On November 20, 2004 - about a month after I set up realNEO, as I was still configuring the site - one of the first "books" I established was called "Dear Peter", in honor of Clevelander Peter B. Lewis, Chairman of Progressive Insurance. As I added "categories" to the site, and moved away from using books for general content management, I made "Dear Peter" one of the first categories on realNEO, allowing members to designate their content to be listed with other "Dear Peter" content. I doubt most realNEO visitors have ever noticed Dear Peter exists, or known the meaning.

For decades, Peter Lewis has been one of Northeast Ohio's most inspiring and demanding leaders. I dedicated a category on realNEO to Peter Lewis because he has inspired me to "disrupt IT" with his proactive, positive challenges of authority in Northeast Ohio and worldwide. I know the Lewis family to be high quality intellects truly committed to the betterment of this community and the world, and I support their pursuits here. They challenge me to push the envelop for realNEO.

Before realNEO was dedicated to Ed "Citizen" Hauser - while Ed was still alive and working FOR REALNEO - we were dedicated to Peter "Billionaire" Lewis... since November 20, 2004:

Until marijuana is legal for economic development in Ohio - and then America-wide - I will be sorting through the various MMJ proposals being developed for Ohio and the world and will keep realNEO readers informed of important developments, like... from the Columbus Dispatch, today:

The Daily Briefing: Billionaire Peter Lewis floating marijuana ballot issue
Monday, May 2, 2011  10:16 AM - By Alan Johnson - The Columbus Dispatch

I strongly recommend all Cleveland-area schools be required to implement the following cheap, simple, educational program to raise public awareness of our poor air quality in Cleveland, teach area children and their friends and families about the harm of pollution, and protect our children from excessive pollution and the mental and physical damage that causes them, their families and our society and economy.

To do this properly, each school should feature modern, effective air quality monitoring equipment, offering students and stakeholders an exceptional learning experience... and better health. The flags don't even need to be physical - they may be virtual, and presented via the Internet so all parents and concerned citizens may always monitor the air quality and health of our next generation of Clevelanders.... from real Greenversations from DC:

Raising the Flag for Air Quality Awareness

Posted on May 2nd, 2011 - 10:30 AM

Last week, I joined security officer William Jones when he visited a group of students at the First Environments Day Care Center located on EPA’s Research Triangle Park campus. The purpose of our trip was to raise a yellow flag on the pole in front of the school.

When Officer Jones asked if the kids wanted to help him, they cheered in unison, “YES.”  They eagerly held the flag while Officer Jones hooked it to the chain, watched as he raised it – and promptly asked why the flag was yellow. Officer Jones explained that the yellow flag meant that the kids could play outside, “because the air quality was pretty good today– not the best like what a green flag means.”

Industrial hemp has played a significant role in American history. In fact, in the early 1700's American farmers in Virginia were required by law to grow it. Today, healthy and sustainable hemp products are sold across the country, but American farmers are prohibited from growing this crop.

Sunday, May 1 · 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Mayfield Regional Library
6080 Wilson Mills Rd
Cleveland, OH  

Location

The Ohio Medical Cannabis Act of 2012

A Message From The Campaign

Apr 27, 2011

For the better part of a decade, advocates have attempted to pass bills in the Ohio General Assembly to provide Ohio's sick and dying citizens with safe access to medical marijuana (cannabis). However, when confronted by this issue, our state's elected leaders simply shy away. While the effort to pass a bill in the statehouse is still being pursued, there is another way citizens can enact change.

If a group of citizens feel strongly that an issue has not properly been addressed by the Ohio General Assembly, they can propose an initiated constitutional amendment to the people for a statewide vote. This is the route we've decided to take, placing the issue before the voters on November 6, 2012.

McDonald's "shocked" by video of woman's assault over using restaurant bathroom.  Big 3 News Senior Contributor Ethan Sabo discusses the McDonald's assault. One victim and two attackers are not loving it today after an alleged vicious beating was captured on video at a McDonald's franchise in Baltimore, Maryland. The three-minute video shows a 14-year old and 18-year old female punching the 22-year-old victim in the face, pulling her hair, and shoving her to the ground.

Cannabis Commerce founder and journalist Lory Kohn, at KushCon II

In a nation crying for new industry, with budget shortfalls impacting every level of government, cannabis commerce is a shining star hovering on the economic horizon. Cannatax generated from cannabis commerce could provide a lifeline for embattled governments desperate to maintain vital services in the face of rising costs.

It isn’t, because demonization derived from the 1930s is responsible for marijuana “activists” settling for medical marijuana initiatives state-by-state instead of working together to overturn federal prohibition altogether – which effects legalization for every state in one fell swoop. This is a bizarre situation, where a group of like-minded citizens who overwhelmingly outnumber the opposition behaves like a minority which has to beg, plead, and cajole for “patients’ rights” instead of everybody’s rights. 

Potential Biomass Energy Distribution among Ohio Counties (in Billions Btu's)

I imagine the fuel purchasing administrator at Dayton Power and Light (DP&L) thought he was the target of a Tea Party April Fool's joke when he received an email first thing April 1, 2011, suggesting his Century-old, investor-owned, Ohio utility may lead an historic Constitution-oriented new American Revolution against taxation of his enterprise without honest scientific representation.

On Thursday, April 7th, 2011, on the Green rooftop of the Environmental Health Watch Building, Environment Ohio released a new report showing that smog-forming pollution from Ohio’s power plants puts children’s health and Ohio’s environment at risk - Environment Ohio - Clean Air Program Reports - Dirty Energy’s Assault on Our Health: Ozone Pollution - 2011-04-07.  From the press release for the news conference announcing this report:

Power plants create the ingredients for dangerous ozone pollution, commonly referred to as smog, and the report ranks which power plants emit the most smog-forming pollution in Ohio and nationwide, and highlights the latest findings about how smog impacts our health and environment.

The report comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to finalize a standard in July to help reduce smog pollution, which could save up to 12,000 lives per year. Yet Congress and industry lobbyists are working to keep EPA from doing its job by threatening to block rules that limit dangerous air pollution. Environment Ohio is urging Senator Sherrod Brown to stand up for Ohioans’ health and support the EPA.

This update contains solicitations for renewable energy generation, renewable energy certificates, and green power as a courtesy to our subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, these requests for proposals and solicitations are neither supported nor endorsed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Green Power Network.

I had the good fortune to attend the first World's Fair held in Japan - Expo '70 (日本万国博覧会, Nihon bankoku hakuran-kai). The theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind" and one of the main principles of the master plan was that the wisdom of all the peoples of the world would come together in this place and stimulate ideas. The Expo featured demonstrations of early mobile phones, local area networking and maglev train technology. At age 9, I rode Bullet Trains 100 miles an hour and thought the world could be no more modern than "modern" Japan, of 1970. 

At the same time I was exposed to the modern power, wisdom and vision of all the world-peoples' progress and harmony at 日本万国博覧会, in Osaka... 福島第一原子力発電所 was being born, in Okuma, representing the ultimate in "power"-wisdom and vision of that nuclear age. The Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant was connected to the grid around 40 years ago, in 1970, and the world hasn't really evolved our "power"-wisdom beyond that now-ancient "modern" time... as our 1970s "modern" energy technology and world are melting-down.

Earth Month Tip of the Day: It's electric.

Today's environmental tip: It's electric! You can check how much of your electricity comes from renewable “green” power sources, such as wind or solar. Green power produces less carbon emissions, reduces air pollution, and helps protect against future costs or scarcity of fossil fuels. If green power is a consumer option, check price differences from suppliers before you buy.

Today's environmental tip: Be sensible! The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact only one percent of all water on the planet is available for humans. Buy fixtures and products that are water efficient - you can use less water to get the same job done just as well. When you go shopping, look for the WaterSense label to find water efficient products.

Today's environmental tip: Be extra aware of environmental conditions where older people live! As we age, our bodies become more sensitive to chemicals and environmental conditions. So you should carefully use products such as pesticides or cleaning solvents near areas where older adults live and sleep. Always follow the directions on the product package or label.

Today's environmental tip: Make it a full load! Run your dishwasher only when it's full. Don't pre-rinse dishes - tests show pre-rinsing doesn't improve dishwasher cleaning, and you'll save as much as 20 gallons of water per load. When you buy a new dishwasher, look for one that saves water. Water-efficient models use only about only about 4 gallons per wash.

Compliance and Enforcement and Water News (Region 5): Vice president, two managers of waste treatment facility sentenced for Clean Water Act felonies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 4, 2011

Vice president, two managers of waste treatment facility sentenced for Clean Water Act felonies

WASHINGTON - Three officials of Ecological Systems, Inc. (ESI),  an oil reclamation company that operated a centralized waste treatment facility in Indianapolis, IN, were sentenced  in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana  for felony violations of the Clean Water Act. The prosecution stemmed from ESI's intentional discharges of untreated wastewater and stormwater from its facility directly into the Indianapolis sewer system.  

"The Clean Water Act is designed to protect our nation's water resources, and the defendants' repeated attempts to hide the plant's capacity to handle the wastes that ESI accepted  and excess rain water threatened those critical protections," said Randall Ashe, Special Agent in Charge of the EPA Criminal Investigation Division's Chicago Area Office.  "Today's sentences prove that those who willfully circumvent our nation's laws and put Indiana residents and nearby homeowners at risk will be caught and prosecuted."

Today's environmental tip: Heading to the beach? Check out the beach water before you go! We Americans take almost two billion trips to the beach every year, but people who swim at the beach sometimes get sick because the water is polluted. The good news is in the state where the beach is located, you can check with the state office to find out about the beach water - before you go.

EPA Celebrates National Public Health Week April 4-10, 2011

Posted on April 4th, 2011 - 10:30 AM

By  Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

When we talk about environmentalism, it typically brings to mind sweeping vistas and wide-open landscapes. Some people might think of saving the whales, protecting spotted owls or preserving old-growth forests. Those things are critically important – but they only tell part of the story. When the modern environmental movement got its start in the 1960s, it took hold in our nation’s cities and was led by people concerned about pollution in the air they were breathing, toxins in the water they were drinking and chemicals on the food they were eating.

The effort to safeguard our environment started – and continues to be – an effort to safeguard our health.

Toxic "CFL" Bulbs from China That We're Forced to Buy Congress's Clean Energy Bill, H.R. 2454 of April 2009 bans incandescent light bulbs by 2014 and requires Americans to buy compact fluorescent bulbs or CFLs.
The new bulbs contain poisonous mercury and pollute our landfills. It's all wrong.

Today's environmental tip: Don't idle! Remind your school system to turn off bus engines when buses are parked. Exhaust from idling school buses can pollute air in and around the bus, and can enter school buildings through air intakes, doors, and open windows. Constant idling also wastes fuel and money, and school bus engines really need only a few minutes to warm up.

Today's environmental tip: Protect yourself from sun overexposure! In summer, always apply sun block SPF 15 or more to protect your skin from solar UV radiation. Just five or more sunburns can really increase your risk of developing skin cancer. The sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. so at the times, seek shade or wear protective clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt.

March 29, 2011, the Union of Concerned Scientists reported: "In a bold move to bolster one of the few bright spots in California’s economy and set a precedent for strong renewable electricity standards nationwide, the California Legislature today approved a bill that would require utilities in the state to obtain at least 33 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as the wind and sun, by 2020.  Promoted by the governor and legislative leaders in both houses as part of a green jobs stimulus package, the bill would create the most aggressive renewable energy requirement in the country and position California as a national leader in clean energy investments."

“This bill establishes California as the national leader in clean energy, improving the environment and stimulating the economy while protecting ratepayers from excessive costs,” Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto has said of Senate Bill ("SB") X1-2 he sponsored, which is expected to be signed into law by California Governor Brown.

Below is an overview of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission’s Renewable and Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard, which requires that by the year 2025 25 percent of the electricity sold by each utility or electric services company within Ohio must be generated from alternative energy sources, and Senate Bill ("SB") X1-2, which requires California's electric utilities to increase their renewable generation to 33% by 2020. Passage of that legislation is the culmination of years of effort to increase California's Renewable Portfolio Standard ("RPS") from its current 20%.

Replacing Coal Plants with Cheaper, Cleaner, Less Risky Alternatives Would Save Lives and Curb Climate Change Emissions

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2011) – The cost of constructing or retrofitting coal-fired electric power plants and the rising cost of coal have made coal power an extremely risky long-term investment, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The report, “A Risky Proposition: The Financial Hazards of New Investments in Coal Plants,” also identified a number of other factors that make investing in coal a gamble, including its continuing threat to public health and the environment.