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The Louisville Metro Office of Sustainability and the Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC) will co-host the fifth annual Sustainability Summit on Friday, Oct. 19, at the University of Louisville’s newly renovated Student Activities Center.
The Summit will feature local and national speakers and give attendees a chance to discover successes, identify opportunities, and creatively learn from each other about how to create a culture of sustainability in Louisville.
“For the health of our residents and our city, we must work together to embed sustainability in all aspects of our lives,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Please join the 2018 Sustainability Summit to engage with local leaders and stakeholders on how we can integrate sustainability into our community.”
The keynote speaker of the event will be David Orr, PhD, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies & Politics, Emeritus at Oberlin College. Orr is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change and the Long Emergency (Yale, 2016) and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford, 2009). The title of the keynote address is “The (Missing) Politics in Environmental and Sustainability Education.”
“This year’s summit will help call attention to creating a culture of sustainability, which is inextricably linked to a healthy economy and reduced carbon emissions” said Maria Koetter, Director of the Office of Sustainability. “From national experts to local practitioners, the event aims to engage citizens and generate conversations that will help cultivate a culture of sustainability.”
Emily Chandler, Executive Director of the Louisville Sustainability Council, said, “The summit is our annual opportunity to gather together under one roof as concerned individuals, nonprofit organizations, school groups, faith-based groups and sustainability professionals from the public and private sectors. It is a day for celebration, collaboration and exploration that cannot be missed if you are concerned about creating a culture of sustainability in Louisville, Kentucky.”
The event also features local speakers, including University of Louisville president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, along with a facilitated community discussion titled “Creating the Future in Your Space Through a Culture of Sustainability.”
Summit attendees also have the opportunity to go on one of four sustainability-related tours through different areas of the U of L campus, including the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and the new LEED Gold Belknap Academic Building.
The 2018 Sustainability Summit is proud to receive support from its Patron Sponsors: Yum! Brands and Humana; as well as its Summit Friend Sponsors: Brown-Forman, CMTA, PNC Bank, and Aramark; and its Supporting Sponsors: the UofL Sustainability Council, Festival of Faiths, Copper & Kings, WestRock, Harshaw Trane, K. Norman Berry Associates, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, the Partnership for a Green City, TARC, UPS, Spalding Design, and Stantec.
At the day of the event, standard tickets will be $40 for Louisville Sustainability Council members and $75 for non-members. (There also is a lunchless ticket option that costs only $15.)
To register before the event, visit http://louisvillesustainabilitycouncil.org/2018-sustainability-summit/more-information-registration/
The Louisville, Kentucky Metro Government was recognized as the 2018 Green Leadership City, a distinction awarded by the Propane Education & Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit organization. The award recognizes the city for its adoption of clean, propane-powered mowers, among other environmentally-friendly programs that support the city’s highly-regarded sustainability plan.
Mayor Greg Fischer accepted a $5,000 donation from PERC at a celebration event at Sun Valley Park with city officials and Parks & Recreation Department employees, who operate the propane mowers regularly.
“The Green Leadership City Award highlights public agencies demonstrating a commitment to environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices, which the city of Louisville has shown by adding propane mowers to its municipal equipment fleet,” said Jeremy Wishart, director of off-road business development for PERC. “Louisville has set an incredible example for the rest of the region of what a municipality can accomplish when it decides that its environmental impact matters and takes necessary steps to reduce its carbon footprint.”
Earlier this year, Louisville added 11 propane mowers to its Metro Fleet Division, with plans to continue transitioning to propane equipment as the city’s 68 remaining gasoline mowers wear out. Compared to gasoline mowers, using propane reduces greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (NOx), and sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, which contributes to a healthier local environment.
According to the city, it will also cost approximately 25 percent less to operate a propane mower over the life of the unit because of the lower cost of propane.
“Propane mowers help us improve upon our long-term sustainability goals as a city while also being prudent with the taxpayer’s money,” said Greg Fischer, Louisville mayor. “Anytime we can make operational changes that improve the community’s quality of life while saving on costs is a win-win.”
The propane mowers are used by five departments that manage grass growth on city properties as well as vacant and abandoned private properties, including the Louisville Zoo, the Vacant Lots Division of Codes & Regulations, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and the Metro Facilities Division.
Because of their lower emissions profile, propane mowers allow city crews to continue mowing on Air Quality Alert Days, when mowing with both commercial and residential gasoline equipment is discouraged to avoid adding to ground-level pollution.
To learn more about propane mowers, visit propane.com/commercial-landscape.
Louisville Parks and Recreation has been selected for a Great Urban Parks Campaign grant by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Louisville Parks and Recreation is one of 10 organizations awarded the grant, which supports the development of green stormwater infrastructure.
Green stormwater infrastructure in parks offer an effective way to positively impact environmental and social change, especially within underserved communities. Projects can mitigate the effects of climate-related weather events, improve community health, increase access to green space and nature, and provide opportunities for education, employment and social inclusion. By empowering local residents through meaningful community engagement, projects can address community needs while meeting local stormwater management goals. The grant award issued to Louisville Parks and Recreation will be used to restore the pond in Chickasaw Park.
“There are practical reasons why this work needs to take place in Chickasaw Park, but most importantly, this turns the pond into a recreation amenity for families to enjoy,” Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose said. “We are thankful to NRPA for selecting Louisville Parks and Recreation, and are eager to get started on the project.”
“We are excited to see the positive impacts these green infrastructure projects will have in their communities,” said Lori Robertson, NRPA’s Director of Conservation. “Utilizing parks to mitigate flooding and other climate-related weather impacts is a critical strategy in protecting neighborhoods. We know from our past work that these projects also offer a multitude of benefits beyond environmental ones including improved community health, park access, and social cohesion. We’re looking forward to seeing those impacts multiply with these upcoming projects.”
The Great Urban Parks Campaign aims to demonstrate the social and environmental benefits of green stormwater infrastructure in underserved communities — including increased public access to recreational opportunities and access to nature via parks.
Attorney General Andy Beshear said a cyber-tip from Facebook led his office to arrest a 25-year-old Dry Ridge man for allegedly exchanging sexual images with a Kentucky minor over the Facebook Messenger app.
On Oct. 8, Tyler Lee Day was arrested by Beshear’s Department of Criminal Investigations, Cyber Crimes Unit. Day was charged with 12 counts of use of a minor under 16 in a sexual performance, Class B felonies; two counts of the prohibited use of a communications system to procure a minor for a sex offense, Class D felonies; and two counts of distribution of obscene matter to a minor, Class A misdemeanors.
The arrest stems from a cyber-tip reported by Facebook to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which was received by Beshear’s office and investigated for seven weeks.
Detectives from Beshear’s office submitted multiple subpoenas and search warrants during the investigation, which led to the discovery that Day had sent sexual images of himself, requested sexual images of children and, in some cases, received images from children.
More than 15 children from multiple states were targeted by Day.
“Make no mistake, the internet is a treacherous place for our children and nearly every online platform or app can be exploited by sexual predators,” Beshear said. “We all have a moral and legal duty to report child abuse, and once my office receives a report we work with local, state and federal partners to ensure child predators are caught quickly and that our children are safe.”
An extensive search by Beshear’s detectives led to a Dry Ridge location where Day was taken into custody. He is currently being held in the Carroll County Jail, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16 in Gallatin District Court.
The Williamstown Police and Grant County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Cyber Crimes Unit.
When it comes to identifying child predators, Beshear’s office has reached historic levels with more arrests than ever before.
The Cyber Crimes Unit is part of the Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which works to reduce the number of child predators going after Kentucky’s most vulnerable children.
With the ever-changing cyber landscape, the unit is dedicated to educating its detectives on the most current techniques and technologies to keep pace with those seeking to harm our children.
The Office of the Attorney General also makes it a priority to educate law enforcement, prosecutors, parents, children and care givers on the dangers lurking on the internet.
To help keep children safe online, the office has collaborated with Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky to offer statewide trainings.
Beshear said the trainings offer a free Internet Safety Toolkit, which he said every Kentuckian could access online to obtain information that can protect children from cyber bullying to online predators.
To report any instance of child abuse to local law enforcement or to Kentucky’s Child Abuse hotline at 877-597-2331 or 877-KYSAFE1.
Attorney General Andy Beshear is calling on federal regulators to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to Kentuckians.
Beshear and more than 30 state attorneys general detail in their letter that scammers have devised methods to evade a call blocking order issued by the Federal Communications Commission last year.
Beshear said at issue is “neighborhood spoofing,” a technique allowing scammers – no matter where they are located – to appear on Kentuckians’ caller ID as being from a phone number that has the same local area code – 270, 502, 606 or 859.
“Protecting Kentuckians from the constant barrage of unwanted scams and robocalls is an ongoing priority of my office,” Beshear said. “We must strengthen the protections to our citizens when scammers strengthen their ploys to deceive them.”
In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission received 4.5 million illegal robocall complaints – two and a half times more than in 2014.
Beshear said his Office of Consumer Protection receives more than a thousand complaints each year with respect to illegal calls, including scam calls, telemarketing complaints and robocalls.
Beshear encourages Kentuckians to use the National Do Not Call Registry provided by the FCC.
Beshear and his office are fighting to stop con artists and are asking Kentuckians to report scams and identity theft via his office’s online form.
Earlier this year, Beshear announced nearly 2,200 Kentucky small businesses would get money back from a Michigan-based company that allegedly sold scam services.
Beshear recommends all Kentuckians stay ahead of scammers by signing up for his office’s Scam Alerts. To enroll text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV-311 (468-311) or online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
Thousands of students and teachers at five middle schools in the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District began receiving their very own, brand new iPads complete with a monthly data plan on October 9 as part of the Verizon Innovative Learning rollout. The initiative represents a multi-million dollar investment by Verizon in JCPS to bolster technology-infused curricula for underserved students.
As part of the initiative, every student in the five schools—Olmsted Academy North, W.E.B. DuBois Academy, the Academy @ Shawnee, Lassiter and Newburg middle schools—as well as every teacher at those schools will receive a new iPad equipped with a data plan for two years. Additionally, the schools received funding to help support a full-time instructional coach and professional development for all teachers and staff, as well as ongoing project planning and implementation support. More than 3,400 iPads will be distributed as part of the initiative in JCPS.
“Strengthening access to technology for students is critical—and our partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning is helping do that in a big way,” JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said. “This partnership helps ensure classrooms are integrated with the latest technology, teachers have relevant and professional coaching and assistance, and most importantly, our students are equipped with the latest devices to learn on and reach their full potential.”
At Newburg Middle School, where students and their parents filed in and out of the school’s gym throughout the day on Tuesday, each student received and learned how to safely and responsibly use their iPad. The device will be the personal property of the student to use throughout the school year.
The initiative in JCPS runs through the 2019-20 school year.
Louisville Metro Public Works has established a policy for regulating dockless vehicles in the city that focuses on safety and equitable access.
A dockless vehicle is defined as a bicycle, electric bicycle, or electric motor-assisted scooter, defined by Chapter 74 of the Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances, which can be located and checked out without human assistance. The electric-motor assisted bikes and scooters can travel at no more than 15 miles per hour.
As part of the policy, a total of four dockless vehicle operators are permitted to operate in Louisville. Each operator will begin with a six-month probationary period, which can lead to a full-operating permit, renewed annually. During the probationary period, operators may begin with 150 vehicles and, if ridership exceeds four rides per vehicle per day, increase their fleet by 100 vehicles per month, up to 650. Ultimately, operators will be permitted 1,050 vehicles if they successfully complete the probationary period and meet performance standards, such as responsiveness to complaints and ridership.
Dockless vehicles are permitted to operate in an operational zone, defined as within the Watterson Expressway, with extensions in the south to Palatka Road (to include Iroquois Park) and west to Shawnee Park. Dockless vehicles may not be operated at Waterfront Park, which currently offers its own bike rental service. Within the operational zone, the city has established nine distribution zones to ensure an equitable distribution of the service.
Other elements of the policy:
- Each operator will provide the city with a map and list of all parking locations for their vehicles.
- Dockless vehicles shall be relocated or removed by an operator within two hours’ notice that the vehicle is parked in an incorrect manner. Monthly data reports are required to ensure all rules are being observed.
- Dockless vehicles are to be operated on streets and, where available, in bike lanes and bike paths. Vehicles should only be operated on sidewalks when leaving or accessing a parking location.
In addition to a license application fee, annual fee, bond and fee for a designation group parking area, operators will pay $1/day per vehicle. These funds will go directly to fund improvements to our city’s shared mobility infrastructure. Other fines and administrative penalties are included to ensure compliance.
To view the entire Public Works policy on dockless vehicles, which includes a map of the operational zone, please click here.