Light Up Lakewood

After the First Energy light bulb debacle, the City of Lakewood is taking a proactive approach to encouraging residents to use high-efficiency light bulbs. The City has joined forces with a local Lakewood business to offer light bulbs at a reasonable price as part of its Light the Night campaign. Lakewood’s Neighborhood Block Club Program is starting a Light the Night campaign to encourage residents to leave their porch lights on at night as a safety mechanism.

As part of the Light the Night campaign, the City has partnered with Lakewood Hardware, 16608 Madison Avenue, to offer residents affordable high-efficiency light bulbs. During the month of December, Lakewood Hardware will sell two 75-watt high-efficiency light bulbs for $5.00. They will also provide a recycling container in their store to recycle burned out light bulbs. “After First Energy’s absurd proposal to provide residents with two light bulbs for over $21, we wanted to offer our residents a reasonable alternative for purchasing the high-efficiency light bulbs,” stated Mayor Ed FitzGerald. “With the block clubs promoting their Light the Night Campaign, we decided this was the perfect time to promote the use of high-efficiency bulbs and partner with a Lakewood business to make it easy and affordable for our residents.” Residents interested in more information about the Light the Night campaign or starting a block can contact Mike Tuttle, Lakewood Block Club Coordinator, at (216) 529-6657.

Best Place to Raise Kids

BusinessWeek magazine has published its third annual ranking of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids.” Partnering with OnBoard Informatics, a New York-based provider of real estate analysis, BusinessWeek selected one town and two runners-up for each of the 50 states.

Lakewood was rated the best city in Ohio, followed by Parma and Strongsville.

With a population of 53,000, BusinessWeek say Lakewood has a median family income of $68,883. The magazine also cited Lakewood's location on the shores of Lake Erie, its affordability, tree-lined streets and great schools. To compile the ranking, BusinessWeek limited the study to towns that have at least 45,000 residents and a median income of between $40,000 and $125,000. Categories analyzed included school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, other amenities, and diversity. Affordability, safety, and school test scores were given the greatest weight.

Source: Business Week and LakewoodAlive

Thanksgiving Food Drive Serves 300 Families

Join the many Lakewood volunteers, donors and sponsors who will come together to gather and deliver two large bags of food to over 300 needy families and seniors in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Your help is needed to sort food on Friday and help us deliver food to those in need on Saturday.

The Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation (LCAC) will be holding their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21. Friday sorters will be accepting and sorting food from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and doing perishable bagging 6 to 7:30 p.m. On Saturday perishable bagging and delivery to families will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Come witness one of the greatest community efforts at the Masonic Temple located at 15300 Detroit Avenue. For more information, visit LCAC.

Source: Lakewood Observer, by Jeff Worron

EcoLakewood November Meeting

EcoLakewood's November meeting was held at the Lakewood Library with a healthy attendance and good session of idea sharing and suggestions. Here are the brief updates.

Bill Corrigan, Division Manager and Lead City Engineer, was the guest speaker that underscored the importance, challenges and potential solutions related to our city sewer/storm water system. While the city is devising strategies to re-manage and mitigate problems associated with regional water/sewer overflows to Lake Erie (common for most NEO cities), simple solutions were discussed on how to educate Lakewood residents.

First, disconnecting down spouts will help in delaying the large amounts of water that is transferred from our storm/sewer system to the water treatment plants. While going to the source, the residential homes, is the primary approach, many are just not aware that our system needs a major upgrade. Target areas in Lakewood are on a combined sewer and storm system, which have significant overflow of sludge, storm water and other organic compounds to Lake Erie. Secondly, rain barrels and rain gardens are ecological, low-tech solutions that can assist with water diversion control. Again, universal city access to rain barrels may not be an overnight option; however, large Cleveland entities such as Great Lakes Brewery, Progressive Field and Horizons, Inc. are giving away free rain barrels on a first come first serve basis. The discussion wrapped up with a short Q&A session, followed by a proposed suggestion to host a workshop that educates residents about connecting rain barrels with the help of LEAF, LakewoodAlive and E4S. More community updates will be shared as events unfold for our citizens, business owners and local institutions.

Beck Center for the Arts Party

Dust off your favorite ball gown or white tie and tails and swing into the Mayor’s Charity Ball, hosted by Mayor Ed FitzGerald, on Saturday, November 14, 7 p.m., at the Beck Center for the Arts. All proceeds from the Ball support the quality education and theater programs at the Beck Center.

For more than 78 years, Beck Center for the Arts, located at 17801 Detroit Avenue, has been a pivotal partner in the vitality of Lakewood. The largest cultural institution on Cleveland’s west side, the Beck Center is home to an award-winning professional theater and offers more than 140 classes each week in dance, music, theater, visual arts, and creative arts therapies for artists of all ages.

Food and beverage take center stage! Several Lakewood restaurants and area businesses have shown their support for the Beck Center and are contributing to the event. They include: 56 West, Aladdin’s Eatery, The Beck Café, Blue Onion Take Out & Catering, Brennan’s Floral Gift Shop, Buckeye Beer Engine, Dewey’s Pizza, Edible Arrangements, Elmwood Home Bakery, Friendly Mini Mart, Great Lakes Brewing Company, India Garden, Italian Creations, Melt Bar and Grilled, North Coast Wine and Beer, Pacer’s, Panera Bread, Players on Madison, Route 6, Rozi’s Wine House, Sam’s Food and Beverage, and WineStyles.

The evening will include live music from the Beck Center’s top talent and a silent auction of art from the area’s most renowned artists, including Mary Lou Ferbert, Yarek Godfrey, William Gould, Dr. Marcello Mellino, and Phyllis Seltzer. Mayor FitzGerald will also conduct the Presentation of the Key to the City to Lakewood residents Ellen and John Bryztwa.

Source: Lakewood Observer, by Holly Lauch & Missy Toms

Green Business is Smart Business

Why go green? - Whether or not you are directly involved in a “green” business, building sustainable practices into your business model is a very smart thing to do. Research studies show that more and more people expect businesses to make, sell and/or support environmentally responsible products and services. They are also looking for businesses to participate in simple environmental practices (e.g. recycling). In addition, more and more people are choosing to buy locally. Many green practices will save such direct expenses as energy costs, reusing products and reducing use of paper, ink.

The Triple Bottom Line - The performance of public companies today is no longer simply measured by bottom line profit, but rather there is a focus on what is commonly referred to as the “triple bottom line”: people, planet and profit. The idea is that not only dollars matter, but also how companies care for people they employ, companies’ relation to the community and what the companies are doing to be responsible stewards of our planet. This performance measure is quickly migrating to the private sector as well.

What can you do? - The opportunities are endless and many are easier to implement than you think. The three R’s remain the key: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce the amount of packaging you use, the number of catalogs you receive and the amount of material that you print rather than storing it electronically. Reduce energy usage by switching to energy-efficient lighting and a programmable thermostat. Reuse packing materials or shredded documents if you need to ship or store items. Reuse single sided-documents to print material for your own use or as scrap paper. Recycle paper, glass, cardboard, plastic and solid waste. (Check out the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District) for lots of great information on recycling.). One more thing; Be sure to choose local suppliers for your own purchasing needs!

Green Halloween Tips

When we think of Halloween, we think of orange and black, but green can be a Halloween color, too! Here are some helpful tips on how to make your trick-or-treat activities more environmentally friendly this year.

Unplug the Vampire: Certain electronics such as laptops, televisions, and especially cell phone chargers continue to draw power even when you are not using them. It is called the “vampire suck” and you can kill them at the source by using handy devices that have on/off switches such as WattStopper and the Smart Strip Power Strip.

Happy Pumpkins: For those uncarved pumpkins, be sure to think about the reduce, reuse and recycle options. Pumpkins make great soups. The seeds can be toasted in the oven for a snack. The core can be added to your local compost for rich nutrients. Use your imagination!

Shop Local, Buy Local, Eat Local: Friends and family enjoy Halloween candies and chocolates. Be sure to shop and buy local treats from local stores in Lakewood such as Sweet Designs and Malley’s Chocolates.

Chocolate Walk

On October 29th, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., you’ll walk Detroit Avenue between Manor Park Avenue and Mars Avenue, visiting the 30 participating businesses and receiving a delightful chocolate treat at each stop. Some, like chocolate soup and chocolate lava cake, you’ll enjoy on the spot. Others you’ll be able to take home to savor later.

First Federal of Lakewood is the first tour stop, where you will pick up your Chocolate Walk bag. On display there will be a myriad of gift baskets for which you may buy raffle tickets, $1 each or 6 for $5, and participate in a Chinese auction.

The event also includes a search for the golden eggs. A dozen numbered golden eggs will scattered among the businesses on the Walk. Find them all and you’ll receive a raffle ticket at the last stop. Lakewood’s own Cats on Holiday will keep you movin’ and groovin’ down the street with their toe-tapping “swamp pop” music from 7:00 – 9:00.

The evening ends with the Grand Finale Sundae Bar, sponsored by Giant Eagle, which will be open from 8:00 – 10:00 in the former Thrifty Peddler at the corner of Detroit & Marlowe. The raffle prizes will move there so you’ll get a second chance to enter the raffle while you enjoy your ice cream. Ticket purchases are also available at the following downtown merchant locations:

1. Geiger’s – 14710 Detroit Avenue
2. Plantation Home – 14401 Detroit Avenue
3. Lion & Blue – 15106 Detroit Avenue
4. Rozi’s Wine House – 14900 Detroit Avenue

Source: LakewoodAlive

Spooky Pooch Parade

Pirates, Skeletons, and Elvis! Oh My! This year’s Spooky Pooch Parade is sure to bring out even more scary, wacky and creative costumes. Join the dogs and their humans as they kick off Halloween on Saturday, October 17th for the 2nd annual Spooky Pooch Parade. To register please visit here.

Cleveland’s most famous dog will be joining the parade. Chomps, the Cleveland Brown’s mascot, will lead his fellow dogs down Detroit Avenue to show off their spookiest costumes and to show that dogs love Halloween too. Does your pooch have the best costume? Let our judges decide. Judges include Donna Miller, Plain Dealer reporter; Jack Gustin, president of Lakewood Hospital and his wife Jan; Jim Crawford, Lakewood Public Library’s new director; and Donna Blakesmit, CCLAS/Lakewood Animal Shelter representative. All proceeds from the Spooky Pooch Parade will benefit downtown Lakewood revitalization and the Lakewood Animal Shelter.

Source: Lakewood Observer, by Lacey Hoffmann

LEAF Harvest Festival

Come celebrate local food with your friends! We will closing down the street to make room for music, food, and the Fall Harvest Festival by the LEAF community. Expect to see games for the kids and the best pie bake-off in Northeast Ohio. This event is open to the public. To learn more about LEAF and their mission, click here.

EcoLakewood September Meeting

Local citizens had the opportunity to hear what’s “shaking” or more like what’s “breaking down”, when it comes to modern day trends of composting. While many of you are interested in the various ways to compost, one local Cleveland based firm, Nature Friendly Products, shares how they focus on the stream of our food plate to our food bins. Located in Solon, Nature Friendly Products, distributes biodegradable cups, containers, trays and more. Nature Friendly Products boosts clients such as The Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University. Their products are fully compostable within 50-100 days in commercial composting facilities (e.g. digestors), providing consumers with a safe, eco-friendly alternative to landfill disposal. Surprisingly, there is no need for scraping or sorting as that often helps with the breakdown process. Currently, Nature Friendly Products meets BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) standards for compostability, are California ASTMD approved and US Compost Council Certified. For more information, please visit their site.

Art of Recycling: Part Two

If you missed some of the activities around Earth Day, there is a new kind of receptacle on the streets of Lakewood along Detroit and Madison Avenue. Local artists were called upon to help beautify Lakewood as part of a trendy “green smART” community project. The assets of the “Art of Recycling” contest were revealed on the front steps of the library. The goal was to creatively design a 55-gallon bin that would encourage recycling in the community.

Green Smart Gifts, Local Girl Gallery and Lakewood is Art selected eight artists, provided them a $150 stipend to cover the costs of materials and time, and viola! While seven bins might not be enough (evaluations are being tracked) - it is a step in the right direction.

Art of Recycling: Part One

We are currently commissioning artwork for “The Art of Recycling” Recycle Bin Project. A total of eight artists or groups of artists will be selected to create artwork on 55-gallon recycle receptacles to be displayed throughout Lakewood. The postmark deadline for artist applications is March 1, 2009. The unveiling for these works of art will be on the steps of Lakewood Library and is planned for April 25th as part of Lakewood’s Earth Day Celebration.

Selected artists’ designs will receive a $150 stipend to cover the costs of materials and time. If your design is chosen then 50% of the stipend will be given to you upon approval and acceptance of design. The other 50% will be given to you at the completion of design.

Please be sure to read these instructions completely before submitting your application and designs. Your designs MUST meet the criteria to be considered for creation. Below you will find instructions that will help us to make sure that your creations are functional, safe, and will withstand the pedestrian usage and traffic in Lakewood.

Instructions for The Art of Recycling Project:

I. Bin Specifics
a. Bins are 30″ diameter and 34″ tall, and are currently surfaced w/nature stone. Artists need to keep this in mind when creating their designs; but can also resurface the bins as they see fit.

b. Bins will be located at one central location for artists to work on during the month of April as part of the City of Lakewood’s Earth Day Celebration.

II. Design
a. Cans and bottles must have a clear, unobstructed path to the liner contained inside of the bin.

b. The bin must contain no sharp edges, or any pieces that might be broken into sharp pieces.

c. There should be no wires or puncture hazards.

d. The hole through which the beverage containers are placed must be entirely smooth.

III. Materials
a. Bins and materials must be designed to withstand Lakewood weather conditions as well as pedestrian traffic and usage.

b. Materials must be chosen that will last under human and natural elements and that will retain their beauty and design for many years to come.

IV. Jurors
The jury will be a panel of professionals in the fields of art, design, and sustainability. Jury selection will be made by March 7, and selected artists will receive additional information(including dates, times and location) at that time.

Thank you for your interest in the Art of Recycling project. We look forward to receiving your proposal and your designs.

Questions can be forwarded to Ruth Koenigsmark, Lakewood is Art(216) 521-2894 or rkoenigsmark@yahoo.com. Artists can send or drop off their design submissions to Local Girl Gallery (16106 Detroit Avenue) or Green Smart Gifts (14534 Detroit Avenue) no later than March 1, 2009.