Green Cincinnati

The City of Cincinnati has developed the Green Cincinnati Plan to increase the city's sustainability. Urban farming and gardening contribute to the sustainable food production of Cincinnati. One of the issues within the plan is that urban farmers and gardeners are experiencing changes in climate trends that can negatively affect crop production. If not anticipated or adapted then there will be a decrease in the sustainability within Cincinnati. The capstone project will research the techniques and systems urban farmers and gardeners could use to adapt to climate change to increase the success of crop production, as well as the pros and cons of each technique and system. I will research how exactly specific crops are being affected by the increasing temperatures and how to prevent or limit the effect it causes to preserve the health of crops. How can urban farmers and gardeners prepare for changing climate conditions, and are there programs that are already in place to help them? If farmers and gardeners become more experienced in crop production and maintenance in response to climate change, there will be higher food security and reduced impact on food production from climate trends.

Combating climate change will be a group effort. Solutions will not come from one person, two, or even millions of people. The effects of global warming will only be aided when all people work together, and the first step toward that goal is community engagement. I propose that a virtual and in-person environmental community center that stands to educate, incentivize, and inform the public could be the solution. The center would offer classes regarding lifestyle changes, hard to recycle item drop-offs, host clean-up days, and act as a resilience hub. The idea of a community center that focuses on environmental efforts has been tried, and even mastered, by communities before. For example, the Environmental Learning Center in Vero Beach, FL, awarded Candid platinum transparency, is an outdoor preserve that also offers classes and events regarding environmental stewardship. Even locally, organizations such as the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub, Scrap it Up, and Indigo Hippo are all working on sustainable efforts within the Cincinnati area, however they are not well known among the community. I suggest that the implementation of an environmental community center would be a beneficial addition to the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP), a plan made by the city of Cincinnati to implement sustainable efforts throughout the city by the year 2050. If Cincinnati implemented an environmental community center accessible via the internet or in-person to all citizens of Cincinnati, environmental consciousness and awareness would be improved throughout the city.

Biodiversity is one of the most important aspects when working to maintain ecosystem health. We can gather a lot of information based on the species that live in an area such as: pollution via pollution intolerant species, ecosystem relationships, ecosystem stability, and resistance to forces such as climate change. In order to improve the biodiversity of an ecosystem, an area needs to first assess what biodiversity they currently have. Analyzing the number and types of species that exist in an area can be a highly tedious task, and seem almost impossible in large city areas. The goal of this study is to answer the following questions presented by the Green Cincinnati plan, what biodiversity assessments exist already? What are the major gaps? What do experts view as being needed most? What tools, such as apps, exist to support citizen science in this area? In this study, we aim to analyze the viability of a biodiversity assessment specifically in the city of Cincinnati. First, we analyze what current biodiversity data is available for the city. Then we compare this information to similar reports that have been completed in other larger cities. We also aim to expand on what current citizen science exists in this area, to maximize public involvement in the environment.

To create sustainable green spaces in Cincinnati, it is essential to understand the city's biodiversity. Invasive species have been a struggle for the city due to the competition created for native species, which reduces biodiversity and ecosystem services. Following the priority action from the Green Cincinnati Plan that was suggested through community outreach sessions to have a biodiversity assessment done for Cincinnati incorporating citizen science. For my capstone, I researched the current biodiversity assessments in Cincinnati and worldwide, the gaps in these assessments, and how to integrate citizen science. Through my research, I found that the City Biodiversity Index created by Singapore while performing its biodiversity assessment would be a valuable tool, along with using apps such as iNaturalist or Field Maps to incorporate citizen science. My research also suggests breaking Cincinnati down into smaller quadrants and performing biodiversity assessments in smaller sections. Understanding biodiversity in the area will help with creating these green spaces written into the Green Cincinnati Plan and possibly boost biodiversity in Cincinnati.

Climate change is affecting the yield, quality, and resiliency of our crops. With The City of Cincinnati already addressing food insecurity through the Green Cincinnati Plan, this Research aims to specifically address the impact, and possible mitigation, of climate change on our agricultural industry. Topics researched include, most at risk crops, responses from other areas within the United States, and possible opportunities for new crops. The outcome of this research will further the strategic response to climate change in our urban agricultural industry, allowing for the possibility of decreased food insecurity, and increased food resiliency in our city. The next steps would be to partner with our local growers to implement these strategies and help improve the resilience of our urban agricultural industry.

As transportation needs around Cincinnati increase, the subsequent air quality will continue to be impacted. Cincinnati has struggled with maintaining EPA air quality and pollutant standards throughout its history. These air quality issues become even more exacerbated during the warm summer months when the ground-level ozone and humidity spike. The Green Cincinnati Plan attempts to find a solution that improves the overall air quality while concurrently improving living standards through community action. Though no current plan exists to reach the goal, we can look into how other cities have mitigated these same concerns. Our specific question is: how can we improve air quality to better improve the quality of life for our citizens?  The answer could be through the implementation of low-emission zones. These zones are a type of vehicle access restriction plans that limit access to an area by the most polluting vehicles. Further research on how Cincinnati can implement a plan similar to these zones could improve air quality while reducing other car-related issues such as noise and light pollution. This work's outcome could help improve Cincinnati citizens' quality of life and focus on sustainable community actions.

As cities worldwide confront the imperative of transitioning towards sustainable energy systems, the electrification of buildings emerges as a pivotal strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing urban resilience. This research project investigates the existence and efficacy of developer incentives to electrify buildings, drawing insights from successful initiatives in other cities and soliciting feedback from stakeholders here in Cincinnati. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the study aims to address the overarching goal of promoting electrification as a means to combat climate change and advance sustainability objectives, leaving the city of Cincinnati's reliance on fossil fuels a thing of the past.   The specific research question guiding this investigation is: What tools and strategies have proven successful in incentivizing developers to electrify buildings in other cities, and how can these approaches be adapted to meet the goals of its ambitious green plan? The methodology involves a comprehensive review of existing literature, case studies of electrification initiatives in cities elsewhere, and qualitative interviews with key development figures in the Cincinnati community.   The anticipated outcome of this research is a set of actionable recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and industry stakeholders in Cincinnati to develop effective incentives for electrification. By fostering dialogue and collaboration across sectors, the findings aim to catalyze the adoption of electrification technologies, thereby contributing to a more sustainable community.

Recycling systems and infrastructure across the globe are flawed as they cannot accept hard to recycle items such as plastics bags, plastic and foam kitchen items like straws, plastic liners, foam peanuts, and bubble wrap. Many of these items would normally go to a landfill. The mission is to reroute these items to go to a recycling facility to be made into new valued resources. The Hefty ReNew Program makes this a priority. They sell plastic bags specifically for this reason, where these types of items are not going to landfills. Our specific question is: How can we improve the recycling mindset here in Cincinnati to reduce the amount of plastic going into the landfill? To answer this question, we look to expand on the implemented Hefty ReNew Program in the area by making the recycling collection more inclusive, reach it to a larger audience, create incentives and after the Hefty - Rumpke partnership ends; ways in which Rumpke can keep the program going. This program has been successful in areas like Nebraska, Georgia, Tennessee, and Idaho. It is successful in these areas because of numerous partnerships, and haulers that collect these orange bags and transport them. They also receive grant money for investing in the program, and there is more than one local material recovery facility used for sorting. Our findings and steps to complete this project are ongoing. The outcome of the work will allow further improvement of the overall health of the Cincinnati area.

According to the EPA, transportation is the leading source of carbon emissions in the United States, with personal vehicles making up 57% of those emissions. The Cincinnati Enquirer has also reported that between 2017 and 2022, there has been one pedestrian injured by a vehicle every three weeks. Our project will benefit the city of Cincinnati and the students on UC's campus by lowering single-passenger transportation to reduce carbon emissions. We will promote a free and convenient transportation option for Clifton residents and advocate for an increase in ridership. We will conduct research on students' current engagement with the streetcar and their likeability to ride if it were to connect Clifton to downtown Cincinnati, along with studying similar cities' successful streetcar campaigns. We will also create a marketing plan on how to promote the streetcar to increase ridership, along with advocating for its extension to Clifton. We will discover what the most efficient steps for Cincinnati to take regarding the streetcar. We will support these steps by understanding UC's potential riders and other similar cities' successes. This research is crucial to help Cincinnati reach its carbon emission reduction goals.

Current climate trends have a major impact on crop success. Climate change causes issues with growing seasons and precipitation. This has large impacts on the success of farming in urban areas and rural areas, which can dissuade people from pursuing work in gardens or urban farming and impact food security. I looked at current methods of urban farming and how they are impacted by or contributing to climate change and crop failure and what methods could be adjusted or changed to mitigate these effects. I researched native Ohio plants that are edible and how to increase the use of these and biodiversity in gardening and urban farming, as well as how garden locations and indoor farming could help mitigate changing climate and increase urban agriculture's success. Promoting rooftop gardens and increasing knowledge about native plants would help farmers combat climate change and success in farming in urban areas. Rooftop gardens are important for battling heat island effect caused by climate change and increasing local, accessible food. promoting native edible plants in urban agriculture would help this. Native plants improve the biodiversity of pollinators and other animals and require less maintenance. These could help mitigate climate change consequences and provide food security. This would contribute to other areas of the Green Cincinnati Plan and would create agriculture jobs in Cincinnati. Some next steps could include increasing funding and incentives for biodiverse, native plants in gardening, and for use of controlled environment agriculture or similar methods of urban farming.

Organic materials are responsible for over 30% of municipal solid waste and have created a need for sustainable waste practices, especially in urban settings. A potential solution to divert increased food waste from landfills is by implementing an anaerobic digestion system in the city of Cincinnati. Anaerobic digesters utilize microorganisms to break down organic waste into biogas and soil additives, which can be harnessed as a source of renewable energy and fertilizer products. This Zero Waste initiative of the Green Cincinnati Plan would be a beneficial program and we hope this research will aid its implementation. By researching other cities where anaerobic digesters have been successfully applied, we were able to identify base-load materials, select a location near material sources, and determine potential applications in Cincinnati for the resulting product. Our results will help the city of Cincinnati go forward in developing an anaerobic digester system within the city given the guidance and research provided in this paper.

The Green Cincinnati Plan states that to understand the health of our ecosystems we must have a complete biodiversity assessment. In 2021 the Mill Creek Biodiversity Assessment was completed for The Midwest Biodiversity Institute. This assessment was focused on aquatic and semi-aquatic areas, leaving little information about other ecosystems in our city such as woodlands and pastures. There is a sizable gap in the knowledge of which species can be found in Cincinnati and the surrounding areas. Understanding specific species and their niches can help scientists understand the structure of local ecosystems, and better predict changes in them. My research question for this project is: What are the pros and cons of conducting a city wide biodiversity assessment using citizen science? Using public participation to identify and record local species could potentially lead to inaccurate or biased data being recorded. Finding the most effective way to gather data for a biodiversity assessment will be essential for this project to prosper.

The amount of garbage waste that humans produce is increasingly becoming detrimental to Earth. Recycling is one way to reduce waste and that material is used to create new items. Although this is a helpful resource, there are many residents and workplaces that don't have access to recycling bins, or the knowledge necessary for effective recycling readily available to them. Some districts and communities are lacking this resource, therefore my research question is Can jobs be created to educate people in Cincinnati about recycling? Looking into other areas around the United States area in which they have already set up neighborhood recycling programs give ideas on whether certain areas in Cincinnati, or the whole of Cincinnati, could adopt similar action plans. In accordance with the Green Cincinnati Plan, under the priority action of Zero Waste and Recycling, communities in Cincinnati with potential can get ideas from other communities to set up neighborhood recycling workforces. These jobs can be made available to those who are living in the area, creating new job opportunities, which in turn can bring recycling education to the neighborhood.

Natural corridors and tree barriers along road and waterways have a positive impact on air quality within urban areas. This project aims to analyze Cincinnati, Ohio's current implementation of natural corridors and tree barriers along the city's priority rivers, streams, highways and interstates, and to carve a guiding path to attain the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan's goal of improving air quality so that Air Quality Index "Healthy Days" are increased by 30% by 2028. Research for this project relate to the ways Cincinnati has already partnered with the community, various local government offices and departments, and private entities to develop these natural corridors and tree barriers. Additionally, I have how other cities have designed and funded natural corridors and tree barriers along their road and waterways that could act as a model for Cincinnati to follow. These research questions led to results that are twofold. First, successes in other cities stem from fostering community engagement, partnering with local organizations who are dedicated to sustainability, and utilizing fast growing and native species. Second, there is strong evidence that planting sustainable natural corridors and tree barriers along a city's priority areas improves air quality through absorbing and reducing pollution from air emissions. Improved air quality in line with the city of Cincinnati's Green Cincinnati Plan goals reduces risk of adverse health conditions and improves quality of life.

The urgent need to mitigate climate change and foster sustainable urban development has spurred cities like Cincinnati to embark on ambitious initiatives such as the Green Cincinnati Plan. This project aims to investigate the effectiveness of incentivizing developers to electrify new buildings or integrate adaptable infrastructure for future all-electric conversion. Through a multidisciplinary lens, this research examines the design and implementation of incentives tailored to the local context, considering economic, social, and environmental factors. By analyzing best practices, stakeholder engagement, and policy frameworks, the study seeks to provide actionable insights to policymakers and urban planners. Additionally, this research will include examples of electrification initiatives from other states and countries, offering valuable comparative perspectives. The outcome of this work not only contributes new knowledge on incentivization strategies but also fosters the transition towards a healthier, more equitable, and resilient Cincinnati.

Urban agriculture is the cultivation and distribution of food crops within an urban area. It is a practice composed of agricultural knowledge, sustainable development, and social implications. As the human population continues to grow and people migrate towards city living, it is necessary that cities develop to support a booming population while working to bridge the socioeconomic gaps related to food security and urban living. Using the guidelines of the Green Cincinnati plan,  we can help develop a prosperous job market and improve the  accessibility of education involving urban agriculture. Primarily, people need an incentive to join this sector of the workforce and have access to higher education and training regarding urban agriculture. To accomplish this, research must be done on what government funding is available, what are the  success stories of  urban agriculture plans in other cities, and what current educational and training opportunities are available in Cincinnati. Based on that research, a plan for Cincinnati can be formulated to support career pathways and education in urban agriculture.

Cincinnati has a history of consistently poor air quality which increases the prevalence of breathing issues in residents and decreases overall quality of life. The primary forms of pollution that contribute to this issue come from ground level ozone and particulate matter. Ground level ozone pollution is created through the interaction of nitrogen oxides and volatile organics, usually from vehicles, in the presence of sunlight. Hamilton county received a letter F (lowest ranking) from the American Lung Association's 2023 State of the Air assessment because of frequent violation of the EPA Clean Air Act for ozone pollution. Following the Green Cincinnati Plan's priority action to strengthen air emission regulations, this project seeks to recommend next steps in the process of improving this grading through pollution source management. By examining programs where local regulations are more stringent than those of the federal or state government, it can be determined if stricter regulations are feasible for Cincinnati.

Aquatic ecosystems play a vital role in ecosystem balance, yet their health can be compromised by overgrowth of certain surface plant species like duckweed, watermeal, and filamentous algae. Understanding the factors contributing to such overgrowth is crucial for effective conservation strategies. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nutrient levels and the presence of duckweed, watermeal, and filamentous algae in ponds at the Cincinnati Nature Center.

Building on existing research linking high nutrient levels to excessive aquatic plant growth, our specific goal was to compare nutrient concentrations in three ponds exhibiting different plant compositions. Water samples were collected from multiple locations within the three ponds over four weeks and analyzed for phosphates, nitrates, and ammonium. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in nutrient levels among the ponds. The findings indicate higher nutrient concentrations in ponds with duckweed and watermeal and filamentous algae compared to those without, supporting the hypothesis of a direct correlation between nutrient levels and the presence of these specific surface plants.

Despite limitations such as sample size and environmental variability, this study provides valuable insights for conservation efforts. Future research could explore seasonal variations in nutrient levels and the influence of submerged aquatic plants on duckweed growth. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary approach contributes to broader understandings of ecosystem dynamics, guiding management strategies for sustainable environmental stewardship.