Author: Jenny Kessler

Jenny is a local designer who has a passion for people and for Cincinnati. She began writing for UrbanCincy in September 2009, and served as the website's operation manager until March 2012. Jenny currently works for ArtsWave and manages the OTR Urban Kickball League.

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Business News Politics

Cincinnati celebrates start of Midwest’s largest RecycleBank program

City officials and business partners met this morning at Annwood Park in East Walnut Hills to officially kick-off the largest RecycleBank program in the Midwest.

City officials say that the incentive program is geared to encourage community members to recycle by measuring and recording the amount of material they recycle, then translate that participation into points that are redeemable at local and national retailers, much like a frequent flier program.

As an added bonus, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble has partnered with RecycleBank in rewarding residents for their green actions as part of their new Future Friendly initiative. This means that community members who register for the new RecycleBank program will receive a $5-off reward toward the purchase of any Future Friendly product from the P&G eStore while supplies last.

At today’s ceremony, Office of Environmental Quality director Larry Falkin shared the excitement felt by many in the crowd.

“We [at the city] are really happy about this new program. There’s so much potential to make something useful and profitable from things we’re getting rid of anyway,” Falkin stated. “Even the guys who own the landfill are in on it. Jeff Rumpke knows he’s missing out on an opportunity by letting all those recyclables in the landfill.”

Another component of the city’s new recycling program includes new 96-gallon recycling bins that can hold u pto five normal-sized bins worth of recyclables. City officials say that this will allow them to cut back on recycling pick-ups to once every two weeks, thus saving the city money.

The new larger carts also allow the city to implement the new RecycleBank program and automate lifting operations of the bins.

“If possible, residents should separate their trash bins from the new recycling bins,” said a Rumpke worker who explained that keeping the bins out from underneath power lines and trees will allow the truck’s robotic arm to work with ease.

The enhanced recycling program is being rolled out in four phases, with rewards and pick-up beginning this week in some neighborhoods. The roll out will continue through February 2011, and any Cincinnati resident who lives in a single- or multi-family home with existing curbside trash pickup is eligible to take advantage of this new program.

“The biggest benefit to the RecycleBank rewards system is the versatility in how residents will be able to use their points,” explained Christian Huelsman, the RecycleBank community outreach intern. “Not only are there national retailers participating like Bed Bath & Beyond and Old Navy, but local retailers liek Deweys and Park+Vine are as well. And those who do not want to encourage more consumption can choose to donate their points to local schools to help with after-school programs and supplies. You can even trade in certain electronics to increase your points.”

Those interested in taking advantage of the new RecycleBank rewards program are required to register online or by calling 1-866-563-0114.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Eco-friendly events abound this weekend throughout city

Cincinnati residents have the chance to get their eco on this weekend with two free events. The Future Blooms’ Eco-Art Walk in Corryville will take place on Saturday, and the 2010 Ohio Solar Tour will go on across the entire state on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Eco-Art Walk is a brainchild of non-profit Future Blooms, a division of Keep Cincinnati Beautiful that focuses on painting abandoned and boarded up buildings in the center city in order to reduce crime and blight. Since October 2009, Future Blooms has painted over 150 buildings, and are now hosting the Eco-Art Walk tomorrow from 2pm to 7pm.

The Future Blooms team has been working hard, and on Saturday will reportedly unveil a series of artist-designed painted storefronts on Short Vine from Corry Street to Charlton Street (map). The group will also have a display of recycled art. During the event, Short Vine will be closed to automobiles, and visitors will be able wander the streetscape, listen to live music, purchase food and handmade crafts from vendors, and participate in a “freecycle” sale.

Following the completion of the City’s award-winning Neighborhood Enhancement Program in Corryville, city leaders are excited about the potential for this weekend’s event.

“City Council is of the opinion that the Short Vine Eco-Art Walk would focus attention upon the Short Vine Street beautification efforts, the City of Cincinnati’s recycling program, and promote regional tourism,” City Manager Milton Dohoney stated.

Meanwhile, the 2010 Ohio Solar Tour will take place all over Ohio, and will showcase businesses, non-profits and homes that have invested in green energy technology through a series of public open houses. The is expected to provide a unique opportunity for the public to visit and talk with owners living and working with clean energy technologies. The open houses will showcase everything from solar, wind, biomass, green design, and energy-saving technologies.

For Cincinnatians, there are 29 sites within a five-mile radius of the 45202 zip-code. Notable stops include the newly renovated offices of KZF Design and the Potterhill Homes Northwind Community in Northside. For those feeling the desire to traverse the state in search of clean energy buildings, there are both guided tours and the chance to make your own.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati arts organization gathers community to paint entire city street

Paint the Street 2010

This past Sunday, September 26, over 1,000 people from all over Cincinnati converged roughly five blocks of Over-the-Rhine to participate in the newly branded ArtsWave’s Paint the Street event.

Students from the Art Academy designed and chalked out over 50 ten-foot squares into a mural that amassed 12th Street from Central Parkway to Main Street. Brightly colored abstract shapes illustrated some of Cincinnati’s pride and joy, with text saying “City of Choice” and “World’s Biggest Small Town.”

Being there in person, the highlight of the event was the enthusiasm and joy painting a mural on the street brought to participants and observers alike. The street was shut down to vehicle traffic for the day, and crowds of Cincinnatians walked slowly in the street, taking in the colors and working together.

Old and young, black and white, Cincinnati was brought together in one of its oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods – Over-the-Rhine – to show, as one citizen put it, that “12th street is a testament…OTR has a heart and is alive.”

Categories
Business Development News

Chef Josh Campbell to open first micro-grocery in downtown Cincinnati

Chef Josh Campbell plans to create a food trifecta in what Downtown Cincinnati Inc. calls the greater downtown area. Already owner of successful ventures World Food Bar, a gourmet prepared food stand at Findlay Market, and Mayberry, a mid-range restaurant on Vine Street, Campbell is expanding his food empire to include the Central Business District’s first grocery – a micro-market located at 7th and Main.

“Everything closes so early down here [in the CBD],” says Campbell. “I was hearing from the folks who come to Mayberry, that live down here, that Findlay Market closes so early, and there’s no place to get the necessities. Nobody ever looks out for the residents of Downtown. We’ve been so lucky with the support of everybody in the city and in the news, we’ve made a name for ourselves that we serve a quality product. So we thought, why not make a run at the grocery scene?”

The 500 square-foot Mayberry Foodstuffs, the tentative name for the new venture, will be filled to the brim with grocery essentials according to Campbell.

“It won’t be high end, it won’t be low end. It’s all about the shopping experience. Anybody can come in here and pick up the necessities. We’ll be carrying smaller portions – half gallons of milk, half loaves of bread. You can come in and you’re not going to get ripped off.”

Through the World Food Bar and Mayberry, which celebrates its first year of existence November 2nd, Campbell has established both a love for community and a commitment to high quality food at reasonable prices. The store will have a deli counter, serving meats and prepared food from World Food Bar, like cookie dough and soups. There will also be fresh-ground peanut butter, cat and dog food, and and old-school style candy counter.

Though the space is small, downtown supporters expect the impact to be large. One of those supporters includes David Ginsburg, President and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., who is ecstatic that Campbell is making this bold move.

“Grocery stores really help to enhance the residential experience downtown,” Ginsburg explained. “They provide important products and help generate pedestrian activity. They are a sign of an increasingly vibrant downtown. Grocery stores are also an amenity for downtown workers and visitors.”

Currently there are about 9,000 residents in the downtown area; by 2012 that number is projected to grow to 12,500, according to the 2009 State of Downtown report from DCI. Campbell said he understands the risks associated with opening a grocery store in the central business district.

“You have the bigger chains, the Krogers and the Whole Foods, and they won’t come down because the risk is too great,” Campbell exclaimed. “I’m not afraid to step up, I’m not afraid of failure. If it happens, it happens. We’ll move on.”

Not only will workers and residents be able to visit Mayberry Foodstuffs for a sandwich or some eggs, but they might also be able to get delivery service from Findlay Market vendors. Campbell says that he wants to help support the local mom and pop shops that are the key to local success. One such way the new grocery will do that is by carrying 7 Hills coffee and other locally-sourced items.

In terms of the location, Campbell views the 7th and Main address as a perfect one thanks in large part to the number of condos and apartments nearby. The store will also be located on the Cincinnati Streetcar line which Campbell believes will help spur additional foot traffic.

Campbell has signed a one-year lease on the street-level retail space, and plans to open downtown’s first grocery store on Monday, November 1. After the opening date, Mayberry Foodstuffs will be open seven days a week until 10pm.

Above all though, Chef Josh says that he wants to create a sense of community around his micro-market.

“We want [Foodstuffs] to be a place where you come in and you’re not a number. We want you to come in and enjoy yourselves. We want to make sure that your needs are filled and that you have a good experience.”

If all goes well, Campbell says there might be additional micromarkets on the horizon from the World Food Bar Restaurant Group to continue to help serve the growing downtown area.

[This story was originally produced by UrbanCincy.com for the Cincinnati Business Courier through a newly formed partnership.  Please read the originally published story online, and stay tuned for additional collaborations going forward.]

Categories
News Politics

Cincinnati to take part in fifth annual international PARK[ing] Day

The third Friday in September marks the 5th annual Park[ing] Day, celebrated across the globe. From San Francisco to San Juan and in between, people will be taking over ordinary parking spaces to demonstrate the need for more public space in cities.

PARK[ing] Day started as a collaborative art project with the group REBAR in San Francisco. What was one group’s side project has turned into a global phenomenon, as people across the continents have teamed up to take back the asphalt, if only for one day.

According to the group’s website, “The mission of PARK[ing] Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!”

PARK[ing] Day has since been adapted and remixed to address a variety of social issues in diverse urban contexts around the world, and the project continues to expand to include interventions and experiments well beyond the basic “tree-bench-sod” park typology first modeled by REBAR.

In recent years, participants have built free health clinics, planted temporary urban farms, produced ecology demonstrations, held political seminars, built art installations, opened free bike repair shops and even held a wedding ceremony! All this in the context of this most modest urban territory – the metered parking space.

Cincinnati has participated in the movement for the past four years with community members setting up in the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine, and Uptown neighborhoods. These Cincinnatians have taken the few basic guidelines for PARK[ing] Day to create an open-source project and creation completely of their own making.

Last year UrbanCincy was on the scene as several parking spaces throughout Over-the-Rhine were transformed. UrbanCincy will once again be back this year with its own space (or two) outside of Park+Vine (map) from 10am to 4pm.  I hope you will come and join me at our little community space.

Cafe de Wheels will be just down the road at Court and Vine streets offering a free beverage, with the rest of their purchase, to those who mention PARK[ing] Day.  Get your food there and then bring it up to our urban oasis where we will have a couple tables, chairs, and more.  Plus at the end of the day, you can keep the fun going by helping Park+Vine move to their new location on Main Street at 6pm.