The Latest
Cleveland Metro Updates from the Field – January
Letter from the Regional Director:
OEC Cleveland Metro: January 2023 Updates
Hello!
Happy New Year to you all! Here’s to hoping for a prosperous and fulfilling 2023.
The OEC, working alongside awesome partners and city officials — and with the support of our members — advanced some critical environmental priorities across the Greater Cleveland area in 2022. This year, I am excited to continue working with partners to support Cleveland City Council and the Mayor’s office in their sustainability and climate justice work, as well as Cuyahoga County in their efforts.
Thank you for subscribing to these newsletters to stay informed about what’s happening in our region. I hope you continue to stay informed and take local and statewide action for our environment throughout this new year!
Sincerely,
Brian D. Siggers
Cleveland Metro Advocacy Director
Regional Events & Opportunities:
Jacquie Gillon Scholarship & Awards Luncheon
February 7, 2023 | 12-1:30 PM
Fenn Tower (1983 East 24th Street Cleveland, OH 44115)
The Black Environmental Leaders Association (BEL) is hosting this scholarship and award luncheon in honor of one of their beloved founders, Jacquie Gillon. Purchase your ticket and learn more about Jacquie Gillon’s legacy.
The Building Envelope’s Impact on Efficiency
February 16, 2023 | 8-10 AM
This online educational event put on by 2030 Districts, is a great opportunity to learn about energy efficient building design. This event is perfect for engineers and LEED professionals looking to earn continuing education credits. Details and registration.
Winter Social at Century Cycles
February 17, 2023 | 6-8 PM
20132 Chagrin Blvd, Shaker Heights, OH 44122
Bike Cleveland is hosting a social event with refreshments at a new bike shop in Cleveland, Century Cycles. This event is for bike enthusiasts or newbies, and is a great spot to get answers to your cycling questions, meet fellow cyclists, and includes a bike maintenance clinic. More information.
Eco Meet CLE
February 21, 2023 | 5-7:30 PM
Great Lakes Brewing Company Tasting Room (2701 Carroll Avenue Cleveland, OH 44113)
Please join us on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 in the Great Lakes Brewing Tasting Room for our second Eco Meet CLE. Doors open at 5 p.m. At 5:40 pm, we will have a guided networking game, and at 6:00 pm, we will begin a panel discussion on local climate initiatives featuring city and county leaders. The discussion will be moderated by Danielle Doza and provide a regional view of climate actions being taken and some takeaways from attendees of COP 27.
Cleveland Metropark Programs and Events
If you need to escape the winter blues, don’t miss Cleveland Metroparks’ jam-packed schedule of fun and creative opportunities to opt outside. No wonder voters approved the levy in November 2022 to support this awesome park system! Full list of upcoming programs and events.
Regional Updates:
Mayor Bibb elected to lead as Climate Mayors Vice-Chair
During a press call on December 13, Climate Mayors, a national bipartisan coalition of mayors committed to climate progress, announced Mayor Justin Bibb would serve as Vice-Chair of the board alongside the Chair, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway (Madison, WI), and fellow Vice-Chair Mayor Kate Gallego (Phoenix, AZ). The leadership team will focus their work on climate justice, with Mayor Bibb bringing to the table his significant work toward climate justice in Cleveland. We’ve been so proud to work alongside Mayor Bibb and other organizations over the years to advance the Cleveland Comprehensive Environmental Policy Platform and integrate climate into the office of the mayor.
City Council approves plans for 4.3 miles of protected lanes
The OEC supported our partners and celebrated Cleveland City Council’s passage of the Complete and Green Streets ordinance in the summer of 2022. Early in January, we saw the first demonstration of the benefits of this ordinance with Cleveland City Council’s approval of a plan to add 4.3 miles of protected bike lanes to Superior and Lorain Avenues. We are excited to see these plans put in-action to develop multi-modal transportation options that are safe and sustainable. Read this Cleveland.com article to learn more about the new protected bike lanes.
NOACA Continues Climate Action Planning Efforts
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) kicked off its climate action planning in March 2022, when it convened community stakeholders and sustainability-focused organizations at its Climate Action Summit. They held their first technical workshop in June 2022 and recently wrapped up their greenhouse gas inventory as well as climate risk and vulnerability assessment which they presented to the public this week. The final Climate Action Plan will debut in June 2023. OEC has remained an engaged partner while providing input in their planning process. You can get involved by visiting this community engagement page.
OEC Updates:
Continuing the push for accountability to end energy bribery
This month marked the beginning of the trial against former Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. He is accused of accepting bribes from FirstEnergy to pass House Bill 6, a coal power plant bailout that made it harder to increase clean energy and energy efficiency in Ohio. This trial started right after news was breaking that dark money funded the passage of House Bill 507. We fought this bill, which wrongly classifies natural gas as “green energy” and opens our state parks to more oil and gas drilling, but the Ohio legislature passed and Governor DeWine signed it into law at the beginning of this year.
The fossil fuel industry has a lot of money moving here in Ohio, and it’s clear we need more transparency and accountability. With the power of your voices and the strength of our coalitions, the OEC is pushing for policy that puts Ohioans’ interests over the interests of industry insiders.
Gaining historic protections for an important Ohio creek
We are seeking to gain Ohio’s first-ever Outstanding National Resource Waters designation—the highest level of protections afforded under the Clean Water Act—for an Ohio creek that is home to important endangered aquatic species under threat by rapid development. Take action today to speak up for the Big and Little Darby Creeks!
Join us to cut methane emissions
Working to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry is one of the quickest, most cost effective ways to slow the rate of climate change happening now and protect communities’ health. That is why we are holding President Biden and the U.S. EPA accountable in their most recent methane regulations. Hundreds of Ohioans have joined us by sending comments to the U.S. EPA. Can we count on your voice?