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Stefanie Penn Spear
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Stefanie Penn Spear is founder, executive director and editor of EcoWatch. She has been publishing environmental news for more than two decades. Spear works to unite the voice of the grassroots environmental movement and mobilize millions of people to engage in democracy to protect human health and the environment. She seeks to motivate individuals to become engaged in their community, adopt sustainable practices and support strong environmental policy.

For more than six years, EcoWatch has been servicing the sustainability community of Ohio through its bimontly newspaper EcoWatch Journal, with a readership of more than 100,000 per issue. In 2011, EcoWatch in partnership with Waterkeeper Alliance expanded its services to promote the work of more than 1,000 grassroots environmental organizations worldwide through an online news service website EcoWatch.org.

Spear is president of Expedite Renewable Energy, a company that develops solar and wind projects in Ohio and helps companies through the many steps of investing in renewable energy. She works on energy policy on the local, state and federal level to help transition the U.S. to relying on cleaner, renewable sources of power.

Spear chairs the Green Commission for the Village of Moreland Hills, and co-chairs the Advanced Energy Generation committee for Sustainable Cleveland 2019. She is on board of Lake Erie Waterkeeper and the advisory board for GreenCityBlueLake Institute, Tri-C’s Green Academy and Center for Sustainability, and Sunflower Solutions.

Blog Entries by Stefanie Penn Spear

Organic Valley's George Siemon -- a Living Legend in Sustainable Agriculture

(0) Comments | Posted February 26, 2013 | 12:12 PM

While attending Ohio's largest food and farming conference last weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with Organic Valley CEO George Siemon. Siemon was the featured keynote speaker at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's (OEFFA) 34th annual conference in Granville, Ohio.

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Kenny Loggins and Gary Burr Share Their Passion for the Environment

(0) Comments | Posted August 23, 2012 | 1:07 PM

I interviewed Kenny Loggins and Gary Burr of Blue Sky Riders about their thoughts on environmental issues prior to their upcoming performance at EcoWatch's fourth annual Green Gala on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum.

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5,000 People Unite in DC to Protest Fracking

(4) Comments | Posted July 30, 2012 | 3:38 PM

More than 5,000 people from all over the nation, and various parts of the world, including Australia, united on July 28 on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol demanding Congress take immediate action to stop fracking. After the rally that began at 2 p.m., rally participants marched for more...

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Congress: Expedite Renewable Energy

(11) Comments | Posted July 19, 2012 | 12:49 PM

In 2009 it seemed as though Congress was finally going to pass legislation that would transition our country to a renewable energy future. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill, would have created a cap and trade system on greenhouse gases, required...

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The Big Fix -- Now on DVD

(0) Comments | Posted June 20, 2012 | 6:56 PM

Last December I wrote a piece promoting the release of the outstanding feature documentary The Big Fix. Now I'm writing to let you know that if you haven't had a chance to see this film by Josh and Rebecca Tickell or have been wanting to share...

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Citizens Ban Fracking at Ohio Statehouse Rally

(0) Comments | Posted June 19, 2012 | 12:41 PM

From June 14 to June 17, activists from all over the U.S. gathered in Columbus, Ohio to oppose the controversial drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing, toxic wastewater injection wells, and the lack of policies that support a renewable energy future for Ohio and the U.S.

The first three...

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Grassroots Activism: The Core of the Environmental Movement

(3) Comments | Posted June 1, 2012 | 5:47 PM

Grassroots activism is the core of the environmental movement. Nowhere have I found that to be more evident than at Heartwood Forest Council gatherings. Last weekend, I attended the 22nd Annual Heartwood Forest Council in Northwest Pennsylvania, at which nearly 100 of the most passionate and...

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NPR Takes a Deeper Look Into Fracking Boom

(0) Comments | Posted May 22, 2012 | 2:25 PM

Last week, National Public Radio (NPR) took a deeper look into the natural gas boom in the U.S. The special series, The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers, questions what the gas boom is doing to the air and water in communities where fracking has become a household name.

The...

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River Rally Rocks the Planet

(1) Comments | Posted May 15, 2012 | 1:04 PM

I'm often asked how I manage to be hopeful for the future when I spend a great deal of time publishing news about the daunting environmental problems impacting the world. I reply that it's because of the passion and commitment of the people I know who work hard every day...

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Framing Judi Bari

(18) Comments | Posted April 12, 2012 | 3:55 PM

In a time of tremendous disregard for the environment where corporations are controlling the government and rewriting environmental policy to suit their needs, the new documentary Who Bombed Judi Bari? shows how activists can take on the powers that be and win, though at a great cost.

On...

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Four Eco-Documentaries That Will Fuel Your Fire

(4) Comments | Posted April 2, 2012 | 7:01 PM

After watching four films in two days at this year's Cleveland International Film Festival highlighting the magnitude of problems plaguing our world, you might think I'd be ready to crawl into a hole. But how can I hide from these issues that are in desperate need of people...

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Dirty Energy

(0) Comments | Posted March 22, 2012 | 7:19 PM

Today's the opening of the 36th annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF)--one of my favorite days of the year. I love the opportunity to see a wide variety of films that expands my knowledge on issues that matter. CIFF is one of the nation's finest film festivals with...

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Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle

(4) Comments | Posted March 14, 2012 | 2:26 PM

One of my favorite events of the year is right around the corner -- the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) from March 22 to April 1. There are many aspects of the festival that I enjoy, but perhaps what I find most valuable is the opportunity to engage...

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Profligate Use of Fossil Fuels Threatens Humankind

(15) Comments | Posted February 28, 2012 | 3:47 PM

In my line of work it's easy to harp on what's wrong. Problems with our water, air, food and land are vast. It seems two steps forward is always followed by 10 steps back. We're constantly fighting for protection of natural resources and trying to show that we can live...

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Will Natural Gas Become the 'Achilles' Heel' of Our Country?

(27) Comments | Posted February 16, 2012 | 9:39 AM

After hearing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at the City Club of Cleveland on Feb. 14 speak about President Obama's vision for the new energy frontier, which is largely a full-steam ahead agenda for fossil fuel extraction, and then reading that more than 800,000 people...

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Grassroots Advocacy at Its Best

(51) Comments | Posted February 3, 2012 | 5:34 PM

There are so many issues impacting the health of the planet, but fortunately our country is full of people who put their hearts and souls every day into protecting our remaining natural resources. I would hate to see what the planet would look like if we didn't have environmental advocates...

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American-Made Energy -- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

(14) Comments | Posted January 26, 2012 | 5:14 PM

President Obama's State of the Union address could perhaps best be described as the good, the bad and the ugly. Obama wants to generate American-made energy and set a clean energy standard that encourages investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Good. But Obama continues to tout extreme fossil fuel...

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Keystone Fight Continues as Obama Administration Touts Need for Energy Policy

(40) Comments | Posted January 23, 2012 | 9:21 AM

As I sat with several others at a lunch table last week with Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who was about to address the City Club of Cleveland, I received a text message that the Obama administration's decision on the Keystone XL pipeline was coming that afternoon. And with that...

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