OES
June
Newsletter
2024
| |
|
Repair Fair
Join the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub, Imago, Hamilton County Recycling and the City of Cincinnati for the 4th annual Repair Fair
12-4pm Saturday, June 8th @ Madtree Brewing
Register your item for repair here
Sonlight Power Solar School
1-Day workshop led by NABCEP-certified solar expert Clay Luna, you’ll learn everything from system design to equipment selection, installation, testing, and best practices for residential and commercial outfitting.
8am-4pm Saturday, June 15th @ Civic Garden Center
Register here
Climate Health Equity Webinar Series: Climate Change, Flooding, Heat Islands and Health Outcomes
Free Virtual Event with Professor, Nohad A. Toulan
12pm-1pm Thursday, June 13th
Register here
| | |
This Month's News
- Seeds of Change Grant Program
- Environmental Justice Advisory Council Member
- Green Workforce Development
|
It's patio season, let's get out and explore what Cincinnati has to offer! From family-friendly restaurants to mom and pop dives, it's the perfect time to support the Queen City's small businesses. Visit Cincinnati Food Tours to plan your day out on the town!
Cincinnati Food Tours...
| |
Community Activation:
Seeds of Change Grant Program
| |
OES’ new grant program, the Green Cincinnati Plan Seeds of Change, is off and running! Funded initially through American Rescue Plan dollars now held at the Green Cincinnati Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, GCP Seeds of Change aims to support resident-led climate mitigation and adaptation projects throughout the city, with a specific emphasis on under-resourced communities most impacted by climate change. In the first open call for applications this spring, 40 proposals were received totaling $467,000. Awards will be announced June 15th. Thank you to all who applied, let's keep the momentum going as we gear up for another round of funding!
Applications are now open for the GCP Seeds of Change Youth Climate Action Grant Program. We are seeking project proposals from youth ages 15-24 that align with the Green Cincinnati Plan and address the urgent impacts of climate change. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the City will disperse micro-grants from $1,000 to $5,000 to youth led and youth serving initiatives. The projects must be new, within the city of Cincinnati, actionable in a four-month timeframe, and have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. Visit the OES website for more information on project eligibility. Applications are due July 15th by 11:59 PM.
OES will be hosting a virtual info session about the program on 6/13/24 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Register here to learn more about the youth grant program. We look forward to seeing your creative, inspiring, and innovative ideas!
| |
Buildings and Energy:
Solar for All
| |
The City of Cincinnati is happy to announce that two collaborative applications we are a part of have been awarded $156 million each. These awards, led by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and the Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition will result in approximately $20 million locally to support low-income residential solar installation on single family and multifamily buildings. Stay tuned, there will be many updates to come!
| |
Community Activation:
Environmental Justice Advisory Council Member
| |
OES would like to congratulate Tanner Yess of Groundwork Ohio River Valley, on his recent appointment to The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council! The Council is a body established to advise the President and federal agencies on matters related to environmental justice and the climate crisis. Comprised of experts from diverse backgrounds, it aims to address environmental injustices disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.
Tanner, the founding co-Executive Director of Groundwork, brings his wealth of experience in youth engagement and workforce development, proving to be a valuable asset to the advisory council. In a recent interview following the announcement of new members, he expressed his appreciation, stating, "Working with the City has created the systemic change needed to grow our environmental justice-based workforce and engage residents through the Green Cincinnati Plan and Climate Safe Neighborhoods with Green Umbrella. While there is still much work to be done, I'm excited to share our successes and learn from others across the nation."
| |
Community Activation:
Green Workforce Development
| |
A notable finding by OES' FUSE Executive Fellow, Thanapat Vichitchot, has been a prevalent lack of awareness regarding green jobs and career pathways. To bridge this gap and bolster existing and forthcoming green workforce initiatives, he is currently crafting a communication strategy to enhance the dissemination of these efforts on a broader scale. Stay tuned to the Office of Environment and Sustainability website for a Green Workforce Development page and visit the link below to register for email updates about green workforce development.
| |
Community Activation:
GCP Partner Spotlight
| |
OES would like to recognize Co-op Cincy for their green workforce development in Cincinnati!
Co-op Cincy is a nonprofit working to support and expand a network of worker-owned businesses with an emphasis on historically marginalized communities. Aligning with the GCP's focus area of Community Activation and its goal of achieving 4,000 individuals trained for green jobs by 2028, Co-op Cincy uplifts local workers and invests in the community through education and ownership opportunities.
Co-op Cincy is one of twelve recipients of a $500,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant to support worker-centered partnerships for green job implementation. Their Good Green Jobs Coalition is developing a comprehensive plan to assist and recommend best practices regarding wages, diverse hiring, training, and much more to drive increases in our local green workforce and growth of wealth equity. Co-op Cincy is dedicated to addressing local climate change impacts by expanding green energy and green construction job opportunities while also creating wealth development pathways for workers. To learn more about Co-op Cincy, please visit their website below.
If your organization's mission aligns with any of the GCP priority actions, please visit the OES website to learn more about becoming a GCP Partner.
| |
City Operations:
OES Staff Corner
| |
OES is proud to be a destination of choice for motivated advocates for climate justice in our city. This newsletter will arrive just as Peri Ledwell wraps up her Americorps VISTA year of service with OES. As Peri heads to an exciting new opportunity with LaSoupe, she leaves her fingerprints on so many of OES’ initiatives including Electrify Cincy, GCP Partners, green workforce efforts, Make Soil, and so much more. Thank you for your service to our mission, Peri, and we look forward to continuing collaborations!
We are also excited to add Grace Hamilton to the team as an OES Fellow for the summer! A recent political science graduate of Xavier University, Grace shifted from intern this spring into a paid fellowship role on our team. Grace will contribute greatly to the growth of OES communication efforts. Please join us in welcoming Grace to the team!
And there are many more exciting shifts on the horizon... So many, in fact, that we plan to keep this as a standing part of our e-newsletter!
| |
The Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES) leads City government and the broader community in building a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient Cincinnati. | | | | |