Twenty-seven candidates have filed for Cincinnati City Council, the most since 2021. Green Umbrella and partners invite you to join us for a virtual candidate forum on Thursday, October 9 from 5:30-7:00 pm about climate action and policy in Cincinnati for City Council and School Board candidates. All candidates have been invited to share their positions and plans on issues related to climate, environmental justice, and resilience.

Have a question you want to ask? Submit your queries for consideration by October 5 here.

Learn more and register here.

We’re partnering with Hamilton County ReSource and Last Mile Food Rescue to host the region’s first Wasted Food Summit at Memorial Hall in downtown Cincinnati on October 29. We’re delighted to welcome two national speakers for the event:

Morning Keynote: Sara Burnett, ReFED

As ReFED’s Executive Director, Sara provides organizational leadership with direct oversight of ReFED’s programs, operations, and administration, and contributes to the organization’s overall strategic vision.

Sara previously served as Vice President of Food Beliefs, Sustainability, and Public Relations at Panera Bread where she pioneered the company’s Clean Food Commitment and led both Panera Bread’s Day-End Dough-Nation program as well as the Panera Bread Foundation.

Afternoon Keynote: Chef Alejandra Schrader, cookbook author & TV personality

Alejandra’s Low-Carbon Cookbook and Action Plan promotes sustainable eating through creative plant-based recipes. A MasterChef finalist and fan favorite, Alejandra has cooked for world leaders, spoken at major global summits, and championed climate resilience. 

Learn more about the Wasted Food Summit and register here.

With the help of our gorgeous new bagging machine, the Common Orchard Project has super-charged its compost purchase program! We’re doubling the amount of quality compost per bag for the same price: $10/bag for 1 cubic yard! Our compost, made from local food scraps diverted from landfill, is manure-free, peat-free, and screened to maximize the amount of actual compost.

You can order your compost here - bulk orders are also available!

Learn more about Common Orchard Project’s compost program here, including information on how to drop off your own food scraps!

A network of urban farms and neighborhood hubs is planned for Cincinnati neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence. It’s the result of a city grant for $850,000 to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and community partners in SAFE (System to Achieve Food Equity), a sub-network of All Children Thrive. Green Umbrella’s Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council is part of the SAFE Network, contributing policy and systems level expertise that shares how food insecurity is a social determinant of health and well-being.

The first three neighborhood hubs are expected to open within the first year, and are planned for Avondale, East Price Hill, and the West End. Neighborhoods with urban farms and potential future neighborhood hubs include Over-the-Rhine, Villages at Roll Hill, Walnut Hills, West Price Hill, and Winton Hills.

The Ohio School Garden Conference: Learning Together, Growing Together will be held on Friday, November 7 at the Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building on the Ohio State University Campus. The conference will feature a panel discussion on agriculture and career development with the Green Schoolyards Action Network’s Cynthia Walters and a keynote from Stephen Foltz, Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The full agenda, including school garden tours, and registration information can be found here.

This time of year, people flock to the many fantastic farms, parks, and festivals in the Greater Cincinnati region for autumn splendor and fall favorites like pumpkins, apples, and sunflowers. Some unique and fun festivals this month from Green Umbrella members include the Gorman Heritage Farm Sunflower Festival; Warren County Park District’s Hisey Fall Fest in Waynesville; Saturnday at the Cincinnati Observatory; the Annual Salt Festival at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site; and the Ohio River Foundation’s Cincinnati Coffee Festival.

Need even more autumn vibes? Check out these helpful lists of upcoming fests, pumpkin patches, and more.

The Hamilton County Conservation District is celebrating its 80th year of conservation! Its Annual Meeting & Dinner will be a family-friendly affair with face-painting, games, community, and a keynote from Thane Maynard of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Learn more here.

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

There are five orchard installations lined up for this fall, and we'd love your help getting these trees in the ground! Fall is the ideal time for planting – those cool, easy conditions give trees the best possible start. Sign up for the Common Orchard Project volunteer list to receive up-to-date announcements as installation dates are confirmed. Whether you can join us for one planting or all five, every pair of hands makes a difference.

Mark Your Calendar: Price Hill Expansion – November 1

We're especially excited about our Price Hill installation on November 1. This is an expansion of our very first orchard from 2017! We've learned so much since we started that orchard, and now we're going back to clean up some things and add new genetics and varieties to the planting. Learn more and register here.

The Communications & Community Engagement Associate is charged with leading the Cincinnati i-team’s outreach work. Innovation Teams (i-teams) unlock creativity from within city governments and the communities they serve. They work closely with the Mayor, the City’s leadership team, and City departments to change the culture of city government. 

The Communications & Community Engagement Associate will work closely with their i-team colleagues as well as departmental staff, external experts, community organizations, and residents to ensure the i-team is delivering impactful solutions. The Communications & Community Engagement Coordinator is an employee of Johns Hopkins University and based in Cincinnati City Hall. They report to the i-team Director. See here for a full description of duties.

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.