The Louisville Zoo, in partnership with Ford Motor Company, is launching Planet Savers: a program encouraging people of all ages to support and nurture compassion for animals and the environment through action. Individuals, schools, nonprofit organizations, after-school clubs and programs, assisted living facilities, resource groups, home-school families and more are invited to join the initiative.
Planet Savers can be any individual or group of two or more wishing to do better for wildlife and nature. Ideal Planet Savers participants are those that would like to celebrate the earth and all that depend on it through the creation of projects or activities to support planetary health. Examples of activities are an initiative to pick up litter in a neighborhood, plant a pollinator garden, or establish a campaign to turn lights off in office spaces or buildings when unoccupied. The possibilities are endless. Any activity, large or small, can make a difference.
“The hope is that individuals will find a particular environmental issue they are passionate about, establish an action plan to address the challenge or need, and then dive in by themselves or with a group of their peers to complete their plan,” said Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney. “We’re thankful to Ford Motor Company for their commitment to this initiative and are excited to see how creative people can get with their projects. I say it all the time, wildlife needs everyone, and we need wildlife. Together, we as humans can join forces to make a difference. At the end of the day, we will all have a better understanding of what it means to live well with wildlife.”
Planet Savers is an expansion of a pilot program started about a year ago in collaboration with the University of Louisville’s Future Healers program, Christopher 2x and his GameChangers organization. The Planet Savers program has no boundaries and emphasizes inclusion and engagement for all, providing additional ways the Louisville Zoo can be a resource for anyone wishing to connect with nature and animals in meaningful ways. “The program aligns perfectly with the Zoo’s mission “to better the bond between people and our planet” as participants will be encouraged to make a commitment to be good stewards of our planet and to find ways that work for them to help solve environmental challenges on behalf of wildlife,” Maloney said.
Those interested in becoming a Planet Saver or creating their own Planet Savers club will need to apply at louisvillezoo.org/planetsavers. After completing a short application, the Zoo will issue a Planet Savers welcome kit as well as provide exclusive access to a “members only” online directory of free educational resources and suggested activities to kick-start brainstorming sessions needed to form an action plan or activity.
Additional Engagement Opportunities
The Zoo also plans to celebrate the work of Planet Savers participants and encourage others to join the effort during a series of three Planet Savers Celebration Days at the Zoo presented by Ford Motor Company. In May, July and September 2023, Zoo educators and docents will share special conservation science activities with Zoo guests. Celebration activity dates will be announced to Planet Savers participants upon their acceptance into the program. All activities will be included with Zoo admission.
|
Here are the basic details of the Tenant’s Rights Workshop:
On April 11, 2023, the Kentucky Field Office will hold a Tenant’s Rights Workshop open to both tenants and landlords. We are planning on:
- opening remarks by the mayor
- 3 25-minute presentations by the Louisville legal aid society, code enforcement, and the Lexington Fair Housing Council
- After the presentations, there will be a panel where the audience can ask questions.
- 1-hour outreach section. Service providers and strategic partners from across the city will set up tables and hand out information.
A couple of key elements to this:
-
April is fair housing month
- The Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act was signed on April 11 – the event will be held on the 54th anniversary.
This event will be held at the Home of the Innocents with a morning session at 10 and an evening session starting at 5.
National award for Geographic Information Systems work on Vision Zero Louisville
Louisville Metro Government’s Department of Public Works and Assets was recently selected to receive a Special Achievement in GIS award for maps and visualizations for Vision Zero Louisville, the city’s transportation safety initiative. The award is given by Esri, the leading geographic information systems (GIS) platform provider, to user sites around the world to recognize outstanding work with GIS technology. Last year, approximately 100 organizations in the U.S. received the award, including two in Kentucky.
“This award is the result of hard work and a strong partnership among Louisville Metro Government, LOJIC, and Esri. Their products, such as dashboards and story maps, make sharing information with colleagues and the public easier and more user-friendly,” said Claire Yates, a transportation planner with Public Works and Program Manager for Vision Zero Louisville.
Vision Zero Louisville aims to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by constructing safe and equitable streets for all road users, reducing speeding through roadway design and enforcement, and improving post-crash care. Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed an ordinance last year calling for zero traffic fatalities by 2050.
“Geospatial data is foundational to everything we do at Public Works. It is imperative that our data is accessible, reliable, and useful,” said Scott Stepro, Technology Services Supervisor with Public Works.
Louisville Metro Government has earned numerous awards for its emphasis on transparency and open data. Last year, Louisville won a Government Experience award from the Center for Digital Government, a national research institute focused on technology in state and local government. Louisville Metro will hold a free Open Data Day on April 15 at 11am at The Center by SIDIS, 900 E. Main Street.
 |
