About Us
Our Mission Statement: The Bay Village Green Team’s mission is to improve the quality of life by decreasing our city’s environmental footprint. Our vision is for Bay Village to become a model sustainable community for current and future residents.
Overview: The Bay Village Green Team is a 100% volunteer-operated 501c3 nonprofit focused on environmental sustainability in the City of Bay Village. All residents are welcome to attend public meetings, announced on our events page on Facebook, and volunteer for our sustainability projects and events. The team is working in the areas of general sustainability, waste management, environment and energy, transportation, organic foods and communications / education.
Purpose: The air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the food that we consume, can all be impacted by the choices that we make in our daily lives. The consequences of some of these choices can affect both current and future generations. With over 100 EPA Superfund sites in the city of Cleveland alone, and many more in surrounding suburbs, our region knows the consequences of unsustainable environmental practices. A significant amount of time and expense has gone into cleaning up these "mistakes" of the past.
Unlike those who led the industrial revolution of the last century, we must make sure that we do not leave a financial and environmental burden to future generations. It is more prudent to implement sustainable practices now than to deal with the consequences of inaction later. We must reexamine the ways that we produce, consume, and dispose of products. We must also find ways to implement energy conservation techniques into our everyday lives. This site is an effort to connect Bay Village residents with local resources and local information that will help us all live more sustainable and healthy lives.
History: The Green Team was originally founded in 2007 by the former mayor of Bay Village, Debbie Sutherland, as an advisory committee to the mayor, but morphed, over time, to include resident education, green infrastructure advocacy, green projects within Bay Village, and an organic community garden. In 2015, the group became an independent 501c3 nonprofit and is no longer directly associated with the city.
Board of Trustees: The Green Team is overseen by a board of trustees that meets monthly to plan upcoming events and projects. The board consists of the 8 residents below.
Patrick McGannon - President
Tara Wendell - Vice President
Jennifer Dinkel Hartzell - Secretary
Kathryn Grisdale Boehnlein - Treasurer
Laura Crabb - Board Member
Jerry Crabb - Board Member
Lori Sprosty - Board Member