GreenSpot Household eNewsletter, September 2020

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Greenspot

GreenSpot Household eNewsletter-September 2020

“I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.”
—Mother Teresa

Topics in this edition include: 

  • GreenSpot fall adult webinar series
  • Community aggregation
  • Save More Than Food campaign
  • GreenSpotLight Awards Celebration—virtual!
  • Sustainable Steps virtual celebration
  • Green activities and lesson plans for educators
  • New GreenSpot videos
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle on social media
  • Did you know they are a GreenSpot? Scotts Miracle-Gro
pictures of the presenters

GreenSpot fall adult webinar series

The GreenSpotKids Summer Webinar Series was a success and now we have three webinars for adults! See below for the upcoming webinars.

Tree ID and the wildlife who love them

Ever wonder how many common trees we have in Columbus? How to identify them? What type of beneficial wildlife uses them? Join us as guest speakers Michael Goldman and Jenny Adkins discuss the answers to these questions.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 23rd
  • Time: 6:30pm-7:15pm
  • RSVP required: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov and the webinar link will be emailed to you.
  • Guest presenters: Jenny Adkins, MAD Scientist Associates and Michael Goldman, Sunny Frog, LLC.

Connect the Dots: Plant Diversity, Pollinators, and Pest Management

How does the abundance of flowering plants, including trees, translate into a decreased number of plant pests? How do pollinators themselves play a critical role in the reduced need for insecticides? Come learn and listen to Dr. Joe Boggs as he discusses the multi-layered connections between pollen and nectar and a parade of unsung insect heroes that keep pests in check.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 30th
  • Time: 1pm-2pm
  • RSVP required: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov and the webinar link will be emailed to you.
  • Guest presenters: Dr. Joe Boggs,Ohio State University Department of Entomology

solar panel on roof

Community Aggregation

The City of Columbus is committed to implementing an electric community choice aggregation program powered by 100% clean, renewable energy by 2022. This is a critical step on the journey to become carbon neutral community-wide by 2050. The City has placed community choice aggregation on the November 3, 2020 ballot. Learn how it works and how it is connected to clean energy, jobs, and competitive pricing. For more information check out Clean Energy Columbus

  • Date: Wednesday, October 21st
  • Time: 7pm-8pm
  • RSVP required: email GreenSpot@columbus.gov and the webinar link will be emailed to you.
  • Guest presenters: Erin Beck, Mayor's Office; Alana Shockey, Office of Sustainability, and others.

Save more than food logo

Save More than Food - a food waste awareness and education campaign

Did you know that every day in Central Ohio nearly one million pounds of food enters the landfill? When
food goes to waste- so does all the time, resources, and money that went into growing and distributing
it. But together, we can make a difference. Save More Than Food offers the resources that you need to reduce your food waste at home, at school, at work, and in food businesses. Find ways to get involved
wherever you are. There are local resources, a partner toolkit, and informational guides.

Learn how you can save money and protect the environment by reducing food waste at home, at work, at school, and in food businesses by visiting www.SaveMoreThanFood.org. Together, we can make a difference!


GreenSpot award--green glass with etched logo in it

GreenSpotLight Awards Celebration—virtual!

Mark your calendars for the week of September 21st. Mayor Andrew J. Ginther will announce the winners of this year’s GreenSpotLight Awards and recognize the first Columbus city school to be a GreenSpot School. That’s not all! Councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy will recognize the GreenSpot Sustainable Business Class graduates and the newest GreenSpot Neighborhood! Check our Facebook page each day the week of the 21st to see who is being recognized.


Sustainable Steps logo

Sustainable Steps Virtual Celebration

When Sustainable Columbus was launched, it was a way to embed the protection and preservation of the environment into how business is done in Columbus. It is another tool to combat climate change.

Sustainable Steps, a behavior change program, provides residents with simple and actionable ways to improve their lives and the environment including fighting climate change.

Please join the city for a special virtual event on October 7, 2020 as we celebrate a milestone in our fight against climate change. Register today! 


Green activities and lesson plans for educators

GreenSpot introduces over 80 different green lesson plans and activities from local organizations such as Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Columbus Zoo, COSI, Franklin Park Conservatory, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, Keep Columbus Beautiful, SWACO, and more. The spreadsheet has contact information along with what state standards these activities meet. Check out the flyer on this webpage (second section). If you’d like the Excel spreadsheet of the activities and plans email GreenSpot@columbus.gov.


GreenSpot Videos! 

The GreenSpot Advisory Board has been busy. They teamed up with CTV to create a lighthearted video showing all the ways to travel in Columbus. Check it out! 

Also, a big THANK YOU to you! We've surpassed the 20,000 member mark!! Our members have collectively saved more than $13 million, reduced CO2 emissions by 41 million pounds, reduced water consumption by 145+ million gallons, and recycled 32 million pounds. Check out this video!


Ladder turned into a book shelf

Reduce, reuse, recycle on social media

There are dozens and dozens of ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle items. On GreenSpot’s Facebook and Twitter accounts we’ve posted 40 different ways on RRR over the months of July (PlasticFreeJuly) and August (#Ways2Reuse). Things like turning old ladders into a book shelf and turning empty toilet paper rolls into wall art. If you missed it, that’s ok, go and follow/like us so you don’t miss out on what we have planned for October.


Scotts Miracle-Gro image

Did you know they are a GreenSpot? Scotts Miracle-Gro

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a GreenSpot member since 2019, recently released its 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report. The report outlines how the company continues delivering on its purpose––to GroMoreGood everywhere––both locally and across North America. It also announces the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy for the next five years and provides an update on how the company responded during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to keep its associates safe and support communities while continuing to operate.


Some recent local sustainability highlights include:

  • Engaging associates remotely during COVID on sustainability topics. The Marysville-based Green Team hosted a virtual “upcycled” mask-making class and authored many articles, including green work-from-home tips, advice on how to recycle correctly and confessions of a backyard composting novice.
  • Supporting 109 local garden and greenspace projects with monetary and product grants. These grants are providing thousands of Central Ohioans with fresh food and opportunities to connect with the natural world and their neighbors. Products donated totaled roughly 956,000 pounds of soils, mulches and amendments, or 18 semi-truck loads.
  • Promoting composting and recycling at the Marysville campus. In 2019, ScottsMiracle-Gro composted more than 20,000 pounds of food waste through its corporate cafes, supporting its company-wide achievement of recycling 5 billion pounds of green waste annually into new products.

Learn more about ScottsMiracle-Gro’s corporate responsibility.


GreenSpot is a program of the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities. Stay connected through our website.

 www.ColumbusGreenSpot.org

www.facebook.com/ColumbusGreenSpot

www.twitter.com/GreenSpotCbus