Sister Mary Schrader – Sisters of Saint Joseph/Frank DeTillio - President Lorain County Chamber
Nominated by: Stephanie Strong – Earthday Coalition, Clean Fuels Program Director
Like all local environmental leaders Sister Mary Schrader is more than extremely busy she is constantly on the road, on the phone or in a meeting. However, she maintains an open door policy for groups interested in replicating St. Joe`s sustainability projects. She is on the Earth Day Coaliton board of trustees and is well known in the Cleveland environmental community. One recent example of her outreach efforts includes being the guest speaker for Shaker Lakes Brown Bag Series. Most importantly, Sister Mary and the Sister`s of St. Joseph sustainability projects lead area businesses and other campuses by example and doing it first. Sr. Mary and her peers forge ahead and are showing us all how it should be done.
The St. Joseph Convent is known as St. Joseph Center and is located on the Westside of Cleveland. The building houses both retired and actively ministering Sisters, central administration offices, the St. Joseph Worship Space, Conference and Learning Facilities, and the St. Joseph Wellness Center. It sits on 37 acres of property bordering the Cleveland Metroparks and overlooking the Rocky River, St. Joseph Center was renovated in the late 1990s with the environment in mind.
While the entire Congregation is committed to the environment Sister Mary Schrader has worked tirelessly to `spread the word` concerning the importance of business and community sustainability practices that have been launched at the Cleveland Sisters of St. Joseph`s campus. The Sisters currently have launched a wind monitoring project to determine if they can install a wind turbine to power part of their center. Students from St. Joseph`s Academy`s environmental science program will use this data bringing real-world environmental practices into their classroom. Sister Mary worked with GEO volunteers to actually put the tower in the ground. The Sister`s also have a alternative fuel vehicle fleet that consists of 13 Honda Civics which run exclusively on compressed natural gas. Again Sister Mary was involved hands-on meeting with the contractors and industry fuelign representastives to get the project done. Other sustainabiity steps taken as a community include:
* Landscaping their grounds with the environment in mind
* Designing a nature trail system
* Creating wildscape areas for birds, deer, and other creatures
* Conserving energy and water
* Recycling and using recycled products
* Exploring earth-friendly alternative forms of energy, such as solar and wind power
* Working with other community organizations to promote environmental awareness.
Sister Mary is the epitome an Inspirational Sustainability Champion.
Champion: Frank DeTillio - President Lorain County Chamber
Nominated by: Michael Dungan – Business Interiors and environments, inc.
Frank DeTillio, President of the Lorain Chamber of Commerce has long recognized that implementing principles of sustainability as an organizational best practice is a vital tool for fostering a positive operating environment and improved lifestyle for interested organizations or communities. With an eye toward the retention of existing companies in Lorain County and the attraction of new companies to the region, Frank created the position of Director of Sustainable Development to encourage sustainable principles and practices among their membership. Michael Challender, a LEED accredited professional, was appointed to head up this new effort on behalf of the business community in Lorain County. As an economic development tool, sustainability has found a seat at the table at the Lorain Chamber, with the goal of encouraging a more efficient, more productive work and living environment across Lorain County. Other cities and counties have taken notice of the efforts of the Lorain Chamber of Commerce, allowing the idea of a sustainable region across NE Ohio to take root. I hereby nominate the Lorain Chamber of Commerce, represented by Frank DeTillio and Michael Challender, as a charter member of the Champions of Sustainability.
