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In 2022, Louisville Metro Government (LMG) has continued to work with partners to build momentum towards Louisville's sustainability goals. We want to celebrate that progress, as well as recognize outgoing Mayor Greg Fischer for establishing an Office of Sustainability at the start of his administration and supporting our efforts to date.
In addition to his local impact, the Mayor has also served on the Steering Committee of Climate Mayors and worked with other cities on national level advocacy for environmental action.
Here is a snapshot of key achievements in 2022:
Updating sustainability goals
 Mayor Fischer signed an Executive Order setting the goal of net zero emissions community-wide by 2040.
In October, Mayor Fischer signed an executive order committing Louisville to the science-based target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions community-wide by 2040. The order was an update to prior set goals of 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions community-wide by 2050 and helps Louisville meet its commitment under the Cities Race to Zero.
Following the Executive Order, Louisville Metro Council passed a resolution codifying the same goal, building on a previous resolution for 100% renewable electricity for Metro operations by 2030, 100% clean energy for Metro operations by 2035, and 100% clean energy community-wide by 2040.
Land use and transportation
 Louisville-based artist Jessica McAlpin designed and installed art
in each of the four crosswalks at 4th and Jefferson Streets. This project, led by the Office of Arts and Creative Industries and the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability, is Louisville's first permanent crosswalk art.
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Louisville Metro was awarded two U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE discretionary grants in August 2022. The first is a $15.5 million implementation grant for the Reimagine 9th Street project, which will transform an overbuilt, auto-centric 9th Street into a complete street with dedicated transit lanes, multi-modal facilities, and a linear park. The second is a $5 million planning grant for the Broadway All the Way project, which will fund the design and engineering phase of the project, resulting in shovel-ready plans for use in future implementation.
- The Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability held three CycLOUvia events in 2022, including the first ever CycLOUvia on Main Street in June! Louisville’s traveling open streets event continues to be one of the most popular Metro-sponsored programs in the city, promoting sustainable transportation, public health, and local businesses.
- Beginning in Summer 2022, Louisville Metro began the process to create two new Form Districts that were identified in Plan 2040. The Urban Center Neighborhood and Conservation Form Districts are meant to fill gaps in the existing Land Development Code. Multiple public meetings, both virtual and in-person, were held throughout the fall, and the process is ongoing. Learn more about the Land Development Code Reform process and stay up to date at www.louisvilleky.gov/newforms.
- This year, LMG's Complete Streets Ordinance was edited to require an ongoing public input committee called the Complete Streets Coalition. The Complete Streets Coalition will ensure that publicly funded transportation projects are safe, equitable, and sustainable by assuring their alignment with Louisville's Complete Streets Design Guide.
- This year, LMG ordered 10 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to add to its fleet and installed 9 charging stations. This brings the total to 16 BEVs and 20 charging stations in operation. LMG has also submitted two federal grant applications, totaling over $5 million in requests, to fund additional BEVs and charging stations.
Expanding energy efficiency and clean energy
- In 2022, Louisville Metro launched its first solarize program, or solar bulk-purchasing program for residents called Solar Over Louisville in partnership with the Louisville Sustainability Council. The 2022 campaign resulted in 92 signed contracts, making it the largest solar project in Louisville and the third largest solarize campaign in the United States that year. Moreover, the percentage of Solar Over Louisville installations in low- to middle-income census tracts is higher than national and regional averages. Learn more about the success of the program.
Based on the success of Solar Over Louisville 2022, the city, Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC), and the Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KYSES) will relaunch the program in early 2023. KYSES has been a technical advisor on the campaign and will join the team in 2023 as an official partner. A request for proposals has been issued to identify a chosen solar installer for next year’s campaign. The deadline is January 6, and it can be accessed at https://louisvilleky.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/80560.
 One of seven low-moderate income home installs through Louisville Metro's Solar Grant Program, a part of Solar Over Louisville.
- Since 2021, energy efficiency strategies implemented by Louisville's Energy Manager have produced approximately $1.4 million of energy cost savings and reduced Metro's overall energy use by more than 10%. In 2022, Louisville Metro Council formalized a new Energy Innovation Fund (EIF) to reinvest these savings back into energy capital projects that improve LMG’s energy performance.
- This year, LMG celebrated the closure of two new agreements providing more than $9.1 million in private energy efficiency loan funds for downtown developments through the city’s Energy Project Assessment District (EPAD) Program, a financing mechanism that allows non-residential property owners to repay private loans for energy improvement projects.
- In 2022, over 100,000 square feet of energy efficient Cool Roofs have been incentivized through the Cool Roof Incentive Program, bringing the total since the program's inception in 2017 to over 1 million square feet (the size of 18 football fields). A majority of the available funds have been allocated toward targeted high heat districts.
- In April, LMG and its project partners, the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, were accepted into the U.S. Department of Energy’s Communities Local Energy Action Program (LEAP) pilot, which provides technical assistance to cities to develop sustainability programs that benefit environmental justice communities.
- As part of its annual Kilowatt Crackdown Awards, a city-wide competition that challenges building owners and operators to decrease energy use in their buildings to fight climate change while cutting operating costs, the Louisville Energy Alliance (LEA) presented LMG with two awards in recognition of the city’s enhanced energy efficiency efforts. The two buildings were the Louisville Metro Development Center and the Northeast Regional Library. The reductions in energy consumption were largely achieved by operational efficiency measures, such as changing the automated schedules for boilers, chillers, and pumps.
- LMG has selected a contractor to begin a feasibility study on the partial municipalization of the city's energy utility to meet Metro's goal of 100% clean electricity for LMG operations by 2030. The study will begin in 2023.
Conserving nature
 Change in urban tree canopy
Credit: UVM Spatial Analysis Lab
- Metro continued to help landowners implement voluntary conservation strategies on private land through the Louisville/Jefferson County Environmental Trust, a partnership between citizen Board members, Metropolitan Sewer District, the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office and three Metro agencies (Planning & Design Services, Public Works, Metro Parks & Recreation).
- In March, Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance to allow for managed natural landscapes. The ordinance amended the property maintenance code that allows for native species to be planted by residents on their properties. Natural landscapes are more environmentally beneficial than turf-grass and provide habitats for pollinators like birds and butterflies. These plantings also require less water and pesticides to maintain, prevent storm water run-off, and have unique aesthetic value.
- A 2022 follow-up study to the 2015 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment commissioned by the local nonprofit TreesLouisville showed not only a reversal in the loss of tree canopy, but a net 1% gain, bucking predictions of further tree canopy loss predicted in the 2015 study.
Improving air quality
 USG = Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Credit: Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District
- In December, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (APCD) hosted a Louisville's Year in Air Quality workshop to share an overview of Louisville's air in 2022. A full recording of this event is available online.
- APCD's Air Quality Action Partners Program (AQAP) received National Recognition as a 2022 Best Practice in Air Pollution Control from the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies. The AQAPs program encourages businesses in Louisville to become "Air Quality Action Partners" by taking voluntary steps to improve air quality and protect the health of their employees and the public, particularly on days when an air quality alert is issued. In the first year of the program, 23 partners followed through on their commitments, avoiding at least 29,529 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. 27 companies have signed up for the second year of the program.
Brownfield redevelopment
- On December 9, 2022, Mayor Greg Fischer announced that LMG has signed a letter of intent with River City Entertainment Group, LLC to explore the transformation of the Louisville Gardens building, a brownfield site, into sound stages for music, film and digital production, a move that will bolster the city’s work to attract productions to Louisville.
Waste management and green procurement
- The Louisville Metro Waste Management District Board recently approved a 5-year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2023-27. View the plan.
- In November, Mayor Fischer issued an Executive Order that requires Metro agencies to purchase and use only certified green cleaning products in an effort to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals among staff and residents and reduce the environmental impacts of cleaning.
Community and employee engagement
 Louisville Metro Green Team conducted a waste capture rate study.
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Brightside conducted clean-up, tree planting, education, and other activities that resulted in 57,000 lbs. of litter cleaned up, hundreds of trees planted, and over 1,770 students engaged.
- In an effort to improve sustainability in LMG's operations, the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability convenes an internal Metro Green Team, consisting of employees from across LMG's departments who are interested in sustainability. This year, the Green Team completed an internal sustainability survey to inform behavior change campaigns, conducted a waste capture rate study in one building, and conducted educational presentations and green tours for employees.
To learn more about Louisville's climate action efforts, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/sustainability and www.100PercentLou.com.
The Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability (APS) team is excited to announce the addition of Tamara Sluss, Ph.D, to its staff.
Sluss is the APS Assistant Director and the Brownfields Coordinator for Louisville Metro Government. Originally from Ashland, she earned her doctorate in biology from the University of Louisville. She served as a professor of biology at Kentucky State University until 2018 and served as the director of the interdisciplinary master’s program in Sustainability at the University of Louisville from 2018-2022.
Her sustainability interests are broad, but include brownfields and land use, freshwater resources, reducing and mitigating the impacts of climate change, and policy transformation to achieve sustainable development goals.
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In order to combat urban heat island, Louisville Metro Government offers an incentive of $1 per square foot through the Cool Roof Incentive Program to any residential or non-residential property that has installed a certified Cool Roof within the last 3 years. A majority of the funding is allocated to high heat districts, which include Council Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, and 15. Louisville Metro encourages property owners in these districts to apply!
To increase program access to multilingual property owners and contractors, program information is now available for download in multiple languages. Please also note that any Metro webpage can be translated using the 'Select Language' function at the top of the webpage.
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The Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) offers community grants to support innovative, entrepreneurial projects and programs to plan for the impact of climate change on our most vulnerable citizens, while supporting community equity and resilience. Learn more and apply. |
Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation is looking for volunteers to help with tree plantings, litter clean-ups, coaches for youth leagues, and other projects. Upcoming tree planting events are from 1 to 4 p.m. on January 7 at Rubel Park, on January 16 at Shawnee Park, and on January 21 at Rubel Park. Sign up to volunteer at tinyurl.com/LouUrbanForestry-Volunteer
Louisville Grows will be hosting Community Garden Grant workshops on January 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and February 4 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in-person at 1641 Portland Ave. The grant provides funding and materials for new, expanding, or revitalizing gardens and the workshop will focus on the benefits of the grant, the application requirements, and the Community Garden Toolkit. Learn more and register for free.
- The Polluted Life Near the Highway: A Review of National Scholarship and a Louisville Case Study (via Urban Institute)
- Kentucky coal ash is contaminating groundwater, but companies argue they're in compliance (via Louisville Public Media)
- The climate impact of your neighborhood, mapped (via The New York Times)
- How Louisville would overhaul its parks under equity plan (via Courier Journal)
- Trager family pledges $1 million to UofL to fund urban micro-forest at Founders Square (via University of Louisville)
- Maker's Mark's case for business conservation of nature (via GreenBiz)
- Tracking watts and saving wads: Louisville's energy manager pushes efficiency (via Courier Journal)
- Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport prepares to switch to geothermal system (via WDRB)
- This startup is partnering with Sunrun to recycle and re-use millions of outdated solar panels (via CNBC)
- EU sets recycling, reuse targets to cut packaging waste (via Reuters)
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