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Metro to celebrate green initiatives at Cincinnati Earth Day

Earth Day 2009 marked the introduction of six new hybrid buses to Metro’s fleet. Since that time the buses have helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide environmentally responsible trip alternatives, save diesel fuel and money for the regional transit authority.

“We are proud of the results that we have seen from the hybrids and the positive response we’ve received from the community,” said Marilyn Shazor, Metro’s CEO. “Cincinnati has welcomed the hybrids and recognizes the value in our green efforts.”

To date, Metro officials cite that the hybrid buses have cut gas emission by some 190 tons while saving close to 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The savings not only represent an environmental benefit, but a financial one for the transit authority as well.

“In addition to the environmental benefits, the hybrids provide financial savings for Metro,” Shazor explained. “In the past year, the hybrids have saved us nearly $22,000 in fuel, and we project continued fuel savings over the life of the hybrids, and the environmental benefits will continue as well.”

On Saturday April, 17 Metro will take part in Cincinnati’s Earth Day celebration at Sawyer Point by showcasing one of their hybrid buses at a booth where the transit authority will share information on other green initiatives they are overseeing like the new articulated buses that add capacity and increased efficiencies to Metro’s fleet, their LEED-certified transit hub in Avondale, use of reused rainwater for bus washing, burning waste oil to heat their garages, and the recycling of motor fluids such as antifreeze, refrigerant and power steering fluid.

Cincinnati Earth Day is free and open to the public and will run from 12pm to 5:30pm at Sawyer Point (map) along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. This year’s festivities will include hands-on displays, a rock climbing wall, kayak paddle safety pool, ORSANCO’s aquarium, baby animals, story telling, an environmental puppet show, a green childrens fashion show, live music, a parade and more.

Metro will also be providing this information and more at another booth to be set up at the Cincinnati Zoo during Zoo’s Tunes & Blooms “Go Green” Night on April 24th.

“Overall, Metro’s services significantly reduce car trips and fuel consumption in Greater Cincinnati. A commuter who rides Metro 20 miles round-trip will decrease annual carbon dioxide emissions by 2.4 tons per year,” said Shazor. “As a tax-supported transit system, we are focusing on being green and saving green at the same time.”

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This Week in Soapbox – 3/30

This Week in Soapbox, UrbanCincy has the following five stories to check out. Read about Cincinnati’s newest food truck, home builders’ shift to urban projects, Wake Nation’s new practice pond, a new Hispanic business initiative, and a feature story about the Cincinnati’s burgeoning fashion scene.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 3/30/10:

  • Taco Azul to hit Cincinnati’s streets in late Aprilfull article
  • CitiRama sells first home, installs innovative geothermal systemfull article
  • Wake Nation breaks ground on expanded facilityfull article
  • Hispanic 100 initiative helps Latino professionals branch out full article
  • Cincinnati Gets Fashionable (feature story)full article
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News

Increasingly urban Hamilton County Fair goes green

Last year’s 155-year-old Hamilton County Fair saw its return to relevance, with a 56% increase in fair-goers, but it also saw the debut of the GoGreen Area. The GoGreen Area of the Hamilton County Fair focuses on environmental and sustainability awareness and educational opportunities, and it got its start thanks to the frustration of a Carthage resident.

“I didn’t really like what was going on with the fair,” said Jennifer McWhorter, GoGreen Area chairwoman. “I live down the street and I really wanted to see things change and get better [at the fair], so I thought I should share some of my ideas.”

That’s exactly what McWhorter did, and with that, the GoGreen Area was born at the 2009 Hamilton County Fair. For the first year, McWhorter was able to have 23 recycling bins placed around the fair grounds in addition to the extremely popular Kids Day activities focused around her concepts.

“A lot of people out there want to go green,” explained McWhorter. “So I thought, why don’t we bring this to the fair and help make a positive change in the community. I wanted to create educational opportunities for children and other residents so that they could learn how to go green.”

McWhorter was able to do this in part because she is certified as a Master Composter and Gardener by Purdue University. She also is a practicing vermicomposter – a composting process that uses red worms. In the end, McWhorter just wanted to share her talent and passion with other people in the community.

GoGreen Area at the 2009 Hamilton County Fair – images provided.

McWhorter continued, “The Hamilton County Fair is leaning towards being more of an urban fair nowadays, and while there is still a good amount of agriculture in Hamilton County, there is a strong desire amongst people wanting to be sustainable in their urban communities throughout the county.”

This year fair-goers can look forward to GoGreen Area partnerships with Building Value, Findlay Market’s urban gardening program. The 2010 Hamilton County Fair will take place from August 10 through August 14 and will once again include the GoGreen Area. McWhorter is looking to grow the impact this year by engaging other Hamilton County residents to come up with ideas for green events that they want to make happen by contacting gogreenwiththehcfair@gmail.com. The GoGreen Area is also looking for a sponsor and volunteers for this year’s Kids Day.

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News

Building Value manager explains environmentally sensitive deconstruction process

Dave Hunt, De-Construction Manager with Building Value, explains the process of deconstructing a building in a way that salvages the valuable resources enclosed for a later use in a different building construction project. Dave is joined by Alyson Moritz, Planner with the City of Wyoming, who discusses the value the Wyoming community sees in the environmentally sensitive deconstruction process.

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News

Cincinnati’s air quality improves, named ‘Climate Showcase Community’

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is “proposing to approve” a request from the states of Ohio and Indiana to redesignate parts of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in attainment of the national health-based eight-hour outdoor standard for ozone. The two-state request includes Dearborn County in Indiana, and Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio.

In a press release, officials from the EPA state that after three years of “complete, quality-assured, outdoor air monitoring data for 2007, 2008 and 2009 show that the area now meets the air quality standard.” The EPA is also proposing to approve Ohio and Indiana’s plans to continue to meet the air quality standard through 2020, and to approve motor vehicle emission budgets for the included areas.

Just days after the EPA’s air-quality announcement, Cincinnati was awarded a $500,000 federal grant that will help promote the city’s Green Cincinnati Plan as part of 20 Climate Showcase Communities nationwide. The grant money will specifically go towards funding advertisements, promotions and the development of a climate protection toolkit for use in local schools.

“The Green Cincinnati Plan is an innovative strategy to reduce greenhouse gases and cut energy bills for families and businesses,” said Cheryl Newton, EPA Region 5 air division director. “Taking action on climate change is one of EPA’s top priorities, and the EPA is pleased to support the city’s efforts to fight climate change.”

As part of the $500,000 federal grant, Cincinnati will contribute $250,000 in matching funds and has committed to acting as a regional leader by sharing lessons learned with neighboring communities. The Cincinnati Energy Alliance (CEA) will be tapped to provide energy audits for 20 nonprofit organizations and create a loan program to finance energy efficiency improvements.

Over the three-year course of this project officials expect to see Cincinnati’s greenhouse gas emissions reduce by 2 percent annually. CEA’s energy audits are expected to spur close to $500,000 in energy efficiency measures while saving 1 million kilowatts of electricity and 25,000 therms of gas.

“This is a tremendous achievement for our city,” said Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. “Our Green Cincinnati Action Plan is a collaboration among dedicated citizens, community organizations and businesses in our region. Our partners all realize that making Cincinnati a ‘Green City’ is essential to making Cincinnati a successful city in the future.”

Do Your Share For Cleaner Air photograph by JasonTT.