Community Profile

Pledge Summary

Cleveland is an industrial legacy city, situated on the shores of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, and proud of its historical manufacturing and blue-collar roots. At the same time, we are committed to innovation and to building healthy, thriving communities for every resident. Our city has long been a national leader in environmental action. From Mayor Carl Stokes’ fight for cleaner waterways in 1969 to the decade-long Sustainable Cleveland movement, Cleveland has consistently paired bold sustainability and climate goals with deep community collaboration. Those efforts brought together residents, neighborhood leaders, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and regional partners to shape a more sustainable present and future. Today, under Mayor Justin M. Bibb’s leadership, and that of Director Sarah O’Keeffe, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability leads Cleveland's initiatives focused on reducing the city's carbon footprint, advancing climate action and resiliency, and enhancing the quality of life for all residents, including through biodiversity and nature-based solutions that help our natural systems thrive. The work advances through strong partnerships with residents, businesses, schools, community organizations, public libraries, and city departments to integrate sustainability into Clevelanders everyday lives. For the 2026 Monarch Pledge, we will specifically work with our Cleveland Public Library, our Cuyahoga Community College, our Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, a local non-profit, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, our own city departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Works and others to engage Clevelanders in learning about the Monarch and other pollinators, both formally and informally, and how to support their habitat in our community.