CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati is asking for your help as it seeks solutions to fight climate change. City and community leaders are kicking off the months-long process of updating the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP) Tuesday night.
The Green Cincinnati Plan acts as a roadmap for the city to address climate change, covering things like improving pedestrian safety, reducing food waste and expanding electric vehicle charging stations.
The plan was last updated in 2018. The plan’s steering committee is working to update the plan for 2023. The committee is inviting the community to learn more about the plan and provide input on possible focus points.
“The residents in the city recognize how important the impacts of climate change are on Cincinnati,” said 2023 GCP steering committee member Wade Johnston. “Some of the ways that we're seeing that are increased number of 100-year storm events, hillsides slipping, hotter days more frequently during the year, so this directly impacts people's lives.”
Much of the plan will focus on reducing carbon emissions, according to Johnston. He expects the committee will focus on creating a more robust transit system by ways that could include expanding trails and making neighborhoods safer for walking.
Over the last few years, Cincinnati has set several climate goals, including pledging to run on 100% renewable energy by 2035.
A big focus in this plan update is equity.
“Climate change is impacting communities differently, particularly frontline communities, brown and black communities,” said Councilwoman Meeka Owens, who serves as the steering committee’s chair. “We are intentionally adding an equity framework within this next plan, so that's going to be so critical on how we look at allocating resources and how we attack projects in the city, making sure that they're equitably distributed.”
The kickoff event is free to attend. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Cincinnati Zoo. A virtual option is also available.
Owens said attendees will learn more about the plan and can join various breakout sessions to provide feedback and ask questions.
She said this is the first of several feedback sessions. She expects the update will be presented in the first quarter of next year.
Watch Live:
