At a recent Climate, City Services, & Infrastructure Committee, Green Umbrella’s Green & Healthy Schoolyards Director, Cynthia Walters, spoke on outdoor learning in Cincinnati Public Schools. The committee discussed the need for internal infrastructure – through staffing and policy – in order to sustain outdoor learning programming for years to come. Read the full summary of the meeting here.

Sustaining green learning programs at schools is a topic at the upcoming Green & Healthy Schools Symposium. The Symposium is a cornerstone event of the inaugural Cincinnati Climate Week, which features environmental-themed events all over the city from June 8-14, 2026. Learn more about Cincinnati Climate Week here, or check out the Climate Week section below.

Well, not dirt – she wants COMPOST, the decomposed organic matter known as “black gold”, to build up her yard, garden, and flower beds. The Common Orchard Project has bags of manure-free, triple-shredded, heat-treated-for-weed-prevention compost for sale. This compost is produced locally using food scraps collected from around the city, diverting waste from landfill and reducing emissions. Each cubic-foot bag is only $10 and is available for pick-up from Camp Washington Perennial Farm. You can feel great about buying this compost for Mother’s Day – though you might want to grab some flowers to go with it.

We were delighted to see Urban Artifact packed with Green Umbrella supporters, dancing along to the music and cheering as Green Umbrella staff members shared successes and inspiration from the past year. This special night celebrated what’s possible when we come together for a stronger, more sustainable future. We want to thank everyone who supported Green Umbrella’s first benefit concert – attendees, musicians, volunteers, and more – plus a special thanks to our event sponsors, Urban Artifact and CityBeat.

Want to see photos from the evening? Check out the recap on our blog here.

Event submissions are open for Cincinnati Climate Week! Newly added events include a solar tour with the City of Fairfield, a green burial ground open house, a climate-centric book club, and more. Check them out here, and learn how to add your own Climate Week event to the calendar here.

We’re also looking for volunteer Climate Week Ambassadors to help us spread the word about Climate Week. Check out the listing under “Get Involved” in this email below, or click the link here.

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit features 20 breakout sessions to choose from throughout the day, ranging from topics like solar energy and data centers to healthy soils and the green burial movement. Visit the full program here and register today to secure your spot with early-bird tickets – prices go up on May 15!

Get excited, educators! As a Teacher’s Week special, we’re offering 40% off tickets to the Green & Healthy Schools Symposium for educators across the region. Email Cynthia at cynthia@greenumbrella.org to get your access code.

In addition to a keynote by Children & Nature Network's Brenda Kessler, the Green & Healthy Schools Symposium will feature a plenary panel on Green Career Pathways, a farm to school lunch, interactive exhibits and a garden party. Learn more and register here.

On April 13, Governor Andy Beshear signed Kentucky Senate Joint Resolution 23, declaring Kentucky a Food Is Medicine state and directing state agencies to progress Food Is Medicine policies.

The principle of Food Is Medicine advances intentional food planning to prevent, manage, and/or treat diseases. By passing Resolution 23, Kentucky government health agencies will move forward on programs that treat food as medically necessary for healing, such as produce prescription programs (RxProduce) and nutrition incentives at clinics and pharmacies.

The Kentucky Food Action Network created a roadmap for Food Is Medicine integration in 2025. Explore the roadmap here.

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is accepting Statements of Qualifications for a Communications Consultant to work with the ThriveTogether team (OKI, Green Umbrella, and partners) on the upcoming ThriveTogether Regional Sustainability Playbook. Learn more and read proposal requirements here.

Compared to combustion-engine vehicles, electric vehicles are cheaper to power, lower maintenance, and smoother rides for passengers – something that the Greater Cincinnati region will soon learn firsthand as more organizations go electric.

Cincinnati Metro launched their new electric fleet of buses on Earth Day.  Metro is starting with two buses, with more to come. Each bus will save over 20k tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime and eliminate oil changes.

The City of Covington, KY is also incorporating electric vehicles in a new pilot program. “This is not about converting the entire fleet overnight; this is about making smart, informed decisions when vehicles are already scheduled to be replaced, and asking whether electric options can help us save money while still meeting the needs of our departments,” Covington Mayor Ron Washington said in a press release. Covington officials estimate that they will save almost $123,000 in eight years.

The City of Newport, KY is already finding success with their electric vehicle program. The police department began adding electric vehicles in 2023 and, when the first cars were successful, added more in 2024. Newport estimates that they will save almost $150,000 over five years with four electric cars.

May 13 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Join the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council on 513 day for our Nourish Networking event at LaSoupe! Celebrate Cincinnati food and food transformation efforts with us, while also connecting with other food systems experts and advocates. There will be opportunities to learn more about our partners, our work across the food system, and the amazing impact of our partners at LaSoupe. Register in advance as space is limited.

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

This is our very first year launching Cincinnati Climate Week (June 8-14), and you can help us make it awesome. We’re looking for ambassadors to amplify the movement: people who are excited to spread the word, share events, and bring more voices into the conversation around climate action in our city. We’re also looking for a limited number of volunteers to assist with check-in at the Midwest Sustainability Summit – the cornerstone event of climate week. See here for more info and how to get involved.

The Last Mile Market is a mobile pantry that supports communities that are experiencing food insecurity and do not have a reliable source of free or low cost healthy & perishable food. The Last Mile Market Assistant Manager will be an integral tool in the implementation and further development of this program, including setting up of the market, receiving donations, and training volunteers. You can see a full description 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.