Archive for March, 2010

I came across this map and was floored by the prevalence of fast food restaurants across the United States.  At the same time, I think about how (relatively) cheap fast food is, with most fast food restaurants having dollar menu items.  The average price of a “meal” is $5. 

Now, picture a map of an urbanized area in which every pin point represents a location where one can get fresh fruits and vegetables.  The difference between this map and the fast food map would be striking. 

I am not advocating the wholesale closure of fast food restaurants.  They provide jobs. They give money to the community.  They sponsor little league teams. The smart ones have some healthy choices on their menus.  They are not evil.

With that said, I am hopeful. Cleveland is emerging as a leader in the local food movement.  President Obama set up a task force to tackle childhood obesity and lists ensuring access to healthy, affordable food as one of its objectives.

The movement is growing and the President’s taskforce helps to validate its importance.

The author fully discloses he will probably eat fast food in the near future and admits that he has eaten fast food in the past.

On Friday, February 26, Cleveland was home to its first local version of TED. For those who are unfamiliar, TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design) has been an annual event bringing together experts from around the world (think Bill Gates, Frank Gehry, and Temple Grandin, among others) to present short lectures sharing what they are most passionate about. Check out the website for much more information and links to videos. Their tagline is “ideas worth spreading.”

TEDxCLE looks at that idea from a local lens. Organized by Clevelanders Hallie Bram and Eric Kogelschatz, TEDxCLE seeks to “bring Cleveland innovation, development, and positive change to the world.” For the first TEDxCLE, speakers included inventors, designers, small business owners, and others connected to amazing, positive innovations in Cleveland.

I wanted to share this 1) because we can all use an injection of positive Cleveland news and ideas every once in a while, and 2) there were some significant connections to the nonprofit and philanthropic organizations doing such great work locally. Videos will be available on the website soon we were told, and I hope that folks will view and share them widely. There were definitely some thought-provoking ideas shared that are worth viewing and discussing further.

One example that stood out for me was shared in an emotional presentation by Patrick J. Perotti, a lawyer with Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A. and Ohio Lawyers Give Back. He talked about how unclaimed class action funds are distributed to charities throughout the State of Ohio. To date, Dworken & Bernstein has distributed over $20 million dollars to charity. Check out the website to learn more about “cy pres” and how it is impacting organizations throughout Ohio.

We have lots of great ideas in Cleveland and in our nonprofit community in particular. How are we sharing these ideas, and how can we continue to spread great ideas locally, regionally, nationally, and globally?