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Mayor Craig Greenberg proposed the city budget to Metro Council last week.
On April 25, 2024, Mayor Craig Greenberg presented his second proposed budget as the 51st Mayor to the Metro Council. As he reflected on his first 16 months as Mayor, he thanked the Metro Council for their continued partnership, dialogue and dedication to serving every Louisvillian from Prospect to PRP, Anchorage to Algonquin and every neighborhood in between.
The budget proposal focuses on addressing the urgent priorities of residents from across the city: public safety, affordable housing, homelessness, early education, economic development, government services and quality of life.
View a recording of Mayor Greenberg’s Budget Address or review the budget documents to learn more. Louisville Metro Council will now review the Mayor’s budget and see it through a review process that includes hearings and a budget vote prior to July 1.
Per the proposed budget, the Office of Sustainability, like many agencies, is seeing a net reduction as a result of the removal of one unfilled position and a decrease in community grant funds. However, our team is actively exploring how all proposed priority investments can be aligned with sustainability goals.
On March 26 during the Mayor's weekly press conference, Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the launch of the 2024 Solarize Louisville program. In attendance of the announcement were Solarize Louisville partners Mayor's Office of Sustainability, Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KYSES), and the Louisville Sustainability Council as well as the two installers, Icon Solar and Pure Power Solar. Cindi Sullivan, Executive Director of Trees Louisville, as well as Michael Hicks, a homeowner who has gone solar through the program, also joined to speak about their experiences with solar power.
This is a home of a Solarize Louisville participant.
Both Icon Solar and Pure Power Solar are offering the same standard panel price along with an 12-18% discount, ensuring that participants receive the best possible value for their investment in solar energy. With the unfortunate rise of predatory solar companies in the region, Solarize Louisville seeks to protect consumers who are interested in investing in clean energy.
In addition to these significant savings, participants in the Solarize Louisville program are also eligible for a 30% tax credit through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, further reducing the cost of transitioning to clean, renewable energy.
Participation is open to the anyone in the following counties:
Kentucky: Jefferson, Oldham, Spencer, Shelby, and Bullitt
Indiana: Harrison, Floyd, and Clark
The Solarize Louisville team will be hosting in-person and virtual workshops where you can learn more about installing solar on your property. The details for the first two workshops are below:
Solarize Louisville Workshop with Icon Solar
Location: Webex (virtual)
Date: Wednesday, May 8
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Register for the workshop here.
Solarize Louisville Workshop with Pure Power Solar
Location: Iroquois Library at 601 W Woodlawn Ave, Louisville, KY 40215
Date: Saturday, June 1
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Register for the workshop here.
To learn more about Solarize Louisville and take the first step toward transitioning to renewable energy, visit www.solarizelouisville.com.
Graphic for the upcoming Solar For Business and Nonprofit Organizations event.
The Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) has partnered with Louisville Metro Government and the Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KYSES) to host their annual Green Convene focused on connecting small businesses and nonprofits to Solarize Louisville. Installers from Pure Power Solar and Icon Solar will provide information to property owners interested in investing in solar, and Cindi Sullivan, Executive Director of Trees Louisville, will share her experiences with solar energy powering the Trees Louisville office building. The Green Convene will be held on Monday, May 13 at 3:00 PM at the Jane and Jewel Center on Louisville Metro's Habitat for Humanity's campus at 1618 Columbia St, Louisville, KY 40203.
Learn more and register for the Green Convene here!
Jody Dahmer, President of Beargrass Thunder, directed volunteers in planting native pollinators around the park.
To celebrate Earth Day, Mayor Greenberg and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (OS) kicked off a day of service and sustainability at Alberta O. Jones (AOJ) Park. The Earth Day of Service was a collaboration between Louisville Metro Government, the Parks Alliance of Louisville, Beargrass Thunder, Youthbuild Louisville, and the University of Louisville Service Learning and Civic Engagement Office.
Volunteers scattered seeds in a space reserved for a pollinator garden.
Volunteers picked up litter at the park.
The organizing partners and volunteers gathered at AOJ park on Friday afternoon to pick up litter and plant over 100 pollinators that are native to Louisville along the green spaces surrounding the park. Native plants require fewer resources and chemicals to maintain, support the health and stability of Louisville’s natural environment, and help preserve native species of birds, butterflies and other animal life.
In addition to the service activities, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability convened a sustainability resource fair at the AOJ park, with multiple local environmental groups including the Louisville Sustainability Council, Save Bernheim Now, Kentuckiana Air Education (KAIRE), Know Waste Louisville, TARC, and Kentuckiana Backyard Farms sharing information and resources with park visitors.
If you attended this event or would like to share feedback for future events, please fill out the Earth Day of Service: Feedback Form.
Read on for departmental updates and sustainability achievements!
The Office of Sustainability Executive Director, Sumedha Rao, provided sustainability updates and achievements from Louisville Metro Government.
Eligible state, local, and Tribal governments can now apply for $430M in funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
The Office of Sustainability (OS) will be applying for $690,810 of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), a formula grant offered through the U.S. Department of Energy. The program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. Based on previous community input, are considering utilizing an energy services contractor with net zero expertise to upgrade an affordable housing property (preferably multifamily and renter occupied in an environmental justice area) to net zero energy or net zero energy ready standards.
We value community input in shaping how these funds can best be spent to advance energy efficiency efforts in Louisville. Please let us know in a short survey if you resonate with the proposed focus, if you have other ideas, and/or if there are specific priorities we should keep in mind.
Thank you in advance for your participation! Please submit EECBG survey responses by May 31.
The Solar For All program has awarded $7 billion in federal grants.
On April 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 60 selectees that will receive $7 billion in grant awards through the Solar for All grant competition to deliver residential solar projects to over 900,000 households nationwide. The grant competition is funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act, which created EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The program will provide funds to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar, lowering energy costs for families, creating good-quality jobs in communities that have been left behind, advancing environmental justice and tackling climate change.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet applied to the program and has been awarded $62,450,000 to to advance clean energy access for Kentuckians. The Office of Sustainability congratulates the state on this win and stands ready to partner with the Energy and Enviroment Cabinet to grow solar in Kentucky!
Visit the Solar For All page on the EPA's website for a comprehenisive list of geographic areas who will recieve funding to expand access to solar energy.
Graphic from the Air Quality Action Partners program
The Air Pollution Control District (APCD) Air Quality Action Partners program encourages local businesses to voluntarily reduce emissions and increase air quality awareness to help improve air quality in Louisville.
To be an Air Quality Action Partner, businesses must sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts on days when air quality is expected to be unhealthy, distribute the alerts to employees, and make at least one additional commitment to improve air quality, like undertaking an energy efficiency project, installing idle free signage, or purchasing low-emission equipment.
Facilities and other businesses that are permitted or registered by the Air Pollution Control District must make two air-friendly commitments and may complete even more impactful commitments to be recognized as Platinum, Gold, or Silver Level partners.
Sign up to be an Air Quality Action Partner - applications close on May 10!
In addition to the program, the Air Pollution Control District and partners across the country will be recognizing Air Quality Awareness Week 2024 (May 6-10). Air Quality Awareness Week highlights resources that increase air quality awareness and encourages people to incorporate air quality knowledge into their daily living. Louisville residents can follow air quality conditions 24/7 and sign up to receive air quality alerts when air quality is forecast at levels that may cause health impacts.
On March 28, Trees Louisville, Louisville Metro Government, and Urban Canopy LLC announced the development of Louisville's Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP), a strategic plan to improve a community's urban forest. An urban forest refers to all the trees in a city's boundary, whether they are in a city owned park, a privately owned home, or anywhere else. The amount of land shaded by trees is referred to as the tree canopy. In Louisville, 39% of the city is shaded by trees. Learn more about Louisville's tree canopy.
Graphic from the Louisville Tree Plan website: https://www.louisvilletreeplan.org/about-louisville-trees.html
The UFMP is created by assessing the current health and distribution of Louisville's trees and by engaging with residents, stakeholders, and the community at large to determine needs, set goals, and provide recommendations for the steps needed to achieve those goals.
Learn more about the UFMP process and how to get involved!
When a tree must be removed from public land, Urban Forestry repurposes it into mulch.
Urban Forestry will re-launch the Mulch Mondays program beginning May 6. Homeowners and non-profit organizations are eligible to receive free, natural mulch comprised of coarse wood chips collected from trees that were removed from public land. Individuals must register for an appointment as well as bring their own container or vehicle to collect mulch.
Sign up for an appointment and or visit the Urban Forestry website for more information!
In addition to the free mulch program, Urban Forestry will continue to host new tree planting and pruning events throughout the year! Sign up to volunteer at using the online volunteer portal.
On April 21, Brightside hosted their annual Post-Thunder Cleanup to remove trash left behind after Thunder Over Louisville. Within two hours, 50 volunteers had collected 200 bags of litter!
Before and after the Post-Thunder Cleanup
Brightside neighborhood cleanups provide a way for community members to help keep Louisville clean and green all throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to foster civic pride and community engagement. Many groups use this as a team building activity within their place of employment, neighborhoods, place of worship, school and other community or service groups. No group is too small, whether it be one person or one hundred, all of our volunteers make an impact.
If you would like to host a Neighborhood Cleanup, registering is easy! Just fill out the Neighborhood Cleanup Registration Form.
Volunteers pose for a photo during a neighborhood litter cleanup.
Bikeway Implementation Plan
Public Work's Bike Louisville and the Office of Planning are partnering with Alta Planning & Design to develop the Bikeway Implementation Plan! This study will set the agenda for bike infrastructure improvements for the near future by prioritizing areas of the existing bike network that would most benefit from quick-build projects.
The BIP held a virtual kick off meeting (view slides and Q&A here) on Monday, April 15th to solicit public input on our existing bike network and where improvements to that network are most needed.
Take the Bikeway implementation Plan Survey to provide your feedback on Louisville's existing bike network and help us set priorities for the future. For more specific recommendations, use the BIP Input Map to draw and pinpoint problem areas directing on the interactive map.
The Louisville Gardens has been closed since 2008 and is undergoing redevelopment.
The Louisville Gardens, located at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., is a 6,000-seat arena that opened in 1905 as the Jefferson County Armory. The Louisville Gardens has a rich history of hosting marquee events, ranging from concerts to athletic events. The Louisville Gardens closed in 2008 and is currently used for storage.
Due to the Garden’s previous uses, it required an environmental assessment. An environmental assessment determines if a property is contaminated and may pose a threat to health or the environment. The environment assessment from 2016 found remediation would be required.
In 2021, the Kentucky General Assembly adopted the Kentucky Film Tax Credit. This tax credit allows up to $75 million in refundable tax credits annually for film and entertainment in the state. This tax credit provided an opportunity to re-envision the Gardens as an entertainment anchor.
Remediation and cleanup of the Louisville Gardens began in 2022 and was concluded in March 2024. The construction of the entertainment studio will continue.
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Clean Air Trivia is back! Air Quality Awareness Week 2024 is May 6-10, and the Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) wants to test your knowledge again this year with pub style trivia. Join LSC and APCD at Noble Funk Brewing Company on Wednesday, May 8, 6:00-8:00 PM. Learn more at Green Drinks — Louisville Sustainability Council.
- Waterfront Park is hosting a screening of the documentary "This Is The Ohio" on the Big Four Lawn on May 10 at 8:00 PM. The one-hour documentary is light in tone but serious in presenting the urgent need to care for this important waterway. It considers what the Ohio has done for us as well as what we have done to it. Learn more on the Waterfront Park website.
- The Old Louisville neighborhood is kicking off the new Farmer's Market on Saturday, May 11 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM on 251 W. Ormsby Ave. Learn more on the Old Louisville Farmer's Market website.
- Also on Saturday, May 11, the Louisville Free Public Library is hosting the Annual How-To Festival. Have you ever wanted to learn how to harvest rain water, identify a tree, grow native plants, keep bees, propagate houseplants, or raise backyard chickens? Learn all of this and much more next Saturday! Learn more on the LFPL How To Festival website.
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Bike to work on Friday, May 17! Meet and ride at 7:00 AM from locations including Seneca Park, Iroquois Park, Shawnee Park, and George Rogers Clark Park. Learn more on the Bike Louisville website.
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