Kevin Busta's trendy, neo-industrial furnishings have been written up in the New York Times and grace sleek lofts and posh living rooms all the way from New York City to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Yet the metalworking artist, who grew up in Medina, chose W. 14th Street in Tremont to locate his showroom. Last week, he sold out of nearly all his furnishings in a single week as eight new businesses opened in the neighborhood and the monthly Art Walk kicked off the summer season.

"Cleveland is so full of everything that I really need," says Busta, a former boilermaker who was once arrested for dumpster diving at an industrial park in Medina (he got off after showing the judge photos of his high-end furniture). "New York doesn't have what Cleveland has in terms of surplus scrap metal."

Busta makes his lamps, tables and chairs out of metal that he buys at scrap yards and auctions. His tables typically sell for $4,000 and up, while a table lamp might sell for $300 to $500. Busta stresses that he does not simply repurpose scrap materials, but rather transforms the raw materials into something new.

"It's glorifying the old with a modern twist to it," he says. "It's taking what a lot of people see every day driving through industrial parks and changing the way people look at these old, industrial remnants by glorifying rust."


Source: Kevin Busta
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Every spring, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is a bustling, seasonal stopover for birds and butterflies on their annual migration northward. The 88-acre preserve, a former dredging containment facility reclaimed by nature, is now a unique, undeveloped park along Lake Erie.

Yet, while more than 280 species of birds have been spotted at this lush, wild site, many Clevelanders still don't know about the preserve, which was created earlier this year by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. The Port hopes to change that by introducing a few more Northeast Ohioans to the park this weekend at its twice-annual open house and Migration Mania event.

"This is the only nature preserve in Cuyahoga County," says Linda Sternheimer, Development Manager with the Port of Cleveland. "It's also one of the few places where you can look at the lake without the breakwall and get a sense of the enormity of Lake Erie, and it offers unobstructed views of downtown."

The open house takes place Saturday, May 19th from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is located east of I-90 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Visitors are invited to walk the 1.3-mile loop trail and enjoy guided hikes by naturalists and presentations on the history and ecology of the site.


Source: Linda Sternheimer
Writer: Lee Chilcote

This month Cleveland welcomes Great Lakes Courier, a high-energy free monthly paper that caters to Northeast Ohio's enthusiastic cycling community. "One of the things we hope to provide is a place for different groups of cyclists to tell stories and interact," says editor Michael Gill.

What’s on your summer to-do list? Hanging out at your favorite outdoor café? Taking a dip at Edgewater? Enjoying a Tribe game at Progressive Field? Well, here’s another: touring Cleveland by bicycle. This year it’s easier than ever to see the city via two wheels thanks to new bike-tour operators, public rides, and bike rental companies.

How does an incorrect soda price at a retailer lead to an emerging tech company? Just ask Case student Mark Lorkowski, who came up with the idea for an electronic shelf display system while shopping for a case of Mountain Dew. With Lorktech, he hopes to drink up a portion of the $250 billion flexible electronics market.

Although Vitamix's commercial-grade blenders and mixers eat up a good chunk of change -- around $500 on average -- that hasn't stopped consumers in the U.S. and more than 80 countries abroad from snatching them up at record rates.

They don't call it a "super blender" for nothing -- Vitamix is the iconic company that brought us the smoothie, yet its machines are now used by chefs and health-conscious consumers to make everything from soups to soy milk. In Taiwan and many other countries, sales are up 80 percent over the past three years as the growing middle-class becomes increasingly health-conscious.

Bolstered by demand, the company recently broke ground on a $10-million, 51,000-square-foot expansion to its Northeast Ohio headquarters. This development is on top of a $6-million, 40,000-square-foot expansion in 2010. Overall, sales have doubled in the past three years, the company says.

Vitamix manufactures all of its products at its Olmsted Falls headquarters, and sources parts locally, as well.

"Our product helps people to eat more whole foods and choose a healthier lifestyle all over the world," says Jodi Berg, the great-granddaughter of W.G. Barnard, who founded the company in 1921. "A lot of Western diseases and ailments can be controlled and prevented by the fuel and food we put into our bodies."

"Vitamix allows you to take whole healthy foods and turn them into what Martha Stewart calls 'velvet on your tongue.' Healthy, wholesome and easy to make."


Source: Jodi Berg
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Fixing up an older home can be a daunting task. These days, many homeowners don't know a wrench from a pair of pliers, and even if they are handy, both their tools and their skills may be a little bit rusty.

That's where the Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC), a 40-year-old nonprofit organization based in Cleveland Heights, can help. HRRC offers how-to classes for residents throughout Cuyahoga County and a tool-loan program geared to residents of Cleveland Heights.

"We want to empower people to fix their own homes, especially now because there's such a need," says Kathryn Lad, Executive Director of the HRRC. "We teach people how to do it themselves or to hire the right person for the job."

Since the HRRC was founded out of a church in Cleveland Heights, the group has facilitated over $14 million in home improvements. Lad recalls with pride a class geared towards women that spurred a group of friends to build their own garage. The group also offers foreclosure intervention services, financial education and financial assistance programs for low-income homebuyers.

"Everybody is having a tough time right now, and money is tight," says Lad. "People tend to be doing more repairs in reaction to emergencies than remodeling projects. We help people take care of things they have to take care of."

The HRRC has an ongoing series of Tuesday night classes and is also offering a new series entitled "Practical Sustainability: New Thinking for Older Homes."


Source: Kathryn Lad
Writer: Lee Chilcote

When the Metroparks were planned in the early 20th century, they were envisioned as a chain of connected reservations encircling (but not in) the city of Cleveland -- hence the name “Emerald Necklace.” But as more residents move to the urban core, the Metroparks knew the time was right to follow them.

Mentor native Erin Huber wasn't exactly sure how she would bring together her passion for water conservation and international development when she finished graduate school. She'd grown up in a blue collar family that spent summer weekends camping near lakes, streams and rivers, and those early experiences nourished her love of fresh water.

After completing her master's degree in Environmental Studies at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, she decided to create her own nonprofit organization to bring together these passions under a single roof.

Drink Local Drink Tap is a new organization that works to educate Clevelanders about the pollution that is created by drinking plastic bottles of water and the need to conserve fresh water locally and internationally. To educate both youth and adults, Huber creates water-themed art installations and provides free environmental education at schools.

Next month, Huber will fly to Uganda, where she and her team members will bore a 70-meter hole to provide fresh drinking water to hundreds of residents in a small village there. Currently, children must walk over a mile to find a water source near the village, and the water isn't clean or safe. Huber and her team members also are filming a documentary entitled Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda that will be released at next year's Cleveland International Film Festival.

For Huber, the project is about sharing the water wealth of the Great Lakes -- which hold 20 percent of the world's fresh water -- with areas in dire need.

Huber, who describes her group as a "very nonprofit organization," is still raising funds for the project. You can donate to the cause on the organization's website.


Source: Erin Huber
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The population of Northeast Ohio's 12 most populous counties fell by seven percent from 4.1 million in 1970 to 3.8 million in 2010. Yet at the same time, suburban areas added 400 square miles of roads, shopping centers, housing developments and office parks.

That unabated trend towards urban sprawl is not sustainable, argues the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a new initiative that won a $4.25 million grant from the federal government in 2010 to plan for more sustainable land use patterns across the region. It also wastes resources, harms cities and makes the region less competitive.

So what would a truly vibrant future look like for Northeast Ohio? The NEOSCC hopes to engage young professionals in answering that question at a series of public engagement meetings. The next event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16th at Brothers Lounge in Cleveland.

"A lot of times, decisions are made without involving young people, and we wanted them at the forefront," says Jeff Anderle, Director of Communications with the NEOSCC. "We keep hearing that they want a competitive economy in the region so that there are more job opportunities. They also want walkable communities and more vibrant downtowns throughout the 12-county area."

Anderle stresses that the NEOSCC is not dictating people's choices -- "We want to educate people so that they understand the big picture infrastructure costs and how they affect everyone," he says -- yet the initiative's impact will come down to how communities throughout the region adopt the NEOSCC's recommendations. The group plans to release an initial report on existing conditions in June.


Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote

For a teenager, it's the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week sailing on a 150-foot tall ship -- tying ropes, keeping watch and sleeping in hammocks while learning to work together as a close-knit team.

Through Project YESS -- Youth Empowered to Succeed through Sailing -- a handful of lucky teenagers are offered this rare opportunity each summer in Cleveland.

The program, which is organized by the Rotary Club of Cleveland, began in 2010 during the Tall Ships Festival. It has continued thanks to the dedication of a small group of volunteers who have raised funds for the project, which costs at least $1,500 per student. The group spends months identifying students with leadership skills who would not be able to afford such an experience.

On Friday, May 11th, Drinks for Do Gooders will host a benefit for Project YESS. Tickets cost $20 and include a drink ticket and appetizers. There will also be a separate raffle to win two free round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines.

"Navigation is our theme, and it's not just about navigating on a ship," says Eileen Smotzer, a Rotary Club member who has helped to spearhead the YESS program. "Hopefully that message transcends to navigating through life and community. These students are the future leaders of our country and region."


Source: Eileen Smotzer
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Urban gardens can be adventurous affairs, not unlike archeological digs in terms of how they turn up trash and pieces of the past just beneath the surface of the soil. If this isn't your thing, there's always raised beds. But they take time, labor and materials to build.

Thanks to a recently unveiled partnership, 150 families in the Buckeye, Larchmere and Woodland Hills neighborhoods will receive GardenSoxx, which are mesh sleeves stuffed with organic soil that can be used on any surface. This above-ground system, which is considered ideal for urban gardening, can easily be planted with seeds. The partnership will ensure that families receive the proper training and education on how to grow a thriving garden in an urban setting.

“GardenSoxx gardens are low maintenance and are installed in a matter of minutes, which make it a great way for our neighbors to learn how to garden and give them access to fresh food,” Vedette Gavin said in a news release. Gavin is a Community Health Fellow with the Saint Luke's Foundation who is helping to lead the Healthy Eating, Active Living initiative in the area. “We expect these 150 gardens to provide 1,000 pounds of food for families this year.”

Tools and hands-on support will be provided in order to teach families how to garden, including compost bins, rain barrels, watering cans, freezing kits and workshops from community partners like the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Leaders of the initiative have even created a "Green Line" -- a hotline that allows families to call experienced gardeners with questions. Families can water their gardens affordably using rain barrels, and compost bins will be provided to create new soil. Volunteers on the project will also receive one free Gardensoxx sleeve.

"Gardening was really lost for a generation," says Gavin. "Now we have families that moved up here after Katrina talking to local families. We're creating connections in the community, and people are sharing advice."

The backyard garden initiative has been made possible by support from Saint Luke’s Foundation, Neighborhood Progress Inc., Third Federal Savings and Loan, Neo Restoration Alliance, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Healthy Eating & Active Living, Cleveland Food Bank and Benedictine High School.


Source: Vedette Gavin
Writer: Lee Chilcote

May is National Bike Month, but locally the party kicked off last week at Respect the Bike, an all-Ohio-made bike showcase held at the Greenhouse Tavern. Before the event, hundreds of riders cruised through downtown for a traffic-stopping Critical Mass ride, then lined up their bikes along E. 4th Street for a rooftop bar celebration. Elsewhere in the Tavern, diners feted on chef Sawyer's creations as historic bikes hung in the air like flying machines.

It was a fitting start to a month packed with over 50 bike-centric events, including art shows, bike repair clinics, Towpath pajama rides, neighborhood bike rides and the region-wide Bike to Work Day.

Bike Month also includes two special events that benefit good causes. For the first time ever, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is opening its grounds to bicycles during Wild Ride at the Zoo, a new after-hours event. Bike for the Beck is a new fundraising ride for the Beck Center in Lakewood on May 19th.

The City Club is also hosting an event with Mark Gorton, Founder and Chairman of Open Plans, entitled Rethinking the Auto: Building Cities for People, Not Cars. The forum takes place on Wednesday, May 9th, and Bike Cleveland is hosting a free social afterwards at Market Garden Brewery in Ohio City.

Finally, there perhaps is no better way to kick off Bike Month than with the announcement of an exciting new project. This week, Fast Track Cycling broke ground on the Cleveland Velodrome, a massive, 166-meter outdoor cycling track in Slavic Village. The bike track will initially be a seasonal facility, but organizers hope to eventually raise enough money to enclose it for the winter months.


Source: Bike Cleveland
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Very soon, the City of Cleveland Heights will amend its zoning code "To encourage sustainable practices in residential neighborhoods." This legislation makes the city one of the most sustainable in the United States. Changes will make it expressly lawful to install rain barrels, plant front-yard vegetable gardens, build compost bins and replace asphalt driveways with those featuring semi-pervious materials. But without question, the topic garnering the most buzz is backyard chickens.

Now that the urban farming movement is becoming steadily more mature, cities are looking beyond backyard hens and market gardens to longer-term agricultural land use policies. They can and should learn from what works in other places while also advocating for better public policy at every level.

These were the messages conveyed at a forum on urban agriculture that was held last week at Cleveland State University. Kimberly Hodgson, a planner and public health advocate from Vancouver, Canada, said that Cleveland is considered a leader in the new agrarian movement, but that U.S. and Canadian cities have much to learn from each other.

Baltimore completed a study to prioritize and focus urban agriculture in needed areas, Hodgson told an audience of 100-plus planners, farmers, students and lawyers. Minneapolis conducted an analysis to determine which parcels of land have low value for development and would thus be appropriate for urban farming.

The goal of such plans, Hodgson said, is generally to promote and support equal access to urban farming and gardening, create economic opportunity for residents, reduce regulatory barriers to farming and expand agricultural production.

Other examples Hodgson cited included Vancouver, which has developed urban agriculture design guidelines, and Baltimore, which hired a Food Policy Director using money raised from area foundations. Within six months, the new Director had leveraged enough money on her own to fund the position without subsidy.


Source: Kimberly Hodgson
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Recently, an artistically-minded student at Glenville High School was so inspired by his school's first-ever Sustainability Awareness Day that he painted a rain barrel with the school's signature "G" logo and displayed it at last week's inaugural event.

"It was kind of like a small-scale science fair," says Anthony Body, Community Organizer with the Famicos Foundation, a nonprofit community development organization that serves the neighborhood and hosted the event at its Community Service Center on Ansel Rd. "Each student created a display," which included hydroponics, aeroponics and rain barrel displays.

The program is part of an effort to imbue sustainability practices into Glenville in partnership with residents. The goal is to teach people about sustainability, help them grow and access healthy, local food and make them more self-sufficient. Famicos has partnered with the NEO Restoration Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes community gardening and green jobs, to create the program.

"At first, it was like pulling teeth," says Body of his experience working with high school students. "Then they bit into it more and had more hands-on experiences. We went on field trips to the Rockefeller Greenhouse and Galleria and they learned vermicomposting. They saw how it could relate to their homes."

Although most of the students do not have gardens at home, Body says that two students have started gardens at their homes and one actually now has a hydroponics system. "It opened their eyes," he says.

Body says the area is a "food desert," and that most of the local corner stores do not sell fresh produce. He touts the Circle105 Farmers Market, which is now in its second year and kicks off June 15th, as a viable alternative. The farmers market will accept food stamps and offer additional specials for residents this year.

"I see a lot of people who leave Glenville and never come back and engage the youth," says Body, a graduate of Glenville High School as well as Malone University in Canton, Ohio. "The youth need to be educated on how to do this."


Source: Anthony Body
Writer: Lee Chilcote