52% of all paper, 31% of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45% of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63% of all steel packaging, and 67% of all major appliances are now recycled.*
When you make green efforts in Cincinnati, you are not alone. Live Green Cincinnati is asking people around town 3 questions to find out how they make Cincinnati green and what they wish for in the future.
Who are you?
Jami Stutzman - Realtor for Sibcy Cline Realtors
Co-developer of ENCORE Cincinnati (Environmentally Conscious Real Estate of Cincinnati)
How do you make Cincinnati Green?
In my business I'm seeing people quickly turning to a more green lifestyle when it comes to their home purchases and remodeling. Everyone is becoming energy conscious and they are looking for ways to cut their costs and help the environment at the same time.
What's on your wish list for a greener Cincinnati?
More public transportation
Bike paths throughout the city.
Greater awareness of how much Cincinnati is doing on the greenside. We're very progressive and people should know that!
More incentives for green remodeling of our homes.
Rain barrels on every house
Jeff Salisbury and Cristine Plepys
Who are you?
Jeff Salisbury and Christine Plepys, Newport KY
How do you make Cincinnati green?
Nothing major, but a lot of little things. Parking is at a premium in Newport, so when we moved there we built a garage behind the house. It has a green (vegitated) roof that soaks up rain water, helps with the urban heat island effect and looks a lot better than the black rubber roof underneath. We also support Bike Newport, a group trying to make Newport a more bike friendly community. We only have one car since Jeff walks to work downtown. We are trying to use some recycled materials (flooring and a sink from Building Value, reusing our current appliances) in our kitchen remodel. And Christine trys to always take her own shopping bags to the grocery store.
What's on your wish list for a greener Cincinnati?
A more expansive, integrated and diverse multi-modal transportation system.
As many people on bikes and on foot as in cars in the urban core.
Green roofs on every flat roof surface.
A realization by everyone that being green not only makes sense, but makes cents (and dollars too) so there is greater acceptance for taking steps to be green.
Alice Emmons
Who are you?
I'm a middle-aged woman energetically juggling the roles of mom, spouse, architect, homeschooler, gardener, and a few other consuming interests.
How do you make Cincinnati green?
Professionally, I've been very fortunate to take part in the construction of two green homes in my neighborhood of Northside, and hope to help more of my clients "go green".
What's on your wish list for a greener Cincinnati?
My most fervent wish for Cincinnati is to find a way to connect all the people who are interested in / trying to do green. There seems to be a very broad interest in green ideas right now, and there is incredible strength and energy to be had by getting all these interested folks together.
I'm including a copy of the original rendering for the Northside houses as an image. For a website, there's a great article at Co-op America about recycling sources for a broad variety of items. It's at: http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/caq/articles/21things.cfm
Thanks for giving me the chance to take part!
Brent Quebman
Who are you?
Brent Quebman - Executive Director energyQue
How do you make Cincinnati green?
Our mission is to improve local air quality and reduce green house gas emissions through building energy conservation. Residential, Commercial and institutional buildings waste tons of energy. We feel, with the right information, people will have the ability to make an excellent investment in their future that we all will benefit from. EnergyQue helps people understand where energy loss is occurring using LeakFinder Thermal Imaging to inspect the building envelope.
What's on your wish list for a greener Cincinnati?
I wish I could take public transport to work.
I wish I could heat my home with a hair dryer.
I wish the Union Terminal had bullet trains I could take cross country.
I wish people understood where our energy comes from.
I wish we weren't so politically divided in this city.
Alice Emmons
Brent Quebman