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OES

April

Newsletter

2024

Upcoming Events

Virtual Workshop: Reversing Global Warming - Getting Into Action

Free 5-session Zoom Workshop sponsored by Pachamama Alliance Cincinnati Area

April 25th, 2024 7-9pm through May 23rd, 2024 7-9pm

Register here


Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit

8am-6pm, Thursday May 2nd, 2024, Duke Energy Convention Center 525 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202.

Register here  


Congress for the New Urbanism 

CNU 32 will be held in Cincinnati May 15th-18th 2024 Hilton Netherland Plaza, 35 W 5th St., Cincinnati OH 45202

Register here


Climate Health Equity Webinar Series: Climate Change, Flooding and Health Outcomes

Free Virtual Event with Ohio State Climatologist, Dr. Aaron B. Wilson

12pm-12:30pm

Tuesday, April 23rd

Register here

This Month's News


  • 1-Year Anniversary of GCP


  • 2023 GCP Quick Guide Published


  • Earth Month Events Around Town


  • Welcoming a New Team Member to OES


  • GCP Seeds of Change Grant Program


  • GCP Partner Highlight


  • Department of Energy: Energy Futures Grant Awarded



  • Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Submitted



  • Strengthening American Infrastructure

Looking to get your hands dirty this Spring? Check out the classes, events and volunteer opportunities at the Civic Garden Center! Their calendar is full of fun options for beginners, seasoned gardeners and everyone in between.


Visit the Civic Garden Center...

1-Year Anniversary of The Green Cincinnati Plan


Partners and Friends of OES,

 

Welcome to a special edition of our newsletter as we celebrate Earth Day and the first anniversary of the passage of the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan! In just twelve months, this ambitious, community-wide initiative has catalyzed remarkable progress towards a more sustainable and just future for our city. 

Let's take a moment to reflect on the incredible milestones achieved in the past year. From city-wide strategies to reduce carbon emissions to block-level community climate work, the Green Cincinnati Plan’s implementation phase is gaining steam.

 

  • Renewable Energy Initiatives: Through strategic partnerships and innovative policies, we've accelerated the adoption of renewable energy sources, reducing our carbon footprint and moving closer to our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral city. The Cincinnati Electric Aggregation Program has played a critical role in this transition, abating approximately 250,000 tons of CO2 over the past year while receiving 15% of electricity from locally produced solar since November 2023. 
  • Partnership Growth: Since the implementation of the 2023 GCP, OES has confirmed 27 new Partners who are committed to forging a sustainable future for Cincinnati. Establishing a community-wide network of organizations to both lead and support the implementation of GCP priority actions is crucial as we strive for carbon neutrality and equitable solutions. Thank you to all who have joined our efforts and please consider joining us as a partner! 
  • Sustainable Urban Development: The revitalization of brownfield sites, implementation of energy benchmarking standards, and promotion of energy-efficient practices have begun to set a new standard for urban sustainability. A $500,000 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant award has allowed the City to begin a brownfield inventory, environmental site assessments, and clean-up plans in the Lower Mill Creek Valley. An award led by the University of Cincinnati is taking a hard look at energy codes and how they could best be implemented in our area. 
  • Record-Breaking Pursuit of Funds: From the Inflation Reduction Act, to the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative, to the USDA Composting Grant, OES has been pushing to increase our city’s capacity to reach the goals established in the 2023 GCP. Since May of last year, OES has helped secure $10 million in implementation funds to support equitable climate solutions and has supported over $242 million in requests from our region to various funders. We hope to share more exciting news on many of these requests in the coming months. 
  • Innovation Through Collaboration: The priority actions set in motion through collaboration with numerous community members last year have paved the way for fresh approaches to community engagement. In March, the City unveiled the inaugural Seeds of Change Grant Program, while another fruitful cycle of the Urban Agriculture Mini-grants took root. Additionally, OES has formed new collaborations that are starting to bear fruit including a cohort of local higher education institutions ready to tackle food access challenges, pilot Free Food Scrap Drop-offs at College Hill and OTR Recreation Centers to divert food waste, and a multi-year research project with Over-the-Rhine Community Housing that seeks to understand whether electrification can reduce energy burden. 


This work doesn’t happen without your collaboration and support. Let’s keep building the momentum! Here’s wishing you a happy Earth Day! 


Oliver Kroner

Director, Office of Environment and Sustainability 


City Operations:

2023 GCP Quick Guide Published

OES has published a 13-page Quick Guide to the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP) for residents and partners to reference with ease. The Quick Guide offers an overview of the GCP goals, focus areas and priority actions, and highlights the community's contribution to its completion. Visit our website to read more!

Read More

Natural Environment:

Earth Month Events Around Town

There are plenty of ways to celebrate our collective stewardship of Earth this month. Whether you have a few hours on Monday or you're celebrating on the weekend, let's get out and support the Queen City's local events!


April 22nd, 2024 (Happy Earth Day!)

Free Admission for All @ The Cincinnati Nature Center. Learn more...


April 27th, 2024

The Northside Great American Cleanup @ Heart of Northside

8am-1pm, Register here


Earth Day: Planet vs Plastics @ Summit Park

12pm-5pm, Live music, vegetarian options, Madtree craft beer and educational events

Learn more...


Family Nature Hike @ Imago

10am-11:30am, Wildflower species education, hiking trails and hands-on activities.

Register here


Volunteer Cleanup @ Lick Run Greenway

10am-4pm, All ages welcome, bring your pets to enjoy a light breakfast, lunch and Earth Day activities!

Register here

City Operations:

Welcoming a New Team Member to OES


A warm welcome to Indira Thompson, OES' newest Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) Fellow! As a CPI Fellow, Indira's primary focuses include commercial waste, climate resilience, supporting OES' Free Food Scrap Drop-off, and community activation. Indira enjoys reading and crafting, especially sewing, and loves a day of thrifting. She is a native Cincinnatian currently studying Environmental Studies at the University of Cincinnati.

Resilience and Climate Adaptation:

Seeds of Change Grant Program

The inaugural round of the GCP Seeds of Change Grant Program is well underway with applications due by 4/30/24 and awards made by 6/15/24. All interested applicants are invited to join in the Drop-In Office Hours upcoming. View the schedule here.


The invitation currently is for grant reviewers to support the selection of initial awardees. The commitment will involve two meetings and review and scoring of grants between 5/15/24-6/10/24. The estimated time commitment will be 8-10 hours. Learn more and submit your name for consideration by 4/26/24 below! 

Reviewer Interest Form

Community Activation:

Green Cincinnati Plan Partner Spotlight

OES would like to recognize the work and successes of one of our GCP Partners through a periodic spotlight. Communities United for Action (CUFA) was selected for our inaugural spotlight due to their courage, initiative, and persistence in forwarding GCP priority actions in the Natural Environment and Resilience and Climate Adaptation Focus Areas. 


CUFA is a grassroots organization focused on uplifting resident’s voices and creating equitable communities. Over the past year and beyond, CUFA has demonstrated great persistence and effectiveness in advocating for greater understanding and solutions related to the issues of overland flooding and landslides. Over the past year, CUFA has worked in collaboration with the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services to develop a framework to provide direct assistance to residents through projects to mitigate overland flooding in the Beekman Corridor neighborhoods. CUFA plans to seek funding to implement these findings in the coming year. Please join us in thanking and congratulating CUFA as the inaugural GCP Partner Spotlight organization.


If your organization’s mission corresponds with any of 2023 GCP Priority Actions, please visit our website and reach out to Peri Ledwell at oes@cincinnati-oh.gov for more information.

Learn More - CUFA

Buildings and Energy:

Energy Futures Grant Awarded

OES was recently awarded a Department of Energy Futures Grant for a collaborative statewide effort entitled “Ohio Innovates to Reduce Energy Burden”. Valued at nearly $500,000, OES will lead a coalition of partners across the state – including Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and associated statewide nonprofits and community-based organizations in each city – to explore legal and regulatory options for incorporating community solar into city aggregation programs. The programs aim to reduce the energy burden of 382,000 households across the four Ohio cities. 

Learn More

Resilience and Climate Adaptation:

Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Submitted

Following the completion of the planning phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) initial planning phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program, OKI and Green Umbrella led a coalition of partners to submit the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP). Then, the same coalition worked together to submit our region's CPRG Implementation Grant Proposal on April 1st, 2024.


Collaborative efforts among regional stakeholders, as outlined in the PCAP and detailed in the Implementation Grant Proposal will foster innovation in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Continual community engagement will proceed throughout the coming years to ensure that a comprehensive Plan is submitted. Learn how you can become more involved in the CPRG process below.

Learn More

Buildings and Energy:

Strengthening American Infrastructure

The University of Cincinnati is currently recruiting participants for a study on home energy retrofit planning connected to a recently awarded National Science Foundation grant. The study includes several paid opportunities (surveys, interviews, workshops) and the potential to receive a free home energy audit. The study is run by an interdisciplinary team of engineers and social scientists, who are interested in gathering Cincinnati residents’ perspectives. They are looking for adults (18+ years old) who speak English and live within Cincinnati city limits. You don't have to be a homeowner to participate in the study, and they are especially looking to engage with BIPOC and low-income Cincinnati residents.


Click this link or scan the QR code below to take the brief (2-5 minute) Sign-up Survey.

RESOURCES

Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability

Cincinnati Recycles

Green Umbrella

City of Cincinnati

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The Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES) leads City government and the broader community in building a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient Cincinnati.

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