Aug 31, 2022 - View online

Sustainability Spotlights

Huge national and state climate wins!

This month, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)--which includes the biggest national climate investment in history--was signed into law. The IRA includes $369B in climate provisions including clean energy and electric vehicle tax incentives, forest restoration, domestic solar panels and battery manufacturing, resilient agriculture, and more. Overall $60B is tagged specifically for environmental justice priorities (communities can use the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to ensure equitable implementation). IRA efforts are anticipated to cut pollution by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. The win is not without some challenges, as there were also

provisions included that tie renewable development to fossil fuel leasing and potential production and expand fossil enabling technologies like carbon capture. In a 6-1 OH Supreme Court decision, Ohio also saw success this month with the approval of the Icebreaker wind project in Lake Erie. The project will build 6-8 turbines approximately 10 miles off the coast near Cleveland. It will generate 20.7 megawatts of electricity, with potential to expand.

Cincinnati 2030 District awarded Bell Charitable Foundation Grant

We are excited to announce that the Bell Charitable Foundation (BCF) has chosen Green Umbrella's Cincinnati 2030 District to be one of their four Inaugural Grant Recipients! The District is the first program to receive sustainability funding from BCF, which will support our important work of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 in Cincinnati's largest buildings. We are thankful for this opportunity to expand our partnership with Cincinnati 2030 District Building Member, altafiber, and the Bell Charitable Foundation as they invest in sustainability efforts throughout their operating territories. Sign up for 2030 District emails to stay updated.

CPS Outside Spotlight: Mary Dudley of Westwood Grows

This month we're celebrating Mary Dudley, who has been an advocate for place-based nature education for three decades! For the past five years, she worked as the agriculture education teacher at Gamble Montessori High School, collaborating with an amazing team of fellow teachers and administrators to earn the prestigious national Green Ribbon award. Most recently, Mary has taken on the role of sustainability and ecology education coordinator at the Civic Garden Center, where she supports educators who are ready to use nature as their co-teacher and develops the next generation of environmental advocates. Mary also runs her own nonprofit, Westwood

Grows, where she works to cultivate collaboration through environmental education that empowers and celebrates success in Westwood. Through this work, Mary shares botanical knowledge with her neighbors and supports environmental education for schools in the Westwood neighborhood. We are grateful for her many contributions to our CPS Outside efforts.

Sustainability in the Headlines

Cincinnati, Ohio: A Climate Haven?, Midstory

Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship in Climate Change Visits Cincinnati, NorthEast India24

Tri-State Cycling Organization Calls for Safety Improvements After Cyclists Killed, FOX19

Mayor Selects Sheryl Long for City Manager. Now Council Will Vote on Her Selection, WVXU

4 Environmental Stories in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Enquirer

Northside’s New Working Group on Pedestrian Safety Will Help the Whole City, WVXU

4th Street Bridge in NKY Will Undergo Construction to Create Designated Bike Lanes, WCPO

Rumpke Emphasizes Education, Career Development With Columbus Mrf, Recycling Today

White House: Climate Law Could Slash Related Damages by up to $1.9 Trillion, AXIOS

Tours Put Sustainable Farming Methods on Display in Ohio, Scene

Leaders Hope Honda Chooses Ohio for $4.4 Billion EV Battery Factory, WCPO

Featured Events View our full events calendar

September 1:

2023 Farm Bill Kickoff 6:00-7:30 pm, OEFFA

Green Cincinnati Plan: Food 6:00-8:00 pm, City of Cincinnati

September 2: Nature Nights: Marvelous Mushrooms 7:00 pm, Great Parks

September 3: Hub Garden Cooking Class 1:00-2:30 pm, Civic Garden Center

September 4: Sssuper Sssnake Sssunday 2:00-5:00 pm, Great Parks

September 6: Green Cincinnati Plan: Buildings & Energy 6:00-8:00 pm, City of Cincinnati

September 7:

Regional Climate Collab: Resources & Outreach 11:00 am-12:00 pm, Green Umbrella

Green Cincinnati Plan Focus Area Meeting: Zero Waste 6:00-8:00 pm, City of Cincinnati

September 8:

Pawpaw Cultivation & Tasting 5:00-7:00 pm, Boone County Arboretum

Green Cincinnati Plan Focus Area Meeting: Advocacy, Education & Outreach 6:00-8:00 pm, City of Cincinnati

September 9-10: Black Farming Conference - Agraria Center for Regenerative Practices

September 10:

Electronic Recycling Drop-Off 10:00 am-2:00 pm, Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub

ScopeOut Telescope Fest 6:00 pm, Cincinnati Observatory

September 11:

Entrepreneurial Gardening 1:00-2:35 pm, Civic Garden Center

Katharine Hayhoe Presentation Watch Party 6:00-7:30 pm, Faith Communities Go Green

September 14:

PIVOT Conference 8:30 am- 4:00 pm, HEAPY

Regional Food Policy Council: Full Council Meeting 2:30-4:00 pm, Green Umbrella

Regional Climate Collab: Building Local Capacity 6:00-7:00 pm, Green Umbrella

September 15:

Climate Change & Lake Erie 12:00-1:00 pm, Green Energy Ohio

Green Cincinnati Plan: Mobility 6:00-7:30, City of Cincinnati

September 17:

Fall Plant Sale 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Boone County Arboretum

Music in the Woods 20th Anniversary 12:00-11:00 pm, Imago

September 18: HUB-toberfest 11:00 am-2:00 pm, Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub

Professional Opportunities

Green Umbrella's Climate Policy team is hosting a series of virtual working group sessions as part of our recent Regional Climate Collaborative launch. Anyone living or working in our 10-county OH-KY-IN region is welcome to register and attend to give input on climate action in our region. Please also take our Community Survey today!

The Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council is hosting Growing our Teachers, a cohort-based training initiative with Gorman Heritage Farm and the Civic Garden Center for the '22-23 school year. To participate, fill out this application by 9/7 at 5:00 pm. A cohort of 10-12 educators will be selected and notified by 9/14.

The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) is hosting the fifth annual Ohio Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in Columbus on 9/29. Attendees can join in-person or virtually.

Citizens' Climate Lobby is offering a variety of remote paid fellowships and unpaid internships for Spring 2023 (apply by 10/1).

The 2022 REBUILD Conference (on 10/5) offers opportunities to learn about the advantages of high-performance buildings, and what works when creating the business case for sustainability in organizations. It will feature keynote speakers from world-class firms, real-world case studies, and informative panel discussions. Register today.

The City of Cincinnati's Office of Environment & Sustainability (OES) is conducting public meetings now through October for community members to provide insight and feedback on the next iteration of the Green Cincinnati Plan. Green Umbrella and Groundwork Ohio River Valley are OES partners for these meetings. Learn more and view the meeting schedule here.