Not more than two years ago, it was virtually impossible to find local green media resources in the tri-state. Of course, if you looked hard enough and in the right places, you could occasionally find a green article in an industry specific journal, or a newsletter from an organization, or a pamphlet for an event. However, you would be hard pressed to find any consistently offered resource, beyond the Green Issue of the ever-accessible City Beat.
For years, City Beat has been the authoritative record of every event in Cincinnati. From bizarre garage bands to Music Hall, from obscure gatherings to city-wide festivals, from the bar scene to fine cuisine, the spectrum of culture covered by City Beat is as broad as the River. Somewhere along the way, City Beat was prescient enough to throw a little green culture into the mix, and has successfully delivered excellent coverage of events and people of interest in the movement. Their annual Best Of award for Best Friend to the Environment has encouraged a healthy competition between companies and community leaders to be good stewards. Which seems to have a little more social value than the competition for the coveted Best Buritto. But who knows? Maybe a burrito will save the world from certain ecotastrophe one day. If so, you can count on City Beat to offer up a brilliant comic about how it all went down. Until then, we'll continue to cheer on the perennial green favorites like the Cincinnati Zoo and Park + Vine.
Unsurprisingly, the audience for green content continues to grow, and the thirst for sustainable resources is no longer so easily quenched by a single special edition. Many young entrepreneurs are tapping into this emergent demand of green culture in the hyper-information age, and they are creating new avenues to what the people are looking for.
One such entrepreneur is Jason Sandhage, a young marketing professional in the local publishing industry. He has launched his own publication called Being Green in Cincinnati. Conceived of in 2009, the inspiration for this green city guide came to Sandhage, because according to him, "someone needed to help channel green news of interest to those who would want and appreciate it." Hundreds of local professionals were consulted for journal ideas on ways to go green, and with generous support from local advertisers, the first issue was released in 2010. The full 2010 issue can be viewed at the magazine's home page Being Green in Cincinnati. The stunning 157 page issue for 2011, just released in June, was mailed out to 17,500 homeowners in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and the surrounding suburbs. An additional 2,500 single copies have been made available for purchase in local green stores. If you have yet to see Being Green in Cincinnati, it is well worth your five bucks. The wealth of data and relevant advertising for sustainable services will serve you year round, and will definitely have you anticipating the spring 2012 issue.
Obviously print media has taken a hit over the years, and it will require visionaries such as Sandhage to keep it relevant. Due to the maturation of online communities known as blogs, and the demanding zeitgeist of social media, the traditional print media outlets have more than just radio and television to contend with. If print is to survive the onslaught of hip-tech like iPads and Kindels, then it will require a new paradigm that makes sense, such as using recycled paper and soy based inks, a la Being Green in Cincinnati.
When it comes to hip social media though, the Cincinnati area certainly has no shortage. There is a reason why Mashable.com just honored Cincinnati as the most social media-savvy city in the world. It's because there is a synergy surrounding our region which has inspired a culture of connectivity and progress.
One of the best examples of this local social media savvy is the website Earthineer. Created by NKU Informatics student Dan Adams, Earthineer is one part Facebook, one part Craig's List classified bartering, one part eco-blog, and wholly dedicated to the social network of sustainable living activists. If you are a sucker for social media and you would like to find out how people are using it to better our world, look no further than Earthineer. Forget about the privacy concerns and infected applications of the big brother sites, and slide on over there for a helping of good natured people and useful information. If you are a gardening or permaculture enthusiast, this truly is a place you should be spending your free virtual time.
To learn more about the development of this revolutionary website, take a look at the linked video to the left. It is an excellent presentation Adams delivered to NKU. You will be impressed.
Obviously, our best hope for the restoration of the future, is a transformation of human perceptions about the way we are connected. The connection we have with one another is the same connection we have with the Earth. Neither can exist independently. It will require every resource at our disposal to ensure this connection is not broken. The medium we communicate through does not matter as much as the message we share. Whether it's through a broadcast signal, organic print, or a broadband cloud, we must continue to share our story about the delicate web of life. We must be on the proverbial "same page" if we are to succeed in being the change we want to see.
As always, you can also get your green news fix right here on the Examiner.com Cincinnati Green pages. Subscribe at the top of this page, and you will be notified by email when a new local green article has been posted.
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