Maureen Wise

Visible Voice Books recently moved from Tremont to Ohio City. The move is a major upgrade from the 1,500-square-foot space on Professor Avenue to a 6,000-square-foot space on Lorain Avenue.
Owner Dave Ferrante opened Visible Voice Books in 2007. He’s been ruminating about the perfect bookstore and space ever since. Ferrante says, “This new space is the cumulative effort of two other locations and nearly 20 years of experience in owning and operating a bookstore.” It took an entire year to mov...

Lucky Park on Professor and Starkweather avenues, in the Tremont neighborhood, has been sold to the city of Cleveland. The Tremont West Development Corporation will maintain the park. The parkland was purchased from Saint Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral, which is located down the road on Starkweather Avenue.
The green space has been a community park for years, owned by Saint Theodosius and maintained by the South Jefferson Block Club. The park is the size of a city lot with perennial ...

Northeast Ohio leaders are trying to reduce climate pollution (greenhouse gas emissions) to net zero by 2050. They’re working on a plan to achieve this goal in the next 25 years.
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) and the City of Cleveland’s Office of Sustainability and Climate Justice have recently completed a draft Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) for the Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and are currently seeking public comment on the plan throug...

Natural Products

Families are making the switch to old-fashioned, DIY laundry detergent left and right. Not only is it much less expensive than store-bought varieties, but it's better for the planet and your family. Creating your own laundry detergent is also a fun project you can do with kids of a certain age.

Why Switch?

Many conventional detergents are petroleum-based and thus don't break down in sewage treatment systems as much as they should. This means we end up with soapy, polluted wat...

Thinking Sustainably
It's finally summer: the air is warm, the kids are out of school, and your vegetable garden is growing. But there are some pesky animals eyeing your kale, chard, and broccoli plants. Are you surrounded on all sides by deer, groundhogs, and other critters? Keep animals out of the garden naturally with a few Earth-friendly tricks.
The Best De-Fence
Your first line of defense for common garden pests is, of course, a fence. Keep it high and be sure it goes underground a few i...

Thinking Sustainably
There's a lot of talk in the green scene about how there's only one Earth and we need to take care of it, and this couldn't be more true. But it's captivating to look beyond our own small, blue planet and survey the rest of the solar system to gain a further appreciation for our natural resources. Involving my kids in my (admittedly deep) interest and study of space has pushed me to learn even more. Here's how teaching the solar system for kids to understand helps them re...

Whether you've tasted eucalyptus as a tea, smelled a candle scented with its oil, or hung a leafy eucalyptus wreath on your front door, you're likely familiar with how this beautiful plant can be much more than just another boost of green in your horticulture collection. If you're wondering how to grow eucalyptus indoors, we've got great news: it comes in all sizes!

Helping Hands
Establishing more environmentally friendly habits at home is a great way to live more sustainably, but you can widen your reach by extending those initiatives to the land and people around you. Look beyond your own domicile and help those in your community green their lives, too. You don't have to be an "activist" to do some good for your neighborhood. Here are a few ways to improve the environment where you live.
1. Plant a Tree
Or, plant lots of trees. Find an area in your nei...

Healthy Feeling
Nothing kills your workout momentum like an injury. Your doctor may tell you the most important thing for recovery is rest, so you'll often have to take a break from exercising altogether. But what happens when you're healthy again? Once your doctor says it's OK to begin easing back into exercise, you'll still need to be careful and strategic about your workouts.
I've been a runner since high school and have never taken much time off from the sport, but this past August, while...

Thinking Sustainably

If you're an avid reader, you probably have a bookshelf bursting with books . . . and stacks of books that don't fit on that bookshelf . . . and probably a few out on loan from your local library. That's great! The power of literature has been scientifically studied—though a good story's full mental and emotional impact likely touches us in ways we will never fully understand.

Do you have books that have already worked their magic on you and are now lying around, collecti...

Thinking Sustainably
When you're starting your family's compost journey, it may be overwhelming. What bin should you get? How much space do you need? Can you compost eggshells? What about grass clippings? There's really only two things you need to get started: knowledge of what can you compost and a place to gather and let your compost do its (decomposing) thing.
We've explored the location decisions and options for housing, such as bins, rotating drums, and piles. Knowing what can be compost...

Thinking Sustainably
Recycling has evolved dramatically over the decades, and many products that once fell to their fate in landfills can now find a new home through recycling. However, there are still some things you can't recycle curbside. On top of that, there are many items that were once recyclable just a few years ago that can't be recycled anymore.
These facts create plenty of confusion on what happens with our recycling. Here's what you need to know about the recycling process and wha...

Thinking Sustainably

Every parent knows that babies put everything in their mouths, and thus you want to ensure what they get their hands on is safe. What about the things babies are actually allowed to put in their mouths, like their baby feeding utensils? You can be sure these items are safe as well. Time to hunt for some non-toxic baby feeding gear to complement your eco-friendly baby products.

Many parents are steering clear of any baby products containing plastics with BPA, PVC, and mela...

Thinking Sustainably
Water use may not be the first area you think to tackle when it comes to reducing your personal waste. But reusing water can go a long way toward lessening your personal environmental footprint, as clean water is a limited resource. If you want to know how to recycle water at home, there are two major kinds of water to reuse: greywater and rainwater.
According to Greywater Action, greywater is "gently used water from your bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machine...