When in Cleveland I was lucky enough to meet, chat and interview a few different impressive people starting with Meagan who has spearheaded a very cool project known as Gather ‘Round Farm. This was the first “urban farm” I have visited on this journey and I am certainly glad I made the visit.  I never thought I would find myself conducting an interview in a chicken coop on a parking lot right next to fast food joints and a funeral home. But hey… this is America and with American comes urban environments and there certainly should be no reason as to why people cannot grow vegetables and raise chickens in a city landscape and as a matter of fact I encourage more city dwellers to do the same.

At the end of the day this was one of the more interesting stops on this journey and the vivid contrast between farm and city life was completely unfolded right before me. As lower income families passed by with smiles and laughter while enjoying a meal from Wendy’s I realized that this urban farm has great potential to make a connection between the youth in the local community and where their food actually comes from. These are the types of people and organization that local communities and government need to support. I wish the people at Gather ‘round Farm the best in their mission and I hope their crops grow healthy and strong!

If you know me well you are aware that one of my favorite things to see and do after a long ride is visit a local micro brewery and this was of course on the radar in Cleveland as well. I had put a feeler out to my twitter community letting people know that I was looking for and sure enough my someone came through!  @Merehithmo who grew up in the Cleveland area and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY had guided me to the Great Lakes Brewing Company. I was honestly shocked to see and hear that sustainable business practices were one the very top of the priority list. It was a shock to find out that A. A brewery was environmentally driven and B. It was based in Cleveland Ohio.  Two bullet points I would have least expected to see combined. In fact I am so impressed with the zero waste initiatives at Great Lakes I thought I would share a few with you here in my blog.

• Alternative Fuels: GLBC operates a beer delivery truck and a shuttle bus called "The Fatty Wagon" that runs on straight restaurant vegetable oil. Results show that engines running on straight vegetable oil produce 40% less soot than diesel and are 25% cleaner.
• Recycling: GLBC recycles cardboard, glass, plastic, steel/aluminum, paper and brewer’s barley to reduce trash removal fees by over 50%. GLBC prints newsletters, menus, beverage napkins and promotional items on 100% recycled paper. In addition, all packaging (i.e., 4-packs, 6-packs, 12-packs and the unbleached "eco-carton", which holds a case of beer) consists of recycled content.
• Vermicomposting: GLBC uses vermicomposting to produce natural fertilizer. A portion of paper, kitchen scraps, grain and cardboard is fed to worms, which then produce castings - top-of-the-line organic fertilizer - used to fertilize the herbs and vegetables found on the menu.
• Energy Efficiency: GLBC has a cooling system in the Brewery cooler that brings in cold air during winter months to cool the beer. Skylights and light sensors have been installed in the Tank Farm and Brewery cooler to allow in natural light and minimize the use of electricity. An "air curtain" is in place in the Brewpub to keep warm air from escaping when patrons enter and exit.
• Low-Fill Beer: To minimize the waste of throwing away "low-fill beers" (bottles of beer that cannot go to retail because they are not filled to the maximum level), GLBC uses the beer in a number of menu items, including salad dressings and the Stilton Cheddar Cheese Soup. Mitchell's Ice Cream also uses the GLBC Porter in the exclusiveEdmund Fitzgerald Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream.

So as you can see there are many great things going on the city of Cleveland and I could have probably spent a few more days seeking out more great people but … the show must go on.

So after a few hours of severe thunderstorms the rain had moved south to Columbus and I started pedaling 53 miles towards Huron Ohio where I caught wind of a carnival in the marina. I arrived and quickly noticed that lodging options were very slim however I was lucky enough to find a motel owner that admires people who ride bicycles long distances and we arranged an affordable price. I then walked over to the carnival where I enjoyed a good bit of people watching. I must admit that I truly enjoyed watching everyone have a great time and seeing the children smile big and bright was delightful... but the consumption and lack of recycling had really bothered me. I couldn’t believe how wasteful this event was. At this time it had really hit me hard that I was now in Ohio and then my mind started to really travel back to my adventures in Maine and Vermont and I couldn’t help but notice the different in landscape and the people. This ride is really starting to get interesting and I can only imagine what Michigan will have to offer. So as I post this blog here in my motel room, fairly rushed to get out the door and ready to hit the road for a 60 mile day I must say goodbye.

Until next time take care and take action!
Please support me in cause to protect land and nature and donate to my fundraiser!
http://firstgiving.com/follownathan

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