|
Louisville Metro Government's Office of Advanced Planning & Sustainability (APS) is welcoming in new leadership! To contact any member of the team, click here.
Michael King is now the Director of the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability. His goal is to enhance the community’s built environment to make it Connected, Healthy, Authentic, Sustainable and Equitable. He holds a BS in Sociology from Spalding University and a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Louisville. Michael has worked with Louisville Metro Government for over 14 years in a variety of roles and departments.
|
|
 |
 |
|
Dr. Allison Smith is now Assistant Director of the Office of Advanced Planning & Sustainability where she oversees sustainability efforts, the brownfields program, and community engagement. She holds a PhD from the University of Louisville in Biology where she studied climate change effects on freshwater foodwebs in urban environments. She completed a post-doc at the Center for Environmental Policy and Management. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville. Her interests include environmental justice, community engagement, and climate change. |
Julie Donna is now the Sustainability Coordinator in the Office of Advanced Planning & Sustainability. She's focused on building a climate-resilient Louisville through collaborative and equitable solutions. Her previous experience includes leading projects for the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment & Sustainability and Green Umbrella, the regional sustainability alliance of Greater Cincinnati. A proud graduate of the Neighborhood Institute and the Public Allies leadership development programs, she holds degrees in Biology and Environmental Science from Miami University in Ohio. |
|
 |
 On February 2021, President Biden brought the United States back into the Paris Agreement and renewed our federal commitment to take action on the climate crisis. However, reaffirming the global commitments is just the first step. Our worldwide collective fight against climate change will take more than action from the federal government: cities, states, and businesses all play an essential role.
Now, more than 5,000 non-federal U.S. leaders are going all-in on climate action to accelerate local progress, push for national action, and promote the clean energy transition around the world. Mayor Fischer and the rest of the Climate Mayors have joined America Is All In, the most expansive coalition of leaders ever assembled in support of climate action in the United States. Follow progress toward our clean energy future at AmericaIsAllIn.com.
The first Kentucky hotel to use solar and wind energy is now open! The La Quinta del Sol is a newly-constructed, 94-room hotel, located near Old Henry Rd. off the Gene Snyder Freeway, which features solar panels and will soon install wind mills as well.
In January 2020, Louisville Metro Government closed on the loan agreement through its Energy Project Assessment District (EPAD) Program, which provided more than $2 million in private loan funds for the on-site renewable energy and energy efficiency elements. The EPAD Program (known nationally as Property Assessed Clean Energy, or “PACE”) is a financing mechanism that helps property owners repay loans for energy efficient, renewable energy, and water conservation projects with no down payment. All the capital comes from private sources.
“Consumers feel good when they spend their money on goods and services that incorporate sustainability green energy, and energy conservation elements into their business practices,” says Sunny Dronawat, Managing Partner of Sachi, LLC.
Click here to see the full La Quinta EPAD Case Study. Interested in utilizing EPAD? Contact Julie Donna at Julie.Donna@louisvilleky.gov or (502) 574-1976.
|
Louisville Metro received a $42,000 matching grant from Partners for Places, a project of The Funders Network, to fully fund the construction of a sustainable, community-driven green space called Parkland Plaza.
Currently a vacant parking lot adjacent to the Parkland Community Garden at 28th and Dumesnil Streets, the grant will transform this city-owned property, in the heart of the Parkland neighborhood, into a welcoming, well-shaded, community planned, cultural plaza. The new design and infrastructure will incorporate green and open space for outdoor performances, retail vendors and open-air seating, as well as a passive play area - a first of its kind in the West End of Louisville. Read more about the history of the Parkland neighborhood in a blog post from the Center for Neighborhoods here.
Share your vision for the plaza and collaborate with your neighbors about the future of this community asset at at the Parkland Plaza Virtual Community Meeting on April 3. Join the meeting and follow project updates at ParklandPlaza.com.
|
Broadway All the Way is a planning project aimed at making sustainable improvements along Broadway from Baxter Avenue to Shawnee Park that include safer and more efficient transportation, as well as environmental improvements that will help raise the quality of life for residents and businesses all along the corridor.
The Office of Advanced Planning & Sustainability is collecting feedback from residents and businesses on how to make Broadway a safer, more vibrant and multimodal street. Check out BroadwayAllTheWay.org and take the survey here.
|
TreesLouisville, in partnership with the Louisville Metro Department of Parks & Recreation, has just opened another round of the Residential Shade Tree Rebate Program!
Did you know? Nearly 70% of available planting space in Jefferson County is privately owned. Planting a tree at home is one of the best and easiest ways you can help expand our community tree canopy!
Any Louisville resident can purchase and plant an eligible shade tree on your residential property and apply to receive $30 back on up to three trees. To apply, visit TreesLouisville.org/Rebate.
|
 The Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability's Cool Roof Rebate Program still has funding available for properties located in targeted high-heat areas, including Metro Council Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14 and 15. The program aims to combat urban warming and reduce cooling costs for districts significantly impacted by Louisville's urban heat island. The rebate provides up to $1 per square foot of cool roof that is installed with an ENERGY STAR roofing product. Rebates are available for both residential and commercial buildings and offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
 |
|
Louisville Grows has launched their 2021 Seeds and Starts Sale! Seeds and Starts is Louisville's one-stop-shop for locally-grown plants to start a spring garden. A wide variety of heirloom and organic vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, berry bushes, soil, and compost will be available at SeedsAndStarts.org. Proceeds directly support a sustainable food system in Louisville by benefiting community gardens. |
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) podcast "Open Space" featured Jefferson Memorial Forest staff members Jocari Beattie and Dashaune Jones, along with Kenyetta Johnson from the Urban Conservation Corps at the partner organization YouthBuild Louisville. Tune in to the full episode here to hear more on increasing representation in the environmental field and addressing systematic racism as it relates to accessing the outdoors. Bennett Knox, Jefferson Memorial Forest Parks Administrator, also wrote an an article, "Reflecting on Systemic Racism in Conservation" for NRPA's monthly magazine.
Louisville ECHO (Engaging Children Outdoors) is managed by Jefferson Memorial Forest, with the mission of creating cradle to career equitable access to nature. ECHO, a component of the larger West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative, provides environmental education and recreation programming for youth and families in West and South Louisville.
|
|
