CLEVELAND — Devoted to creating a clean, green economy is community activist and long-time business owner Victoria 'Vickie' Trotter. She's paving the way for Glenville's youth, one seed at a time.
"When people talk about Cleveland I get an attitude. I love Cleveland. It's one of my favorite spaces. I see the opportunities all around us," Trotter said. "Cleveland proper is the fertile ground. So I like to plant to plant seeds in that fertile ground just like my family. We were planted in this fertile ground and it sprouted. "
Over five decades ago, Trotter's family moved to Cleveland from the south for a fresh start. Since she was a little girl she's been planting roots in the community.
Trotter is the former CEO of Trotter's Dry Cleaners, a family-owned business that operated in the Glenville community since 1969 and thrived for more 50 years as the first eco-friendly dry cleaning service in the Cleveland-area.
Now, she leads Green Movement Glenville. A non-profit project Trotter created for the community and for the next generation to learn about green economy and eco-friendly practices.
Trotter says, she enjoys working with youth and teaching them sustainable living. She's made the movement her life's purpose. "What are you teaching them? I'm teaching them how to grow food, how to think about business, how to think about opportunity," said Trotter.
She maintains the greenhouses on St. Clair and E 114th street in Glenville. On the same lot as her family's legacy business where she now advocates for healthy living -- teaching young kids in Glenville's neighborhood entrepreneurship and ways they too, can help the environment.
"I want to create successful people that come back and give back and understand the importance of giving back to your community. "
For Trotter, the echoes of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream live on.
"I want to plant the seed like my mom did. Plant that seed of entrepreneurship and one day I see the harvest like oh, I see you now."
While she stands as a modern-day pioneer for a clean-living Cleveland, her work continues. Paving the way for positive change towards an equitable future for Cleveland.