Energy efficiency is using less energy to provide the same level of energy service. Our homes represent a huge opportunity for us to take small steps to reduce our impacts on the environment. The following tips will help you become more energy efficient and also save you money. Put this on your fridge and check them off as you complete them. Share your success story here!

• Schedule an Energy Audit with Cleveland Energy $aver or Cleveland Housing Network's Home Weatherization Program and make recommended improvements.
• Use a Power Strip and turn off electronics when not in use. Reducing phantom energy can save you up to 10% on your electric bill.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LEDs
• Buy Energy Efficient Appliances. Purchasing Energy Star Appliances helps you save money without sacrificing performance.

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Local food is the production, process, distribution and consumption of food with-in a specific region, usually 100 miles from farm to fork. A focus on local food is essential for a sustainable economy in Cleveland because of its environmental benefits and because it is an economic driver. You can make a big impact by eating local foods at home. Check out the tips below and share your success story here!

• Shop at Farmers’ Markets: You’ll benefit from fresher produce while reducing your carbon foot-print. Locate a farmers market in the Community Food Guide.
• Join Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): A farmer offers shares of their produce to the public and consumers purchase a share to receive a variety of weekly produce. Find local CSAs in the Community Food Guide.
• Eat a climate friendly diet by eating local and consuming a more plant-based diet.

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Advanced and Renewable Energy Works in Northeast Ohio. Energy use and production is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the U.S., as well as one of the most costly expenses for households. Participate in the actions below and share your success story here!

• Purchase Renewable Energy through community aggregation if you're a First Energy Customer. The City of Cleveland’s community aggregation program provides residential and small commercial CEI customers the opportunity to save money on their electric bills and to power their home with a percentage of renewable energy.
• Purchase Solar for your home by joining Solarize Cleveland or a solar co-op. Solarize Cleveland provides an instant, free solar analysis of your home that shows how much you can save on your electric bill by going solar.

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By reducing the amount of waste the city produces and sends to landfills, Clevelanders can improve human health through the elimination of hazardous waste, protect and increase property values and quality of place, as well as save business, government, organizations and the community money. The tips below on reducing, re-using and recycling at home are great ways to get started.Share your success story here!

• Visit OneSimpleActCleveland and learn how to recycle properly.
• Reduce food waste and yard waste with backyard food composting.
• Donate clothes and useable household items to thrift stores or charity. Check out the Pass It On Guide here.
• Dispose properly of household hazardous waste. Learn about when your community collects this waste here.

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Fresh water resources represent an invaluable local asset that has shaped Cleveland’s identity, both in the way that the city has perceived itself and how it has been recognized outside the region. You can help keep our waterways fishable, swimmable and drinkable! Here are some tips that you can do at home to help improve water quality and conservation. Share your success story here!

• Dispose of household hazardous waste properly. Learn about collections from the County Solid Waste District.
• Install a rain barrel, rain garden or permeable pavement and save money on your sewer bill. Learn how to receive a stormwater credit in the Residential Stormwater Credit Manual.
• Don’t litter! Most litter ends up in our local water-ways.
• Do a beach clean-up in your front yard or on your street. Remember that Lake Erie is down-hill from everything!

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There are many actions Clevelanders can take at home, at work and in the community to help grow sustainable transportation. Actions include biking, walk-ing, taking transit, carpooling, car sharing and much more! Not only do these actions reduce roadway congestion and carbon emissions, they also provide health benefits and improved air quality. Share your success story here!

• Have at least one car-free day every week.
• Join bike to work day. Each month from May to October, Greater Clevelanders are encouraged to leave their car at home and commute by bike for Bike to Work Day. You can link up with other commuters at gathering points and energizer stations, learn from others how to commute and the best routes to take, or share what you know with the less experienced.
• Take public transit, use bike share or both!
• Participate in the #imoveCLE Selfie Contest

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The diverse environmental, economic and social benefits of Cleveland’s green space underpin the sustainable development of the city. The expansion of parks and natural areas, community gardens, urban farms, green roofs, landscaped boulevards, bike paths, trails, schoolyards, recreational areas, and other public open green space in Cleveland can help to establish a broad swath of green space. Cleveland has the only national park in an urban setting in the United States and it is the sixth most visited national park in the country. Do your part at home and share your success story here!

• Become a Tree Steward. Tree Steward training teaches Clevelanders the basics of tree care.
• Plant a tree in your yard. The best opportunities for revitalizing our urban forest is on private property.
• Maintain existing trees and other vegetation and reduce impervious surfaces on your property. This helps keep your neighborhood cool and green during high heat days.

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Neighborhoods are the building blocks of a great urban area. They are the real places of daily life — places where people interact face to face, where transactions are made, and where a sense of identity and history is created. By fostering the development of a vibrant public realm for all to share neighborhoods can make affordable, low-consumption lifestyles more convenient and attractive. Learn how to build vital neighborhoods below and share your success story here!

• Be Resilient. Keep and maintain an emergency supply kit in your home, have an emergency preparedness plan and check on vulnerable neighbors during high heat days or other emergencies.
• Get to know your neighbors to build community cohesion. Check out the Neighbor Up Network to learn how. 
• Support the Cleveland Climate Action Fund or propose a neighborhood climate action project.
• Join a block club and volunteer at an association in your neighborhood that improves quality of life
• Learn how your neighborhood can take action with the Neighborhood Climate Action Toolkit.
• Join the Vital Neighborhoods Working Group and support the cultivation of sustainable neighborhoods of choice. Please contact Cathi Lehn for more information at [email protected].

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Sustainable Cleveland’s motto, “Together, we’re building a thriving green city on a blue lake,” emphasizes empowerment, cooperation, action, quality of life, and abundance. People, not programs, are the answer to true and lasting climate action in Cleveland. This means that a whole system, citizen-centered approach will be needed to align climate action with the assets, capacity and priorities of Cleveland residents and business owners.

• Participate in the Annual Sustainability Summit.
• Attend other sustainability events throughout the year.
• Share Sustainable Cleveland Events and Actions through Twitter and Facebook.
• Tell your story! We are capturing the success stories of Clevelanders making a difference at home, at work and in the community. Share your success story here!

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