By Kyle Bettencourt
Lakeside Marketing Intern
The Lakeside Environmental Stewardship Society (LESS) has been putting forth efforts toward energy sustainability in Lakeside for over a decade. Motivated by a presentation by Dr. David Orr, LESS’s founding members began to make strides in reducing their personal environmental impacts and advocating for community-wide improvements, such as hiring Republic Services to collect recycling in Lakeside or getting the Wednesday Picnic in Perry Park to an almost zero waste event.
In addition to their personal projects and advocacy, LESS members enjoy sharing their knowledge with Lakesiders through presentations and lectures. Pertinent topics include climate change, solar energy and Lakeside cottages that have undergone renovations for sustainability.
On Wednesday, July 30, LESS members Bill Smith, Frank Baker, Bill Lutterbein and Phil Savage will give presentations in Orchestra Hall on the timelines of their cottage renovations and the resulting increases in energy efficiency. The lecture will begin at 1:30 p.m. and last approximately one hour. From 3-5 p.m., the cottage owners will be in their homes hosting a Sustainable Cottage Open House, where they will answer questions and engage in discussions.
The event is not just a lecture, but an opportunity to connect with Lakesiders who have already made decisions towards sustainability. Two of the cottage owners have added solar panels, three have increased their insulation and all four focus on energy efficiency.
LESS hopes to advocate for more solar panels in Lakeside, noting several roofs in the community that are already optimized for their installation.
The goal of the Sustainable Cottage Open House is to make these changes real and tangible for Lakesiders, encouraging those who haven’t considered sustainable renovations to investigate what that might look like in their cottages.
If you’re interested in joining LESS, give your name, email address and physical address to a LESS member to receive their newsletter. Donations are accepted but not required. For more information about the Sustainable Cottage Open House, visit lakesideohio.com/sustainablecottage2025.
