Empowering Communities: Climate Resilience in Northern Kentucky

Annotation 2024-10-02 173954

Addressing the need to engage residents living in climate vulnerable areas in resilience planning, Green Umbrella and Groundwork Ohio River Valley hosted climate workshops across three Northern Kentucky neighborhoods in 2024.

By Nobi Kennedy,

Published October 2, 2024

Annotation 2024-10-02 173954
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Contributors: Nobi Kennedy, Anna Parnigoni

Resident Engagement, Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Addressing the need to engage residents living in climate vulnerable areas in climate resilience planning, Green Umbrella and Groundwork Ohio River Valley hosted three climate workshops across three Northern Kentucky neighborhoods in 2024, reaching over 3 dozen total community members interested in taking local action on climate. The workshops are part of a larger initiative called Climate Safe Neighborhoods, a program co-led by Green Umbrella and Groundwork where local neighborhoods are given the tools and resources to reshape how climate and equity are integrated into urban planning.

Collaboration, Climate, and Community

Climate Safe Neighborhoods is a national effort through Groundwork USA to identify climate vulnerable neighborhoods, spread awareness of historical racial and social injustices that have contributed to modern environmental inequity, and teach residents to create neighborhood-level climate resiliency plans. Since the inception of the Climate Safe Neighborhoods program locally, Groundwork, Green Umbrella, and the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability have conducted workshop training and engagement sessions in the communities of Avondale, Norwood, Bond Hill, Roselawn, Beekman Corridor, and Lower Price Hill.

Climate Safe Lite – Planting the Seed

In late 2023, Green Umbrella and Groundwork launched the Climate Safe Neighborhoods (Lite) initiative. This program offers single evening workshops aimed at providing climate education and engagement opportunities to at-risk neighborhoods in our region, with the first programming centered on the Northern Kentucky communities of Newport, Covington, and Dayton. Materials and flyers for these workshops were created in collaboration with Northern Kentucky University professor Kristy Hopfenspergerโ€™s students. Materials were made available in both English and Spanish.

As the lead in the project, Groundwork Ohio River Valley developed equitable community engagement processes that centered community voices and ignited actionable plans. Through the use of geospatial technology, Climate Safe Neighborhoodsโ€™ Resilience Hub effectively tells not only the neighborhood histories in compelling visualizations and maps but also illustrates the projected future impacts of climate change in our neighborhoods. Green Umbrellaโ€™s role in these workshops focused on educating residents about specific climate impacts in their communities and climate strategies to mitigate neighborhood-level harm. Green Umbrella also engaged local government staff, elected officials, and stakeholders to integrate climate strategies and resident feedback into community planning and utilized their tri-state service area (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky) to provide climate policy guidance. 

Workshop Highlights

Newport, Kentucky – March 26, 2024

The Newport Climate Safe (Lite) workshop brought together community members, local organizations, and experts to address climate vulnerability in specific neighborhoods, including Two Rivers I, Two Rivers II, and Buena Vista. Key activities included: an analysis of climate change risks (flooding, air quality, tree canopy), geographical representations to educate residents, and an interactive mapping exercise where residents suggested green infrastructure improvements.

Covington, Kentucky – June 4, 2024

The Covington workshop focused on educating and empowering residents to take action on environmental justice and climate resiliency. Target neighborhoods included Eastside, Austinburg, and Helentown, which are particularly vulnerable to issues like flash floods and extreme heat. The workshop featured: partnerships with local organizations and officials, participation from the Green Umbrella’s Climate Action Fellowship (Covington), vibrant geographical representations, and interactive mapping activities for suggesting green infrastructure improvements.

Dayton, Kentucky – July 25, 2024

Dayton, Kentucky hosted its workshop in the community center located along the Ohio River. Boasting a population of just under 6,000, the workshop focused on Dayton as a whole, highlighting the cityโ€™s extreme flood risk, poor air quality, low tree cover, and the economic burdens the community has faced as a result of historical redlining and divestment. The workshop featured presentations from the Dayton Park Board, Tri-State Trails, and a tour of the Dayton Traffic Garden, a space created in partnership with the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, Governors Highway Safety Association, National Road Safety Foundation, and the City of Dayton to educate the public on pedestrian and bike safety.

What’s Next – Climate Advisory Groups

We are currently recruiting community members for Covington’s first Climate Advisory Group! The Climate Advisory Group will be an extension of the Climate Safe Lite initiatives, where members will work together to craft a neighborhood climate action plan, confronting critical challenges like flooding, heat, air pollution, and the mental health effects of climate change.

Residents of East Side, Austinburg, and Helentown are invited to apply to join this paid opportunity. No experience is required to participateโ€”just a commitment to meet in person for two hours a week over a seven-week period. The Covington Climate Advisory Group will hold its first meeting October 9, 2024.

Apply today!

In the meantime, Groundwork and Green Umbrella will continue to engage in meaningful partnerships with all Northern Kentucky Climate Safe Lite communities, with plans to host additional workshops in neighborhoods across southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky into 2025.

For more information or inquiries, contact Raynell at rwilliams@groundworkorv.org.

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