THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | friDAY, april 17, 2015
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Earth Day
Green Living in Greater columbus presented by:
Inside: Horseshoe aiming for zero waste Columbus Earth Day 2015: Right Right Now Now New uses: Purses made from fire hoses
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | fridAY, april 17, 2015
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Horseshoe goes green, achieves zero waste By Carolyn Dix REMER Dispatch Media Group When you think of Ohio Stadium, you think of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. You think of dotting the “i,” beating that team up north and winning, say, the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship. What you might not think about is waste — all the trash that results from tailgating and munching on hot dogs and nachos in The Shoe. And what you might not realize is everything that The Ohio State University has done — and continues to do — to make Ohio Stadium the largest stadium in the country (according to its calculations) to achieve zero waste. Zero waste is achieved by diverting 90 percent or more of materials away from landfills through recycling and composting. “We have reached landfill capacity in a lot of areas, and a lot of us buy stuff but don’t think about what happens (to it) in the end,” said Aparna Dial, director of energy services and sustainability for The Ohio State University and an energy and sustainability engineer. “The landfill space is filling up.” In 2005, Ohio State determined that its recycling rate as a campus was a low 16 percent and decided to do something about it, from putting recycling bins in every classroom to composting waste from food venues on campus. But it was following the University of Texas game in 2005 and the enormous amount of trash left over in the tailgate lots when the university realized it needed
to make Ohio Stadium greener, too. “Some of the most visible events that happen at Ohio State are our football games. So what we did was start a recycling program inside the stadium and in the tailgate lots as well,” Dial said. The recycling program at Ohio Stadium began in 2007 and saw some success over the following years, diverting about 40-50 percent of the waste away from landfills. But, the university knew it could do better. “We thought, why don’t we set the bar a little higher and start with our zero-waste efforts? And we started that four years ago in 2011,” Dial said. But, she noted, it was no small effort. The zero-waste team repainted the metal trash bins in the stadium scarlet and gray and converted them to zero-waste stations with signage for fans — gray bins for composting, scarlet bins for recycling. Everything food or foodrelated gets composted, and everything else gets recycled. They hired zero-waste ambassadors to man the stations, interact with fans and correct any mistakes of waste placed in the wrong bin. The ambassadors are central Ohio high school students, with a focus on innercity youth. “The program introduces students to sustainable practices while simultaneously allowing each person to develop personal and professional skills,” Dial said. “Lastly, and most importantly, participants get a glimpse inside one of the world’s best institutions of higher education,” she added. “It is an opportunity we hope sparks a desire to pursue life-
Above and at right, scarlet and gray recycling and composting bins are situated throughout the Horeshoe. Below, zero-waste ambassadors man stations and make sure waste is placed in the correct receptables.
IMAGES COURTESY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
OSU green efforts extend throughout multiple campuses In addition to the Ohio Stadium zero-waste effort, activities are ongoing to achieve zero waste for the entire Ohio State campus, as well as its four regional campuses. In fact, the Marion campus already successfully achieved zero waste in January. “Zero waste is part of our sustainability efforts, but we have a huge number of sustainability efforts,” said Gina Langen, director of communications and marketing for the office of energy and environment at The Ohio State University. Here are just a few of the ways Ohio State is going green — by the numbers: • 200,000: Gallons of storm water mitigated by a 12,000-square-foot green roof on Howlett Hall, saving a projected $10,374 in energy costs
• 600: Courses related to sustainability • 450: Researchers who conduct sustainability research • 1,000-plus: Utility meters on campus to track energy use • 90: Student organizations with a sustainability focus • 34: The campus’ recycling percentage, more than doubled the 16 percent it started with in 2005 • 400: Miles per hour — the goal of the Buckeye Bullet, the fastest electric car in the world • 1,000: Square feet of space in the enCORE house, a solar-powered house designed and built by students • 23: Percent of the campus’ electricity received from wind power generation.
long learning.” And, they worked with the catering partners and contractors to find sustainable substitutes for products that could not be recycled. For example, the nachos fans eat at the game are compostable, but the tray they come in is not. “So we had to go through a very thoughtful process of looking at all the things that (the food vendors) offer and switch all the products out,” Dial said. The compostable products go to Price Farms Organics in Delaware, and the recyclables go to the Southeastern Correctional Complex in Lancaster, where the inmates run a recycling program. In 2011, the first year of the stadium’s zero-waste efforts, Ohio Stadium had a season average of 75 percent
diversion away from landfills. In 2012, it had about 87 percent diversion for the season, and in 2013 that number rose to 90.5 percent. In 2014, the zero-waste efforts at Ohio Stadium boasted more than 95 percent diversion for the season, with a 98.68 percent diversion rate for the Indiana game — the highest diversion rate yet achieved at The Shoe. And these are numbers that make Ohio State fans on campus and everywhere proud, Dial said. “As far as we know, we are the largest stadium in the country — if not in the world — to achieve zero waste,” she said. Next up? Achieving zero waste at the Schottenstein Center.
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
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Columbus celebrates Earth Day 2015 Join in on Columbus’ weeklong Earth Week celebrations BY CAROLYN DIX REMER DISPATCH MEDIA GROUP The 45th anniversary of Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22, and Columbus is celebrating Right Right Now Now. This year’s citywide celebration theme, Right Right Now Now, is a call to action that we need to do our part to help the earth right now, said Tad Dritz, founder of Green Columbus. Green Columbus is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living in central Ohio and globally, and it has organized Columbus’ Earth Day celebrations since 2007. Starting tomorrow, Earth Day celebrations will begin with Earth Week, a week of sustainability-focused volunteer opportunities. “What makes our Earth Day celebration different than others is that there is a large-scale volunteer effort, not just a party,” Dritz said. In fact, it is the “largest volunteer Earth Day in the world,” he added. This year, Green Columbus expects more than 5,000 volunteers to be involved in Earth Week projects throughout the city April 18-25. Green Columbus works with about 50 to 60 area nonprofits that host the service-site activities, Dritz said. The activities include environmental good works such as planting trees, picking up trash and preparing community gardens. For example, Dritz said one of its partners is FLOW, Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, which is working to reforest the floodplain along the Olentangy River. Columbus has a shrinking tree canopy, and “we are down to 20-percent tree cover,” he said, noting that 40-percent tree cover is considered good for the city. This year, FLOW will be working at the Fawcett Center with a goal of planting 10,000 trees — one of the projects Columbus residents can volunteer for during Earth Week. In addition to the obvious rewarding feeling of helping the planet, there are some other perks to volunteering, including a voucher for a free burrito at Chipotle and a punch card for free ice cream
at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, both sponsors of the Earth Day celebration. The week of volunteer activities culminates on April 25 with an Earth Day festival in Columbus Commons.
Fun fact: Right Right Now Now is also the name of a Beastie Boys song. The first year Green Columbus organized the Earth Day event, it was themed A Year in a Day — with a goal of 2,000 volunteer hours completed in one day. With 500 volunteers each working four hours, they would complete the same number of hours a single person works in a year. It just so happened that A Year in a Day is also the name of a Beastie Boys song, a happy coincidence that Green Columbus only discovered after a Google search. A longtime Beastie Boys fan, Dritz decided to start a tradition, naming every Earth Day event after a Beastie Boys song.
The family-friendly event will feature kids activities such as recycled-art projects and face painting. The kid’s space is sponsored by Whole Foods Market, which will be handing out fresh fruit for a healthy snack. There will be about 70 booths showcasing businesses with an environmental focus for visitors to check out, from recycling programs to solar panel installers. You can grab a bite to eat at one of the food trucks and catch a live act on the main stage. The lineup includes The Shazzbots, Stone Fruit, Erika Hughes & The Well Mannered, The Spikedrivers and the Rumpke Mountain Boys. Mayor Coleman will address attendees, and Green Columbus will recognize the nonprofit, school and employer that sent the most volunteers during Earth Week by awarding them the Earth Day Challenge Cup Awards. Learn about service projects and sign up to volunteer at earthdaycolumbus.org.
IMAGES COURTESY GREEN COLUMBUS
Earth Week features a variety of projects happening April 18-25 that individuals, businesses and community groups can engage in, from tree plantings to picking up trash to preparing community gardens. The weeklong event culminates April 25 with an Earth Day festival at Columbus Commons with activities for all ages.
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | fridAY, april 17, 2015
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Green marks the spot By Carolyn Dix REMER Dispatch Media Group The city of Columbus has made huge gains in becoming greener since Mayor Michael B. Coleman launched the Get Green Columbus initiative in 2005. There are more bike lanes, more green spaces and even more recycling programs to reduce the city’s carbon footprint and create a healthier home for its more than 800,000 metro-area residents. But what about businesses, families or even community groups that want to get greener, too? Mayor Coleman created GreenSpot in 2008 for the community to join in on the greening of Columbus. “GreenSpot is a program to inspire, educate and recognize households, businesses and community groups that adopt green practices,” said David R. Celebrezze, GreenSpot coordinator. “It provides a framework for folks to think about sustainability,” he added, and makes it easier for businesses and households to figure out what they can do to become greener. GreenSpot is a web-based program, and businesses, households and community groups apply online at columbusgreenspot.org to become members. For example, businesses interested in becoming GreenSpot members can do so by making five commitments: • Inform and engage • Reduce, recycle and reuse • Conserve water
• Conserve energy • Streamline transportation. GreenSpot offers several actions to take — such as conducting an energy audit — and it provides how-to guides to help meet these commitments, making it easier for businesses to become greener. Households can commit to conserving water and energy and to reduce, recycle and reuse, and community groups can commit to actions that will protect our air, soil and water. There are currently more than 11,200 GreenSpot members, and the number keeps growing. About 91 percent of members are households, 8 percent are businesses and 1 percent is comprised of community groups. But what does a business or household get out of becoming greener? Besides the obvious — helping the environment — there are other incentives, too. “They’ll see cost savings,” Celebrezze noted, adding that something as simple as switching to CFL or LED lights can amount to thousands of dollars in savings each month for a business. And when it comes to businesses, “being sustainable is not a luxury,” Celebrezze said. “It’s something they need to strive for. It’s something people expect,” he added, noting that this is true of both customers and prospective employees. To help connect customers with green businesses, GreenSpot provides a listing of all GreenSpot businesses
with their locations on its website. It also highlights a business each month on its Facebook page to showcase what it has done to be green. In addition, GreenSpot sends an e-newsletter to about 8,000 subscribers in which it highlights a GreenSpot business. There is an awards ceremony each year at which the mayor recognizes GreenSpot members that have been exceptional in their sustainability efforts — one for large-, mediumand small-sized businesses. The recipients of the GreenSpotLight awards presented last month were the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; The Table, a restaurant in the Short North; and Green Scoop, a petwaste recycling business. And of course, every GreenSpot business gets the nifty GreenSpot decal for their door or window to advertise that they are green. Even kids and educators can get in on the green action with GreenSpot for Kids. The website (greenkids. columbus.gov) provides fun facts and activities to get kids excited for and involved in sustainability activities, such as online quizzes, games and a green walking map for exploring Columbus. There are also resources for teachers to bring GreenSpot for Kids into the classroom, including a GreenSpot book and an accomplishment chart for the students. Interested in joining the more than 11,200 (and growing) GreenSpot members? Learn more and apply at columbusgreenspot.org.
Columbus keeps getting greener What happened during the past year in Columbus? It has gotten greener. Here are some of the many ways Get Green Columbus has made Columbus more eco-friendly. • Engaged the community in writing the next five-year plan for sustainability titled, “The Columbus Green Community Plan: Green Memo III.” Available online at columbus.gov/GreenPlan. • The GreenSpot program grew to more than 11,000 members in 2015. • Earth Day: Gratitude (2014) brought together more than 4,000 volunteers who donated a combined 12,500 service hours planting trees, cleaning litter, removing invasive plants and more. • Residential recycling was expanded to an additional 13,777 households located in apartment and condominium communities. In addition, 33,983 tons of material were recycled that previously would have been taken to
IMAGE COURTESY CITY OF COLUMBUS
the county landfill. Residents diverted 24,271 tons of yard waste that was processed into mulch and compost. • 15 homes were deconstructed as an alternative to demolition, salvaging material for reuse. • Restaurants and bars along High Street began recycling through the support of the City of Columbus, Ohio EPA and Rumpke. These businesses recycled 180 tons in their first year. • 60 acres of parkland were added to the Recreation and Parks Department inventory.
• The City of Columbus assisted in funding a VeggiSnaps program providing income-eligible participants with matching dollars to incentivize the purchase of healthy, locally grown foods at select farmers markets. • 759 households received discounted rain barrels through a city-funded program administered by the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District. • Blueprint Columbus began exploring a new method of eliminating sanitary sewer overflows. • The Olentangy Trail attracted more than 1 million users in 2014. • On-street bikeways were expanded by 33.8 miles, including 2.4 miles of bike lanes located Downtown on Spring and Long streets. • The Yay Bikes! program, Pedal Instead, provided free, secure valet-style bicycle parking at festivals and events. The program parked 7,698 bicycles at 19 events, saving 4,520 gallons of fuel and avoiding 47,513 miles by car. • CoGo Bike Share announced Medical Mutual as its title sponsor, which donated $1.25 million to support the program. More than 45,000 rides were taken on the system in 2014. • A bike-safety ordinance was passed, providing a defined safe distance for cars and larger vehicles to maintain when passing bicyclists. • Zero air-quality alert days were issued for particle pollution or ozone pollution in 2014. Source: Mayor's Office of Environmental Stewardship
Note from the Mayor In 2005, I launched the Get Green Columbus initiative to ensure our city’s active contribution to the resolution of global environmental issues. At the time, Get Green Columbus was an appropriate name for the initiative as we were at the beginning stages of our work. After 10 years of constant, dedicated effort, Get Green Columbus no longer appropriately characterizes where we stand today. We have gotten green. We’ve removed low-head dams, thus restoring our rivers, including the Olentangy River winding through the OSU campus. We’ve added greenspace Downtown, making the improved greenway a primary attraction. We launched the city’s first comprehensive recycling program, which has been widely embraced by Columbus residents. We launched CoGo, a bike-sharing program, and the CBUS circulates Downtown. And now we are piloting Blueprint Columbus, a new approach to eliminating sewer overflows while creating local jobs and strengthening our neighborhoods. These examples are just a small sample of our successes to date. Sustainability can be visualized along an unending spectrum. Although we have “gotten green,” there is still more important work to do. The problems facing us are severe, and our work to mitigate the effects of climate change must remain an urgent priority. The City of Columbus cannot do this work alone; it will take the entire community to effectively address our goals. This is why we engaged the community in the creation of a Green Community Plan, which outlines environmental initiatives to address in the next five years. As I embark on my last year in office, I am thankful for all of the people who make Columbus great and aspire for its continued improvement. It is because of you that I am confident that even after my term ends this year, the priority for environmental initiatives will be upheld well into the future. Michael B. Coleman, Mayor, City of Columbus
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
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Sparking a passion Firefighter transforms would-be junk into art
BY CAROLYN DIX REMER DISPATCH MEDIA GROUP Most folks don’t find themselves in a junkyard. But Allison Meade does. She roams the discarded remnants of people’s lives, looking for inspiration for her next welded work of art, piece of furniture or handbag. “I like to give old things a new life,” said Meade, a firefighter and artist who uses items such as old tailpipes and steel wheels to create her pieces. “I see beauty in things that most people view as garbage,” she said. She doesn’t go to salvage yards in search of anything in particular. More likely she comes across an item — from an oil pan to a metal scrap — that sparks an idea. Her passion for repurposing discarded automobile parts started about 10 years ago. Her roommate was welding together pieces of an old Studebaker pickup truck in his garage. And Meade was inspired. Born in Springfield, the self-described “vintage car chick” moved to Columbus and attended Columbus State Community College for automotive technology and welding in 2004. She obtained her associates degree in automotive technology, and though she did not receive a degree in welding, she continued
taking welding classes after graduation. “I fell in love with the whole welding process and started welding automotive pieces together,” she said. She recalled going to a salvage yard and noticing “beautiful pre-1960s cars” on a conveyor belt, destined to be crushed. “It broke my heart,” she said. “These things have so much meaning.” She said she felt an urge to make them into something beautiful instead of letting them be melted down. “I wanted to preserve the beauty that they have,” she shared. “It’s my way of making a small difference, preserving something rare and precious that would otherwise be thrown into a fire.” So, Meade started using old car parts to create artistic sculptures and furniture. She uses tailpipes, pistons, steel wheels and salvaged glass. Though she didn’t set out to be a “green” artist, she said that using discarded materials just came natural to her. “Not only does using discarded materials save them from the landfill, but it also cuts down on material costs for the artist and adds tremendous character to our work,” Meade said. “Using materials with a previous life can really personalize art for the potential buyer,” she added.
PHOTOS BY JOHN KNOUFF
Firefighter and artist Allison Meade makes purses from discarded fire hoses. Meade has created a bulldog sculpture — inspired by her own three-legged bulldog — out of an oil pan, a hot rod chandelier out of pistons and a Native American sculpture out of automotive and motorcycle parts after learning about her own Native American heritage. Though Meade attended school for automotive technology and is inspired in her art by old car parts, she said she knew she didn’t want to be a mechanic. “I wanted something more fast-paced that would allow me to serve the public and hold me accountable for staying in shape physically,” she said. Following jobs working for a hot-rod shop while in college and a five-year stint
in public utilities for the City of Columbus, Meade decided to follow in her stepfather’s footsteps and become a firefighter. She graduated from the Columbus Fire Academy in February 2014. “It’s awesome. It’s pretty challenging, especially being a female, but it is also really fun,” she said. Despite the demanding hours, she has continued to weld her recycled-metal works of art as a hobby. Her new career has even inspired some new projects. Meade salvaged some old fire hoses that were going to be thrown out to make a handbag. She creates these custom handbags using aluminum, leather and hoses, and she has found success selling them.
“My co-workers often purchase these handbags for their wives or daughters as a great way for their loved ones to show support for their career in firefighting,” Meade said. “It’s both unique and personal to them.” She has also taught welding classes at the Columbus Idea Foundry, a “maker space” in Franklinton consisting of a community workshop, learning center and creative space for welding, woodworking and 3-D printing. This is also where she creates her works of art. To see Meade’s work, visit her website, oldsoulstudio. com. Or pop over to the Columbus Idea Foundry and check out its unique sign made from repurposed scrap metal. She created it.
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THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH | Special Advertising Section | fridAY, april 17, 2015
Bob Vila
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