Blade article on GROWs' Green Corps

Youths help make Toledo greener

Youths in the Lucas County Green Jobs Corps [via Toledo GROWs] helped Toledo's Division of Environmental Services and other agencies Tuesday carry out the Green Streets Toledo Program, which was begun in April with nearly $1 million in grant funding from the state and federal governments.

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Blade article on composting

Don't trash that banana peel - composting is an easy, eco-friendly alternative

Recycling is certainly not a new concept. In fact, gardeners have been using one form of recycling - composting - for about as long as people have tilled the soil. Composting is a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to give your garden a boost.

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Toledo GROWs on the rise.

Toledo GROW's is becoming a prominent piece to the puzzle in Ohio. The non-profit organization is beginning to branch out through teens raising chickens, and other wildlife. Also Toledo GROWs is reaching the community through  urban teens with aspirations to succeed, another reason why Toledo GROWs is on a hot streak.

Here's a recent Blade article on our chickens and turkeys at the Oneida St. greenhouse in North Toledo.

GROWs manager honored as a Toledoan of the Year

The innovative work of Toledo GROWs has yielded a Toledoan of the Year. Mike Szuberla was honored at an award ceremony earlier this week along with four others from the community. Below is the Blade article.....

5 are Toledoans of Year for efforts in community
Awards recognize individual efforts
BLADE STAFF


Five people - including an 8-year-old girl who collects socks for the homeless - were honored with Toledoan of the Year Awards last night at a reception in the Erie Street Market.
The honorees were selected by a panel of judges in five categories: mentor, humanitarian, innovation, community investment, and leadership.

Before the presentations, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner noted the bad economic conditions and urged the audience of 100 to "do absolutely the best job we will ever do in our lives in uplifting and inspiring others."
The mayor said the recent city layoffs, including 75 police officers, were bad, but "not the end of the Earth."

Mr. Finkbeiner said challenges can make people stronger.
Of the proceedings last night, he said: "We honor individuals who quietly and humbly work to improve this community.

The honorees were:

•Brittany Gessner, the owner and head coach of the Cheerworks Sparks Gym, who won the mentor award. She dedicates much time to her cheerleading and dance teams, one of which includes special-needs athletes, who travel with the other squads.

•Hannah Turner, who started Hannah's Socks, a nonprofit organization that provides warm clothing to the homeless in northwest Ohio. She won the humanitarian award. At 8, Hannah is the youngest winner.
She has collected more than 50,000 socks and spends her Saturday mornings distributing socks to those in need.

•Mike Szuberla of Toledo Grows, the outreach program of the Toledo Botanical Garden, who won the innovation award. He is a regional and state leader in community gardens. Toledo Grows serves and supports 50 community gardens with organizational resources and technical assistance.

•Paul Ormond, chief executive officer of HCR ManorCare Inc., who won the business community investment award. His Toledo-based company continues to grow and will add 85 jobs with the expansion of its business.

•Greg Braylock, coordinator of Youth United Way, a program of the United Way of Greater Toledo, who won the leadership award. He teaches teens how to become leaders and encourages them to perform to the best of their capacity.

Presenting the awards were Ron Royhab, Vice President-Executive Editor of The Blade, and Laura Emerson, news anchor at WUPW Channel 36. The event was sponsored by The Blade, the city of Toledo, and Fox Toledo.

Blade article: "Food scrap recycling set to start in Huron"

published 09 Mar 09

HURON, Ohio - Starting April 1, residents will become Ohio's first to get curbside recycling for food scraps and biodegradable products such as coffee grounds, egg shells, and paper plates.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency hopes that Huron - a Lake Erie shoreline community of 8,000 people east of Sandusky - will set a big example for others.

"We could redefine the state's image," Huron City Manager Andy White said.

Joe Goicochea, an environmental specialist in the agency's solid and infectious waste division, concedes it's an "unconventional type of recycling."

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