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Graphic: Louisville Green Bank RFP
Louisville Metro Government, through its Office of Sustainability (OS), has published a Request For Proposals (RFP) to assist in the development of a Louisville Green Bank. This important effort will better position Metro to meet its established goals of 100% clean energy and net zero greenhouse gas emissions community-wide by 2040, advance equity and environmental justice, mobilize private capital towards environmental goals, and receive and distribute funding through the federal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Learn more by visiting the link below and submit your proposal by Wednesday, December 11.
Access Louisville Green Bank RFP
Our team joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Louisville's first affordable passive house!
The OS Team started the month by joining River City Housing (RCH) for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Louisville's first affordable passive home!
The "Jenny" House, named in memory of RCH's former construction manager Jenny Jones Miller, is designed to drastically reduce energy use and minimize the home's carbon footprint. It incorporates solar panels installed through the Solarize Louisville program by Icon Solar. With long-term focus on affordability, the home offers lower energy bills and increases financial stability for working families.
We look forward to learning from the Jenny House project to mainstream affordable, zero energy ready, passive houses for everyone in Louisville! Learn more about the development of the "Jenny" from Sy Safi, Founder and CEO of Ubergreen Spaces and Homes in the first of a video series dedicated to this monumental passive house project:
The "Jenny" Louisville's First Affordable Passive House
Ceremony attendees had the chance to tour the inside of the Jenny Passive House.
Louisville Earth Month graphic
Earth Month is right around the corner – help us create a Louisville Earth Month Community Calendar! Use the link to the form below to share your events and learn more about Louisville Earth Fest 2025. Share with organizations in your network!
Louisville Earth Month: Community Calendar Form
The Kentucky Department of Housing & Building Codes has formed a Task Force to review the state building codes to update them to a more modern code standard. The energy efficiency portion of the state building code is from 2009, and there have been many advancements in energy efficiency since that code was written. By building homes to a more modern energy code, Kentuckians would have a lower energy burden, in some cases saving up to $1,000/year on utility bills. Additionally, more energy efficient homes would use less energy overall, making the homes more resilient to extreme weather and requiring less energy to heat/cool, which would also increase the resiliency of the grid.
Government building stock photo
The DHBC Task Force’s next meeting is on Tuesday, December 3 in Frankfort and virtually where they will be discussing energy efficiency. Following this meeting, the Task Force will meet once again in January for a 3-day workshop where they will deliberate the input from stakeholders, community members, and their own expertise on how the building codes should be adopted – with or without amendments. The OS is currently drafting comments to the Task Force regarding this code update. If you would like to contribute to these comments or attend the December 3 meeting, please reply directly to this newsletter or email sustainability@louisvilleky.gov.
CPRG CCAP graphic
Louisville Metro Government has published a Request for Proposals (RFP) to assist with the creation of a regional Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). Apply by November 17!
The Louisville MSA CCAP covers the following counties in Kentucky and Indiana:
- Louisville/Jefferson County (merged city-county area)
- Bullitt County, Kentucky
- Oldham County, Kentucky
- Shelby County, Kentucky
- Spencer County, Kentucky
- Henry County, Kentucky
- Trimble County, Kentucky
- Clark County, Indiana
- Floyd County, Indiana
- Harrison County, Indiana
- Washington County, Indiana
View a recording of the CPRG RFP Q&A Session held earlier in October.
If you are unable to bid but would still like to be involved in the planning process, please fill out Louisville MSA CPRG Interest Form.
Did you know the top material in Louisville's landfill is food?
The most wonderful time of year can also be the most wasteful time of year. Did you know food waste is the top material collected for landfill in Louisville? 88,162 tons were collected in the 2018 annual report! To learn how to reduce food waste for the holiday season and beyond, visit SaveTheFood.com for useful tools and tips.
Thank you to kNOwaste Louisville for bringing us more facts and info about Louisville waste management.
Photo of a tree planting from the Louisville Urban Forestry Facebook page
The Louisville Metro Government Department of Urban Forestry and Trees Louisville planted 140 trees together in the Buechel neighborhood on November 9th. This was the first event of the planting season, and Urban Forestry is on track to plant 2,000 trees this year! Urban Forestry is also restocking the Seneca nursery and received 350 saplings to grow their own stock in house for the planting program.
For more information on tree planting and maintenance, review the Louisville Tree Ordinance developed by Urban Forestry.
Thank you to the Louisville Sustainability Council for bringing us together!
Congratulations to the Louisville Sustainability Council for hosting the 11th Annual Louisville Sustainability Summit!
This timely event brought together sustainability advocates across the city to discuss the future of Louisville’s food system. The OS is a proud returning sponsor of the Annual Sustainability Summit. Thank you to everyone from food justice organizations, regional governments, restaurants, businesses, and other spaces who shared their work and research during the Summit as well as Mayor Greenberg for speaking about food access and health in Louisville.
View more photos from the Sustainability Summit here.
OS Director Sumedha Rao participated in the "Food, Social Justice, and Security" panel.
The Global Louisville Leadership Academy is seeking applicants!
The Global Louisville Leadership Academy is a free leadership training program sponsored by the Louisville Mayor's Office for Immigrant Affairs.
The mission is to build the knowledge and networks of foreign-born leaders to increase their capacity and become key stakeholders to empower and assist their communities.
Apply now! The deadline for applications is January 11, 2025. Once members are selected, the first of eight sessions will be held on February 17, 2025.
Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (APCD) collect data on air quality using an air monitoring network that has five different sites throughout the city.
Every year staff at the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (APCD) collect tens of millions of data points on Louisville’s air quality using an air monitoring network that has five different sites throughout the city. Air pollution levels are monitored through a variety of instruments, ranging from filters that collect fine particles to advanced instruments that can scan air samples in near real-time, and intensive procedures are always in place to ensure that data and equipment are reliable. The work of APCD’s air monitoring scientists includes equipment operation, maintenance and repair, data review & analysis, chemistry, site maintenance, meteorology, and more.
The data collected at the sites are used to provide real-time air quality conditions to the public and for policymaking, research, educational, and regulatory purposes. The public can use resources like APCD’s Louisville Air Watch to follow live air quality conditions 24/7 using the Air Quality Index, a tool that communicates the potential health impact of air quality conditions using six color-coded health categories that range from “Good” to “Hazardous”.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is more than the "winter blues."
As the days get shorter and there is less daylight, you may start to feel sad. While many people experience the “winter blues,” some people may have a type of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
The first step is to determine how much your symptoms interfere with your daily life.
Do you have mild symptoms that have lasted less than two weeks?
- Feeling down but still able to take care of yourself and others
- Having some trouble sleeping
- Having less energy than usual but still able to do your job, schoolwork, or housework
These activities can make you feel better
- Doing something you enjoy
- Going outside in the sunlight
- Spending time with family and friends
- Eating healthy and avoiding foods with lots of sugar
If these activities do not help or your symptoms are getting worse, talk to a health care provider.
Do you have more severe symptoms that have lasted more than two weeks?
- Social withdrawal
- Oversleeping
- Gaining weight
- Craving foods with lots of sugar like cakes, candies, and cookies
Seek professional help:
- Light therapy
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
- Medications
- Vitamin D supplements
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also visit Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness (LMPHW)'s Community Mental Health Services webpage for a listing of mental health resources.
Are you looking for a wellness provider? Visit Mental Health Lou for a listing of local professionals.
-- Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health
LIHEAP logo graphic
Starting November 5, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Fall Subsidy enrollment is available through Kentucky’s Community Action Network for eligible Kentucky households. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis through December 20, 2024, or until designated funds have been expended.
LIHEAP Fall Subsidy provides households with a one-time benefit depending on housing category, fuel type used for heating, and income level. The benefit can be applied towards home heating cost for electric, natural gas, propane, coal, wood, or fuel oil. For more information on eligibility and to apply, visit the LIHEAP webpage.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- River City Housing unveils ultra-energy efficient home in west Louisville (Courier Journal)
- Kentucky’s $712M Battery Plant Powers a Green Grid Revolution (CEO Today)
- Louisville gets $100,000 to transform Shawnee alley blight (Lane Report)
- Ghost the Trash: Pizza Hut Teams Up with Smurfit Westrock to Increase Pizza Box Recycling in Louisville, Ky. (PR Newswire)
- This Louisvillian Is Leading The City's Sustainability Charge. See How He's Helping Make The City Greener. (LEO Weekly)
- New initiative aims to help make Louisville safer for women (Spectrum)
- Bright Ideas in Travel 2024: Air Travel - Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (Condé Nast Traveler)
- High electricity prices? US utilities have a coupon for that. (RMI)
- 'Defining moment': East Kentucky Power expanding solar with up to $1.4 billion from feds (Kentucky Lantern)
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