Solar Co-Op Installations

Cuyahoga County Internal Green Practices Plan

A guide for the work of the Department of Sustainability, the Cuyahoga County Sustainability Plan consists of seven key strategies:

1. Work collaboratively with partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the geographic confines of Cuyahoga County;
2. Increase resources for clean energy and environmentally sustainable programs, projects, and practices in Cuyahoga County;
3. Increase access to alternative methods of transportation for residents and visitors to Cuyahoga County to enhance air quality and the environmental health of the community.
4. Increase community awareness, knowledge, and advocacy regarding environmental issues, policies, and initiatives;
5. Convene and collaborate with partners to advocate for improvements to water quality for Cuyahoga County residents and visitors;
6. Demonstrate the County’s leadership in environmental stewardship by increasing the utilization of sustainable, green practices throughout the organization; and
7. Enhance land use practices to spur greater clean energy development, reduce local greenhouse gas emissions and, ultimately, positively impact local air quality.

The Department of Sustainability oversees several programs and projects that support this plan:

1. Residential Solar Co-op: Three rounds of the Solar Co-op program have been completed, which provides education and savings to the residents of the County who want to go solar on their homes. Round four of this program began in November of 2020. 
2. Municipal/Non Profit Solar Co-op: This program allows  municipalities, non-profits, and school districts within the County to install solar on their buildings without any upfront costs. Currently, the City of Lakewood is installing solar on four buildings and will save roughly $600,000 over 20 years. Cleveland Heights is also considering installing solar through this contract. The County previously installed solar on three County buildings (Medical Examiners, Animal Shelter, and Jane Edna Hunter Building). The County is waiting for roof repairs to be completed to install solar on the Harvard Road Garage.
3. Cuyahoga County Green Bank: The County is working with the Coalition for Green Capital, the Gund Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation to create a green bank, a new funding source for renewable energy projects. This project is continuing throughout 2021.
4. Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant Program: The County's Department of Sustainability, Planning Commission, and Soil and Water Conservation District created this program to disperse $1,000,000 per year to the cities, municipalities, and communities of Cuyahoga County to increase the tree canopy. Year two of this grant program was placed on hold due to COVID-19, but is expected to restart in January of 2021.
5. Cuyahoga County Plastic Bag Ban: The County's Department of Sustainability, Department of Consumer Affairs, Solid Waste District, and Department of Communications have been working on a public outreach campaign geared towards educating consumers and retailers on the Cuyahoga County Plastic Bag Ban. The ban began on January 1, 2020. County Council extended the grace period for enforcement of the ban until January 1, 2021, due to COVID-19. The Ohio State House and Senate passed a bill to ban plastic bag bans for 12-months due to COVID-19, so the program continues to be on hold. Outreach for this program will continue throughout the year.
6. Bikeshare and Scootershare: In 2019, the County created bikeshare and scootershare regulations so that vendors may bring their shared mobility devices to Cuyahoga County. Currently, mobility devices are only in the City of Cleveland, but the County is working with the inner-ring suburbs (Lakewood, Euclid, South Euclid, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, and University Heights) to bring these devices to their communities. Department staff spoke at a Euclid City Council Meeting, and the City of Euclid recently signed an MOU to bring scooters to their community. The Department also issued an RFP in December of 2020 to create scooter infrastructure with NOACA grant funding. 
7. Downtown Cleveland Microgrid: Cuyahoga County is currently working with Cleveland Public Power, Middough, Inc., Cleveland State University, and the Cleveland Foundation to create a microgrid in Downtown Cleveland. The process of selecting a developer began in 2019 by releasing an RFQ. There have been delays in releasing the RFP, but the County plans to continue working on this project in 2021.
8. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory: The County is working with the Brendle Group and the City of Cleveland to track greenhouse gas emissions over time. A reduction in emissions has been seen since the baseline year of 2010. This program continues, with data for 2019 expected to be reported in Q1-21.
9. General Sustainability Education: The Department of Sustainability regularly provides education through presentations, tabled events, and meetings as needed. Department staff have also participated in virtual outreach since the beginning of COVID-19. Several presentations given include the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and NASA. 
10. Vision Zero - City of Cleveland: The Department of Sustainability is working with the City of Cleveland on their Vision Zero initiative. Vision Zero is a strategic, multisector approach to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Cleveland. The Cuyahoga County Board of Control recently approved a contract with the City of Cleveland to contribute towards an Action Plan for Vision Zero. 
11. Collaboration with Stakeholders: The Department of Sustainability is constantly working with stakeholders to further support sustainability in Cuyahoga County. Stakeholders include NOACA, Board of Health, the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, Cleveland Public Power, NASA, Cleveland Metroparks, and many more.