleanup and planting tips for lawn, landscape and garden. Our experts share ways t...

Cuyahoga County and Solar United Neighbors are working to expand solar in northeast Ohio by making it more affordable and accessible. In this episode, we demystify solar power and the process of going solar by speaking with Cuyahoga County Sustainability Director, Mike Foley, and  Ohio Program Director for Solar United Neighbors, Tristan Rader.  Join us for our conversation as we hear the latest about the Cuyahoga County Solar Coop...

In this episode,  Dan Brown and Zoe Apisdorf with Rust Belt Riders speak about how they are feeding people and not landfills by collecting food waste from residential and commercial customers and turning it back into resource-rich compost and soil products to support our local food system.  Listen and hear about the importance of composting for our planet, ways to participate, and the opportunities for increasing composting access ...

In our first interview of 2022, we spoke with Patrick Kearns and Michael Bartunek about The Ohio City Farm, one of the largest urban farms in the United States. This six-acre gem cultivates fresh organic produce, along with opportunities for refugees that have resettled here in Cleveland.  Our cover photo shows the farm on a winter day while winter vegetables grow in the hoop houses and planning for the 2022 growing season is under...

In this episode, we "talk trash" and hear how the City of Brooklyn implemented a city-wide Cart Tagging project to reduce contamination in its curbside recycling. In this feet-on-the-street approach to recycling education, teams of students were sent through the city to inspect recycling carts. Households that were not recycling correctly got an OOPS Tag attached to their cart that identified what they did wrong and how to ...

In this bonus episode to Brewing for Good, we continue our conversation with Pat and Dan Conway of Great Lakes Brewing Company to hear how they got their start in the craft beer industry and opened the first micro-brewery in Ohio in 1988.  Sustainability takes on new meaning in this story because the story of Great Lakes Brewing is also the story of the rebirth of a neighborhood. Tune in for some interesting insights about these tw...

The Conway brothers are two of the most trailblazing, generous, and fun people you could ever meet. Together, they brought us craft beer, the first Christmas ale, a revitalized Ohio City, and a model company that incorporates a Triple Bottom Line approach in all they do.  Since 1988, Great Lakes Brewing Company founders and co-owners, Pat and Dan Conway have been brewing award-winning beer while also brewing good for the environmen...