Last week, NorTech and The Cleveland Foundation held an initial kick-off meeting to stimulate interest in developing an alternative energy strategy for the region. Coming on the heels of Peter Garforth’s talk at The City Club, the timing couldn’t have been better. (If you missed Garforth’s talk, you can read a text version of it here.)

Nor, does it seem, could the coverage provided about the meeting by David Beach. Due to some scheduling issues here I’ve been unable to post my own de-brief on the meeting, but David’s observations are far more trenchant than mine would have been anyway. You can read them for yourself here.

And once you’ve done that, take a closer look at the Green City Blue Lake site—what David is creating will undoubtedly become a powerful tool for all of those interested in sustainability to use going forward.

The key thing to remember is that the only way we can pull off something as massive as a regional energy strategy is by building cooperation and a shared vision among the regions business, government, and not-for-profit sectors.

My thanks to all those who participated in our first meeting, and I encourage everyone with an interest in restoring both the economy and the ecology of the region to sign up for—and participate actively—in EcoCityCleveland’s Green City (Cities!) On A Blue Lake project.