Alliance for Leadership & Interconnection (ALI)

By bringing together individuals, organizations, civic leaders and businesses to work in collaboration to design green, sustainable schools, ALI (formerly, ALLY) helped Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to become the greenest school district in Ohio.

Cincinnati Public Schools leads the state in the number schools registered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)'s LEED program, and Ohio leads the country. The Ohio Schools Facilities Commission created a policy similar to the one ALI's Green and Healthy Schools Network helped draft for CPS that mandates all new school construction and significant renovations must meet USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

ALI, in partnership with its Green and Healthy Schools Network, works with many partners on the following green initiatives:

Indoor Air Quality: ALI serves on CPS' Indoor Air Quality Advisory Committee which develops and implements policy and programs to optimize indoor air quality in all CPS buildings. Committee members include representatives from CPS, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, Cincinnati Health Department, Growing Well Cincinnati and GBBN.

Safe Routes to Schools Program: Cincinnati Public Schools has been selected as one of the first large school districts in Ohio to participate in the federal Safe Routes To School (SRTS) program, which is designed to improve the safety of children walking or biking to school. ALI serves on CPS'Safe Routes to Schools Steering Committee to provide educational programs and events.

Green School Building Community Education Projects: Through ALI's Eco-mentoring Program, ALI recuits green professionals such as architects...

Green Education Resources: ALI works with Cincinnati Public Television Learning Services Department, CET Connect and other partners to develop student-generated  educational resources that suppor environmental education.

ALI fosters connections to create opportunities for green partnerships, such as:

Green Storm Water Management: CPS received over $1 million in grants from Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to study best management practices, including green roofs, porous concrete, rain gardens and bioswales.

Urban Timber Recycling: Cincinnati Parks and Hamilton County Environmental Services Solid Waste Division are partnering to Harvest local timber and manufacture it locally into hardwood furniture for the schools, CPS was able to purchase these essentials at the same cost as furniture they would have imported. This program won an $80,000 grant from Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of expansion.