Recycling is an area where Louisville needs to do a lot better.  A recent study shows that we are sending far too much waste to landfills.  In fact, WFPL reports that about half of materials that could have been recycled or composted - about 834,000 tons - were trashed by citizens and businesses in 2015.  The story summarizes a third-party study commissioned by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Works.

The residential sector has the most room to improve.  Too few residences participate in recycling and too little material is recycled by those who do participate.

WFPL’s report is here: http://wfpl.org/louisville-released-2-year-solid-waste-study-heres-says/.

A link to the study is here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-works/solid-waste-study-report-january-2018.

I intend to dig into the study and its recommendations in the coming months.  In the meantime, let me know your thoughts and suggestions at Bill Hollander .

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

Louisville Parks and Recreation will host a public meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13, at the Seneca Park Golf Course clubhouse to discuss proposed improvements to three entrances to Seneca Park.

Those who attend will be able to meet with parks staff and review the plans, which include enhancing the park entrances at Cannons Lane; near the entrance to the golf course at Seneca Park Road; and at Taylorsville Road near Bowman Field.

The goal of the meeting is to share concept plans and narrow the choices for the three entrances down to one option at each site before pursuing the construction phase of the project. 

The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) will hold a Pardon Our Dust Meeting concerning the Lexington & Payne CSO Interceptor project. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about the construction activities and schedule. The meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, 2115 Lexington Road. Plan to attend to learn more about the project and meet MSD staff. This is an informal meeting with no presentation. 

• Valentine’s Dinner on Wednesday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Whitehall House & Gardens, 3110 Lexington Road. Enjoy a four-course dinner served by candlelight by Chef Gregoire Guiot of Mirabelle Gourmet Catering. Tickets are $80 each. Reservations are required by calling 897-2944 or email Whitehall@historichomes.org.
• The Louisville Nature Center is hosting children so parents can have a Valentine’s night out. Parent’s Night Out is on Friday, February 16 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Louisville Nature Center, 3745 Illinois Avenue. For ages 6-12 and includes dinner. $10 for members and $15 for non-members. To register, call 458-1328.

My office is partnering with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) to provide FREE tax preparation services again in 2018. The service is FREE if you earned $64,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2017 or if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Call the office today to see if you qualify and make your appointment! Appointments are available every Friday through the end of tax season between 9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 S. State Street, in Clifton. Please call the office at 574-3908 to make an appointment and please share this with anyone you think may be eligible. Click here to view brochure.

Do you instead file your own taxes? Through the LABC website there are two options to self-file online. The “Turbo Tax Freedom Edition” is available if you have $33,000 or less in income. The software has a well-designed interview process that guides you through the process of making decisions about your filing status, inputting your income and making decisions about deductions and tax credits for which you may qualify. The other option is “My Free Taxes”, which is available if you make $64,000 or less. This program is developed by H&R Block and uses an interview process. Please visit, http://labcservices.org/index.php/free-tax-filing-at-labc-services, for more information.

You are invited to attend a neighborhood meeting to present neighbors with a proposed zoning change to allow a 12-unit condominium community to be located at 3930, 3934 & 3936 Massie Avenue in the City of St. Matthews (south side of Massie across from Woodrow Avenue). The developer has filed a pre-application with Planning & Design Services, case number 18ZONE1006. Representatives of the developer would like to show and explain the proposal to neighbors and hear thoughts, issues and concerns.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 15 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, in the Clingman Chapel, 330 N. Hubbards Lane. The Planning & Design case manager is Laura Mattingly, laura.mattingly@louisvilleky.gov.

If you cannot attend the meeting, but have questions or concerns, please call Nicholas Pregliasco (Bardenwerper, Talbott & Roberts, PLLC) at 426-6688.

The American Council of the Blind has a great opportunity for students who are legally blind to earn a scholarship, whether you are going to a technical college, an entering freshman, undergraduate or a graduate student. Over $45,000 in scholarships are awarded to students each year. To be eligible, you need to be legally blind in both eyes, maintain a 3.3 GPA, and be involved in your school/local community.

As a scholarship winner, you will experience firsthand ACB’s national conference and convention in July, where you will meet other students who share the same life experiences, create lasting friendships, and network with individuals who understand what you are going through and can help you with your journey.

To access the form, click here. The form must be submitted no later than February 15th, 2018 at 11:59 P.M. Central time.

St. John Center is changing the lives of homeless men for good. Last year, 182 men moved from homelessness into housing. Help St. John do more by attending the 12th Annual Raisin' the Rent fundraiser on Saturday, March 3 from 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. at the Mellwood Arts Center, 1860 Mellwood Avenue, Van Gogh Room. Discounted tickets are now on sale for $30 each through February 17. Use the code “EARLYBIRD” at checkout. Click here to purchase tickets today.

Thanks to several recent grants, Louisville is one step closer to ending homelessness among young adults in our community. The Coalition for the Homeless has received funding in the amount of $20,000 from [give] 502 (a component fund of the Community Foundation of Louisville), $13,500 from the Gheens Foundation (part of an overall $30,000 grant), and $20,000 from the Community Foundation of Louisville to launch a Host Homes Pilot Project, which invites local families to open their homes to provide safe, temporary housing for young adults ages 18-24 years old as an alternative to living on the streets or in emergency shelter. The program, which will be carried out by Home of the Innocents, will provide homeless young adults with a stable home environment and support services while they navigate the process of finding and securing their own permanent housing or reuniting with family.

Caring, local families are now being recruited to participate in the pilot program. After an extensive screening and training process, families will serve as hosts for up to three months while the young people work with a case manager on a permanent housing solution. Homeless young adults will choose which family they would like to stay with, and the program coordinator will help facilitate a successful match. If the pilot project is successful, the program will be expanded and opened to more families in 2019.

The launch of the Host Homes Pilot Project is building on the success of the Coalition for the Homeless' participation in the 100-Day Challenge, in which city leaders and two dozen community partners committed to think outside the box, eliminate service barriers, bring all partners to the table, and rally the community to house 100 youth or more within 100 days. The effort launched August 1, 2017 and was successful in housing 115 youth by November 9th.

For more information about the Host Homes Pilot Project or how to become a Host Home family, please call Melissa Kratzer at (502) 636-9550 ext. 213, email at mkratzer@louhomeless.org, or visit www.louhomeless.org.

Louisville Water (LW) is a lifeline to the region, providing a safe, high-quality and reliable supply of drinking water. Ever wonder why Louisville’s drinking water is so good?  LW would like to tell you the story of the history, science and innovation behind Louisville pure tap ®. To book a speaker for your organization, contact Barbara Crow, Strategic Communications, at bcrow@lwcky.com or call 569-3600 Ext. 2123.