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Meet Victoria Avi, owner of Venture Forward Strategies. Victoria has many rich stories and insights from her 17-year sustainability career and her personal life. Victoria immigrated to Cleveland from Azerbaijan when she was just 16 and navigated language, high school, and finally college, where she found her passions for graphic design and the environment. What does it take to weave a life that interlaces a personal immigration story with a genuine commitment to sustainability? Join us for this thoughtful interview where Victoria speaks candidly about her personal and professional journey, why she does this work, what keeps her going, and how she manages "eco-anxiety." Hint: it's all about the deep connections she has made here in Cleveland, where community bonds and eco-consciousness go hand in hand. For Victoria, Life's a Venture and an Adventure.

Guest:
Victoria Avi, President, Venture Forward Strategies

Resources:
Ways to Connect
Eco Meet CLE, February 20, 2024
Northeast Ohio Women in Sustainability (contact Victoria to be added) 
Greyt Culture events
Northeastern Ohio chapter of Conscious Capitalism
Where to Learn More
The Ecology of Commerce, by Paul Hawkin
The Business Case for Sustainability, featuring Ray Anderson
The Center for Social Impact Strategy, University of Pennsylvania

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On December 21, 2021, Greg and I launched the first episode of Eco Speaks CLE to elevate and connect the greater Cleveland environmental community by speaking with those doing inspiring and impactful work. Forty-seven episodes later, as we celebrate two years of Eco Speaks CLE, we are grateful to each guest and each listener. You have become our friends. We hope this first episode of 2024 and its compilation of clips from the past two years will help you find new ways to stay connected, stay positive, and stay active.

Featuring:
Eddie Olshanski/Trash Fish Cleveland
Tristan Rader/Solar United Neighbors
Britta Latz/Medwish International
Tim Jasinski/Lights Out Cleveland
Steven Love/Cleveland Plogs
Chelsea Shuran/Hunger Network
Jacob VanSickel/Bike Cleveland
Semia Bray/Black Environmental Leaders
Jim Sheehan/Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
Elissa Yoder/Ohio Sierra Club
Mike Sandoval/Evergreen Recycling
Ren Brumfield/Cleveland Recycling
Nina Savastano/Brooklyn Recycling Program
Nathan Rutz/Tilth Soil
Denzil St Clair/Greater Cleveland Beekeepers Association
Emily Peck/Frayed Knot Farm
Patrick Kearns/Ohio City Farm
Jess Boeke/Rust Belt Fibershed
Dan Brown/Rust Belt  Riders
Nicole MgGee/Upcycle Parts Shop
Jessica Davis/Rebuilders Exchange
Debbie Eastburn/Humble Design Cleveland
Matt Walters /Cuyahoga Recycles
Kathleen Colan
Jill Bartolatta/Ohio Sea Grant
Erin Huber Rosen/Drink Local, Drink Tap
Alex Margevicius/Cleveland Water
Max Herzog/Cleveland Water Alliance
Rachel Regula/Little Spark Refill Shop
Pat Conway/Great Lakes Brewing Company
Alec McClennan/Good Nature Organic Lawn Care
Aaron Jacobson/Faanware
Joe Rohan, Jing Lyon/BRITE Energy Innovators
Jefferson Jones/Organic Connects
Amy Roskilly/Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District
Carol Thaler/Great Lakes Biomimicry
Marci Lininger/Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative
Deb Yandala/Conservancy for CVNP
Samira Malone/Cleveland Tree Coalition.

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Medwish International in Cleveland, Ohio, has been making a world of difference since 1993 by recovering, repurposing, and redistributing surplus medical supplies around the globe. This urgently needed humanitarian aid also helps the environment by keeping life-saving resources out of landfills. In this episode, we speak with Executive Director Britta Latz about how Medwish has been bridging the gap between surplus and scarcity for 30 years with the support of an army of volunteers and the help of our northeast Ohio community.  

Join us as we take you behind the scenes of MedWish International to learn how teams of volunteers sort, repackage, and distribute over 600,000 lbs. of medical supplies annually to 115 countries and those in need locally. The logistics involved with receiving and fulfilling supply requests from organizations worldwide are extensive. As Medwish marks its 30th anniversary, it celebrates the people in our community who make this life-saving work possible. Hear how individuals and healthcare facilities donate their surplus supplies instead of sending them to a landfill, the army of volunteers and aid workers who sort and redistribute the supplies, and the funders that keep this remarkable organization going. Hear how you might make a difference.

Guest:
Britta Latz, Executive Director, Medwish International

Resources:
Follow Medwish on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
Give Supplies
Give $$
Give Time

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We all love a good find at a vintage store and have done our fair share of donating or selling stuff we no longer want. These sustainable actions fuel a booming industry called the secondary market for consumer goods. But how much do we know about the consumer resale market? How can we make good decisions about where we donate, and how can we be savvy shoppers in the resale retail world? Joining us with the inside scoop is Kathleen Colan - a seasoned writer, author, and the founder of KC Media Partners. Kathleen has reported on the resale retail industry and sells vintage goods herself. In this episode, we unlock some of the best places in town to find those pre-loved treasures, share our favorite finds, and hear some tips for savvy shopping that we hope will inspire you to shop secondhand this holiday season. 

Guest:
Kathleen Colan, Founder of KC Media Partners
C'estParfait.love (Kathleen's vintage on Ebay)

Resources:
PBS feature: Buy low, sell high: commodifying commerce in the consumer goods secondary market by Kathleen Colan
Consumer brand buy-back programs
Unboxing Shein on Hulu

Shop Vintage Cleveland and More:
Great Lakes Vintage
Goodwill Bins Outlet
Worn Wear (Patagonia)
Attenson's Antiques and Books 
Eclectic Eccentric
Monarch Boutique
Flower Child
Sweet Lorain
All Things for You 
Schoolhouse Salvage
ROOK Modern
Main Street Modern
Beachland Ballroom
Bainbridge Antique Center
Habitat Re-Store

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In this episode, we bring you the conversation from Eco Meet CLE,  a sustainability event held this October at Great Lakes Brewing Company. The theme of the evening was local food. Over 100 people joined us for food, beer, and a conversation about our local food system with a panel of guests that helped us explore the meaning of the term food system, the various roles within that system, and ways we might make it more local, more accessible, and more inclusive.

In this recording, we first hear Lexi St. Denis, the local and responsible food coordinator for Great Lakes Brewing Company, describe her job and the farmers she works with. After that, we hear from Dr. Darcy Friedman, a renowned researcher and the Director of the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health at CASE. Dr. Friedman moderated our panel of 3 speakers that included Zainab Pixler, the Local Food Systems Strategy Coordinator for the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health; Annabel Khouri, the owner of Bay Branch Farm in Cleveland and a member of the USDA Farm Service agency committee; Jennifer Lumpkin, founder of My Grow Connect, an organization that works to connect the community with agriculture and member of the Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition.

We've set the table for some intriguing topics - everything from food sovereignty to wealth building for BIPOC growers. And we examine solutions that Cleveland can adopt to improve its local food system, address disparities, and improve health in our communities. So pull up a chair. There's plenty to digest on this episode of Eco Speaks CLE.

Thank You, Sponsors!
Great Lakes Brewing Co - Brewing Good
Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health - CWRU
Conserva Irrigation of Northern Ohio
Graziani Multimedia
1 PM One Planet Media
Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council
RET3 Job Corps
Lettuce Tree Farms
Blue CSR Strategies
Rust Belt Riders
Collaborx
Food Strong
BRITE Energy Innovators
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

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In this episode of Eco Speaks CLE, we speak with New York Times bestselling author and climate journalist Jeff Goodell. Jeff has covered climate change for over two decades at Rolling Stone and is the author of seven books, including his latest book, The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death On A Scorched Planet. This is an engaging, thoughtful, and human book filled with stories that help us all understand how we can help address this moment.

What would you do if your casual seven-mile hike turned into a fatal encounter with extreme heat? That is one chilling tale we discuss as we dive into the dire realities of our rapidly warming world. Join us to understand the Goldilocks Zone,  how heat is the driver behind many natural disasters, how our bodies react to heat, and the health risks we face even in cooler regions like Northeast Ohio. Stay with us and hear what it will take to address the drive change, the economic costs, legal actions against oil companies, the power of young voters, and how an encounter with a polar bear reminds us that we are all in this together.

Guest:
Author and Climate Journalist Jeff Goodell
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death On A Scorched Planet

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What if there was a way to save thousands of innocent birds from lethal collisions with our urban glass structures each year? In this episode of EcoSpeak CLE, we head to Lake Erie Nature and Science Center to speak with wildlife rehabilitation specialist Tim Jasinski, one of the founders of Lights Out Cleveland. Tim shares the challenges migratory birds face in navigating the dangerous cityscape of Cleveland and how we all help make our community more feather-friendly. 

Tim takes us behind the scenes of Lights Out Cleveland and The Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, revealing the dedication and commitment of the volunteers who roam downtown streets in the early morning hours during spring and fall migrations to rescue and rehabilitate injured birds. In our Tip Time, Tim shares what to do if you find an injured bird or animal and some of his favorite spots around town to bird watch.

Lights Out Cleveland needs more volunteers. You can make a difference by becoming a Bird Collision Monitoring Crew member.  Monitoring and collection volunteers are responsible for monitoring specific areas throughout Downtown Cleveland, collecting/transporting both living and dead birds, and recording data.  Monitoring happens between 5:00 am – 8:30 am, March 15 – ~June 1 and August 15 – mid-November. Opportunities are available seven days per week. To become a volunteer, you will need to join the Cleveland Metroparks volunteer system.

Guest:
Tim Jasinski, Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist with Lake Erie Nature and Science Center and Founder of Lights Out Cleveland

Resources:
Lights out Cleveland   
Lake Erie Nature and Science Center
Become a Lights Out Cleveland volunteer
Feather Friendly window film 
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative
Make your house more bird-friendly.

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Whitnye Long Jones is a nature enthusiast, community engagement specialist, and environmental justice advocate. She channels these passions and skills into the non-profit she founded in  2017 called Organic Connects. Whitnye runs Organic Connects with her husband, Jefferson Jones, a lifelong outdoor educator, and outdoorsman. Together, they provide environmental education, outdoor recreation, and nature-based opportunities primarily for urban youth and families with limited access to nature.

In this episode, we speak with Whitnye and Jefferson in Jimmy's Treehouse, the outdoor learning classroom at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. We talk about the power of nature to teach, restore, transform, heal, inspire, connect, and prepare our future environmental leaders. Whether it be kayaking, camping in Allegheny National Forest, or building a campfire, the practical skills one acquires outdoors benefit each of us throughout our lives, and as Jefferson puts it, "everybody, whether they're white or black or brown, needs more of the outdoors." Join us to hear how these two black environmental leaders provide these experiences and connect people organically to the outdoors, each other, and the community. It's a reminder of how these organic connections can create ripple effects, fostering an environment where everyone, regardless of their background, can connect with nature in a meaningful way. 

Guests:
Whitnye Long-Jones, Founder and Executive Director, Organic Connects
email: [email protected]
Jefferson Jones, Senior Director of Operations, Organic Connects
email: [email protected]

Resources:
Environmental education and outdoor recreation programs
 Organic Connects Events
Partners and Funders
Cleveland Metroparks Youth Outdoors
Conveniently Vegan restaurant
Camp Journey

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Emily Pek is a flower farmer and the owner of Frayed Knot Farm, a small flower farm in Newbury, Ohio, where she produces beautiful, diverse cut flowers and herbs that share stories, bring joy and support equitable and regenerative farming.

In this episode, we visit Emily on her farm and discover her journey to becoming a flower farmer, the family roots and community behind her farm, the flowers behind the Saison beer at Great Lakes Brewing Company, and her grandpa's punny joke that inspired the name Frayed Knot Farm.

If Emily were a flower, she says she would be Foxglove. It's delicate but tough with "tough" being the operative word behind being a farmer. Starting with just a grass field in 2018, Emily now grows over 100 varieties of annual and perennial flowers and foliage on less than an acre using hand-scale farming practices. She demonstrates how hard work and a "why not?" attitude can turn dreams into reality. Join us on this episode to discover the heart and hard work behind Frayed Knot Farm and Emily's passion for a more sustainable and healthy environment. Her journey will inspire you to pursue your dreams, no matter how big or small.

Resources:
Frayed Knot Farm
Follow Frayed Knot Farm on Instagram
Event Florals
Flower Shares through Ohio City farm
Wholesale - The Collab
Community Partners - Rustbelt Fibershed The Flax Project
The joke - a string walks into a bar....

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Evergreen Recycling, based in Clyde, Ohio, is one of North America's largest recyclers of plastic PET bottles and its mission is to make single-use plastic a thing of the past. With four facilities across North America, Evergreen leads the industry in bottle-to-bottle recycling. In our conversation with  Michael Sandoval, Evergreen's corporate purchasing manager, we talked about bottle recycling, the circular economy, and what the future holds. Join us as we explore the world of bottle-to-bottle PET recycling and hear about the complex and fascinating process of converting used plastic bottles back into food-grade quality flake and pellets used to make new plastic pop, water, and soda bottles. We tackle the economics of R-PET and the sustainability goals driving the shift towards increasing recycled content in consumer brands. From the efforts of giant corporations like Coca-Cola to legislative changes, we uncover the factors shaping the landscape of recycling.

Resources:
Evergreen's Sustainability Solutions
About food grade quality RPET
Evergreen Plastics, Clyde, Ohio facility
About PET Recycling from NAPCOR

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