Cleveland will host the National Scenic Byways Conference October
16-19, 2005. This is a great opportunity to showcase the many great
activities occurring along Ohio's Byways. And for those involved in
Ohio's Byways to attend a national conference, learn more about byways
and to network with the larger byway community. Click here for
conference brochure and to register: http://www.bywaysonline.org/center/events/conferences/2005Cleveland/index.html

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This is day two of the the planning conference, joined with the 17th
annual Cleveland Planning and Zoning Workshop. Check the conference web
page at www.ohioplanning.org for updated and expanded information.

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This the start of a two-day planning conference will address a wide
range of planning and zoning topics that affect our daily lives.
Register before August 15th for early bird rates. Check the conference
web page at www.ohioplanning.org for updated and expanded information.
Online registration available.   Contact phone:
216-443-3700.  Contact: khopkins [at] cuyahogacounty [dot] us.

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Learn the latest in water quality monitoring, protection, and
restoration. Track one will cover credible water quality monitoring,
while track two will cover tools for watershed restoration.  Phone:

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Invited speakers will present info on the biology, life cycle, habits,
urban adaptation and management issues of the Eastern Coyote and the
Emerald Ash Borer.  Contact Phone: 
440-473-3370

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LEARN ABOUT AND SEE AN INSTALLATION OF A 'GREEN' PERVIOUS PAVEMENT:
• COOLS THE COMMUNITY
• SAVES REAL ESTATE, REPLINISHES GROUND WATER
• NO PUDDLES, NO SPLASHING
• NO RUTTING, NO POT HOLES

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Fun and educational activities, games, exhibits and a presentation about backyard conservation. Picnic lunch.

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Michael Easterling, graduate student, CSU College of Urban Affairs and Executive Director, Open Roads Institute (http://www.open-roads.net/) will introduce the strategy of integrating ecology, economy and education.

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Lake County has a $90 million/yr. farming industry and is twice as
productive farmland as any around the state. Despite the pressures of
urban sprawl, farm preservation efforts are underway. Hear from Tom
Rapini of Lake County Farmland Conservation Taskforce.

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Check out the hottest music & environmental
festival celebrating the latest sustainable local efforts to revitalize
Northeast Ohio. Rock out as national, regional and local bands take the
stage. Enjoy stilt walkers, jewelry artists, scupltors, landscaped
gardens and gourmet goodies from Lola Bistro, Baricelli Inn, Grovewood
Tavern and more. Proceeds will benefit local environmental nonprofit
groups.

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A Celebration of REI's past and Northeast Ohio's Open Source Future

Date: Friday, July 29

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Dear Friend,

Just a quick reminder, there is an excellence roundtable today, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, at the City Club.

Please stop by to brainstorm on the power of NEO's virtual community, which spans the world and is far underleveraged here at home. The outcome of these discussions will be plans for an excellence roundtable we shall hold in New York, NY, August 11, at Jones Day's offices there. The purpose of extending roundtables beyond Cleveland is to better connect our interests here with the more powerful networks found beyond our physical borders.

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At the 07.19.05 NEO Excellence Roundtable, we have some major developments to celebrate.

First, the Battle of Whiskey Island is over – the Island will remain a park… Ed Hauser will join us to discuss plans for the future, and the Burning River Festival he’s leading on August 13.

Second, the GCLAC kicked of Lead Awareness Week on 07.18.05, taking proactive steps to prevent lead poisoning of residents of Greater Cleveland – the most important pro-education, pro-quality of life initiative in the history of NEO.

What else do you and the people of NEO have to celebrate?

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Lead Awareness Week in Northeast Ohio kicked-off at 11 AM on July 18, 2005, with a press conference at the Zelma George Recreation Center, 3165 Martin Luther King Blvd., in the Mt. Pleasant/Kinsman area of Cleveland. City Department of Health Director Matt Carroll coordinated this informative and valuable insight-sharing session, with great support from area health professionals, community activists, Cleveland and Cuyahoga county staff, foundation workers and volunteers, all working together as the Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council (GCLAC). The purpose of the conference and week is to raise public awareness for the risks of lead poisoning, and support preventative action.

Ed Hauser once spent his time insuring the Flats was industrially sustainable, being a computer programmer for LTV. Then, a fortunate thing happened for Cleveland - LTV went bankrupt and Ed found a higher purpose for his life. He moved his loyalty and attention a mile or so up-river to where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie at a parcel of land called Whiskey Island. Since discovering that urban oasis, Ed has dedicated his time and talent to insuring Cleveland is ecologically sustainable and a quality place for current and future residents and visitors by fighting to preserve Whiskey Island as a free and open natural park for all citizens to enjoy.

With the recent contributions by Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff of 10 laptops and by Progressive Insurance of 75 Pentium II CPUs for donation to those in need of help across the digital divide in East Cleveland, we have tangible evidence corporations may make a positive contribution to people's lives in NEO. Along the same lines of thought, at the last NEO Excellence Roundtable, participants interested in making NEO the world's most empowering learning community discussed the value corporations have had in supporting schools and even individual classrooms.

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Thursday, July
7

Open source is a
disruptive technology. Today economic development is in the rip tide of
crumbling hierarchies and open source tsunami's.

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The Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council is pleased to announce an important statewide lead awareness week in July, which offers an opportunity to blend awareness of the harm of lead to children with the importance of investing in education. Read on:

Big news and developments to discuss this week at the NEO Excellence Roundtable.

After working in academe innovating the Case Center for Regional Economic Issues, Ed Morrison returns to the private sector to lead Open Source Economic Development (OSED) for this region and the world, his way. Join Ed at the Excellence Roundtable as we explore next steps with him. As so many of us are building our community development plans around Ed's framework, today's Roundtable is where the planning continues.

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The war in Iraq is big news world-wide. Whether reports on casualties or offensives, the news papers, airwaves and internet are on constant high-alert for stories on developments, which they publicize daily. It is thus surprising a major Iraq-related story that has been big news world-wide was not featured in the mainstream US news until this past weekend. The story is of eight secret "Downing Street Memos" - DSMs - which raise considerable cause for global public debate on a lack of US and UK government honesty and openness leading up to America declaring war on Iraq. Why are the DSMs, which the press in Europe starting reporting on May 1st, just now becoming "front page" news in America... seven weeks after the story broke in the UK?

Plain Dealer "reader advocate" Ted Diadiun felt it necessary to dedicate his 06.19.06 Page 2 Sunday column to this question, and his explanation offers critical insight on the state of US mainstream news reporting and American and Northeast Ohio society today.

The 06.07.05 NEO Excellence Roundtable had a very focused flow, starting with an update from Ed Hauser on Whiskey Island developments, following to next steps for East Cleveland, and concluding with a very enlightening discussion on making NEO the world's most empowering learning community.

At the last East Cleveland Excellence meeting at the Helen S. Brown Center we spoke about needs for affordable housing for seniors in East Cleveland, especially as they need to downsize, and affordable housing is a huge issue in general. When then looking at photos of some of East Cleveland's landbanked properties it became clear there is a great opportunity to serve these needs.

 

Throughout the history of Northeast Ohio, "Heavy Industry" has been a two-edged sword. Largely due to our water access and availability of natural resources within easy shipping range, steel became big business here and led to great wealth and many jobs. In the process, heavy industry destroyed our natural habitats and created harmful air and water pollution - today, Northeast Ohio is the 8th most polluted region in America. Over the past few decades, old rust-best industry has declined in all of America and historically industrial regions like NEO have needed to envision "New Economy" futures.

Thus, it is especially fascinating that when former Cleveland steel giant LTV cast off its employees and went bankrupt, their computer programmer Ed Hauser chose to evolve his social role from a cog in the steel machinery into an activist pursuing a natural habitat for this region. He has followed his heart and volunteered his time and energy to save for this region a lingering natural Cleveland lakefront asset few knew existed, yet which is one of our region's most unique natural resources... undeveloped land in the "Flats" called Whiskey Island.

"It's a new day in East Cleveland" is an expression of East Cleveland
Mayor Goggins that was clearly demonstrated from dawn until dusk
Saturday, June 4th, as the city held a neighborhood clean-up, hosted a
bicycle rodeo for kids, and welcomed residents to the MLK Civic Center,
on Shaw Avenue, for a terrific lunch and a Town Hall meeting to discuss
plans for revitalizing the community.

Robert W. Briggs - Chairman of Fund for Our Economic Future and Chairman Emeritus, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs

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