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Join Mayor Greenberg and the Mayor's Office of Sustainability at the first Earth Day Town Hall! We look forward to hearing your ideas about how we can advance sustainability, health, and environmental justice for all Louisvillians. The environmental crisis is one of the most important issues of our generation and we look forward to learning how we can better work together to build a green future.
The event is free and open to all. Please register and submit questions and comments in advance at the link below.
Friday, April 21
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Louisville Free Public Library - Main Branch
301 York St, Louisville, KY 40203
Centennial Room (located in the basement of the Main Library’s north building)
Register for free at tinyurl.com/louearthday.
At the State of the City address in February, Mayor Greenberg announced the creation of a new Mayor's Office of Sustainability (OS), elevating the former sustainability division to the Mayor's Office for better collaboration across Metro agencies. The Mayor named Sumedha Rao the Executive Director of the OS. Alongside OS, the Mayor's Office now also includes the Office of Equity and the newly created Office of Philanthropy.
The OS looks forward to building on a great legacy of work and further expanding collaborations to meet Louisville's science-based targets of 100% clean energy and net zero emissions community-wide by 2040!
Ongoing OS efforts include exploring clean energy pathways for Louisville (through studying LG&E's green tariff option, starting a municipalization study, intervening in LG&E's PSC filing, applying for federal grant opportunities, advancing energy efficiency in affordable housing through Communities LEAP, launching Solar Over Louisville, continuing the Cool Roof Incentive Program, and more) as well as setting up the Office to collaboratively scale impact on sustainability issues beyond energy in the coming months. Attend the Earth Day Town Hall (details above) to share feedback and guide our work.
 Mayor Craig Greenberg with Office of Sustainability Executive Director Sumedha Rao.
 Earlier this month, Mayor Greenberg launched the 2023 Solar Over Louisville solarize program. This program, offered by Louisville Metro Government’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in partnership with the Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KYSES) and the Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) makes going solar easy by:
- connecting participants with vetted and trustworthy solar installers,
- providing a step-by-step walk-through of the solar installation process, and
- helping participants access discounted rates on solar.
Going solar will help you reduce your energy bills, potentially increase your property’s value, support local solar jobs, and help Louisville meet its goal of using 100% clean energy community-wide by 2040! This year, Solar Energy Solutions and Icon Solar Power have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants as the designated vetted solar installation partners for the 2023 Solar Over Louisville campaign and are offering a great wholesale discount of 15-23%.
In 2022, Solar Over Louisville installed solar on over 90 homes and was the third largest solarize program in the nation. Its success has inspired the launch of Solarize Lexington and Solarize Frankfort, and together, Kentucky's three solarizes cover about a third of the state's population. Join this growing community today! Sign up at: www.100PercentLou.com/2040.
Register for the next free Solar Over Louisville workshop!
May 10, 2023
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Virtual - Zoom
Register in advance.
 Mayor Greenberg with 2022 Solar Over Louisville participant Sharene Camp.
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In order to combat urban heat island, Louisville Metro Government offers an incentive of $1 per square foot to any residential or non-residential property that has installed a certified Cool Roof within the last 3 years. Funds are currently available city-wide and Louisville Metro encourages property owners to apply!
A majority of funding is allocated to high heat districts, which include Council Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, and 15. While property owners can claim up to three incentives per year, Louisville Metro Government recently increased the limit to ten incentives per property owner for properties located in high heat districts.
To date, Louisville Metro has incentivized nearly 1 million square feet of certified cool roofs. Learn more and apply for the Cool Roof Incentive Program.
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 Complete Streets Coalition Meeting. Photo Credit: Deputy Mayor Nicole George.
In 2022, Louisville Metro Council mandated a Complete Streets Coalition (CSC) through updates to Louisville's Complete Streets Ordinance. The CSC, which consists of a group of 15 citizens, uses a form of participatory budgeting to effectively spend public funds towards making Louisville's streets safer for all, thereby improving the city's walkability and bikeability, and reducing emissions!
The CSC's primary function is to review a Complete Streets Checklist for publicly-funded projects to ensure those projects meet or exceed design guidelines outlined in Louisville's Complete Streets Design Guide. $500,000 was allocated in Louisville's Fiscal Year 2023 budget for pedestrian safety and traffic calming improvements on minor arterials and local roads. Most of these funds have been prioritized by the CSC in partnership with Louisville Metro Public Works & Assets.
The inaugural Complete Streets Coalition is comprised of 15 Jefferson County residents. Louisville Metro Government received a great deal of interest in the coalition. All coalition meetings will be open to the public. Read this recent WLKY feature about the CSC.
Attention Louisvillians! The full draft of the Preston Corridor Plan is now available for your review. The plan calls for creating a safer, more sustainable, more accessible Preston by reducing speeding, building complete sidewalks, safe crossings, and all ages and abilities spaces to bike. It also calls for providing people with comfortable, reliable, regular bus service. We encourage everyone to take a moment to review the recommendations and complete the accompanying survey. Your feedback is essential to ensuring the success of the plan and the betterment of our community!
CycLOUvia, Louisville’s annual open streets initiative, returns on June 11 and will transform a section of Main Street into a paved park where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can walk, bike, skate, or dance in spaces normally reserved for cars. The street will be closed to motorized traffic from 10th Street to Hancock Street, with openings for cross traffic at 8th Street, 2nd Street, and Floyd Street.
While promoting healthy lifestyles and alternative modes of transportation, CycLOUvia will create a vibrant economic opportunity for businesses. Commercial establishments with frontage along the corridor are encouraged to open their businesses and engage the sidewalk during the event, and other Downtown businesses can join the event in our designated activity areas. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Louisville’s iconic Main Street without the hassle and constraint of cars!
For more information, visit: www.louisvilleky.gov/cyclouvia
For tabling and vendor opportunities and other questions, please contact Rachel Casey at rachel.casey@louisvilleky.gov or (502) 574-8272.
Happy Earth Month! Leading up to Earth Day on April 22, there are various events you can participate in with friends and family:
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April 11: Beyond Plastics Louisville Meeting. 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.
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April 11: Zoning Matters: Conversation with a City Planner (next in the ongoing series about the Land Development Code Reform). 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Portland Library(3305 Northwestern Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40212)
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April 13: Canopy Good Business Summit. 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center (221 South 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202). Register in advance (ticketed).
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April 15: TreeFest: An Arbor Day Celebration. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Joe Creason Park (1297 Trevilian Way, Louisville, KY, 40213).
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April 15: Louisville Grows' Seeds and Starts Sale. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Louisville Grows Healthy House (1639 Portland Ave, Louisville, KY 40203).
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April 15: Spring Community-Wide Cleanup and Brightside’s Louisville Sweep & Sip. 11:00 a.m. at Shippingport Brewing Company (1221 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40203)
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April 19: Louisville Sustainability Council's Green Drinks. 6:00 p.m. at the Brown Forman at TEN20 Craft Brewery (1020 E Washington St, Louisville, KY 40206).
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April 21: Earth Day Town Hall with Mayor Greenberg. 5:30 p.m. at the LFPL Main Library (301 York St, Louisville, KY 40203).
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April 22: Bernheim's RESTORE: Healthy Planet, Healthy You. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (2075 Clermont Rd, Clermont, KY 40110).
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April 23: Brightside Post-Thunder Cleanup. 10 a.m. at the Big Four Bridge.
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April 30: Louisville Zoo's Party for the Planet. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Louisville Zoo (1100 Trevilian Way, Louisville, KY 40213).
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