A Very Green Birthday

Tomorrow August 4th, is your girl's birthday! Woo Hoo! I will have made it through another year - a little wiser, a few more grays, a lot greener and through God's grace-much healthier than 2007. Today, since I am currently single, I am making my own birthday plans. Not to worry though, my son will be my faithful companion for the day. I have been exploring the idea of taking an eco-friendly, stay-cation on the west side of Cleveland. Cleveland is a very polarized city, racially and geographically. Eastsiders rarely venture to the west side and Westsiders are typically unfamiliar with the east side. So spending anytime longer than a couple of hours in multiple locations is almost the same as visiting another city. Anyway, there are several green businesses on the other side of town that I have been wanting to explore. Here is a rough agenda for my very green birthday:

Early Morning
Prayer and meditation
Cup of mint tea from the garden
Yoga if available at the gym, if not 3 mile run
Buy myself a birthday present online from CROW and Sha Dou - gotta support your black and green businesses right?
Use my Donors Choose money to give to a green school program
Vegetarian breakfast featuring fair trade coffee at Phoenix Coffee

Mid Morning
Drive to Rocky River, Ohio (western suburb)
Shop at Planet Green, which specializes in locally made eco-friendly items
Walk over to Paper Trails, an eco-conscious stationery shop, to buy some cool paper, my son can get some paper for his Keeping Green business
Stroll over to Ten Thousand Villages, a national retailer, specializing in fair trade products from around the world

Noon
Lunch at a restaurant featuring lots of vegetarian and vegan options, I will ask the owners of the retailers visited in the morning for some suggestions.

Afternoon
Drive to the Ohio City/Tremont area
Visit the Cleveland Environmental Center a green building housing environmental organizations
Join the Cleveland Green Building Coalition and get information on taking LEED exams
Check out Eco Village, an experimental sustainable housing and community development

Evening
Dinner at the Great Lakes Brewing Company, a popular location among local greenies due to its sustainable business practices, great food and brews
Birthday cake and coffee at Truffles Pastry Shop - a beloved bakery in Lakewood, Ohio famous for its delicious pastries
Maybe catch a movie
Come home, chill, and thank God for the great green day we had!
Pass out

So that is the plan. I will let you know how it works and snap some photos throughout my stops on my great green birthday. I may even extend my Cleveland eco-tour in celebration of a great green birthweek, the culmination of which would partying at the Burning River Fest on August 9th!

I would love to have the gift of your ideas on more eco-friendly activities for a great green birthweek.

Peace.