Energy efficiency is no longer simply an option for tenants seeking office space downtown, says Donald Rerko of ka Architecture Inc., one of Cleveland's leading sustainability-minded architecture firms. Instead, it's often a critical "go/no go" decision-making factor that can make or break a deal.

"Tenants want sustainable buildings, and they'll often take the building off their list if it's not energy-efficient," he says. "It'... Read more >

Every time a young person leaves Northeast Ohio for another part of the country, Greater Cleveland loses 120 percent of their salary in actual economic value, says Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

That's why he recently created the Next Generation Council, a group that is intended to stem brain drain by giving young people a voice in helping the county attract and retain young talent in the region.

Recently, FitzGerald selected 15 council members from... Read more >

This is the kind of downsizing we can all cheer about. PNC has launched an effort to reduce the amount of waste coming out of its downtown Cleveland office building to "near zero," becoming one of the first downtown buildings to achieve this ambitious goal.

The employee-led effort is reducing the amount of trash going to landfills to 40 percent of the total waste coming out of the building. The remaining 60 percent is being recycled or composted. PNC is not stop... Read more >

Having birthed 25-plus new businesses within the past few years, Ohio City is on a roll. Leaders here hope to continue that progress this year as they launch the second round of the Small Business Development Grant Competition, an initiative that aided at least five new retail businesses in 2011.

The competition, which is being managed by Ohio City Inc. and funded by Charter One Growing Communities, offers grants of $5,000 to $20,000 to retail businesses that open or expa... Read more >

The founders of a Cleveland technology startup company have joined together with the Cleveland chapter of Kids Against Hunger to present "Celebrating Sustainability and Entrepreneurship," an event aimed at promoting sustainable social enterprises. All event proceeds will go towards providing nutritious meals to local families in need.

"The Cleveland chapter of Kids Against Hunger was founded by a Case Western Reserve University freshman named Aditya Rengasw... Read more >

For years, staff at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) have watched as rape crisis programs throughout the state have either closed or downsized. The combination of a poor economy and lack of dedicated funding have put many of these programs out of existence -- and left sexual assault victims in less populated counties without services.

A new partnership between the CRCC and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) hopes to change that by serving as a voice f... Read more >

Just as the U.S. Supreme Court this week begins to hear arguments about the constitutionality of the federal Affordable Care Act, several Northeast Ohio foundations have banded together to provide nonpartisan, consumer-friendly information to help citizens navigate this complex new law.

The public education effort takes place as liberal and conservative groups across the country launch a fight not only over the constitutionality of the law, but also over how it's perc... Read more >

Small business owners are often the very first to turn the lights on in the morning and the last to leave at night. So when an owner doesn't show up for work until midmorning, that's typically something his or her employees take notice of right away. They may gossip and joke that the boss is out playing hooky.

"They'll look around and wonder where the boss is," says Ginny Hridel, Product Manager of Health Insurance and Wellness Programs with the Coun... Read more >

On the heels of St. Patty's Day, which gives cause for merriment whether you're Irish for one day or your entire life, comes Dyngus Day. And Justin Gorski, aka "DJ Kishka," invites you to dig deep to find your ethnic roots and celebrate Cleveland's Polish heritage in style.

"I'm Polish, and I always had pride in that," says Gorski, who created the Polka Happy Hour at the Happy Dog seven years ago. "My grandmother made pierogi and p... Read more >

Since the financial crowdsourcing website Kickstarter was founded a few years ago by New York entrepreneurs, it has helped to raise millions of dollars for artistic projects, including many in Cleveland.

Just how important is Kickstarter for arts funding? A recent New York Times article reported that the organization expects to raise $150 million in contributions in 2012. By comparison, the National Endowment for the Arts has a budget of $146 million.

Next week, ... Read more >

Throughout its 20 year history, Eden Inc., a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, has "flown under the radar," says David Fearn, Manager of Grants Development and Community Relations. If so, then one might say that Eden's recently launched sustainability efforts constitute a coming out party -- one to which all of its neighbors are invited.

Eden has always been a community-minded agency; its housing developments serve low-income and often mentally ill ... Read more >

The Foundation Center launched Grant Space to aggregate its most popular content in one easy-to-navigate location and be responsive to its audience. The website features video chats with grant makers and a calendar of trainings. It also allows visitors to quickly interact with Foundation Center staff.

Now the Center has launched Grant Space Mobile, a new version geared towards mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Foundation Center Cleveland Director Cynthia Ba... Read more >

When actor Bill Morgan travels into Cleveland schools to create artistic productions that star both hearing and deaf actors, he continues to be amazed by students' reactions and the type of creativity that is often unleashed through nonverbal communication.

Morgan can hear, yet the productions that he creates through SignStage Theatre help to educate hearing individuals on the issues faced by the deaf community. They also bring hearing and deaf students together throu... Read more >

It's the "Year of Local Food" in Cleveland, say the organizers of Sustainable Cleveland 2019. It's also the year that Congress is set to reauthorize the farm bill, the largest piece of food and farm legislation that determines how food reaches our plate.

These two events may seem disconnected, but they really are not, says Tia Lebherz, an organizer with Food and Water Watch, whose job is to energize the Cleveland Fair Farm Bill Campaign. In fact, the bil... Read more >

Joseph M. Gallagher School, a diverse K-8 school in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west side, has formed an innovative community partnership in an effort to boost scores on the all-important Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) this spring. The international school is currently in Academic Emergency, yet hopes to make a crucial leap forward by improving this year's test results.

The much-needed community support couldn't come at a more critical time, says G... Read more >

The Cleveland Colectivo, a grassroots giving circle whose members provide grants to innovative, community-minded ideas, attracted 27 entrepreneurs and a crowd of nearly 100 people to its recent "Pitch for Change" event at Shaker Launchhouse.

Following the spirited two-minute presentations -- which grew more creative as the night wore on -- attendees voted on their favorite projects. The winner, Have You Met Cleveland?, took home the coveted door prize -- over $4... Read more >