Green Umbrella with partners Cincinnati Permaculture Institute and Civic Garden Center are hosting a 2-day Transition Town workshop with Don Hall, author of The Regeneration Handbook and Training Coordinator for Transition Network International. Don will provide an introduction to the philosophy, principles, and practices of the Transition Movement, share inspiring examples of local community transformation, and offer insight on how to get involved. Join us to learn how to become a local leader and prepare your community for a thriving, sustainable, and connected future.

Have you ever meandered through a meander? Now’s your chance! Join the Oxbow Nature Conservancy and Green Umbrella’s Greenspace Alliance for the next Meet a Greenspace hike at the Oxbow on Friday, October 24 from 3:00-4:30 PM. We’ll explore the Oxbow’s beautiful scenery with members of the Oxbow Nature Conservancy’s staff and board. And if we’re lucky, we might just catch the end of some monarch butterfly migration! Learn more about the Oxbow here and register for the hike here.

Green Umbrella’s Food Policy Council has released the Guidebook for Resilient Regional Food Systems through Your Organization, a resource designed to help businesses, schools, governments, and more use their food purchasing power to support strong food systems in their community. In addition to providing tangible next steps, the Guidebook also includes information about the impact intentional food purchasing can make with a case study on Cincinnati Public Schools’ adoption of Good Food Purchasing Policies.

This past week, we celebrated one of the Green Umbrella staff’s favorite holidays: the Great Lakes Apple Crunch!  The Crunch can be any day you choose during October (National Farm to School Month) - just purchase some local apples from your favorite farmers market, orchard, or community store and crunch away. Last year, nearly two million participants crunched into locally grown apples across the Midwest region. This year’s apples for our staff Crunch are from Indiana!

The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) is a one-of-a-kind, online master’s degree program from Miami University in Oxford, OH and Project Dragonfly, in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. 

Created for working professionals, the AIP immerses students in collaborative inquiry and action as they champion change for the environment and their local community. Through web-based coursework from Miami and face-to-face experiential learning and field study at the Zoo, you will connect with classmates, Miami University faculty, Zoo experts, and community leaders locally, nationally, and globally.

Learn more and apply for the program here.

This past September, Green Umbrella’s Climate Research Incubator hosted a Sustainability Hackathon Challenge at the University of Cincinnati. The weekend-long challenge brought UC students together to brainstorm plans for real-world sustainability issues.

Judges from Green Umbrella, UC School of Environment and Sustainability, UC Office of Sustainability, City of Fairfield, City of Milford, Sustainability Central, Net Impact, and Bearcat Student Sustainability Council selected winning plans that addressed solutions to waste management, data tracking and reporting, and storytelling initiatives.

The City of Cincinnati’s Environmental Advisory Board is accepting applications for new board members now through November 14, 2025. 

Board terms are 3 years, beginning in January 2026. The Environmental Advisory Board serves as a resource for the City in its ongoing commitment to enact policies, practices, and procedures that combat climate change, improve the health and well-being of our citizens and our environment, and position Cincinnati to be a leader in sustainability policy and city-level climate change initiatives.

Learn more and submit an application here.

Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and Evergreen Climate Innovations released this year's Clean Jobs Midwest report. 

Clean Jobs Midwest is a survey of clean energy employment in 12 Midwestern states. This year's report shows that the clean energy industry grew by more than 13,000 jobs and is now home to over 774,000 jobs throughout the Midwest, including 121,097 in Ohio and 90,015 in Indiana. Clean energy jobs refer to employment in solar, wind, batteries, energy efficiency, and other clean energy subsectors. According to the report, close to one out of every 10 jobs added in 2024 in the Midwest was in a clean energy field, while the overall energy and vehicle industries would have lost nearly 10,000 jobs without the clean energy additions last year.

Join us for the Wasted Food Summit, a powerful one-day gathering of changemakers, business leaders, chefs, advocates, and sustainability experts, all working to turn wasted food into opportunity. Whether you’re a business or institution interested in learning about food donation or an individual looking to be part of the solution, this event will equip you with tools, insights, and inspiration to take action. Learn more and register here.

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

November 1, 2025 | 10:00 am-12:30 pm

Join the Common Orchard Project in creating a new public orchard! We will be adding fruit trees to our oldest and most established orchard at 4533 Glenway Ave in Price Hill. All tools and gloves provided, just bring a water bottle and wear appropriate outdoor clothing to dig holes and plant trees. Learn more and sign up in advance.

The primary responsibility of the Education and Involvement Assistant will be to assist in carrying out educational programming and events, such as presenting education programs to Hamilton County schools and libraries, as well as assisting with implementing the Caring For Watersheds contest. This position may also assist with volunteer conservation field work. See a full description of responsibilities and how to apply here.

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.