Maureen Wise

The Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) held its fourth annual Corporate Sustainability Summit on March 10, at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland. Over 300 participants from around the region attended to discuss best practices, collaborate and share progress.
Overall, the summit aimed to provide a hopeful, although challenging, glimpse of a more sustainable future. Collaboration and partnerships became the theme of the day. Although at the federal level, climate change and sustaina...

This winter, the West Creek Conservancy teamed up with Holden Forest & Gardens to expand their Native Seed Libraries. Together, the nonprofits are distributing 12,000 packets of 12 species of native wildflower seeds at nine locations in Cuyahoga and Lake counties.

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...

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...

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...

The Physical and Spiritual Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
Spending time in nature is good for our souls. It’s freeing to be in the open air, surrounded by plant life and the soil that supports it. Maybe there’s a babbling brook playing its own music nearby or sweeping views of the mountains that make you stop in your tracks. Amid all this natural splendor, there are no screens vying for our attention—only beautiful flowers, interesting fungi, or bird calls to attract our notice and groun...

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...

Summer break from school is nearly upon us! It’s time for library summer reading challenges and lazy days in the shade reading a book with the kiddos. It’s also a great time for helping your children connect with the beauty of nature and learn about how our planet works. These eco-themed books focus on kindness to the environment and learning about the natural world — perfect for summer reading. Our list includes books at different reading levels for summer bookworms of different ages.

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!

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 ...

There’s been some panicked press and a lot of concern about the Spotted Lanternfly arriving in both Ohio and Indiana recently. The insect was identified very near Ohio in 2019 and then actually found in Ohio in Mingo Junction in 2020.

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...