Spring 2008
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Hamilton County Businesses, Organizations
and Communities take the Challenge to Go Green
On September 18, 2007,
at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a press conference was
held to announce the kick off of the Go Green Challenge. Cincinnati
Children’s partnered with Christ Hospital, the University of Cincinnati,
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, and the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management
District to initiate the challenge. The program, whose original mission
was to educate organizations located in Hamilton County, both large and
small, about the importance of making environmental friendly decisions and
to challenge those organizations to “go green,” has evolved into an
ever-growing network of entities committed to taking steps to reduce their
environmental impact.
Eddie Leonard, then Coordinator of the Green Team at Cincinnati Children’s, said the idea for the Go Green Challenge started off as a tool to increase recycling at the hospital. “An employee in our environmental services department was talking about ways that the hospital could increase its recycling efforts,” said Leonard. “After we talked, I reached out to the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District, Christ Hospital, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful to see if they wanted to join in on the efforts to challenge their companies to recycle more, too. The different organizations and businesses were excited about the idea and decided that we shouldn’t only recycle, but that we should challenge organizations throughout the county to make several good decisions that would help the environment,” said Leonard.
Since the challenge was issued in September 2007, more than 70 organizations in the Hamilton County area have joined the initiative. Each of these organizations has developed at least one goal, and most have several, toward reducing their environmental impact. Subsequently, each organization received a Go Green Pledge certificate suitable for framing, which contains their stated goals and objectives, and was encouraged to publicize the goals to their employees and customers.
The Go Green Challenge steering committee, which consisted of representatives from each of the founding organizations, developed a list of local technical resources available to help organizations achieve their goals in the areas of solid waste reduction, air quality, energy usage and efficiency, alternative fuels, storm water management, and pollution prevention strategies. As time went on, it became evident that there was a real desire on the part of the participating organizations to learn more, ask questions, and share information. This led to the kick-off of a monthly series of networking events held in January, February, and March 2008. Each of the three gatherings was held over lunch and consisted of a keynote address about “green” projects being implemented at the host location, a question and answer session, and time for networking.
In January, people gathered at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Harold C. Schott Education Center to hear Mark Fisher, Senior Director of Facilities & Planning for the Cincinnati Zoo, speak about "An Integrated Approach to Reducing Environmental Impact: Lessons from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden." Also at that time, County Commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper were present to announce the County’s participation in the national Cool Counties Initiative and the adoption of the Environmental Stewardship Policy for Hamilton County.
In February, Go Green participants and other interested people convened at Park + Vine, known as Cincinnati’s green general store, in Over-the-Rhine to hear owner Dan Korman speak about “Green Purchasing: Challenges and Solutions.” This event was covered by the Cincinnati Enquirer and the article can be viewed here.
The Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati hosted the third luncheon in the series. Appropriately, the luncheon was held on the greenest day of the year, St. Patrick’s Day. Vickie Ciotti, Executive Director of the Civic Garden Center, introduced the audience to an exciting project in the works that involves the design and construction of a “green learning station” of which a “green roof” is a major component. The keynote speakers were Gary Meisner, Landscape Architect with Meisner & Associates, and Michael Bolan, of UrbanAlta. They presented technical information in their address entitled “Case Study for Innovative Sustainability Technology: "Green Learning Station" Green Roof Project at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.”
As promised at the start of the Go Green Challenge, participating organizations will be publicly acknowledged on Earth Day. On April 22, 2008, a breakfast will be hosted at Paul Brown Stadium’s West Club Lounge, at which time all businesses, institutions, non-profits, and municipalities who have taken the Go Green Challenge will be honored for their commitment to reducing the environmental impact from their operations. The more than 70 organizations invited to this celebration are listed below. But new organizations take the challenge every day and you can keep up to date with the current list of participants by visiting the Go Green Challenge website.
If your organization is interested in joining the growing ranks of area businesses committed to improving the environment, you can register for the program by visiting the website and following the directions for registration. If you have questions or would like to talk with someone about the Go Green Challenge, contact Catherine Walsh, Program Specialist with the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District, at (513) 946-7732.
Go Green Challenge List of Participants
AYER
Quality Engineering, LLC
Best
Computing Services
BHDP
Architecture
Building
Value
C.W.Zumbiel
Company
Cafco
Services
CB Richard
Ellis
Champlin/Haupt Architects, Inc.
Cincinnati
Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Cincinnati
Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati
Nature Center
Cincinnati
Reds Great American Ballpark
Cincinnati
Soap Box Derby
Cincinnati
State Technical & Community College
Cincinnati
Zoo and Botanical Garden
City of
Cincinnati
City of Wyoming
Civic Garden
Center of Greater Cincinnati
Comey &
Shepherd Realtors
Duke Energy
dunnhumbyUSA
emersion
Design, LLC
Environmental Quality Management, Inc.
Environmental Technologies & Communications, Inc.
EventFund
Fernald
Preserve /US DOE Office of Legacy Management
First Valley
Corp.
Fosdick &
Hilmer
Future
Enviroassets, LLC
Global
Spectrum at the Duke Energy Convention Center
Globe
Insurance Agency, Inc.
Green City
Resources
Greenfield
Plant Farm
Hamilton
County
Happen, Inc.
& Happen Toy Lab
Healthcare
Waste Solutions
Human
Nature, Inc.
Hyde Park
Blast
John G.
Luber DDS
Jones the
Florist
Keep
Cincinnati Beautiful
Mercy Mt.
Airy Hospital
Messer
Construction Co.
Metro
Recycling
Metro/Everybody Rides Metro
Neyer
Properties
On Demand
Container, LLC
Outside
Effects, LLC
Park + Vine
PEDCO E&A
Services Inc.
Perfection
Group, Inc.
Power
Inspires Progress
Procter &
Gamble
PsychTemps,
Inc.
Remax
Results Plus
Rumpke
Serendipity
Graphic Design
Shriners
Hospitals for Children
Smith &
Schaefer
SRI Surgical
St. Bernard
Soap Company
Stand Energy
Corporation
TechneGraphics, Inc.
Tetra Tech
EM, Inc.
The Christ
Hospital
The J.M.
Smucker Company
The Plant
Company
The
Scratching Post
ThermalTech
Engineering
Tremco
TriHealth -
Good Samaritan
U.S. Bank
United Way
of Greater Cincinnati
University
of Cincinnati
Uptown Rental Properties, LLC
URS
Corporation
Visiting
Angels