Tag: sustainability

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Business Development News

Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance takes efficiency blitz to Wyoming

Volunteers from the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) knocked on more than 700 doors in the City of Wyoming this weekend as part of their Wyoming Energy Efficiency Blitz. On Saturday, the volunteers went door-to-door offering energy efficiency kits and speaking with homeowners about the group’s home energy audits and other efficiency measures that can help make your home more ‘green’.  The energy efficiency kits included compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-flow faucet aerators, and other tools to help save money.

In April, GCEA received $17 million for energy efficiency retrofit projects through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, making this blitz possible. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative that is a collaborative effort to reduce energy costs for thousands of home and business owners throughout the Cincinnati region.

Stuart Schaefer, a Wyoming resident of 4 years, received an energy audit just a few weeks ago that has already led to efficiency upgrades and monthly utility savings.

“Once they came in and showed me where all the drafts were, I knew the exact spots that I needed to insulate,” Shaefer said. “My daughter has been living in a smaller downstairs room because the upstairs room was just too hot, now she can move upstairs where there is more space.”

Through the use of subsidies, GCEA is paying for close to half of Schaefer’s upgrade, resulting in just $1,700 of costs for Schaefer with estimated utility savings of $550 annually.

“My daughter is happy, I’m saving money, I’m saving the environment…it’s been a great experience, a super opportunity,” Schaefer said. “Some of my neighbors have seen my improvements, and have already scheduled their audit.”

As part of the blitz, Wyoming homeowners and homeowners from surrounding communities are invited to GCEA’s Wyoming Community Efficiency Night this Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm at the Wyoming Civic Center (map). The event will provide another opportunity for residents to receive a free energy efficiency kit, as well as give homeowners the opportunity to talk with GCEA energy professionals about home energy efficiency and the economic incentives involved with making your home more energy efficient.

“The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance is excited to provide energy efficiency kits, reduced cost energy audits, and resources to ensure that home energy upgrades are simple and affordable,” says GCEA’s Executive Director Andy Holzhauser. “These energy efficiency improvements have the ability to put money back in the pockets of Wyoming residents through savings on their monthly utility bill.”

If you are a homeowner in Hamilton, Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties, then you are eligible for energy audits and efficiency incentives (25-40% of the project cost). For more information just visit GCEA’s website.

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Development News Politics

Cincinnati Park Board doubles number of BigBelly units thanks to $88k grant

The Cincinnati Park Board has installed an additional 20 BigBelly solar-powered trash compactor units throughout Cincinnati’s center city. The new BigBelly units were made possible through an $88,000 grant from the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.  The Park Board states that the fund honors Mrs. Coombe’s interest in green stewardship.

The BigBelly solar-powered trash compactor units grow and update the Park Board’s existing ten unit collection. In addition to compacting trash, higher capacities, less needed maintenance, and being powered by the sun, the newest BigBelly units utilize a web-based mapping system designed by students at the University of Cincinnati that notifies park managers when individual units are filled and are ready for collection.

This next evolution of waste collection is seen as a way for municipalities save money on fuel and labor costs.  The smart trash cans enable staff to be deployed more effectively without wasting time or resources on trips to units that are not in need of collection.

In Boston the city has been aggressively expanding its use of the smart trash cans, and its efforts have been joined by those of the Boston Red Sox and Boston University who have also begun using the BigBelly units.

“The public response has been nothing but positive, and we have realized the desired benefits for the city – it will save the city time and money, keep litter from overflowing, and discourage illegal dumping of trash,” said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. “This will save us a lot of time when guys are filling potholes, fixing sidewalks and doing other things.”

In Philadelphia, after the city replaced 700 standard trash cans with 500 BigBelly units, the city estimated a savings of $13 million over a ten year period – or approximately $2,600 per unit.

The 20 new units in Cincinnati have been placed in Lytle Park and Piatt Park in Downtown and Eden Park in Mt. Adams. The ten older units will be used at the Park Nature Centers for “demonstration of environmentally sound maintenance practices.”

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Business Development News

Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity to construct first ‘green’ home in College Hill

Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity (CHFH) began construction on two homes in College Hill over the weekend. The home located at 1141 Homeside Avenue (map) is Cincinnati Habitat’s first ‘green’ home. The house was designed by The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE).

The design, for the home, won an architecture competition held last year with Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity, AIA COTE, and other Ohio Habitat affiliates. Entries were judged on cost, ability to build, and neighborhood context, in addition to integration of environmental strategies including impact on the site, water efficiency, energy use, material use and indoor environmental quality. The first place winners of each category are being built throughout the 2010 build season in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Newark, Ohio, and the designs will be made available to all 70 Habitat affiliates throughout the state.

An anonymous donor will sponsor this Cincinnati Habitat build, but most importantly, this new green Habitat home illustrates that entry-level home builders of any income can explore and implement green techniques without breaking the bank.

The home site in College Hill is characteristic of dense pre-war suburbs that are typically found in older American cities. These neighborhoods are often served more efficiently by public transportation, thus reducing auto dependency and factoring into the National Association of Homebuilders Green and LEED scoring. The design of the new home is by architect and LEED AP, Allison Beer and project designer Jessica Farmer, both of whom are donating their services while also being supported by their firm SHP Leading Design.

The four bedroom, one-and-a-half bath home has many green features, including high performance windows, a ground source heat pump, low VOC carpeting, and an Ecogrid driveway/sidewalk that allows stormwater infiltration. Organization leaders say that the model will serve as a prototype for changes CHFH hopes to incorporate into future builds.

Once the four-month build is complete the home will belong to Felita Jordan and her two daughters who are excited to move into the new home.

“My children and I are a loving family and we have been waiting all of our lives for an opportunity like this to build and buy our own home,” said Jordan. “Our current apartment is very crowded and we need more space. My family is so excited to have our own home. It is something we have always wanted.”

You can support Cincinnati Habitat by attending a young professionals happy hour event at Neon’s Unplugged on Friday, July 19 from 6pm to 9pm and will include live music.  You can also follow Cincinnati Habitat on Twitter @CincyHabitat and @CincyHabitatYP.

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Development News Politics Transportation

Matthews: Right the economic ship by building rapid rail

As dismal economic reports continue to be made, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews shares his idea for how to get America out of this economic rut – build rapid rail.

On last night’s Hardball with Chris Matthews show Matthews shared, on more than one occasion, his disgust about the state of rapid rail in America.  Asking at one point, “Why are we the slowest moving rapid rail nation in the world?” and further contemplating whether or not America would even build a subway system in a big American city today.

Much of Europe has already developed an advanced high-speed rail network that links those countries together, and China is in the midst of the most aggressive high-speed rail building campaign the world has ever seen.  Other countries around the world are getting up-to-speed as well, and there is the possibility that northern Africa may even soon be connected to Europe’s extensive system.

“We need to build rapid rail…and it’s time we catch the movement,” exclaimed Matthews in the final show segment.  “It will create jobs, it will catch us up to the rest of the world, it will cut our reliance on foreign oil, and it will give us something to believe in.  President Obama…just do it!”

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Business Development News

Park+Vine relocating to larger space, adding full vegan grocery store

One of Over-the-Rhine’s most popular stores, Park+Vine, will be relocating to a new larger space this fall. Dan Korman announced today that the green general store will move from its original location at 1109 Vine Street to a larger space at 1202 Main Street (two blocks east) in late September 2010.

The move will finally give Park+Vine room to expand and begin offering more food products than their current space would allow. The new 2,881 square-foot space at The Belmain gives the store an additional 1,100 square feet of space to work with.

The additional space will reportedly be used to create a full vegan grocery store that will offer bulk grains, local produce, bulk cleaning supplies, and a food bar with Fab Ferments Kombucha, fresh pressed juices and single-cup drip coffee and espresso from La Terza. The new store will also include a book wall, indoor and outdoor seating areas, bicycle parking, and a separate room for Park+Vine’s popular classes.

Park+Vine celebrated its third anniversary earlier this month and has long eyed expansion either at its current location, or somewhere else in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

The new location also fits with Park+Vine’s environmentally sustainable ethos in addition to offering up extra square footage. The Belmain, developed by Cincinnati-based Urban Sites, was awarded LEED Silver certification for its sustainable building features and construction practices.

Greg Olson of Urban Sites said, “Park + Vine is exactly the type of retail business meant for the LEED Certified Silver Belmain Building,” exclaimed Greg Olsen, COO of Urban Sites. “It will help us turn the corner and bring sustained economic vitality to one of Cincinnati’s finest commercial streets.”

Korman is also excited about being a part of the resurgence taking place along Main Street in Over-the-Rhine which has brought new commercial tenants like Neon’s Unplugged, JackPotts Tavern, forkheartknife, Atomic Number 10, Original Thought Required, and You Do Yoga to the area recently.

“This is a beautiful and culturally alive area–full of people who see potential in every corner of the neighborhood and are doing something about it,” Korman stated in a media release. “It’s an ideal place for budding entrepreneurs.”

The new Park+Vine location (map) is expected to celebrate a grand opening during the Midpoint Music Festival which takes place between September 23-25, 2010.