Keep Akron Beautiful is encouraging all area residents to get involved in the 2013 Great American Cleanup™, by participating in the 32nd annual Clean Up Akron Month during April 2013. This year, we are cleaning up for an entire month, with the culmination event taking place on SUPER SATURDAY, April 27, 2013 at the Akron Zoological Park. We look forward to cleaning up with you, your civic groups and your families in April. For 32 years Keep Akron Beautiful has been working to recruit thousands of civic-minded volunteers to adopt a public parcel of land to clean during Clean Up Akr on Week. This year, Akron volunteers will be joined by volunteers from 1,200 affiliates of Keep America Beautiful around the country to participate in the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program that harnesses 4 million volunteers to build vibrant communities. Each year, we engage volunteers to take action…
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The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) invites you to participate in the development of two items key to the future of the Greater Akron area: Transportation Outlook 2035 and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Fiscal Years 2014 through 2017. Transportation Outlook 2035 is the area’s draft long-range transportation plan of identified needs and recommendations. The plan includes highway, transit, bike and pedestrian project recommendations that are expected to be completed by 2035. Transportation Outlook 2035 recommends over $4.3 billion in highway infrastructure investments through 2035, which includes over $2.5 billion for preservation of the existing system. The draft plan includes investment of over $1.7 billion in the region’s public transportation system and recommends $30 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements. AMATS Planning Coordinator Krista Beniston says that the draft plan represents the agency’s focus on using the Greater Akron area’s shrinking funding resources wisely. “These recommendations reflect a…
The Oberlin Project is launching another Rethink Your Ride Alternative Transportation Challenge from today through April 21. From their website 2013 Rethink Your Ride Alternative Transportation Last year during the Fall Rethink Your Ride Challenge, participants avoided over 3,700 single occupancy vehicle miles during the six-week competition. This year the Oberlin Project is coordinating this community-wide alternative transportation challenge in association with Oberlin College’s Ecolympics event for those who live, learn, work, and play in Oberlin. The Ecolympics is a competition between dorms to reduce electricity and water. In addition, there will be dozens of events aimed at education and integrating principles of sustainability into the entire Oberlin community. Transportation and housing costs can account for as much as 45% of a household income. Using alternative methods of transportation for local shopping and daily commute to work may create a healthier lifestyle, reduce transportation expense while also reducing carbon emissions….
In honor of World Water day last week, here is a Cleveland-based non-profit focusing access to clean and fresh water in Northeast Ohio and around the globe. From the Drink Local.Drink Tap website: The Drink Local. Drink Tap.(TM), Inc. focus is to reconnect people with local water in tangible activities. These activities include educational events, beach cleanups, World Water Day celebrations, public speaking, art and film making. A collective change in the understanding of the ACCESS to clean, fresh water and compassion towards others can be fostered through educating individuals within the United States, especially in Northeast Ohio. Issues surrounding the access of fresh water are taught through local activities and global projects (Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda). Individual water re-connection occurs through our Wavemaker Program. Our History: Drink Local. Drink Tap.(TM), Inc. is a not for profit enterprise. DLDT began at the Cleveland Sustainability Summit in 2009 as a volunteer…
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER: This first round of VibrantNEO public workshops revolves around a scenario called “Business‐As‐Usual.” It outlines what Northeast Ohio’s future will look like if we keep doing what we are currently doing. We need your help to define what we value and what’s most important to this region as we start to create a vision for Northeast Ohio’s future. We Can Only Answer These Questions Together! Pick a date and location that’s most convenient for you and Join Us! All events begin with an open house and registration from 5:30 – 6:30 PM. Workshops take place from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO REGISTER Tues., April 30: Lorain, Medina, and western Cuyahoga counties The Oberlin Inn 7 N Main St Oberlin OH 44074 Register: http://tinyurl.com/VibrantNEO-Oberlin-043013 Tues., April 30: Mahoning, Trumbell and Ashtabula counties John…
In 2011, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy launched an effort to combat the devastating impact of abandonment and disinvestment on Northeast Ohio’s core cities. Entitled the “Thriving Communities Institute,” the initiative targeted the reduction of vacant residential properties, primarily through demolition. These properties, according to Institute Director Jim Rokakis, reduce property values in our neighborhoods. Studies show that one vacant property on a street will significantlyreduce the value of adjacent homes. Soon, due to loss of value, foreclosures and “bank walk-aways,” the nearby homes become vacant as the disease spreads. Soon the entire neighborhood is dead and diseased, having been destroyed by this contagious and toxic process. Then the adjacent areas are infected and the disease spreads further … predictably, relentlessly, and with devastating consequences. The impact of disinvestment in the urban core also has negative implications for the region’s natural environment. Depressed urban markets drive potential residents further away…
Did you know you can view a copy of all of NEOSCC Board meetings on our VibrantNEO YouTube Channel? Our meetings are always held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 1:00 pm. In our meeting yesterday, we explored the Scenario Planning/Fiscal Impact process. This was followed by an update on the Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Study and Action Product Development. We also announced some of the upcoming communication and engagement tools that will be rolled out to the public soon. The video of our meeting yesterday will be posted to our channel over the next week. If you are curious, you can access a pdf here: NEOSCC Board Meeting Presentation. What Can I Do Today? Attend our Engagement Meeting Today in Medina County Learn All About Northeast Ohio through our DigiNEO Facts Review the Schedule for Fair Housing Forums
An excerpt from our the February Issue of Vibrant NEO! NEOSCC has been quite busy since the first of the year. We have been working with the Sasaki Team (Scenario Planning Consultants) to develop an engaging visioning process for the region that will include many opportunities to get involved and share your thoughts. Our Regional Assessments of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice team has been reviewing preliminary data and conducting a region-wide survey for government officials and housing stakeholders. NEOSCC is pleased to announce the schedule for the first round of Fair Housing Forums which kick off in March (see schedule here). In conjunction with all of this activity, we have been conducting engagement throughout the region to prepare for the Scenario Planning Process. A FEW FAQ’S What is Scenario Planning and when do we get to find out about the opportunities for engagement? At the end of this month,…
The Mahoning River Corridor People’s Garden Program, funded by a grant to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) by the United States Department of Agriculture, will provide microgrants for the establishment of gardens to serve as community educational resources to residents of Mahoning River Corridor communities. Groups located within Lowellville, Struthers, Campbell, Youngstown, Girard, McDonald, Niles, Warren and Newton Falls are eligible to apply. All projects must be new garden spaces, and can be vegetable gardens, recreational gardens, or wildlife gardens. Projects will be chosen based on innovative design, community impact, project sustainability, and the project’s potential for community environmental education. Training workshops will be held In the month of February (see dates and locations below). A representative of each group applying for a grant must attend one of these training workshops. In 2012, the program supported the creation of 10 new gardens in Mahoning River Corridor Communities, including community…
“iNaturalist is a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.” iNaturalist (http://www.inaturalist.org/) is a smartphone and web-based data gathering program designed to provide an ecological learning and teaching platform for amateur and professional naturalists alike. The world is full of naturalists and many hikers, hunters, birders, and beachcombers record their observations of the environment around them. If the record of observations is comprehensive enough, it may be possible for scientists and land managers to monitor changes in biodiversity, and allow anyone to use the comprehensive record of life to learn more about nature. A comprehensive record of nature is the primary purpose of iNaturalist. According to its website, iNaturalist began as the Master’s final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline, and Ken-ichi Ueda at the University of California-Berkeley’s School of Information in 2008. Nate and Ken-ichi continued…