Interested in making your life a little greener? We've identified a number of resources--in our collection and on the Web-- to help you get started. As you'll see in the "Local Organizations and Related Resources" section, there are also plenty of volunteer, government, and commercial agencies in our area dedicated to helping you recycle, save energy, harvest your own produce, and promote a consciencious stewardship of Mother Earth.
Planting a community garden at the Avondale BranchGreen Library Programs & Events
Cincinnati Bike/PAC
Learn more about bicycling as an earth-friendly alternative mode of transportation with Kathy Holwadel of the Cincinnati Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Popular Library Reading Lounge, Main Library
Join the Locavore Food Movement
Learn more about locally and organically grown food, with representatives from Fox Run Produce, the Hyde Park Farmers Market, and Central Ohio River Valley Local Foods Initiative.
Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 pm
Popular Library Reading Lounge, Main Library
Planting a garden in Cumminsville, circa early 1900sGardening in the City: Urban Oasis
Choose plants and design for your urban setting with Lisa Yunker of City Roots and David White of Outer Space Landscaping.
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 pm
Popular Library Reading Lounge, Main Library
Gardening in the City: Avant Garden
Innovative, surprising design for unconventional spaces with Lisa Yunker of City Roots and David White of Outer Space Landscaping.
Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 pm
Popular Library Reading Lounge, Main Library
Gardening in the City: Harvest in the City
Enjoy your garden's success and make the transition to colder months with Lisa Yunker of City Roots and David White of Outer Space Landscaping.
Tuesday, August 11 at 7:00 pm
Popular Library Reading Lounge, Main Library
Teen Photo Contest
One of the Teen Photo Contest winnersIn 2008, “Go Green” was the theme for our teen photography contest. You can see winning pictures on our Flickr page.
Green Resources in the Library's Collection
Organic Gardening
- The Little Green Book of Gardening : 250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle by Diane Mills
- The Organic Garden : Green Gardening for a Healthy Planet by Allan Shepherd
- The New American Backyard : Easy, Organic Techniques and Solutions for a Landscape You’ll Love
Organic and Sustainable Living
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning by Mary Findley
- Edens Lost & Found : How Ordinary Citizens Are Restoring Our Great American Cities by Harry Wiland
- True Green Home : 100 Inspirational Ideas for Creating a Green Environment at Home by Kim McKay
DVDs
- Building Green
- Car of the Future : Engineering for the Environment
- An Inconvenient Truth : A Global Warning
Periodicals
For more suggestions, check out our Green Living booklist or ask your local librarian!
Local Organizations & Related Resources
There are a growing number of local organizations that support green and sustainable living. Here are a few!
General
- Enright Ridge Urban Eco-Village
- Green events at Park+Vine
- Imago : For the Earth
- Live Green Cincinnati
- Sustainable Cincinnati
Building
- Green City EcoStruction
- Building Value
- Hamilton County, Ohio Planning Partnership Committee on Green Building
- U.S. Green Building Council, Cincinnati Regional Chapter
Composting
Conservation / Natural Resources
- Cincinnati Nature Center
- Fernald Preserve Visitors Center
- Hamilton County Park District
- Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District
- The Hillside Trust
- Sierra Club, Cincinnati Chapter
Energy
- Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency Home Weatherization Assistance Program
- Green Energy Ohio offers a Going Green podcast every two weeks. It's a show about Ohioans who are working toward living sustainable, low-impact lives.
Environment
- Cincinnati Earth Institute
- Cincinnati Parks Living Our Green Life and the 2009 Green Initiatives
- City of Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality
- The City of Cincinnati Neighborhood Operations Division offers Greenspace Maintenance and a Neighborhood Enhancement Program
- Climate Protection Action Plan : The Green Cincinnati Plan
- Computer Recycling / Reuse Drop-Off Center at Cincinnati Computer Cooperative
- Do Your Share For Cleaner Air
- Environmental Community Organization
- Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition
- Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services and the Green Team Youth Council
Food
- Central Ohio River Valley Local Foods Initiative
- EarthSave Cincinnati
- Find local pick-your-own farms at PickYourOwn.org
- LocalHarvest.org
- Ohio Valley Cheese Guild
Gardening / Farming
Transportation
- Bike/PAC : Cincinnati Bicycle Pedestian Advisory Committee
- City of Cincinnati Bicycle Transportation Program
- Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) Rideshare Program
- Queen City Bike
- Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) Go Metro
- Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky TANK
Local Educational Green Programs
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Electrical Engineering Technologies Dept., Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology-Renewable Energy program
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Electrical Engineering Technologies Dept., Energy Efficiency program
- Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators
- Green Energy Ohio's Training Programs offer Renewable Energy Training and Technical Training certification
- Sierra Club's Inner City Outings
- UC, College of Enginnering, Sustainable Urban Engineering program
You Can Make A Difference!
- Bike in the Sierra Club's annual August Morning Glory Ride to benefit the Miami Group Sierra Club.
- Calculate your household greenhouse emissions and learn ways to reduce your impact on the envrionment at the Ohio EPA Climate Change - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator.
- Find a walkable place to live by using the Walk Score to see conditions for pedestrian travel.
- Find real time air quality reports, including pollen and mold summaries for Cincinnati at the Ohio EPA AIROHIO.
- Get a Great American Cleanup Community Kit and start your own community group as part of the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful program.
- Participate in the annual June Ohio RiverSweep to help clean Ohio's riverbank.
- Start a yardsharing group and grow your own food with people in your neighborhood.
- Use the Carbon Fund Calculator to measure your carbon footprint.
- Volunteer at the Cincinnati Parks or the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.
