July/August 2013 Newsletter

The Local Face of Food Not Lawns

Mari Keating has a vision. Mari believes that if we truly feel committed to treating the earth and one another with respect, the first place to show it is by how we treat the land we live on. Inspired by Heather Flores’ food activism and permaculture, Mari founded Food Not Lawns, Cleveland, which advocates replacing lawns with edible gardens. Neighbors stop by to look at what’s blooming and to chat. Mari knows that cutting grass doesn’t connect you to your community. Gardening does. Read more…

Further Upstream Development Threatens Mentor Marsh Ecosystem

Corduroy Road in the 1960sThe Mentor Marsh is a City of Mentor Nature Preserve, an important birding area, and a designated National Natural Landmark, portions of which are dedicated as a State of Ohio Nature Preserve. At least three studies document the sensitivity of the Marsh watershed to upstream activities. Currently, Shamrock Business Center (SBC), Ltd., applied to the US Army Corps of Engineers to enter Phases 2 & 3 of their upstream development of Diamond Center. The proposal includes removing an additional 15 acres of wetlands from the site and mitigating the loss several miles south in the Grand River watershed. Read more…

July & August Events

Mentor Beach Cleanup
On Sunday, July 14th we’ll help clean up Mentor Headlands Beach.  There will be a naturalist tour of the Dunes from 9:30-10:30 AM and the cleanup will take place from 10:30 AM -1 PM.  Meet at the picnic area on the easternmost side of the parking lot, closest to the Dunes and parking row #1.  We hope at that time to provide an update about the status of the development permit on Blackbrook Creek, upstream of Mentor Marsh, to the 222 Sierra Club members who contacted Army Corps in response to our Action Alert (big thanks to them!). RSVP here.

Burning River Fest
Join us for Burning River Fest 2013 on July 26-27, 6-11 PM!  Intended to raise awareness of environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes region and Cuyahoga River ecosystem, the annual Burning River Fest features educational exhibits from area environmental groups, fresh food from local farms and eateries, live music, and a special appearance by Great Lakes Brewing Company’s® Christmas Ale™!  Proceeds benefit the Burning River Foundation, a local non-profit organization that provides resources for the sustainable future of our waterways, which has donated over $320,000 to date.

Hugelkultur Gardening Workshop
Community Greenhouse Partners invites Sierra Club members to take part in a Hugelkultur workshop at their urban permaculture farm, located at 6527 Superior Ave. in Cleveland.  Borrow from nature to create a sustainable, self-fertilizing raised garden bed.  Workshop takes place on July 27 from 2-6 PM, and will be followed by a potluck and campfire.  Suggested donation $10.

En Plein Air Drawing & Painting
Saturday, July 27 from 1-3 PM.  En Plein Air Drawing and/or Painting at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and/or the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Join us to draw and/or paint like Camille Pissarro and the other French Impressionists.  For beginners, experienced artists, photographers, poets, etc.  For more information call Dennis at 216-939-8229.

Northeast Ohio Sierra Club Fundraiser Day at Johnny Mango
Monday, July 29 is Northeast Ohio Sierra Club Day at Johnny Mango.  Present the attached flyer (click here) to your server and 20% of your purchases will benefit NEOSC!  The promotion is also good for pickup orders, so if you work within driving distance of Johnny Mango, why not have the office order lunch that day?  Johnny Mango is located at 3120 Bridge Ave. in Cleveland and their menu can be found at JMango.com.

UPCOMING EXCOM MEETING DATES

Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wednesday, August 7
Wednesday, September 4
Thursday, October 3
Wednesday, November 6

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