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Girard citizens partner with officials to 'green' up city
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
girard
Inspired by Earth Day, Marne Cario asked members of the city’s Facebook group if anyone else wanted to work on crafting a 10-year plan to make the city more environmentally friendly.
She had wondered if she and her family were the only Girard residents interested in minimizing their impact on the environment.
Just a month later, Sustainable Girard 2023, the answer to that question, boasts more than 70 members on its Facebook page, and about one-third of those have been actively participating in online discussions, Cario said. The group’s first formal meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at First Baptist Church of Girard, 7 E. Kline St.
“I’ve always been raised to respect the environment,” Cario said. “Our society has progressed and understands that [change is] necessary, seeing the damage that we’re doing to the Earth. We would like to make a difference and begin to reverse that damage.”
Sustainable Girard 2023, based on Sustainable Cleveland 2019, is in its formative stages. But Cario said members, along with city officials, already are beginning to explore the feasibility of expanding recycling in Girard — particularly through curbside recycling.
It may take some time to implement, she said, so they’re also looking into other options, such as the placement of additional recycling bins throughout the city. The only recycling location now in Girard is behind city hall; bins are provided by the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District.
Cheryl Asente, a member of Sustainable Girard 2023 and a self-proclaimed “tree-hugger,” said she has been interested in curbside recycling in Girard for many years and has noticed that residents are becoming more receptive to similar efforts.
“We want to make Girard a greener place,” Asente said. “We don’t have unrealistic expectations. We know it’s not going to happen overnight.”
In the long term, members of Sustainable Girard 2023 would like to continue to emphasize waste reduction, as well as green spaces and green energy, Cario said.
The group’s ideas have some drawbacks, though, said Mayor James Melfi.
Curbside recycling would require a separate garbage pickup by Allied Waste, which likely would be cost- prohibitive. Additional recycling bins would need to be properly manned and maintained. Both of these measures had been attempted by the city in the past, Melfi said, and they turned out to be problematic.
“I’m always willing to sit down and talk about new ideas, but there are costs — and significant costs — to ideas. These types of discussions are easy to talk about, but somebody has to pay for them,” Melfi said. “I’m going to be realistic. It’s not as rosy as the picture that’s painted sometimes.”
The mayor said he plans to attend tonight’s meeting.
Cario said she wants to simply start the dialogue tonight and begin to investigate various options.
“Not to be negative about what happened before, but now people are becoming active,” she said. “I think there’s a higher awareness level of the impact our lack of care on the environment is having.”