 We are excited to announce that we are actively recruiting for two new positions in the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. The Sustainability Specialist or Sustainability Coordinator will work with our team to help us meet Louisville's sustainability and climate goals!
The application deadline for both positions is June 11. Listed salaries may be negotiable after July 1, following the execution of the new salary plan and fiscal budget. More Office of Sustainability positions are expected to be posted in the coming months (July-October) following the passage of the FY24 budget.
The Office of Sustainability has published the Green Resources for Residents, a one-stop guidebook that lists all financial incentives available through the Inflation Reduction Act, Louisville Metro Government, and Louisville Gas and Electric, as well as tips and best practices to help residents in and around Louisville save costs while going green! We would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to our intern Alyssa Burton, the members of the Louisville Metro Green Team, and community and technical advisors for their contributions to this resource.
The Office of Sustainability welcomes feedback via this online form and plans to keep this resource current by updating it periodically.
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The popular Solar over Louisville program, which makes going solar easy by offering a 15-23% discount on solar, a no-obligation quote through a vetted installer, and a step-by-step walkthrough of the solar installation process, is closing enrollments on June 30. Sign up before then to get the free no-obligation quote so that you can explore if solar is right for your property. Between the program's wholesale discount and the federal tax incentive, there is no better time to explore solar!
Since the program's launch in 2022, 100+ property owners have chosen to go solar through Solar Over Louisville.
Sign up for the program and register for the next workshop on June 4 today.
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On April 12, Louisville Metro Government was proud to be recognized with a 2023 Better Practice Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative in Washington, D.C. These annual awards highlight select partners for innovative and industry-leading accomplishments in implementing and promoting practices, principles, and procedures of energy management. We have been honored for the energy efficiency achievements led by Energy Manager Zachary Tyler in the Department of Facilities and Fleet. Learn more about our award-winning practice.
In honor or Earth Day, the Office of Sustainability hosted the first Earth Day Town Hall with Mayor Greenberg in late April to talk about the future of sustainability in Louisville and hear from the community about priorities and concerns. Highlights from the Earth Day Town Hall with Mayor Greenberg, which drew about 80 attendees, have been recorded and posted by Forward Radio. That same week, Forward Radio's Sustainability Now! podcast featured Office of Sustainability's Executive Director Sumedha Rao.
The following week, the Office of Sustainability convened the leaders of various Metro agencies as well as partner agencies such as the Transit Authority of River City, the Jefferson Community & Technical College, and Waterfront Park to discuss a whole-government approach to sustainability with Mayor Greenberg.
With these events, the Office of Sustainability is attempting to strengthen partnerships between agencies and with the community to advance sustainability more effectively and at scale.
 Mayor Greenberg speaking with residents at the Earth Day Town Hall.
On Earth Day, Mayor Greenberg received a letter signed by 90+ citizens urging his administration to act expeditiously to slow climate change. In response, Mayor Greenberg committed to publicly sharing monthly updates on the city's efforts as we embark on the task of slowing climate change, particularly in the power generation and transportation sectors, per the citizens' letter. These regular progress updates will be shared in this section of this monthly newsletter from the Office of Sustainability.
Energy and Power Generation:
- Metro continues to make progress on advancing energy efficiency in government buildings through the work of Energy Manager Zachary Tyler. Energy savings have now reached nearly $1.8 million, 80% of which will be reinvested into energy efficiency and clean energy projects in Metro facilities. Find the latest quarterly energy report on Louisville Metro's Energy Dashboard.
- To meet Metro's clean energy goals, Metro has kicked off a partial municipalization study, to explore the formation of a municipally owned electric utility. The data collection process is currently underway. Metro also continues to be interested in and explore Green Tariff options with Louisville Gas and Electric.
- Metro's Office of Sustainability continues to administer the Cool Roof Incentive Program, the Solar Over Louisville program, and the U.S. Department of Energy-supported Communities Local Energy Action Program and recently published the Green Resources For Residents guide to help residents better access the benefits of energy efficiency and clean energy.
- Louisville Metro Government (LMG) has joined Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFCUG) to intervene in Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities' filing with the Kentucky Public Service Commission that seeks to build new fossil fuel infrastructure, solar facilities, battery storage facilities, deploy demand side management programs, and retire coal plants. Case filings can be accessed here.
- Louisville has been ranked 5th among top mid-sized cities with ENERGY STAR certified buildings.
Transportation
- The Complete Streets Coalition completed the construction of a complete streets projects on 35th and Bank Streets, which involves bump-outs and bus stop improvements. Another project underway at Central Avenue between 7th and Taylor Streets seeks to both beautify the neighborhood and calm traffic through bump-outs with planters.
- The Community Crosswalk program completed the installation of new crosswalk art to support public art and enhance safety.
- Metro continues to transition its fleet to electric vehicles and pursue funding to support this transition.
Land Use
Air Quality
- The Air Pollution Control District invites businesses to sign-up to be Air Quality Action Partners to improve air quality in Louisville. In 2022, 23 businesses voluntarily took action to reduce air pollution and in 2023, 29 have already signed up to participate.
In order to continue and expand on the above momentum, the Mayor's proposed FY24 budget includes additional staffing for the Office of Sustainability, funding for electric vehicle charging stations and electrification of fleet, tree planting, sidewalk repairs, planning for a Department of Transportation, and more.
The Office of Sustainability was honored to join the Office for Women's Ambassadors this month to discuss the intersection between sustainability and gender equity. Learn more about this fantastic group of emerging leaders.
 Office for Women Ambassadors with Office of Sustainability
Executive Director Sumedha Rao
- Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services joins with Community Action Agencies across the state to begin accepting applications for the 2023 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Spring Subsidy Cooling Component. This federally-funded program is designed to help offset the cost of higher electric bills due to rising temperatures. Applications will be accepted now through June 2, 2023 or until funds are depleted.
- Louisville Climate Action Network (LCAN)'s Urban Energy Partnership is soliciting applications from nonprofits that serve primarily Louisville's Black and Brown communities and that own their facilities or have a long-term lease, to offer no-cost services that will help reduce energy costs long term.
- Governor Beshear announced continued momentum within the state’s manufacturing and electric vehicle industries as leaders at EV-maker Rivian announced they will invest $10 million to establish a remanufacturing facility in Bullitt County, creating 218 full-time, quality jobs.
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Deeper, Darker Green: A community conversation to empower and encourage one another to face climate change through behavioral change. These meet-ups will be held at the Louisville Public Library at 4th and York in the Centennial Room located in the basement of the Main Library’s North building. The venue is accessible by several TARC routes and bike racks are on the north and south sides of the library. Upcoming meeting schedule:
- May 31, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
- June 7, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
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