The Observation Deck

Day started of with a meeting with Norm Roulet, the man behind RealNeo, the site that
holds groups accountable, and has been a huge leader in Citizens They Work For You
movement, and taking toxic polluters to task.

Then joining us was Jamie Melvin, one of the two brothers that own the Collinwood Worm
Farm, currently valued at over $10 million dollars and taking completely empty warehouses
owned by TRW, cleaning them, detoxing them, and turning them into profit centers that
employ the locals and are using funding to help rebuild the neighborhood's homes.


Betsy check out some of the very valuable worm casings. Worm farming is a $6 billion a year business in Canada.
We are not talking about bait worms. Worms have an amazing process to take even the most toxic substances and
purify them. Also they are being studied for cancer cures. The slime from worms have shown amazing ability
to heal sores from skin cancer.


Then trickling in were members of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws) and spokesperson for the "Legal Cannabis Growers of California." What
was being laid out was very interesting. Can Ohio one of the states being hardest hit by
recession wake up to the trend, and not just legalize medical marijuana, but become the
center of it?

The portfolio they carry of members reads like a list of some of the largest medical, agri,
investment lists that I can remember seeing recently. Their program converging at the
Root Coffee Shop in Lakewood, to discuss everything from John Boehner wanting to
legalize, to the Legal Growers in California wanting access to Matt's worm casings
promising a potential $6 million a year for them. This conversation started at 9am and
finished about 2:45pm. Throughout came some great lines and future interviews about
"Greenwashing" as Jamie called it. Tagging so many things Green, just because those
without critical thought will clamor for it, even when it is so not green it is laughable.
And Jimmy Kimmel's crew filming the worm farm for an upcoming documentry, which
will follow on the heel of Reason Magazine's piece on it. All kick off by the Collinwood
Observer story of it, and Betsy's conversation with Drew Carey who called then Reason
and hipped them to the entire story. The problem was Collinwood wanted high tech jobs
and fought the worm farm at every level. Not realizing they were getting the nation's
largest, most profitable, greenest project they could ever dream of. The city got nasty
and fought it, even resulting in some questionable behavior, because worm farms just
aren't as cool to say as high tech. But the fact is, the farm is more profitable, employing
more locals, and having a massive positive impact on the community, the restaurants
and the brand of Collinwood.

During this long conversation which saw at least one business spin-off into Lakewood
already. Two women stopped by who have been trying to start a killer idea for a business
in Lakewood that is desperately needed, and asked, "Did the councilman call you back yet?
We are ready to go." And I said no, but there is also space in Ward 4, and their council
person is very progressive, green and eager to see positive change come to her Ward. And
we made a date for Wed. where we will go through empty store fronts by Highland Ave.

So the questions are?

Does this city want businesses?

Are they willing to push the envelope, or is their dream vegetable oil buses?

Is this city ready to be all it can be, or are we stuck with the dreams of yesteryear?

Can Lakewood take a lead, or does it all have to be filtered through a very small myopic
group that seems to be hung up on different ways to serve ground beef.

Could Lakewood have accepted a worm farm, or do we hold out for another screw factory?

Does Lakewood want the hottest vegetarian place in the county? Or are they waiting for
Johnny Rockets Hamburgers to open?

Do our leaders lead, or are they themselves followers?

Can they dream, or are they so desperate they merely harvest the dreams of others?

Does Lakewood lead the region, or accept the dump and prison?

WOW, yesterday was an eye opener on many, many levels.

.

Another interesting side note from the meeting was heating the farm. TRW spent an estimated $1.4 million
a year heating the space. This had kept most businesses from even thinking about taking it on. $2 mill to
clean, $1.4 million to heat.

Jamie, who is very green looked at solar, thermal, wind and found all of them to be no where close to what
would make the project work. Wind and Solar was a $5 million outlay with ZERO chance of recovering it
before the cells or turbines start to fail. No to mention the massive carbon footprint they leave in manufacturing.

This is where he laughed and called it "Greenwashing" Telling people this is the way of the future. While it
might be, at this point it is merely cashing dreams, and while you can get grants it is not sustainable, and
does not pay anywhere near the savings all say. He admits we must move towards that but as a businessman
not a government he could not afford to chase "glamor groovy things" he needed to heat the place affordably.

This past month his heating bill for 75,000 square feet was $16,000. Not $160,000 as it had been. You can
read more about that in an upcoming Collinwood Observer story.

.

I would like to thank the Ward 2 Council person Tom Bullock for tracking me down on the road today.

I look forward to our meeting.


peace