Informational Measure

Cuyahoga County Sustainability Plan

- Our region is economically competitive
Strategic Priorities
  • Not Defined
    1.3 Deploy sustainability practices to support our competitive advantage
    - Our region is economically competitive
About this measure

This measure provides updates on major milestones and anticipated next steps associated with the Cuyahoga County Sustainability Plan.

Updates are provided by the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability on a quarterly basis. 
Why is this important?

The Cuyahoga County Sustainability Plan was adopted by Cuyahoga County Council in October 2017. It serves as the foundation for the Department of Sustainability’s collaborative efforts in leading environmental initiatives with other government agencies and community organizations across the County.
Performance Target

This page is a milestone measure, meaning updates take the form of qualitative, project-based narratives to provide additional details related to core County programs and services. Measure performance is impacted by a number of factors, including funding levels, strategic priorities, community need, and policy decisions made at the federal, state, and local level. Performance targets are not set for milestone measures, but timely reporting of updates is important.
Data Source
How are we making an impact?

  1. Residential Solar Co-op: The Solar Co-op is a bulk purchase arrangement which enables its members to save money by negotiating below market group rate pricing. In addition to the existing 26% federal tax credit, co-op members generally save 15-20% off the cost of their system. Members are informed of all aspects of rooftop solar and vendor-neutral support throughout the entire process. In the fall of 2021, the Department of Sustainability selected Solar United Neighbors (through an RFP process) to organize and run the fifth round of the co-op, which launched in November and closed at the end of February. A total of 206 homeowners joined this co-op. To date, 46 of 206 members have signed contracts for solar installations. Sustainability is currently working with Solar United Neighbors to coordinate the launch of the next round of the co-op – scheduled for April 14.
  2. Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant Program: The County's Department of Sustainability, Planning Commission, and Soil and Water Conservation District created the Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Program to disperse $1,000,000 each year to the cities, municipalities, and communities of Cuyahoga County with the goal of increasing the tree canopy. Round three was launched in January. Through this grant award process, 39 applicants submitted applications for a total of $1,518,037.02 in funding. Based on the evaluations, the top 27 projects were awarded funding and approximately 3,463 new trees will be planted. Planting will begin during Q2-22 and through Q2-23.
  3. Cuyahoga County Plastic Bag Ban:  Sustainability, Consumer Affairs, Solid Waste District, and 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 16, 2021, due to COVID-19. The County is moving forward with the ban and outreach efforts and has launched an informational website for businesses and consumers. The site also includes a survey where retailers can report on their progress and solicit help with the process.
  4. Bikeshare and Scootershare: In 2019, the County created bikeshare and scootershare regulations so vendors may bring their shared mobility devices to Cuyahoga County. The County – with the help of Bike Cleveland – is utilizing funds awarded from NOACA to implement shared mobility parking hubs in several communities. In the fall of 2021, the cities of East Cleveland, South Euclid, and Cleveland Heights all passed ordinances permitting scooter infrastructure. The Department of Sustainability is also working to expand the program into additional inner-ring suburbs. Bongorno Consulting has been contracted to provide consulting services for this project. Through this contract, Bongorno Consulting has identified and evaluated scooter parking locations throughout Cleveland and participating suburbs. Since this research was conducted, however, the Ohio Department of Transportation has withdrawn its established guidelines, changing the setback requirements for these parking locations. Once new guidelines are issued, Bongorno Consulting will re-evaluate identified and prospective parking locations and provide updated recommendations. 
  5. Downtown Cleveland Microgrid and Cuyahoga County Utility: Cuyahoga County is currently working with Cleveland State University to create microgrid districts in several Cuyahoga County locations. Sustainability anticipates incorporating clean energy into these microgrid projects. As a crucial step in this process, County Council passed legislation to give the County authority to operate a public utility in September 2021. Subsequently, Sustainability selected Go Sustainable (through an RFP process) to serve as the engineering consultant for this project. In Q1-22, Sustainability worked with Go Sustainable and Cleveland State's Energy Policy Center to submit an application for an EDA funded grant through an effort coordinated by MAGNET. If awarded, Grant money would help to fund infrastructure in two microgrid districts: Euclid (along the East 222nd Industrial Corridor) and Brooklyn (at the site of the soon-to-be-built city hall). Sustainability will next work with Go Sustainable to issue an RFP to select a developer to design and deploy this first stage of microgrid projects. 
  6. 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. Sustainability is working with Brendle to collect data for 2020. This data collection process should be completed by early summer. 
  7. General Sustainability Education:  Sustainability regularly provides education through presentations, tabled events, and meetings as needed. The sustainability coordinator organized and attended approximately 140 tabling events throughout 2021. 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.
  8. Collaboration with Stakeholders: 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. The Department continues to hold monthly sustainability calls with other environmentally focused local organizations.