Reflecting on Cincinnati Climate Week & the Midwest Sustainability Summit

By Alison Green

Reflecting on Cincinnati’s inaugural Climate Week is no small feat. A simple idea from the Green Umbrella team blossomed into a week of action across our tri-state area. The week united youth, residents, organizations, researchers, and policymakers to celebrate, educate, and advocate for a more community-led and resilient region.

From June 8-14, there were 67 events hosted across 10 counties, with over 75 event hosts and 1,500+ attendees. Events ranged from energy affordability workshops and solar tours to a BIPOC Happy Hour, family-friendly storytime, green burial ground tour, 5K race, and so much more. Numbers aside, the goal of this year’s Climate Week was simple: bring the diverse community of our region together to appreciate and build a thriving region for all. This means fostering and supporting events that center on collaboration, community engagement, and accessibility across numerous sectors and interests.

Cincinnati Climate Week Volunteer Planning Team Member, Alex Hurley, puts it perfectly: “Climate change is global, but climate action is often local. That’s why I helped launch Cincinnati Climate Week – to give people a doorway into a conversation that can otherwise feel too big to touch. And of course, not everyone will care about every piece of the climate puzzle, but if one event, one issue, one moment speaks to them, they can be activated. That’s the power of building something local, from the ground up.”

This attitude is reflected deeply in Climate Weeks’ anchor event, the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit, hosted on June 12. This year’s Summit brought nearly 600 people from across the region to the Sharonville Convention Center to participate in 20 breakout sessions with 99 speakers, interact with 42 local exhibitors, and view 3 live performances, an art show with 16 artists, and a research poster session with over 30 posters.

In addition to the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit, we also hosted the first Green & Healthy Schools Symposium on June 13. Friends from Children & Nature Network, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Cincinnati Public Schools, the City of Cincinnati, and so many more organizations, advocates, educators, and students joined us at Rockdale Academy for this groundbreaking event. The day consisted of students from Clark Montessori handing out homemade pickles, a student keynote speaker, and in-depth panels and workshops exploring green schoolyards, workforce development, and school community wellness.

Out of all the impact, influence, and action that was created from this year’s Climate Week, one thing remains constant. We have incredible strength when we collaborate to make our region great, and we can’t wait to start working on Cincinnati Climate Week 2027, along with this community.

If you participated in 2026 Cincinnati Climate Week, Green Umbrella would love to hear about your experience and ideas for future years. Email feedback and questions to events@greenumbrella.org.

If you’re interested in getting involved in Cincinnati Climate Week 2027, whether that is hosting events or becoming a volunteer Climate Week Ambassador, fill out this quick interest form.