More than 500 eco-minded enthusiasts will converge on the Cleveland Public Auditorium this Wednesday 9/27 and Thursday 9/28 for the ninth annual Sustainable Cleveland Summit (presented by the Cleveland Foundation). A keynote by The Nature Conservancy CEO Mark Tercek will put an exciting cap on what’s been dubbed "The Year of Vibrant Green Space,” while the conference will also position 2018 as “The Year of Vibrant Neighborhoods.”

Trending topics at the summit will include implantation of the Cleveland Tree Plan, green jobs, sustainable neighborhood projects, and climate change (and how to combat it via the Cleveland Climate Action Plan). The Cleveland Metroparks will also be providing whirlwind water taxi tours of Cleveland, while the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District will show attendees the green infrastructure in place at Public Square. At the end of each day, a post-Summit reception will offer up ample networking and noshing opportunities. Click here to register or get more 411 on this zero-waste event.

World Water Monitoring Day attracted a high-profile visitor to Northeast Ohio: Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed explorer Jacques Cousteau. Together with local environmentalist James Trogdon, Cousteau led a group of 150 students from four area schools in testing the water quality of the Cuyahoga River.

Tomorrow Public Square will be the safest place in town, thanks to a free self-defense event being sponsored by Mace (which is headquartered in Cleveland). Safety Town CLE will offer hands-on training and product demos, along with tips and talks by safety and security professionals—including a former Secret Service agent and a Cleveland woman who was inspired to start her own self-defense practice after being shot. Food trucks and music will also be part of the event, as well as free product giveaways. The Safety Town CLE event takes place from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in Public Square. More details can be found here.

 

The ever-evolving Towpath Trail now includes a small but mighty quarter-mile stretch from Sokolowski's University Inn to Hart Crane Park (near Merwin's Wharf) with a passageway under the Inner Belt Bridge. 

A new 17-acre green space is coming around the proverbial bend, and the Plain Dealer says it has the potential to take Irishtown Bend from "weed-infested wasteland" to "one of the most spectacular urban parks in the Great Lakes." After much anticipation, finalized plans for the Irishtown Bend project are being unveiled this week—a joint effort of LAND Studio, the Port of Cleveland, the City of Cleveland, and Ohio City Inc. Key proposed components range from a treetop canopy walk to the Ohio City Farm to a maritime promenade, as well as a "history and ecology zone."

Join designers Michael Baker International and CMG this Thursday 8/31 for a public meeting during which attendees can view and provide feedback on the plans. The meeting will be held at 5:30 pm in the St. Ignatius Breen Center in Ohio City (2008 W 30th St, Cleveland, OH 44113). Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information, please contact Carrie Miller at cmiller@ohiocity.org.

 

The Associated Press called it "the most-observed and most-photographed eclipse in history," and Edgewater Park certainly played its part in that—attracting thousands of Northeast Ohioans for a lively lakefront watch party. 

Record-breaking amounts of visitors have made their way to Cleveland in recent years, and Travelocity has taken notice—ticking off 13 reasons why it's "obsessed" with Cleveland. (Just 13? We've got at least seven more to add.) Usual suspects like Public Square, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame lead the list, along with tasty trips to the West Side Market and that oozing-with-charm popcorn shop in Chagrin Falls. See which other attractions made the list here.
 

New Day Cleveland devotes an entire episode to our city's Emerald Necklace as it turns 100 years old this July.

There's a whole campaign underway to bring the Forest City back to life. Here's the story of the foot soldiers in that effort—trees raised to green up our urban neighborhoods.

Fresh Water managing editor Erin O'Brien bids readers farewell with a good long walk along an offbeat path.

The newest half-mile section of the complex path offers up history, industry and unique views of the city that will be new to most locals.

Two new benches adorn Hildana Park on Chagrin Boulevard in Shaker Heights’ Moreland District. But aside from providing a place to sit, these benches offer much more to park visitors.

The colorful, solar-powered Soofa Benches, which launched out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab in 2014, offer both a place to sit and a place to recharge phones and other devices and connect to the Internet. 

Learn more about what these smart benches offer here.

For some people, golf is a slow-moving sport that's expensive to take up, is neck deep in boring etiquette, and requires at least one good pair of dress shorts. Fortunately, the Cleveland Metroparks has come to the rescue with a golf-like alternative where tank tops aren't frowned upon and you never have to worry about plucking the wrong club from your Callaway Odyssey bag.

What's a golf-challenged Clevelander to do? Why .... FootGolf of course! Read all about it here.

As the summer solstice looms, groups of cycling advocates invite riders to celebrate Cleveland’s best bike year ever amid a host of two-wheeled activities with something for everyone.

After much anticipation, the new 12,000-square-foot Edgewater Beach House opened last Friday. The open air, two-story amenity offers stunning views of Lake Erie and a place to kick back and relax with friends. It also serves as a connection point with walking paths leading to the popular green space from surrounding neighborhoods.

Read more about all the beach house has to offer beach goers this summer.

As host to Earth Day and Arbor Day, April is a very green month indeed — and Fresh Water readers will delight in this roundup of alt options to honor Mother Nature, from toasting her trees to walking among them.