How "Green" should Lakewood be?

[Shawn Juris]

Windmills?
Living Roofs?
Public Recycling?
LEED certification?

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
We should be greener. In any and all ways possible.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Windmills?
Living Roofs?
Public Recycling?
LEED certification?

As much as common sense and technology allows.


.

[Danielle Masters]

I noticed on the 4th for the first time recycling cans were available at the park. I would like to see recycling can throughout the city. It seems like a simple way to make Lakewood a little more green.

[Brad Hutchison]

I would love to see Lakewood be THE leader in the region on this front, and I think we're primed to do so. We have enough green-minded, progressive-thinking people, don't we? People that would love to see Lakewood be at the forefront? People that want to see other cities look at Lakewood as the best there ever was? (Sorry, I'm watching the end of The Natural.)

We need to start with a new recycling campaign, making it as easy as possible for the residents if we want them to participate. There are too many rules now... half the time they leave my stuff on the tree lawn after taking it the week before, and I don't know why. Recycling is the easiest thing to get people behind. Once we get them recycling, and feeling good about it, and making it a part of eveything they do, then other Green practices will be easier to implement.

There are a lot of great models out there in other cities, some we've discussed before on here, but these threads always seem to fizzle.

[Bret Callentine]

i'm hoping that my existing roof will hold out long enough to enable the solar panel technology to become cost effective and energy efficient for residential use.

I'd love to have them cover the entire south facing slopes. Even if it just cut my electric bill in half, i'd be satisfied.

Started riding my bike to work a couple of years ago, but not necessarily for any environmental reasons, although part of the reason was definitely green.

[Bryan Schwegler]

Windmills?
Living Roofs?
Public Recycling?
LEED certification?

As much as common sense and technology allows.


.

Agreed.

[Shawn Juris]

So cost/benefit makes sense and I agree that this is an aspect that we can capitalize on. I don't think it would take all that much to become a leader in this area in northeast Ohio. I have to admit that I was disappointed that we missed the boat on the schools and the library. I hope that there is someway that we can retrofit technology to eventually meet LEED certification in these buildings otherwise we have set ourselves back significantly.
The recycling program for residents seems to have made strides to simplify the process. I understand from one business owner that they are going to be able to participate in the city's program which would be helpful as well. The parks, schools and apartment buildings seem to be a huge opportunity.
How many businesses within this industry could we attract and what would we need to have in place to stand out?

[Brad Hutchison]

This is something I posted last time we had a discussion like this, in January:

When I googled cities with successful recycling programs, they all started with aggressive public education campaigns. Many gave recycling bins to all the residents.

From http://www.cqs.com/erecycle.htm:

Material Recycling Facilities (MRFs) - some towns have built community recycling centers to provide a convenient place for drop-off and bundling of recycled goods. In Halton Hills, Ontario, a town of 40,000, residents built a MRF which quickly became a community center. In addition to materials recycling (metal, glass, plastic, etc.) their center serves as a place to bring used household items and furniture, which is then repaired (if necessary) and resold in a year-round flea market. Recycled materials are further separated into fine categories, since the highest prices are paid for pure materials. There is educational literature on household and community composting and other environmental issues. Mainly volunteers - retired people, working people who donate their time, and students - staff the facility, which the residents named WasteWise. Halton Hills recycles or reuses over 60% of their "trash."

I commented at the time how great the old Giant Eagle would have been for this. I know that the MRF concept might be unrealistic right now... first we need to build community support/pride for a high-participation recycling program. For starters, it needs to be easy (i.e. everything in one bin).

[Valerie Molinski]

You don't need to get 'crazy' with the windmills and vegetated roofs to be green. LEED and its certification is primarily about energy consumption and its savings. There is nothing crazy in it where you are forced to use solar panels, green roofs, etc.... just more efficient systems that arent energy hogs, white roof instead of black (to lessen heat loads on a building), less caustic materials in buildings for better air quality, etc...

[Bryan Schwegler]

I commented at the time how great the old Giant Eagle would have been for this. I know that the MRF concept might be unrealistic right now... first we need to build community support/pride for a high-participation recycling program. For starters, it needs to be easy (i.e. everything in one bin).

Brad maybe I'm missing the point of this, but why do we need a centralized drop-off when we have curbside collection of recyclables. And on top of that, isn't the Berea Rd facility a centralized drop-off?

Also, I can already throw all my recyclables into one bag, I don't need to sort so I'm not sure how much easier it can be.

Like I said, I could just be reading it wrong or missing a piece...it's entirely possible

[Shawn Juris]

How do we correct the mistake of not building the library and schools to be LEED certified?

[Brad Hutchison]

I was just throwing out interesting ideas from communities with successful recycling programs and responding partly to Shawn's question, "What would we need to have in place to stand out?" What I like about the MRF concept is that it puts recycling in the center of the community, both physically and mentally; my point being that I believe doing so is a necessary first step in a larger Green movement.

Actually a plan I like better, that I've also mentioned before in past threads, is one I encountered in Aurora, IL. You have to buy stickers to place on your garbage bags, while recycling, of course, is free. Residents have one big recycle bin that everything goes into: metal, glass, paper, plastic, etc. That gives residents the easiest possible way to recycle, and monetary incentive to do so, while at the same time giving the city some funding for the waste and recycling programs.

[Bryan Schwegler]

I'm not so sure that a central collection facility would be the best option especially compared to curbside pickup as far as the "hassle factor" goes.

For example I religiously recycle in Lakewood, but during my brief exile in Willoughby Hills, I didn't recycle eventhough they had a collection point because it was just too much of a hassle.

I do really like the idea of stickers for garbage bags though, seems like a good solution.

[Brad Hutchison]

I'm not so sure that a central collection facility would be the best option especially compared to curbside pickup as far as the "hassle factor" goes.

I agree with you on that; if we want people to recycle, we need to make it as easy as possible, give them incentive to do so, and make it always apparent in their minds. Having recyclable receptacles in the parks is awesome... the more visibility recycling has, the more people are going to think to do it at home. Even the Lakewood Historical Society's concession stand at the vintage base ball game Sunday had a recycle bin. I thought that was awesome.

But it's that visibility factor that I like about the MRF concept, and the fact that community events could be organized there (like the flea market mentioned above). It makes a great vehicle for introducing new Green ideas to the community. But you're right that curbside pickup will maximize participation.