Motorcars Honda receives International Carbon Neutral Award to become the First Dealership in the World

July 13, 2016 (University Circle) - BP will roll out the ‘green’ carpet for more than 5,000 residents and businesses at Wade Oval Wednesdays’ on July 13th at Wade Oval in University Circle to present Motorcars Honda with the prestigious ‘Carbon Neutral Award’ status becoming the first automotive dealership in the world with this distinction.

The dealership impressive solar panels, LG VRF systems heating/cooling system and LED lighting fixtures are just some of the ways Motorcars Honda is offsetting their CO2.

Motorcars Honda is going the extra mile to conserve energy and natural resources. “We are eliminating the carbon footprint for every new & used cars sold, all of our employees cars, parts truck, rental cars, shuttle van, and owners personal travel tied to work.” says Trevor Gile, Managing Partner at Motorcars Honda. “Five years ago, we never thought that we would be going down this path,” he adds, “but as our employees became more involved and concerned with the environment, we started to learn about some of the various options available to help.

Motorcars Honda is an automotive dealership in Cleveland Heights, OH. Founded in 1971. Motorcars Honda has received many awards including Honda’s Environmental Leadership Platinum Award - 1 of only 10 dealers in the country to win this award, Winner of 2015 Ohio Business of the Year (Green Energy of Ohio), Winner of 2016’s “Dealer of the Year” for Ohio (DealerRater) and ranked top 100 dealerships to work for in America (Automotive News), just to name a few.

If you would like additional information please call Trevor Gile @ (440)-823-3939

Cleveland landscaper Anibal Garcia diverts grass clippings and leaves from city sanitation trucks to Omowale Farm in Ohio City, where it is composted and used for fertilizer. Hoping to promote edible landscaping, farmer Hayes Rowan offers perennial plants, including lavender, lilac and strawberry plants to community members free of charge each year. He hopes the city's Senior Chores Community Service crews, and other landscapers, will participate in the project! He can be reached at 216 903 5201; Mr. Garcia, (a great landscaper,) at (216) 650 0292

The Omowale Farm features a shade garden using native plants and the farm grows Milkweed, a food source for Monarch butterflies.

Rowan quotes Chief Luther Standing Bear, (in T. C. McLuhan’s Touch the Earth): "The Old Lakota were wise. They knew that a person’s heart away from nature can become hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living beings soon led to lack of respect for humans too. So they kept themselves close to Mother Earth and her softening influence.” 

RiverSweep is a long-running program by Canalway Partners which is Ohio’s largest done-in-a-day cleanup effort. Each year, local businesses, schools and individuals team up to clean our shared backyard. RiverSweep 2016 featured 950 volunteers who cleaned 80 tons of trash (including 475 tires), painted graffiti and pulled invasive species from sites across the Cuyahoga River valley including:

• Canal Basin Park
• The Flats East
• The Flats West
• Rivergate Park
• Morgana Run Trail
• Train Avenue
• Tremont
• West Creek
• Big Creek/Lower Harvard
• Mill Creek
• Johnston Mill Run

http://canalwaypartners.com/news/thanks-great-riversweep/

On Saturday, May 14th, University Hospitals announced its system sponsorship of Cleveland's bike share system which will launch this summer in Downtown and University Circle.

In an effort to bring back Cleveland's nickname -- the Forest City -- WKYC Channel 3 is challenged companies and organizations to purchase trees and plant them on Arbor Day.

Eleven companies accepted the challenge:

• Bernstein Private Management
• Cleveland Metroparks
• Dominion
• Lubrizol
• Oswald Companies 
• PwC
• Sherwin-Williams
• Squire Patton Boggs
• Westfield Insurance
• Forest City
• Cleveland Indians

These trees were planted as part of a 200 tree planting at East Tech High School and East Professional Center on Arbor Day. WKYC collaborated with Western Reserve Land Conservance, Do More 4 Good and the Mayor's Office of Sustainability on the challenge. 

You can read WKYC's news story and watch the newscast here. 

Three cheers to AJ Rickoff Elementary School and Kulture Kids for using the Year of Sustainable Transportation as the theme for their integrated arts and science curriculum. 250 Kindergarten through third grade students were involved in the performance that explored sustainable transportation. The performance titled, “A Timeline of Transportation,” featured students demonstrating their understanding of sustainable mobility. This multi-arts performance is the culmination of a long-term arts education residency showcased students acting, singing, and dancing as they explore various modes of transportation throughout history.

Cleveland Public Theatre produced 6 original performances about Clean Water during Sustainable Cleveland's Year of Clean Water in 2015. Kudos to CPT for engaging artists and audiences about how to keep our water resources fishable, swimmable, and drinkable! In this video, witness a special performance by Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). First produced for CPT's "Fire on the Water", this performance of "Cuyahoga, Briefly" was a perfect fit for a night full of inspiring talks on clean water. Conceived and directed by Cathleen O'Malley, this piece is based on the 2009 documentary "The Return of the Cuyahoga" (Bullfrog Films, Inc./WVIZ PBS Ideastream) and tells the history of our crooked river in ten minutes, with three actors, and no props.

Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District staff member Doreen Schreiber, recently became a certified U.S. Zero Waste Business Associate (ZWBA) through the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council (USZWBC). Doreen joins an elite group, becoming one of only four people in Ohio certified as a ZWBA.

As the District’s Business Recycling Specialist, Doreen assists local companies and non-profits with waste reduction and recycling programs and offers quarterly waste reduction seminars for businesses. Her role as a ZWBA will include implementing Zero Waste programs, preparing businesses for the USZWBC Zero Waste Facility Certification and assisting them through the certification process.

The USZWBC created the Certification program to meet criteria established by the Zero Waste International Alliance(ZWIA). The program encompasses diversion, upstream policies, and practices that enable a business to successfully achieve zero waste. For a business to achieve “Zero Waste” status, they need to successfully divert 90% or more of the waste they generate. Trained professionals like Doreen can help businesses achieve Zero Waste, and receive their Zero Waste Certification from the USZWBC.

For more information about becoming a Zero Waste business, contact Doreen Schreiber at (216) 443-3732  or at [email protected].