Green Umbrella is the recipient of one of 400 environmental justice grants the EPA is trying to cancel. An official letter last week cited the cause for cancellation being: “The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.” Senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee are standing up for grant recipients who are working to improve health outcomes in communities with poor environmental quality.

We are fighting back by disputing the cancellation of our grant and advocating for funding commitments to remain in effect. You can join us by:

Local financial support will help Green Umbrella maintain momentum on our region’s climate and environmental priorities. If every Green News reader gave just $5 a month, we would have $420,000 ready to keep the work moving. Be a part of the movement of local support for local priorities!

The Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition is launching a new Environmental Career Path Program at this year’s Greater Cincinnati Earth Day Festival on April 26 at Summit Park in Blue Ash. Co-hosted by the Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators,  ORSANCO and their Foundation for Ohio River Education (F.O.R.E.), Green Umbrella, and the City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability, the event will feature interactive booths, exhibits, and career education opportunities. Discover pathways to Green Jobs, from solar installation and environmental science to sustainable engineering and green construction trades.

Does your organization have employment opportunities? A booth is only $20! Learn more and sign up here.

Aligning with this year’s theme of “Sustainable Stories”, the Summit’s plenary panel will focus on using storytelling as a vital tool for moving climate work forward across all communities. This session will offer valuable insights into crafting narratives that resonate with diverse audiences and inspire individual and collective action.

In addition to Summit Keynote Speaker, Dr. Lyla June Johnston, the panel will feature speakers from various innovative media organizations: Erika Street Hopman, Co-Founder of ChavoBart Digital Media; Tory Stephens, Climate Fiction Creative & Brand Partnerships Manager of Grist; and Becca Costello, Local Government Reporter for Cincinnati Public Radio.

Green Umbrella’s 2030 District program is launching a Sustainability Breakfast Series designed to connect attendees with the region’s green building industry leaders over breakfast and coffee. The first Sustainability Breakfast is “How to Be Solar Smart: A Practical Guide to Smarter Solar for Small Businesses and Homeowners” on Thursday, April 24 from 7:30-9:30 am at the Digital Futures Building in Avondale.

The event will feature a presentation from Sustainergy Cooperative, a Cincinnati-based solar and energy efficiency firm. Attendees will learn how to assess what makes a building suitable for solar; how to reduce energy demand and costs; how to access available financial incentives for installing solar; and how to compare competing bids with confidence.

Tickets are available here. Early registration is recommended as capacity is limited.

The Greater Cincinnati region as a whole stands to lose significant funding as the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments continue to be threatened by current federal actions. Our 10-county region had $3.1B announced in the last few years to support resilient infrastructure and community health. Of these funds, there could be up to $2.7B outstanding for the region - meaning Greater Cincinnati could lose out on more than 80% of promised funding if these pieces of legislation are compromised.

Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to reporting on climate change, has created a zip-code-based tool that shows what climate and infrastructure projects have been announced across the country and whether or not they’re at risk. Explore the tool here.

Ever wonder what happened to that broken toaster you dropped off at the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub? It might be in someone’s home, toasting bagels once again, thanks to the Tinker Team, a group of Hub volunteers that work on fixing appliances. The Tinker Team meets twice monthly to evaluate, repair, and refurbish selected items that would otherwise be processed for recycling. Once the volunteers fix a product, the hub donates the item to a nonprofit working with people experiencing homelessness. If the team can’t fix it, they recycle it. Learn more and volunteer for the Tinker Team here.

The Greenest Zoo in America is starting to grow food for its animals on-site, including enough to supply the giraffe feeding program.

Sustainability Project Manager Megan O’Keefe says the zoo still ships food in, but growing on-site is helping it be more resilient. “We’re dipping our toe in the water because there has been supply chain issues, especially with climate change — we're experiencing more droughts on these farms that we get our lettuce from in California, in the Southwest,” Megan O’Keefe, Sustainability Project Manager for the Cincinnati Zoo, told WVXU in a recent article.

The Zoo’s growing facilities include two storage containers with hydroponic systems that grow lettuce and kale with a combination of blue and red lights.

Astronauts and Astronomers often develop a profound sense of appreciation for our home planet as a ‘Pale Blue Dot’ in the vastness of space. Come learn about the science and history behind this cosmic perspective of our only home during this special Earth Month lecture! This talk is the sixth installment in the 2024-2025 Astronomy Public Lecture Series hosted by the Thomas More Observatory. Learn more about this event here.

Click here for the full Events Calendar. Members can submit events in the Green Umbrella online portal here.

Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit accelerator dedicated to harnessing startup innovation as a force for good. Flywheel is now accepting referrals and applications for the 2025 Elevate Impact Accelerator, an 8-week hybrid program supporting early-stage founders addressing social and economic inequities through their ventures. If your product or service addresses equity-driven challenges and could use mentorship, business training, or strategic support, apply by April 11.

RAPTOR Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of birds of prey through rehabilitation, education, research, and community engagement. The Director of Education is responsible for the day-to-day management and execution of RAPTOR Inc.’s Educational Program activities, both on-site and off-site. This is a hands-on role focused on developing, presenting, marketing, and administering dynamic and engaging raptor educational programs that further our mission of inspiring bird of prey conservation for today and future generations. See here for a full description and information to apply.

Have an event, volunteer opportunity, or job posting to share? Green Umbrella members can submit them via the online Membership Portal. To learn more about the benefits of becoming a member, click here.