NEWS: Renewable Energy Facility recognized as @USGBC leader in energy, environmental design

In 2009, the District began designing a new incineration facility that would conserve resources, reduce air emissions, and generate electricity.

Six years later, the Renewable Energy Facility (REF) has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, for its sustainability features including water efficiency, innovation, and indoor environmental quality.

The LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, program is the most widely used green-building rating system, with 1.7 million square feet of construction space certified every day. See the REF's official LEED scorecard.

This certification is a reflection of the facility’s success in saving money and resources, while promoting renewable, clean energy. Compared to the average commercial building, LEED Gold buildings consume less energy and less water, with lower maintenance costs, higher occupant satisfaction, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

—Story by Communications Specialist Yolanda Kelly. Thanks to Kellie Rotunno, Jim Bunsey, Tom Vasel, Steve Janosko, and everyone who worked to get the REF LEED Gold Certified.

NEWS: Central neighborhood brownfields go green with Sewer District project

Sewer District awarded $400,000 in clean-up funds to help with Green Infrastructure project

Contaminated land like this between Woodland Ave. and
Kinsman Rd. will be remediated to make way for a green
infrastructure project.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has been awarded $400,000 from the US Environmental Protection Agency to clean up two brownfields in Cleveland's Central Neighborhood.

Two properties located between Woodland Avenue and Kinsman Road near E. 65th Street, polluted with thousands of cubic yards of industrial waste atop contaminated soils, will be remediated to make way for the Sewer District's Woodland Central Green Infrastructure Project.

The Sewer District applied for two Brownfields Cleanup Grants, each with a maximum award of $200,000. Awarded monies will help defray the total cost for site cleanup; estimated remediation costs are $1.2 million for these properties alone. Cleanup activities will include site preparation and restoration, removal and separation of solid waste, transportation and disposal of trash as well as backfilling of the site.

"We are extremely pleased about receiving these grants and grateful to our congressional delegation for supporting our applications," said Julius Ciaccia CEO of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

NEWS: #WaitToTweet 'til you're toilet-trained? iPotty voted worst toy of 2013

Photo courtesy Jezebel

The votes are in: The worst of the worst toys of the year is the iPotty, an iPad holder built into your child's potty-training seat.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood annually presents one unlucky winner with the TODAY (Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young Children) Award, and the voters' cases for the iPotty "winning" this year were definitive.

Whatever your opinions are about children and technology, technology in the bathrooms is a growing trend, but we never realized how far until seeing this. Either we should be aiming our #WaitToTweet message at a much younger demographic, or we better start working on our "Wally Waterdrop Saves the World" app.

What are your thoughts on worst or best toys of the year?

AWARD: When it comes to national recognition, clean water works.

Our first internally produced technical magazine has been recognized by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) as a 2014 National Environmental Achievement Award-winner.

Clean Water Works was selected to receive this Public Information & Education honor thanks to its scientific content and contribution to public education regarding water-quality issues.

You can request a copy or read our online edition.

This first issue focused on our beach monitoring efforts: "I am incredibly proud of our environmental leadership and the technical expertise of our staff," said Executive Director Julius Ciaccia. "Our substantial investment in this area demonstrates our purpose in protecting our waterways."

Congratulations to editor and art director Michael Uva and his team of contributors: Mark Citriglia, Rachel Dannemiller, Jennifer Elting, Frank Foley, Kristen Greenwood, Lindsey Koplow, Carrie Millward, Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Nichole Schafer, Robert Scherma, Paul Skerl, and Cheryl Soltis-Muth.

AWARD: Euclid Creek Tunnel wins International Project of the Year award

We hope Mackenzie's getting her acceptance speech ready.

Our Euclid Creek Tunnel project has earned the Tunnelling Association of Canada's 2013 International Project of the Year Award, and we're honored, says Kellie Rotunno.

“We're very proud of this," said Rotunno, Sewer District Director of Engineering and Construction. "It's our first, single-pass, segmentally lined tunnel, and it is nice to have it recognized as an International success like this."

AWARDS: Cleveland Metroparks Watershed Stewardship Center, programs take home top honors

The Ohio Parks and Recreation Association listed the Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek among its recent 2013 Awards of Excellence winners.

The facility itself was recognized with two awards and the Watershed Volunteer Program was also recognized. The Sewer District, along with the West Creek Conservancy and the City of Parma, supported the Cleveland Metroparks project as a tremendous opportunity to expand our watershed and environmental education efforts in our region.

The center offers interactive exhibits, showcases property features that help manage stormwater, and hosts many community meetings and workshops to help homeowners understand how they can contribute to a healthier watershed.

See a complete list of 2013 winners.

Greater Cleveland Partnership honors Sewer District for diversity

The Greater Cleveland Partnership recently honored the Sewer District as member of its Commission 50 inaugural class, recognizing it as one of Northeast Ohio's top organizations for Board, Senior Management, Workforce and Supplier Diversity.

PUP gets national props as "inventive" educational program

Yesterday, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) awarded the Sewer District's Pick Up Poop! (PUP) campaign with its 2010 Public Information & Education Award for its "inventive efforts to educate the public on the effects of waste water treatment and pollution control on the environment." The award will be presented at the NACWA Winter Conference in February.