Environmental Sustainability has many faces in Akron Civic Commons

Stewardship cultivates connections to spaces and each other

Stewardship opportunities such the Canal Cleanups and Summit Lake Ambassadors program that take place in Summit Lake and Ohio & Erie Canal Park help support more resilient neighborhoods by taking time to care for spaces that have historically been overlooked. Residents have resources and support to take action to help create the neighborhoods and spaces they want to see and live in. In the case of Summit Lake, it has even inspired residents to organize their own cleanup programs.

Toqa Hassan has been a part of the Summit Lake community since 2016.  After participating in a Canal Cleanup hosted by the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, Toqa became a Summit Lake Ambassador, a program that introduces teenagers who live at Summit Lake to stewardship practices, such as picking up trash, planting flowers, and mulching. As an adult, she serves as a team leader for the teens who participate in the program.

“I think cleaning up every day when we were there, that helps build a social connection and a connection with nature because you’re cleaning up and then realize, ‘oh you know, why are [people] throwing all this trash here?’ They shouldn’t be doing this.’ You pick up on things that you wouldn’t normally notice when you’re just going there for a picnic or a dinner,” Toqa explains.

Toqa says that the connection to fellow Summit Lake Ambassadors and Summit Lake itself has ripple effects throughout the community as well.

“This side of the park where it’s just open grass areas and the two baseball fields, that’s been used consistently every day. As soon as the weather is nice, people come and there’s football practices and baseball and cheerleading, and it’s a whole party,” she says.

Grace Hudson, who is a Summit Lake resident, an Akron Civic Commons neighborhood fellow and chair of Summit Lake Community Development Corporation, says that stewardship cultivates a sense of pride among Summit Lake and Ohio & Erie Canal Park residents.

Inspired by stewardship programs that are already taking place in the areas, residents of Summit Lake responded to a survey from Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and said that cleanups are something they want to see more of and participate in more often.

“I see it as a sign of people wanting to have pride in their neighborhood and taking ownership of their neighborhood and I think that goes a long way when people start paying attention to their surroundings and where they live, and wanting to see it better,” Grace says.

In addition to creating a sense of pride, these programs have a large environmental impact. Canal Cleanups remove more than 3 tons of trash from areas along the canal every year and attracts more than 300 volunteers to these areas each year. In addition to these efforts, Summit Lake Ambassadors spend eight weeks in the summer cleaning up trash, installing flower beds, painting, mulching, landscaping, and other necessary tasks at Summit Lake Park. In 2021, nine youth and five team leaders, including Toqa and Grace, spent nine hours a week caring for Summit Lake Park.

Alternatives to cars provide sustainable transportation while creating opportunities for green infrastructure

In downtown Akron, Ohio & Erie Canal Park, and Summit lake, residents have a variety of transportation methods to choose from that provide alternatives to cars, which contribute to large amounts of carbon emissions. By using a bus operated by METRO or renting a bike from one of the many Summit Bike Share locations, Akronites are able to make green choices to recreate, run errands or commute to work.

When using a bus operated by METRO, residents are choosing a form of transportation that is environmentally friendly by nature.

“When you’re talking about reducing carbon emissions, there’s no better way than buses,” says Dawn Distler, Chief Executive Officer of METRO.

According to data provided by METRO, communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 63 million metric tons annually. Additionally, METRO is working towards creating an alternative-fuel and zero-emissions fleet to further reduce their carbon footprint. More than 50 percent of METRO’s fleet consist of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, including four hybrid-diesel buses.

However, using METRO does not only mean using an environmentally-friendly way to get around. It also means that residents support METRO’s green infrastructure that can be found at the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center in Downtown Akron and Kenmore Boulevard bus garages. On both buildings combined, there are 2,515 solar panels. At the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center, 45 geothermal wells are used to regulate the temperature and rain water is recycled and used for landscaping and non-potable services in restrooms. Recycled materials, such as concrete, were also used in the construction of the transit center and bus garages.

 Even though METRO focuses on transportation by means of buses, they also support bicycle-friendly initiatives. Each bus in the fleet has bicycle racks on the front, which riders can use to mount their bikes.

“It kind of helps passengers with that last mile. If the bus route maybe doesn’t go that far out, then they can just get back off and get on their bike and finish their trip. People use them year round. You’ll see bikes on the bike racks in the middle of winter… It’s kind of amazing. And it’s helped the City of Akron here in Summit Lake, in the Kenmore area, to have the bike lanes and stuff for the passengers and riders as well,” explains Molly Becker, Director of Public Relations & Marketing for METRO.

Many residents of the Summit Lake, Ohio & Erie Canal Park and downtown Akron neighborhoods may choose the Summit Bike Share to fit their transportation needs as well, whether they need to run errands, commute, or simply want to take a leisurely ride along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Forty bicycles are available at eight different locations throughout the city that are close to shops, restaurants, and businesses. This makes them an environmentally-friendly alternative to cars for those who want to explore the City of Akron.