ECO SPEAKS CLE

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Eco Meet CLE is a gathering of Cleveland's environmental community, organized by the Eco Speaks CLE podcast and friends, to share a beer, have fun, and connect the people and the threads of the exciting work happening in our region. We recorded this episode during our seventh Eco Meet held recently at our favorite watering hole, Great Lakes Brewing Company. This evening featured an "open mic" where people shared news of their work, sought collaborators and promoted opportunities. Ours is a vibrant community with a common denominator: we care about our planet, our community, and each other. Hear about local sustainability initiatives in the northeast Ohio region and ways you can support them and get involved.
Learn more about the speakers and their work
Jennifer McMillin: Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council
Tait Ferguson: Trust for Public Land
Lexie St. Denis: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Val Flors: Surfrider Foundation and Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants
Ditte Wolin and Mary Beth Naim: Third Act Ohio
Andrea Villalón: The Lavender Project
India Johnson: UA Vistas
Tori Agnew-Camiener: Great Lakes International Joint Commission
Renata Brown: Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Kimberly Lessman: Holden Forest & Gardens Restoration Seed Bank
Kelly Clark: Gless Bioregion Network
Lisa Hardin: The FarmSTED - St. Edwards High School
Jeff McNaught: Edgewater Surf Foam Recycling
Erika Meschkat: J.M. Smucker Company Corporate Sustainability
Angela Yaeger: NEO Climate Summit - Laurel School

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Aidan Meany is a young clothing entrepreneur defining a new era of apparel. His team at Found Surface uses 21st-century technology and traditional, natural fibers to produce eco-friendly clothing for companies looking for ethically and thoughtfully produced garments. His new factory in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood is one of the first in the nation to use digital knitting machines to make clothing that is plastic-free, waste-free, and guilt-free. Aidan found his place in the design industry after educating himself about the fast fashion industry and the toll of overseas production on our fellow human beings and the environment. His mission is to bring production back to Cleveland and rebuild our long-lost apparel manufacturing industry in a way that prioritizes sustainable and regional production and sets the standard for ethical fashion. Join us to hear the origins of his company's name, his innovations, and how he works with his partners in the Rust Belt Fibershed to enable local farmers to process their fiber and take it to market. We also decipher our clothing labels to help make informed choices about our apparel.

Our Guest:

Aidan Meany, CEO and Founder of Found Surface

Learn More:

Found Surface - Products, Services

About the Stoll Digital Knitting Machines

About Rust Belt Fibershed

Weaving a Local and Sustainable Textile Economy - Eco Speaks CLE

Creating a Bioregional Textile Economy with Rust Belt Fibershed - Eco Speaks CLE

Designing a Circular fashion Brand with Faan - Eco Speaks CLE

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How does nature move liquids? How does nature manage structural forces? How does nature sense motion and temperature? These are some of the questions that the practice of Biomimicry asks when faced with a design challenge. Our guests, Trisha Brown and Carol Thaler are two Biomimicry practitioners that are helping accelerate innovation based on solutions already tried and tested through nature. They are the Co-Directors of Great Lakes Biomimicry. Since 2010, this organization has worked alongside academia, corporations, and business leaders to solve complex design and engineering challenges by asking "how would nature design it"? As Biomimicry 3.8 certified specialists, Thaler and Brown help us understand that in nature, there are 3.8 billion years of R&D and 30 million species to learn from. Recently, Great Lakes Biomimicry became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ohio Aerospace Institute and is working to make the great lakes region a leader in biomimicry innovation in aerospace and beyond. Join us as speak about how nature can inspire and guide all of us as we work to live more gently on this planet.
Guests:
Trisha Brown Co-Director, Great Lakes Biomimicry
Carol Thaler Co-Director, Great Lakes Biomimicry
Resources:
About Great Lakes Biomimicry
What is Biomimicry?
Janine Benyus TED Talk
The Biomimicry Institute
University of Akron Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center
ECO MEET CLE event on September 20, 2022

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Meet Erin Huber Rosen, the Founder and Executive Director of Drink Local. Drink Tap., Inc.TM Since 2010, Erin has been inspiring people to "Be the Drop" to recognize and solve our local and global water issues. What started as a campaign to encourage people to ditch bottled water and conduct beach cleanups to protect Lake Erie, grew into a global campaign to increase access to clean water and sanitation in rural Uganda. Imagine being a kid and walking 4 miles every day just to get water. Erin is changing that by digging wells in remote villages. She just returned to Cleveland after completing her 100th Drink Local. Drink Tap project and joined Eco Speaks CLE to talk about her work as a filmmaker, writer, educator, organizer, fundraiser, hydrologist, and above all, humanitarian. You will never take water for granted after hearing her speak. Erin inspired Greg and me to create the Eco Speaks CLE team to raise money for Drink Local. Drink Tap through its annual fundraiser - 4 miles 4 water. The event will be in Cleveland on June 11th. We invite all Eco Speaks listeners to participate on our team. Our goal is to raise $6,000. That is enough to fund the drilling of one well in Uganda. Find a link below.
Guest:
Erin Huber Rosen, Founder and Executive Director of Drink Local. Drink Tap
Resources:
About ErinJoin the Eco Speaks CLE team at the 4 Miles 4 Water fundraiser on June 11.
Learn about World Water Day - March 22
DLDT Wavemaker Curriculum
Buy the book Make Waves 4 Change

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If you need a reason to love Mondays, Slow Roll Cleveland is it. In this episode, Greg and I join Slow Roll Cleveland and several hundred other cyclists for a leisurely-paced bike parade through our urban streets. Slow Roll Cleveland hosts these ten-mile Monday evening rides during warmer months to highlight Cleveland neighborhoods and bring joy and community to riders and residents alike. Our slow roll took off from Shaker Square and took us through the Shaker, Buckeye, and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. It was a blast. Hundreds of cyclists on bikes tricked out with bells, boom boxes, and lights shouted "Happy Monday" to excited onlookers waving from tree lawns, porches, and driveways. Slow Roll Cleveland has been hosting these inclusive social bike rides since 2013. Board President, Kevin Jones, spoke with us before the ride about the mission of Slow Roll, how it was founded, and why these rides are so popular. We also spoke with several participants and members of the Squad, the crack volunteers who ensure the rides run smoothly and safely. Come along with us. There is magic in our neighborhoods, in our people, and in the simple joy of riding bikes together.
Guest:
Kevin Jones, President of the Board, Slow Roll Cleveland
Resources:
About Slow Roll Cleveland
Slow Roll Schedule
Volunteer with Slow Roll Squad

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