louisville draft sustainability report

7/29/2019 Louisville Draft Sustainability Report

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TABLE OF CONTENTSE ecuti e Summar

Intr ducti n

1.0 Energ1.1 Energ C nser ati n

1.2 Renewa le Energ

2.0 En ir nment

2.1 Climate Adaptati n

2.2 Air

2.3 Water

2.4 Waste3.0 Transp rtati n

3.1 Transp rtati n Planning

3.2 Pu lic Transp rtati n

4.0 Ec n m

4.1 Ec n mic De el pment

4.2 L cal F d Ec n m

5.0 C mmunit

5.1 Health and Equit

5.2 Sustaina le Land Management

5.3 Parks and Green Space

5.4 Green In rastructure

5.5 Tree Can p and Ur an Heat Island

6.0 Engagement

7.0 Ne t Steps

OBjECTivES: PrOTECT ThE

ENvirONmENTBy rEduCiNgLOuiSviLLESCArBON

FOOTPriNTENSurE ThEhEALTh,wELLNESS ANdPrOSPEriTy OF Our CiTizENS

CrEATE A CuLTurE

OF SuSTAiNABiLiGREG FISCHER, MAoyR


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LETTEr FrOm ThE mAyOr

Dear citizens:

This is our plan and our plan to make Louisville a greener, moresustainabilit cit . It was developed with input rom man people bothinside and outside o Metro Government, under the leadership o Sus-tainabilit Director Maria Koetter.

This plan is currentl a dra t and I want to hear citizens their thoughtsabout this document. There are several wa s to comment be ore we

nalize the plan in March including:

On Twitter @sustainlou

On the Facebook page Sustain Louisville

Emailed comments to maria.koetter@louisvillek .govA public input orum is scheduled or Wednesda ,Februar 20, 6:30 p.m. 8 p.m. at the Je erson CommunitTechnical College Health Sciences Building, 110 W. Chestnut St.

Written comments mailed to:

Maria Koetter

Director o Sustainabilit

Louisville Metro Government

444 S. 5th Street

Louisville, K . 40202

Greg Fisher, Ma or

SuSTAiN LOui SviL LE | 01


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Louisville Metro Government is pleased to present SustainLouisville, the cit s rst sustainabilit plan. The plan wasprepared b the O ce o Sustainabilit with the input o cit government emplo ees and communit stakeholders.Sustain Louisville is intended to be a living document thatcelebrates our strengths and identi es goals or uture suc-

cess. As the cit makes progress toward meeting SustainLouisvilles goals, or as priorities change, the plan willevolve and remain fuid. Implementation o the initiativesand progress toward achieving Sustain Louisvilles goalswill be reported to the communit on an annual basis.

Sustainabilit is traditionall de ned as being able tomeet our needs without impairing those that come a ter

ou rom meeting their needs. This is o ten applied toenvironmental elements such as air and water, however,Sustain Louisville is using a triple bottom line approachwhich recognizes the interconnectivit o people, prosper-it and the planet. Triple bottom line sustainabilit is an es-sential perspective or cit sustainabilit planning becauseo the opportunit to drive success and connect mutuallbene cial related e orts that achieve multiple objectives.In other words, sustainabilit is good or business, our citizens and our planet.

objECTIvES:

1. Pr tect the en ir nment reducing L uis illescar n tprint.

2. Ensure the health, wellness and pr sperit ur citi ens.

3. Create a culture sustaina ilit .

Sustain Louisville is divided into si ocus areas: energ ,environment, transportation, econom , communit andengagement. These ocus areas were identi ed based onan evaluation o national benchmarks and local issues, andspeci call because e orts need to be made or enhancedin these areas to drive sustainabilit in Louisville. In eachsection, goals and initiatives are detailed that includemetrics or success and anticipated completion timelines.Sustain Louisvilles goals and initiatives are closel inter-connected and success in one area will likel a ect resultsin other areas.

THE ENERGy SECTIoN provides in ormation re-garding both cit wide and cit government energ useand identi es e isting and proposed initiatives to achieveSustain Louisvilles goals and objectives. The goals andinitiatives completion dates range rom one ear to the

long-term alternative energ goals o 2025.

THE ENvIRoNMENT SECTIoN provides goals andinitiatives that promote clean air, clean water and reducingwaste. Addressing the vital topics o climate adaptationand resilience is included in this section as well as water

qualit and waterwa protection.THE TRANSPoRTATIoN SECTIoN identi ese orts that are planned or underwa such as the cit sMulti-modal Strategic Transportation Plan and the statesMetropolitan Transportation Plan, and sets goals to includesustainabilit elements in each plan. As indicated, sig-ni cant improvement and investment is needed to maketransportation more sustainable in Louisville.

THE ECoNoMy SECTIoN describes e isting andproposed e orts to promote a clean econom and oster

economic development. Prosperit in the communit is ake element in developing a more sustainable cit .

THE CoMMUNITy SECTIoN includes health andequit as well as sustainable land management. Connect-ing the communit with the natural environment helpspromote health living, environmental awareness andimproves the overall qualit o li e in Louisville. The sectalso highlights the value o trees in combating the urbanheat island e ect and as an element o green in rastruc-ture. Wastewater management and green in rastructuregoals and initiatives also are included in this section.

THE ENGAGEMENT SECTIoN discusses perhapsthe most vital aspect o Sustain Louisville. An engaged anaware communit is the most e ective wa to advance sutainabilit . The goal o this section is to educate the com-munit and inspire ever one to do their part to achieveSustain Louisvilles goals.

In 2013, the O ce o Sustainabilit will engage with thecommunit to assess opportunities or launching a signa-ture project. This project will be a big, bold e ort that wilunite Louisvilles citizens around a large-scale sustainabilitproject.

Sustain Louisville goals and initiatives are summarized onthe ne t page.

EXECuTivE SummAry

Citizens are encouraged to provide input onranking the priorit o the initiatives which willbe considered or the nal report.

02 | SuS TAiN LOui SviL LE


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gOALSS sta n Lo s lle goals an in t at es S a

FoCUS AREA SUSTAINAbILITy GoALS CoMPLETIoN

objECTIvE DATE

1.0 Energy 1 1. Decrease energ use cit wide per capita 25% 2025

1 2. Decrease energ use in cit - wned uildings 30% 2025

2.0 Environment 1, 2 3. Mitigate the risk climate change impacts implementing 2018cit adaptati n and resilience strategies

1, 2 4. Achie e and maintain Nati nal Am ient Air Qualit Standards r criteria p llutants

1, 2 5. Decrease imper i us sur aces and impr e waterwa qualit 2018

1, 2 6. Increase rec cling cit wide 25% 2015

1, 2 7. Achie e 90% residential rec cling participati n 2025

1, 2 8. Di ert 50% s lid waste awa r m the landfll 2025 and 90% 2042

3.0 Transportation 1, 2 9. Decrease transp rtati n-related greenh use gas emissi ns 15% 2025

1, 2 10. Reduce ehicle miles tra eled 15% 2025

4.0 Economy 2 11. Pr ide pp rtunities r clean ec n m rgani ati ns and inn at rs 2015and de el p a qualifed w rk rce t supp rt it

2, 3 12. E pand the l cal d s stem 20% 2018

5.0 Community 2, 3 13. Increase access t health ds 20% 2018

2, 3 14. Increase pp rtunities r acti e li ing installing 201510 Ma rs Miles l cati ns

2 15. Inc rp rate sustaina ilit int the Land De el pment C de and the 2015C mprehensi e Plan

2 16. Replace and re rest parks pr pert and pr id nature- ased recreati n 2018

2 17. E pand green in rastructure incenti es cit wide 2018

2 18. Esta lish a r ust ur an tree can p and implement strategies t 2020mitigate the ur an heat island e ect

6.0 Engagement 3 19. Engage the c mmunit in sustaina lilit practices and principles thr ugh 2020educati n and utreach e rts


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iNTrOduCTiON

T e ss on o t e O ce o S sta nabs to e be s sta nab l t nto t e c lt

o Lo s lles c t ens. C eat n a c lo s sta nab l t ll be ac e e t o

b oa -base e cat on an a a enesse o ts as ell as ple entat on o p o ects an n t at es to nf encebe a o c an e.

Sustain Louisville is Louisvilles rst sustainabilit planwhich heralds an e citing chapter in Louisvilles historand a rms Louisville Metro Governments commitmentto becoming one o the greenest cities in the countr .

Sustain Louisville will guide the cit and its man partnersin uniting multiple sustainabilit objectives and creatingar-reaching impacts. Sustain Louisville is a oundationalramework to shape cit wide e orts, including public- and

private-sector organizations and individuals, to promote avibrant, prosperous and health communit with a bet-ter qualit o li e or all Louisville citizens now and in the

uture.

Sustainabilit is traditionall de ned as meeting our needs without impairing those that come a ter ou rommeeting their needs. This o ten is applied primaril toenvironmental elements such as air and water. However,Sustain Louisville is using a triple bottom line approachwhich recognizes the interconnectivit o people, prosper-it and the environment, and which can have an e ponen-tial e ect on the communit through multiple e orts.

Sustain Louisvilles ke objectives are intended to repre-sent and balance social equit and economic health withthose o the environment that aligns with triple bottom linesustainabilit principles. For e ample, promoting energ

e cienc will help improve Louisvilles air qualit , and italso will help building occupants reduce energ costs.While Sustain Louisville is intended to be comprehensivein nature and is designed to set a course or long-term as-pirations, it also imparts a sense o urgenc toward achiev-ing Louisvilles short-term goals.

PurPose o the o ice o sustainability Ma or Greg Fischer established the cit s rst-ever O ceo Sustainabilit in Januar 2012 to move Louisville towabecoming one o the greenest cities in the countr . Thiscross- unctional o ce also is tasked with strategic sustainabilit planning, development, and implementation o sus-tainabilit programs, policies and guidelines or both citgovernment and the communit . The O ce is establishingpublic-private partnership opportunities toward achievingLouisvilles sustainabilit goals.



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int o ct on

sustainability objectives

S sta n Lo s lle s n t ee ob ect es to s ccess lac e e t e O ce o S sta nab l t s ss on an s on.

1. P otect t e en on ent b reducing Louisvilles carbon ootprint. In 2005,Louisville was ranked with the th-highest carbon ootprint per capita among the 100 largest metro-politan areas (Brookings Institution, 2008). A carbon ootprint is the measurement o total greenhousegas emissions rom a speci c source such as a building, organization or person. Reducing our carbon

ootprint is a vital step toward protecting the environment and ensuring that Louisville has clean air, clean

water and less waste.2. Ens e t e ealt , ellness an p ospe t o o c t ens.

Providing access to health oods, transit options, green spaces, equitable housing and urban core de-velopment will oster a health , active, sa e and livable communit . These activities will provide economicvitalit b supporting clean econom jobs and business development opportunities.

3. C eate a c lt e o s sta nab l t . Louisville Metro Government will providerobust communit engagement and education opportunities on sustainabilit practices and principles tosupport and ensure Louisvilles vibrant uture.

2005 rank Pe Cap ta Ca bonFootp nt nmet c Tons

honol l , hi 1 1.36

Louisville, KY-IN 96 3.23Tole o, Oh 97 3.24

C nc nnat -m leto n, Oh-Ky-iN 98 3.28

in anapol s, iN 99 3.36

Lex n ton-Fa ette, Ky 100 3.46

B ook n s inst t t on, 2008



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Goals and initiatives The goals and initiatives outlined in Sustain Louisvillealign with and support the objectives and include boldideas that advance energ e cienc , enhance and increase

transportation options and create collaboration acrosssectors. Sustain Louisville is divided into the ocus areaso energ , environment, transportation, econom , commu-nit and engagement. These ocus areas were identi edbased on an evaluation o national benchmarks and localissues and speci call because e orts need to be made or enhanced in each area to drive sustainabilit in Louisville.Within the ocus areas, initiatives and metrics are identi edto achieve both the ocus area goals and the overarchingPlan objectives. It should be noted that implementationo the initiatives and progress toward meeting the goals is

dependent upon the available resources.

Sustain Louisville is a living and fuid document, and asresources and priorities change, some o the goals maevolve. The Plan goals and initiatives are not mutualle clusive o other possible opportunities and are not inan particular priorit or ranking. Rather, the are intercon-nected, and success in one area will likel a ect results inother areas. Sustain Louisville will be updated annuall andthe progress toward meeting the goals and completinginitiatives will be reported.

early sustainability e orts Louisville Metro Government began its green initiativesin 2005 when ormer Ma or Jerr Abramson signed theU.S. Ma ors Climate Protection Agreement, which wasendorsed b the U.S. Con erence o Ma ors. Ma or Fischer continued Louisvilles commitment to climate protection brenewing this agreement on his rst da in o ce, Januar3, 2011.

In 2004, Louisville Metro Government was a oundingmember in the Partnership or a Green Cit (PGC), an

innovative environmental collaboration o cit govern-ment, Je erson Count Public Schools and the Universito Louisville, which are the largest public emplo ers in thecit and in the Commonwealth o Kentuck . The PGC was

ormed to ocus on environmental management, environ-mental education and environmental health initiatives. A

ourth public emplo er, Je erson Communit & TechnicalCollege, joined the partnership in 2011.

In 2008, the cit launched Go Green Louisville, a precursoto the O ce o Sustainabilit , which promoted a varieto sustainable practices, including the improvement o air qualit , energ conservation, wise water use, land manage-ment and rec cling practices.

In cooperation with the PGC, the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (APCD) completed a comprehensivegreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventor that was de-tailed in the PGCs Climate Action Report (CAR), releasedon April 22, 2009. The CAR included 175 recommenda-

tions to mitigate the communit s GHG emissions and toprepare or local climate change impacts. Action has beentaken, or is ongoing, to address 140 o those recommen-dations. Each partner organization is preparing plans toreduce its GHG emissions and is working on related initia-tives including energ e cienc , transportation, educationrec cling and green space management programs. GHGdata rom the CAR is re erenced in this Plan and will beused as the baseline or carbon ootprint-reduction goals.

The O ce o Sustainabilit is establishing public-privatepartnership towards achieving Louisvilles sustainabilitgoals, such as the Louisville Sustainabilit Council. TheLouisville Sustainabilit Council is a 501c3 nonpro t thatwas ormed in 2012, based on the work and recommenda-tions o the Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellows Classo 2010, to promote sustainabilit in Louisville. The LSCBoard o Directors represents the Bingham Fellows Classo 2010 and pro essionals rom a cross-section o Louis-villes business, public and nonpro t communit . Now,more than ever, cit government wants to partner andcollaborate with citizens and organizations to both provideguidance and leverage e pertise in the communit as itbecomes a more sustainable cit .



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int o ct on

vision louisville The Phase 1 Research and Discover e orts o VisionLouisville were completed in 2012. Vision Louisville is anaspirational plan or the uture development o Louisville.Focused on the built environment and its developmentover the ne t 25 ears, Vision Louisville will emphasizegrowth, authenticit , preservation, sustainabilit and qualito place. The O ce o Sustainabilit is working in concertwith the visioning e ort because o the multitude o wa sthat Vision Louisville incorporates sustainable practicesand elements.

siGnature ProjectIn 2013 the O ce of Sustainability will engage with thecommunity to assess opportuni es for launching a signa -ture project. This will be a big, bold e ort that unites thecity around a large scale sustainability project. Ideas willbe leveraged from the Phase 1 Research and Discovery

e orts of Vision Louisville such as create a carbon neutralfairgrounds, create a green jobs and solar power program,and establish a public transporta on asset such as light railor rapid transit buses.

city sustainability rankinGsLouisville Metro Government is committed to workingtowards measurable and achievable goals in our e orts tobecome a national green leader. One wa to do this is toparticipate in a national benchmarking ranking program.

One such ranking s stem is STAR Communities, which waspiloted in 2012. This nonpro t e ort rom ICLEI LocalGovernments or Sustainabilit , endeavors to advance anational ramework, rating s stem and best practice shar-ing or achieving cit sustainabilit .

next stePs

Louisville has numerous strengths to build upon andcelebrate, and assets that can be leveraged to advance sus -tainability. Sustainability e orts in the community alreadyare supported by philanthropic organiza ons, corpora -

ons, nonpro t groups, civic leaders and grassroots e ortsthat are made up of passionate individuals who know thatby doing their part the community becomes a be er place.With its many partners, city government will leveragemutually bene cial opportuni es that promote its commit -ment toward becoming a more sustainable community.

Achieving the sustainabilit goals set out in Sustain Lou-

isville will require the e orts o not onl cit government,but also the man partnerships and concerted e orts o 750,000 citizens who have a role in helping Louisville be-come a trul sustainable cit .



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As a cit located in one o the top coal-producing states,Louisvilles electricit is primaril generated b coal- ueledpower plants. This carbon-intense energ source createsunique challenges and opportunities as it relates to SustainLouisvilles objective o reducing Louisvilles carbon oot-print. Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E), the utilit servingLouisville and much o the surrounding communities, pro-duced appro imatel 97% o its net kilowatt energ usingcoal- red generating units in 2010.

Louisvilles energ rates are among the lowest in theUnited States and research shows that low utilit costsresult in less consumer conservation than in areas withhigh utilit costs. In 2009, Kentuck consumed 435 mil-lion BTUs per person compared to a national average o

308 million, which is likel due to its low energ costs. In2010, Kentuck had the ourth-lowest electric rates in thecountr . Even with low energ costs, cit government isencouraging the communit to pursue energ e cienc ,energ conservation and renewable energ options. Thesee orts help improve Louisvilles air qualit and provide costsavings or the user.

In 2008, the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control Dis-trict (APCD) completed a comprehensive GHG emissionsinventor using data rom 1990 and 2006. GHG emissionsmeasured in tons o carbon dio ide equivalent (CO

2e),

were calculated or the energ used in the residential,commercial and industrial sectors, as well as or transportation, public transit and waste disposal. The GHG emissionsinventor ndings were presented in the Climate ActionReport (CAR) in 2009. The CAR indicated that the largestsources o GHG emissions were rom the transportationand residential sectors, respectivel , which contributedmore than hal o the inventoried emissions. These emis-sions are a result o indirect emissions rom electricitusage and direct emissions rom natural gas usage inresidential buildings, as well as direct emissions rom uelusage in vehicles. Measured GHG emissions increasedb 5.7% between 1990 and 2006. The inventor showsthat the GHG emissions per capita within the LouisvilleMetro area are among the highest in the nation or large municipalities.

1.0 ENErgy


1.1 Ene Conse at onexistinG e orts In an e ort to reduce its energ consumption, promote en-erg e cienc and be more environmentall responsible,cit government began an energ savings per ormancecontract (ESPC) in 2010. Energ e cienc upgrades wereimplemented in 24 cit -owned buildings with a guaranteeo 23% savings on energ costs, or $693,000 annuall .The project had a 13- ear return on investment and anestimated reduction o 7,500 metric tons o greenhousegas emissions annuall . This is the equivalent o planting185,100 trees or removing 1,430 vehicles rom the road.The O ce o Sustainabilit will share the ESPC results asthe measurement and veri cation activities are quanti edin 2013. Another e ample o energ e cienc in cit gov-ernment is the Department o Technolog Services server virtualization program. The cit server arm is slightl morethan 50% virtualized and virtual servers are the de aultpurchase or new or replacement s stems, saving about 1.5megawatt hours o electricit per ear, the equivalent o the necessar energ to run 500 households.

The O ce o Sustainabilit created an energ strategworkgroup, which is comprised o cit emplo ees rommultiple agencies who are working together to better un-derstand our energ consumption and activel manage theassociated energ usage o their respective unctional ar-eas. This workgroup is developing an Energ ManagementPolic which will guide acilit managers and occupantson the e pectations around energ usage such as ther-mostat setbacks and controls. The polic also will includebehavior-change management initiatives such as providingprompts or turning o lights when not in use.


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08 | C apte Na e

Sa n s o nea l30 ll on k lo att o s an $3.6 ll on

n ann al ene costs

un e s t o Lo s lle

Lo s lle met o go e n ent

je e son Co nt P bl c Sc ools

je e son Co nt Tec n cal Colle e

Other actors to improve energ e cienc in citgovernment buildings include improved preventativemaintenance and equipment upkeep practices. Rou-tine preventative maintenance helps keep equipment

unctioning properl and more e cientl and therebusing less energ . In addition, the PGC Green Build-ing Team is monitoring the ESPCs at Louisville Metro,JCPS, JCTC and Uo L that have resulted in a combinedsavings o nearl 30 million kilowatt hours and $3.6 mil-lion in annual energ costs.

G c r Louisville Metro Government currentl has green (veg-etated) roo s on the Metro Development Center andthe 645 Industr Building A, and has Energ Star whiteroo s on the 645 Industr Building B, the Firearms Train-ing Center and the Ale ander Building. Green roo s arean e cellent wa to increase energ e cienc , decreaserainwater runo and help mitigate urban heat island (UHI)issues. Cool roo s (roo s with a high solar refective indeSRI value, which are made with highl refective or whitematerial) refect sunlight, retain less heat, are more energe cient and help reduce UHI impacts. A growing number o green roo s are located across Louisville including at theAmerica Li e building, the Green Building, the LouisvilleZoo, Universit o Louisvilles Equine Center, the LouisvilleMetro Housing Authorit administrative building and atBrown-Formans main campus.

e g s In an e ort to manage cit governmentsenerg usage and the associated costs,energ usage or all cit -managed acilitiesis tracked in the EPA Energ Star Port olio

Manager so tware. Port olio Manager is a ree databasethat uses a rating scale o 1 to 100 to benchmark buildingsbased on building age, square ootage and occupanc lev-els, among other things. Port olio Manager also normalizes

or regional weather actors. Buildings that achieve a ratingo at least 75 are eligible to become Energ Star certi ed.The Louisville Metro Old Jail Building is Energ Star certi-

ed and is one o 44 Energ Star certi ed buildings located

in the cit .

One e ort to increase the use o Port olio Manager andencourage buildings to get Energ Star certi ed is theLouisville Energ Alliances Kilowatt Crackdown competi-tion. A product o Louisvilles participation as a Partner Citin the Energ Star program, the Kilowatt Crackdown chal-lenges commercial and institutional building owners andoperators to improve their acilities energ e cienc andrecognizes those that make the greatest strides. The Louis-ville Energ Alliance is a public-private partnership amongLouisville Metro Government, the Kentuck Department or Energ Development and Independence and local chap-ters o several commercial real estate associations.



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leadershiP in enerGy andenvironmental desiGn Louisville Metro Government owns one building that isSilver certi ed b the U.S. Green Building Council or Leadership in Energ and Environmental Design (LEED),the Newburg Librar . LEED buildings generall have 10%lower operating costs and are up to 10% more energ e -

cient per square oot than conventional buildings.

The cit anticipates achieving LEED certi cation or twoadditional buildings, including the new Southwest Librar ,which will begin construction in 2013, and also is commit-ted to develop uture cit -owned buildings to LEED certi-

ed standards. The O ce o Sustainabilit will identi andincorporate sustainabilit goals or Cit capital projects,

including environmental, social and economic actors.

There are 25 buildings in Louisville that are certi edb the U.S. Green Building Council or LEED. Thesecerti ed buildings run the gamut rom a 115- ear-old

multiuse LEED Platinum building to new construction

warehouses and o ces. In addition, there are 31 buildingsregistered or LEED certi cation, which means that theare working on the certi cation process.

in 2012, t e East ma ket St eet d st ctece e an A o able g eenNe bo oo s g ant. T s

$25,000 ant s n e b t euS g een B l n Co nc l an Banko A e ca, an ll s ppo t t e appl cat on

o LEEd Ne bo oo de elop ent (Nd)n t e 200-ac e p o ect a ea. T s p o ect s

sc e le to la nc n 2013.

ProPosed initiativesTo reduce Louisvilles carbon ootprint rom the th-worstin the countr , the cit s goal is to decrease the energ usecit wide per capita b 25% b 2025 relative to the 2006baseline (Partnership or a Green Cit s CAR). Achievemento this goal will require broad participation rom Louisvillescitizens to implement energ conservation and e ciencmeasures. As indicated in the CAR, the residential sector is a large contributor to Louisvilles carbon ootprint and assuch, communit education initiatives will be needed,

particularl with respect to energ e cienc and conser-vation practices. In addition, the vast majorit o homesin Louisville were constructed be ore the building coderequired insulation. Rehabilitation and weatherization o older housing stock would reduce energ use, save theoccupants mone and help improve Louisvilles air qualit .The O ce o Sustainabilit will develop a communit engagement program to educate and encourage the commu-nit to adopt energ e cienc and conservation practices.


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goals an in t at es

08 | C apte Na e

1.0 Ene

Goals1. Decrease energy use per capita by 25% by 2025

Initiativesl ePa e g s g f p g

l c G r p g p l p g p g f g

l g g , p g

r e g s g g p2. Decrease energy use in metro acilities by 30% by 2025

l g g p g g

i p e g m g P g g

i g g p p

To contribute to the cit wide energ use reduction goalo 25%, Louisville Metro Governments goal is to reduceenerg use in its buildings b 30% b 2025. This goal willbe achieved through a variet o programs that include

both mechanical improvements and behavior-change initia-tives, such as implementation o the Energ ManagementPolic being devised b the energ strateg group anddevelopment o a preventative maintenance program asoutlined above. In addition, cit government launched itssecond energ savings per ormance e ort at the beginningo 2013.

The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) o ers a stipend or green roo construction projects that are located within thecombined sewer overfow area. The stipend is calculatedbased on the square ootage o green roo s and its value

or decreasing the rainwater runo fowing into the sewer s stem. In an e ort to increase green roo s in the cit , theO ce o Sustainabilit will collaborate with MSD to in-vestigate opportunities to e pand and broaden its greenroo incentive program or buildings located outside the

combined sewer overfow area. This could include rebatinga portion o the green roo installation cost through a prop-ert ta deduction, or e ample. In addition, the O ce o Sustainabilit will establish goals or increasing green and

cool roo s cit wide and develop a best practices guide thatprovides design and cost in ormation.

Through continued partnership with the Louisville EnergAlliance, the O ce o Sustainabilit will develop an EnergStar Certi cation program in an e ort to get the cit onthe top 25 ranking list or cities with the most Energ Star certi ed buildings b 2018, and into the top 10 b 2025.This program will encourage building owners to use Port-

olio Manager or benchmarking purposes as well as o er assistance with achieving Energ Star certi cation. Encour-aging participation in this program also will help meet thecit wide goals or decreased energ usage.

In support o inspiring green building practices in Louis-ville, a green building construction, renovation and demoli-tion incentive program will be developed. An element o the program will include an e pedited building permit pro-cess or projects that include green elements. In addition,the cit will require building owners to track the buildingsenerg per ormance in Port olio Manager and report thebuildings Energ Star rating. The O ce o Sustainabilitwill convene a work group to help identi best practices

and establish a program that includes these initiatives aswell as realistic, achievable goals and guidelines.



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goal an in t at es


1.0 Ene

1.2 rene able EneExISTING EFFORTS A urther demonstration o cit governments commit-ment to sustainabilit is the solar photovoltaic panels onthree building roo tops, including the Metro DevelopmentCenter, Ashland Firehouse, and the Newburg Librar . TheMetro Development Center also has solar thermal panelswhich provide enough hot water to meet the needs o the buildings 550 occupants. The panels have providedmore than 32,700 kilowatts hours o solar power or thethree Cit acilities in the last ear. APCD also has a solar panel arra at the Cannons Lane air monitoring stationthat provides appro imatel 30% o the power needs or the station. In addition, three rehouses have geothermalheating and cooling s stems which signi cantl decreaseoperating costs.

PROPOSED INITIATIVESTo draw on the success o these projects, the cit willinvestigate opportunities and develop a program to in-

crease the use o alternative energ technologies b 20%b 2025, on both e isting and new buildings. In addition,the cit will develop a renewable energ demonstrationproject such as solar carports or a solar roadwa . The pur-pose o this project is to serve as a living laborator thatwill encourage the communit to learn about and pursuerenewable energ options.

Cit government hopes to oster a viable atmosphere or renewable energ options in the communit b leveragingpublic private partnerships, pilot projects and grant oppor-tunities. To this end, Sustain Louisville will introduce

cit wide renewable energ goals, and review potentialincentive or legislative options to help acilitate thisprocess such as:

Propert Assessed Clean Energ (PACE) PACE is anancing mechanism or energ e cienc and renewab

energ in rastructure (e.g. solar photovoltaic panels).PACE unding allows commercial propert owners to re-ceive nancing rom a third part lender, which is repaidthrough an incremental propert ta increase as deter-mined b the project cost, or a term o up to 20 ears.The repa ment obligation remains with the propertregardless o a trans er o ownership. The owner realizeimmediate cost savings through decreased energ con-sumption which o sets and o ten e ceeds the propertta pa ments. PACE programs have bi-partisan supportat ederal, state and local levels, and are o ered throughlegislation b 28 states and the District o Columbia.Current Kentuck legislation does not support PACEprograms.

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) PPA is a legalcontract between an electricit generator and a power purchaser. During the contract term, the power pur-chaser bu s energ rom the electricit generator. Withdistributed generation where the generator is located on

a building site and energ is sold to the occupant, com-mercial PPAs enable businesses, schools and govern-ments to purchase electricit directl rom the generatorrather than a utilit .

Renewable Port olio Standards (RPS) RPS is a regulation that requires the increased energ production

rom renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomassor geothermal. The RPS generall requires electriccompanies to produce a speci ed raction o their electricit rom renewable energ sources. Certi edrenewable energ generators earn certi cates or everunit o electricit the produce, and can sell these alongwith their electricit .

Goal1. Decrease energy use per capita by 25% by 2025

Initiativese g g g

a g p g g p

i g p

i g g g 20%


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2.0 ENvirONmENT

clean air, clean water, climate chanGe and waste manaGement are vital

environmental sustainability elements that contribute to louisvilles

overall sustainability Per ormance. the Goals and initiatives identi ied

in this section suPPort sustain louisvilles three objectives to reduce

louisvilles carbon ootPrint, Protect the environment, and create a

culture o sustainability. this section also details the imProved quality

o li e recoGnized as a result o these e orts.

2.1 Cl ate A aptat onDeveloping an understanding o the risks that climatechange poses to the Louisville area is an important rststep in making the cit more resilient. Regional reports in-dicate that climate hazards such as increased heat, precipi-tation and drought will become more requent and intensein the coming ears. Louisvilles temperature and precipi-tation data has been collected b the National OceanicAtmospheric Agenc (NOAA) since 1948. From the 60- ear

data set (1948 to 2007) the mean, ma imum and minimumair temperatures have increased s stematicall since 1970.The greatest rate o change in these measurements is thepronounced rise in minimum temperatures particularlsince 1970. Projections or 2020, using the collected dataand assuming that GHG emissions sta the same, indicatethat the mean temperature will increase between two and

our degrees. Annual precipitation totals have remainedstead ; however the annual precipitation levels in

the orm o snow all have declined since 1960 and areprojected to continue to decline based on this model.

Louisville has e perienced an average o thirt two da sabove 90 degrees over the past thirt ears. The recordamount o da s over 90 degrees in a ear is 81, which hap-pened in 1954 and the least amount is three da s in 1974.B late this centur under the high emissions scenario, theUnion o Concerned Scientists projects that Louisville will

ace more than 80 da s above 90 degrees and nearl 25

da s above 100 degrees. Prolonged e cessive heat posesparticular health risks or all vulnerable populations andma adversel a ect the cit s in rastructure and opera-tions. Potential e ects on in rastructure include power outages, weathering o vehicles, pavement buckling anddamage to roads and bridges, all o which can potentialldisrupt important cit services.

hiSTOriC TEmPErATurE ChArT PrOjECTEd 1970-2020

1 9 7 0

1 9 8 0

1 9 9 0

2 0 0 0

2 0 1 5

1 9 7 5

1 9 8 5

1 9 9 5

2 0 0 7

2 0 2 0

55.7

57.5 56.2

59.256.3

57.2 57.0 58.659.2

59.6



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14 | SuSTAiN LOui SviL LE

goals an in t at esGoal3. Mitigate the risk o climate change impacts by implementing city adaptation and resilience strategies

by 2018

Initiativesi g p g p

FLOODING Louisville is located along the Ohio River and up to 75 bil-lion gallons o water fow b the cit ever da . The OhioRiver basin includes 204,000 square miles across 14 states,there ore e treme weather events both locall and up-stream can cause fooding in the Louisville area. To protectLouisville rom Ohio River fooding, a 30-mile foodwalland levee s stem was constructed. The s stem is three

eet higher than the 1937 food stage (52.2 eet), which isLouisvilles highest recorded food level, and is more thanten eet higher than an other recorded food. Addition-all , there are 16 food pump station acilities designed toremove internal food waters and displace those waters tothe river. As such, a greater likelihood o fooding impactsin Louisville is rom our urban waterwa s.

The changes in climate patterns are creating more erraticweather events, including the intensit o storm events andstorm c cles, the incidence o e treme weather and thelength and intensit o periods o drought and precipita-tion. Changes in the distribution o rain all throughout the

ear will likel produce conditions such as broader foodplains, increased fooding during storm events, height-ened e ects o stormwater runo , and water scarcit andincreased demands or area water rom other parts o thestate or nation.

Increased fooding and drought in Louisville could de-crease water qualit and increase water treatment costs.Currentl , most water companies manage elevated con-taminants during fooding events and prolonged droughts.However, changes in the requenc and timing o theseevents ma pose economic, environmental andhealth risks.

CITy IMPACTSThe impacts o climate change pose social, economic andenvironmental risks in Louisville. The U.S. Government Accountabilit O ce reports that 88% o all propert lossespaid b insurers between 1980 and 2005 were weather-re-lated. According to NOAA, in 2011 ten separate weather events in the U.S. each resulted in more than $1 billion indamage.

Adapting or climate resilience requires the acceptancethat climate change is alread happening and that weneed to prepare or weather trends outside o our control.We need to integrate climate change risks and adaptationinto our planning and development goals, including pro-tection o distribution s stems such as roads and highwa s

Cit government is entrusted to guide ph sical develop-ment to manage risks rom natural hazards, including longterm environmental risks associated with climate change.Increased susceptibilit to fooding, intense weather events and higher temperatures require the cit to consid-er appropriate adaptive measures such as cooling centersand disaster relie services. Enhancing the resilience o keservices and in rastructure in advance o potential climateimpacts is essential as cit departments maintain, operate,and build in rastructure that will support and strengthenLouisvilles growing econom . The cit has a Multi-HazardMitigation Plan which includes preparedness measures orthe e ects o unanticipated natural disasters.

PROPOSED INITIATIVES The O ce o Sustainabilit will convene a work group tostud the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, and develop andintegrate strategies and goals or increasing resilience tothe impacts o climate change.


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2.0 ENvirONmENT

2.2 AThe Air Pollution Control District has worked to improveLouisvilles air qualit or 67 ears and is authorized toimplement the ederal Clean Air Act. Under the directiono the Air Pollution Control Board, APCD collects air moni-toring and emissions data, administers rules and regula-tions, issues and en orces permits, provides education andassists the communit b addressing air qualit challenges.

ExISTING EFFORTS Section 108 o the Clean Air Act requiresall areas in the United States to meet theNational Ambient Air Qualit Standards(NAAQS). The NAAQS include criteria air

pollutants whose emissions ma reason-abl be anticipated to endanger publichealth or wel are. The EPA reviews theNAAQS guidance ever ve ears andrevises the standards as necessar . WhileLouisvilles air qualit continues to im-prove, meeting more stringent NAAQSrequirements is a challenge. O the si NAAQS pollutants(particulate matter, ground-level ozone, carbon mono -ide, sul ur dio ide, nitrogen o ides and lead), three causethe most widespread health threats in Louisville includingozone, ne particulate matter (PM2.5) and sul ur dio ide(SO2). Based on a number o variables, Louisvilles air qual-it and the associated NAAQS attainment fuctuates.

EPA has designated Louisville as meeting the ozone stan-dard (i.e., in attainment) but because o 2012 weather patterns, the area (Clark and Flo d Counties in Indiana andBullitt, Je erson and Oldham Counties in Kentuck ) is vio-lating the NAAQS. As a result, the area will submit a planto the EPA in 2013 that identi es control strategies and animplementation timeline to improve air qualit .

The Louisville area is designated as nonattainment or PM2.5, but because recent monitoring data indicates thatthe area has met the standard, APCD requested redesig-nation to attainment rom the EPA. In 2010, EPA strength-ened the SO2 standard and APCD anticipates that aportion o Louisville will be designated as nonattainment in2013. In anticipation o this timeline and because appro i-matel 95% o Louisvilles SO2 emissions are generatedb LG&E at its Mill Creek and Cane Run electric generat-ing stations, APCD is working with LG&E to revise its air permits to reduce emissions.

In an e ort to improve air emissions rom its energ plants,LG&E is building our new pollution scrubbers at the Mill

Creek power plant. The scrubbers will better control neparticulate emissions, remove more than 98% o sul ur dio ide emissions, an improvement rom about 90% now,and lter baghouse will hold back more than 90% o theto ic mercur , an improvement rom about 50% now. In ad-dition, the Cane Run plant will begin conversion to naturalgas in 2013 which will greatl improve air emissions romthe plant.

APCDs StrategicTo ic Air ReductionProgram (STAR),implemented in2005, regulatesharm ul pollutants

rom large indus-trial emitters. Along-term air moni-

toring e ort being conducted b the Universit o Louis-ville con rms the STAR programs e ectiveness in loweringto ic emissions and improving air qualit especiall in thewestern portion o Louisville.

KENTUCKIANA AIREDUCATIoN, MoSTCoMMoNLy KNoWNAS KAIRE, IS APCDS CoM-

MUNITy oUTREACH AND EDUCATIoN PRoGRAM. KAIRESPRIMARy GoAL IS To INCREASE PUbLIC AWARENESS oFTHE IMPACT THAT INDIvIDUAL CHoICES CAN HAvE oNLoCAL AIR QUALITy. EDUCATING PEoPLE oN THE bEN-EFITS oF REDUCED vEHICLE IDLING IS THE SUbjECT oFA FoCUSED oUTREACH CAMPAIGN CALLED IDLE FREE

LoUISvILLE WHICH IS HELPING To bUILD MoMENTUMToWARD ENSURING WIDESPREAD IDLING REDUCTIoNIN LoUISvILLE. THE IDLE FREE PRoGRAM PRoMoTESTHE 10 SECoND RULE IF yoU SToP yoUR vEHICLEFoR MoRE THAN 10 SECoNDS, TURN THE ENGINE oFF IT SAvES GAS, REDUCES WEAR AND TEAR oN yoUR

vEHICLE AND MINIMIzES HARMFUL PoLLUTIoN EMIS-SIoNS. IDLE FREE LoUISvILLE ALSo HAS PRoGRAMS FoRSCHooLS AND bUSINESSES, WHICH ENCoURAGE ELIMI-NATING UNNECESSARy ENGINE IDLING.



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AIR QUALITy AWARENESSMan emission sources in the communit are not subjectto APCDs regulator authorit , notabl mobile sourcessuch as cars, trains, trucks and airplanes. Mobile air pollu-tion sources also include lawn and landscaping equipment.APCDs EPA award-winning Lawn Care or Cleaner Air pro-gram encourages residents to switch rom gas-powered tomanual or electric-powered equipment. APCD is develop-ing a commercial version o this program or high-poweredequipment which will be launched in 2013. The Grow MoreMow Less program seeks to reduce lawn-related air pollu-tion b encouraging low-mow landscaping.

VEHICLE EMISSIONS According to the GHG data reported in the Partnership

or a Green Cit s CAR, the transportation sector accountsor appro imatel 30% o Louisvilles carbon ootprint. Asigni cant portion o these transportation emissions results

rom single-occupanc vehicles. Reducing single-occupan-c vehicle miles traveled (VMT) requires development andtransportation planning that supports multi-modal activitand mass transit. Cities like Austin, Denver, Madison andChicago have programs underwa that integrate economicdevelopment, transportation and land use strategies toreduce vehicle miles traveled. (In ormation regardingLouisvilles transportation planning is located in section 3.0Transportation.)

GREEN FLEET INITIATIVES To help reduce diesel emissions, Louisville received $1.2million rom the EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act(DERA) und to retro t 70 pieces o non-road diesel equip-ment with EPA-veri ed technologies to reduce pollutants,primaril particulate matter (PM). In addition to the en-vironmental concerns, diesel e haust has been ound tocause adverse health e ects. Reducing diesel emissionsimproves air qualit and reduces the potential to negative-l a ect workers using diesel-powered equipment.

In addition to this non-road equipment retro t project, thecit retro tted 18 Department o Solid Waste trucks withdiesel particulate lters (DPF), using unds awarded bthe Kentuck Division or Air Qualit through its KentuckClean Diesel Grant Program. The trucks that were retro t-ted include solid waste, and rec cling packer and dumptrucks. In addition to DPFs, these trucks were equippedwith closed crankcase ventilation s stems that improve air qualit in the passenger cabin.

PCD works with Louisville Metro Fleet Services to imple-ment projects that reduce emissions rom the cit s feetvehicles and equipment. Louisvilles Fleet Services Divisionis the primar feet support operation or cit -owned ve-hicles, operating a diverse feet with about 2,600 on-roadvehicles. Fleet Services makes ever e ort to reduce emissions rom its traditionall - ueled vehicles through right-sing, alternative vehicle technolog and user education. Thecit s vehicle replacement strateg replaces aged vehicleswhich have V-8 engines with new vehicles that have V-6engines. The vehicles with smaller engines o ten cost less,use less uel and emit ewer harm ul pollutants. In additiothe cit s vehicle polic includes anti-idling guidelines.

Louisville Metro Governments feet vehicles used appro i-

matel 2.6 million gallons o unleaded uel, 435,000 gal-lons o diesel uel and 349,000 gallons o B5-biodiesel uin 2011. Fleet Services is e ploring opportunities to e -pand the use o alternative uels in the cit s feet. Alterna-tive uels, which EPA de nes as those derived rom sourceother than petroleum, o ten produce less air pollution thangasoline or diesel. The cit operates 39 h brid electric ve-hicles and is e ploring opportunities or additional h bridor clean emission vehicles. The Parking Authorit o RiverCit is evaluating the easibilit o installing charging sta-tions in its garages and the Universit o Louisvillealread has an electric vehicle charging station.

TARC In 2013, TARC will begin operating ve all-elec-tric buses o the uture on downtown streetsreplacing the oldest trolle s in operation. Esti-mated carbon emissions associated with electricbuses are 65 percent lower than emissions romdiesel buses.

TARC feet includes 21 h brid buses and 11more will be delivered in 2013. Collectivel ,

those h brids will use about 65,000 ewer gallonso diesel uel each ear than standard diesel buses.

TARC is upgrading its feet o door-to-door paratransitservice vehicles or people with disabilities. The newpurpose-built vehicles will use 50% less uel than thee isting paratransit vehicles.


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goal an in t at esGoal

4. Achieve and Maintain National Ambient Air Qualit Standards or criteria pollutants

InitiativesForm a partnership to implement an alternative uel and advanced technolog vehicle strategE plore opportunities to und conversion o cit heav -dut feet vehicles to compressednatural gas

Increase cit feet vehicle biodiesel uel blend to B10 or greater Implement an alternative uel vehicle replacement polic or the cit feet

2.0 ENvirONmENT

j EFFERSoN CoUNTy PUbLIC SCHooLSjCPS IS THE 28TH LARGEST SCHooL DISTRICT IN THECoUNTRy WITH 101,000 STUDENTS AND 155 SCHooLS.THE DISTRICT oWNS 1,200 bUSES THAT RUN 962 RoUTESTRANSPoRTING APPRoxIMATELy 70,000 STUDENTS ToSCHooL, DRIvING APPRoxIMATELy 100,000 MILES A DAy.oF THE bUS FLEET, 50 bUSES ARE HybRID-ELECTRIC, THELARGEST HybRID-ELECTRIC FLEET IN THE NATIoN. ATyPICAL SCHooL bUS AvERAGES 6.5 MILES PER GALLoNWHILE THE NEW HybRID ELECTRIC FLEET AvERAGES 9.5MILES PER GALLoN. THE ENTIRE bUS FLEET IS HIGHLy EFFICIENT WITH DPFS AND oTHER PoLLUTIoN CoN-TRoL DEvICES ADDED To THE oLDER bUSES, WHICHARE WELL MAINTAINED FoR MAxIMUM bENEFICIAL USE

UNTIL THEy ARE RETIRED. THE ExHAUST RETRoFITS,ANTI-IDLING PRoCEDURES AND TRAFFIC CoNGESTIoNREDUCTIoN IS THE EQUIvALENT oF REMovING AboUT28,000 CARS FRoM LoUISvILLE RoADS IN THE MoRNINGAND AFTERNooN. jCPS USES MoRE THAN 3.2 MILLIoNGALLoNS oF bIoDIESEL A yEAR oF b2b5 FUEL bLENDIN ITS bUSES ALoNG WITH 125,000 GALLoNS oF 10%ETHANoL-CoNTAINING FUEL IN THE REMAINDER oFTHE DISTRICT FLEET.

UNIVERSITy OF LOUISVILLE The Universit o Louisville has committed to purchase u-el-e cient models as universit feet vehicles are replaced.It also will require that new vehicles have uel e cienciesat least 15% better than their predecessors. B 2020 theuniversit will increase the e cienc o 60% o its feet b15 percent. B 2025 the entire feet will be at least 15%more uel e cient, which will mean an annual reduction o 13,907 gallons o gasoline and 1,209 gallons o diesel. Thistranslates to an annual reduction o 136.3 metric tons o carbon dio ide equivalents.

Louisville Metro Government is e ploring opportunities tound converting its heav -dut truck feet to compressed

natural gas (CNG) and to use propane in its landscapingequipment vehicles. The cit is evaluating opportunities

and initiatives to urther reduce its feet vehicle emissionssuch as using a higher blend o biodiesel uels and pur-chasing alternative uel and advanced technolog vehicles.In support o reducing vehicle emissions in the communit ,the O ce o Sustainabilit will work with communit stakeholders to evaluate opportunities and develop a strategto advance the use o alternative uel and advanced tech-nolog vehicles.




2.3 wateexistinG e ortsThe Louisville Water Compan has produced drinkingwater since 1860 and produces an average o 124 milliongallons o drinking water dail or Louisville Metro andsurrounding counties. Louisville Water has been cited bindustr peers and government regulators as one o thepremier s stems in the countr . In 1996, Louisville Water began a branded program known as Louisville pure tapwhich was the rst branded tap water in the nation.As Louisville pure tap turned teen, the LouisvilleWater Compan revived its primar message thatcustomers can bottle our own Louisville pure tap us-ing an cup, glass, or bottle. In support o its environmen-tal stewardship goals, the plastic branded water bottleprogram was retired, and instead, LWC o ers sustainableoptions such as reusable bottles, bio-compostable cups,pitchers, coolers and mobile units. In addition, pumpingand treating drinking water is energ intensive, so wise wa-ter use will help reduce Louisville Waters carbon impact.

(Green in rastructure strategies and solutions are detailedin Section 5.4.)

In addition to being on the Ohio River, Louisville alsohas appro imatel 400 miles o mapped streams withinits boundaries. Over the course o Louisvilles histor , itswater resources have provided reliable drinking water andrecreational venues or visitors and residents. Louisville is

ortunate to have plenti ul water resources and the com-munit must preserve and protect this resource or uturegenerations.

One o the greatestchallenges to Louisvilleswaterwa s is the needto reduce the amount o impervious sur aces inurban watersheds,as well as point and non-point sources o pollutioso that streams meetwater qualit and aquatic

li e standards. Reducingthe amount o impervious services will require changes inhow the cit manages e isting areas, new propert devel-opments and retro ts throughout Louisville.

An additional challenge is maintaining riparian vegetation,which does more to protect streams than almost an other e ort. Louisville must protect and reclaim the intermittenttributaries to the creeks and streams s stem which pla acritical role in pollutant ltration and h drolog , and serveas an important aquatic habitat.

ProPosed initiatives The O ce o Sustainabilit will assess the developmento a depave program to reduce impervious sur ace areawhich reduces stormwater runo and increases the amouno land available or habitat restoration, urban arming antrees. This will include initiatives to minimize or reduce theamount o impervious pavement in construction projectsand promote the responsible and creative reuse andrec cling o concrete and asphalt. The cit will researchand develop a pilot project to restore one mile o riparianvegetation along a local waterwa , the results o which wil

be shared in a best practices guide book.

CLEAN WATER IS THE HALLMARK oF A DEvELoPED SoCIETy, AND THE AbILITy ToHAvE PoTAbLE WATER AS WELL AS WATER THAT IS SAFE FoR WILDLIFE SPEAKS ToTHE SUSTAINAbILITy oF A CoMMUNITy. LoUISvILLE IS FoRTUNATE To HAvE ARELIAbLE WATER SUPPLy AND WE MUST PRESERvE AND PRoTECT THIS RESoURCEFoR FUTURE GENERATIoNS.

goals an in t at esGoal

5. Decrease impervious sur aces and improve waterway quality by 2018

Initiativesl p g p p

d p p p p g


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08 | C apte Na e

2.0 ENvirONmENT

2.4 wasteexistinG e orts The Louisville Metro Solid Waste division provides wasteservices inside the Urban Services District including curb-side garbage, ard waste, rec cling, and junk collection.The Louisville Metro/Je erson Count Waste ManagementDistrict, a state entit , regulates all waste material dis-posal and waste haulers in the count . In 2012, the WasteManagement District adopted a detailed Five year SolidWaste Management Plan as required b Kentuck Revised

Statutes 224.43, which is viewed as a new beginning to thecit s approach to solid waste management. Where solidwaste was traditionall land lled, the state is shi ting to anew ocus on resource recover where the majorit is rec -cled, composted, or used as uel in lieu o virgin materials.

Louisville Metro Government is eager to increase rec clingpractices in the cit . Rec cling not onl conserves land llspace, it reduces the demand or raw materials and helpsconserve natural resources. To increase awareness andeducate the public about the importance o rec cling,Louisville launched an e panded rec cling program in Jul2012. This program is partl driven b one o the Ma ors

ve Innovation Deliver Teams whose projects are undedthrough a $5 million Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant thatLouisville received in 2011. The program aims to rein orceand champion the reduce-reuse-rec cle message and tobuild Louisvilles reputation or thinking and acting green.The rec cling program initiatives range rom residential,commercial and cit o ce rec cling pilot programs to a

ood waste compost pilot program or area schools.

The cit e panded its rec cling program b adopting asingle stream rec cling program in cit buildings. Thisprogram is unique because the emplo ees are allowed toput onl rec clable materials in their deskside containers.Housekeeping sta pick up the rec clable materials andthe emplo ees are responsible or taking their true trashto the central container in their work area. Since theprogram began, c t b l n s a e

nc ease ec cl n b o e56% an o e po tantl ,

e te 112 tons o astea a o t e lan ll.citywide recyclinG initiativeslaunched in 2012 include: E panded business rec cling in the Central Business

District to weekl service.

The rst public street-level rec cling opportunit , with theinstallation o solar-powered rec cling and garbagecompactors throughout downtown.

A residential pilot program in two neighborhoods whereresidents were provided with 95-gallon wheeled rec clingcarts with lids. The program is stud ing whether havinga large container with a lid would encourage residents torec cle more. Data collection is underwa to assess theprograms success.

Option or residents in the Urban Services District topurchase 95-gallon wheeled rec cling carts.

MANAGING LoUISvILLES WASTE STREAMS IS A HIGHLy vISIbLE SUSTAINAbILITy ISSUE THAT DIRECTLy IMPACTSEvERy LoUISvILLE CITIzEN. FoR SoLID WASTE MA-TERIALS, LoUISvILLE HAS TWo SANITATIoN SERvICEDISTRICTS AND MANy INCoRPoRATED SMALL CITIES.FoLLoWING THE CITy-CoUNTy GovERNMENT MERGERIN 2003, RESIDENTS IN THE oLD CITy boUNDARy (UR-bAN SERvICES DISTRICT) HAvE WASTE CoLLECTIoN ANDDISPoSAL SERvICES INCLUDED IN THEIR PRoPERTy TAxESWHILE RESIDENTS IN THE oLD CoUNTy boUNDARy (SUbURbAN AREAS) AND INCoRPoRATED SMALL CITIESARE RESPoNSIbLE To CoNTRACT WITH PRIvATE WASTEHAULERS THAT PRovIDE RESIDENTIAL WASTE REMovALSERvICES.




2.0 ENvirONmENT

A UNIQUE RECyCLING PILoT PRojECT WAS LAUNCHED IN THE9TH DISTRICT by CoUNCILWoMAN TINA WARD-PUGH IN 2010.THE PRojECT PRovIDED CURbSIDE RECyCLING CoLLECTIoNAND WAS THE FIRST bUSINESS RECyCLING PRoGRAM oUTSIDE

oF THE DoWNToWN bUSINESS DISTRICT. PRojECT PARTICIPANTSPURCHASED 95-GALLoN WHEELED CARTS AND RECEIvED FREECURbSIDE SERvICE. THE SUCCESSFUL PRojECT WAS REPLICATED INoTHER DISTRICTS AND WAS LATER ExPANDED To ALLoW RESI-DENCES IN THE 9TH DISTRICT To PURCHASE THE LARGE CARTS.

ProPosed initiatives Man initiatives in the rec cling chapter o the Districtsmanagement plan align with Louisvilles sustainabili e -

orts. For e ample, the District is investigating options toimplement a plastic bag ban or residential ard waste.Plastic bag bans or ard waste are common in other areaso the countr and it would go a long wa toward keepingcompostable materials out o the land ll.

In 2013, plans are underwa to stud options to manageood waste and keep it out o the land ll. Research shows

that ood waste can occup up to 40% o the waste streamso having alternatives to putting it in land lls is a necessarstep toward increased land ll diversion rates. Activitiessuch as back ard composting and co-mingling ood waste

with ard waste are solutions under evaluation that arecommonl used in other cities. The cit also will launchpilot projects to develop composting programs inschool ca eterias.

The short-term goal o these rec cling initiatives is toincrease rec cling b 25% cit wide b 2015. A mid-termgoal is to have 90% residential rec cling participation and50% land ll diversion b 2025. The long-term goal is todivert 90% o cit wide solid waste awa rom the land-

ll b 2042 through increased reduce-reuse-rec cle andenhanced materials management practices. A ke e ort toachieve these goals will be development and implementa-tion o a robust education campaign to in orm the publicon the value and need to rec cle. The cit also will launchpilot projects to enhance rec cling practices in commercialbuildings, restaurants, retail stores and multi-tenant apart-ments. Lastl , the cit will investigate the potential or, andviabilit o , alternatives to traditional land ll practices sucas waste to energ and wet/dr segregated disposal.

goals an in t at

08 | C apte Na e

Goal6. Increase rec cling cit wide b 25% b 20157. Achieve 90% residential rec cling participation b 20258. Divert 50% o solid waste rom the land ll b 2025, and 90% b 2042

InitiativesPilot e panded rec cling or commercial buildings, restaurants, retail stores and multi-tenant

apartmentsEstablish partnerships to champion sustainabilit education and awareness campaignsLaunch a plastic bag ban or residential ard wasteLaunch a ood waste compost pilot project in school ca eteriasl p p p g

P p g - p

o p g , g p

e p p p p g

i g f p p


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08 | C apte Na e

3.0 TrANSPOrTATiONTRANSPoRTATIoN IS A KEy CoMPoNENT oF DECREASING LoUISvILLES CARboNFooTPRINT, MANAGING LAND USE, ENSURING HEALTH AND WELLNESS, FoSTERINGECoNoMIC GRoWTH AND ENHANCING THE ovERALL QUALITy oF LIFE. AS WITHMANy U.S. CITIES, PASSENGER AND LoCAL CoMMUTING IN LoUISvILLE IS bASEDPRIMARILy oN AUToMobILES AND THE PUbLIC bUS SySTEM, WITH THE GREATESTPERCENTAGE oF vEHICLE MILES TRAvELED bEING SINGLE- oCCUPANCy CAR TRIPS.

3.2 T anspo tat on Plann n The Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Horizon 2030, is theplanning document that refects all sur ace transportationinvestments through the ear 2030 in the Louisville Metro-politan Planning Area (MPA). Each transportation projectthat is regionall signi cant and/or utilizes ederal transpor-tation unds must be identi ed in the Metropolitan Trans-portation Plan, providing a vision o how our transportationnetwork will unction and appear in the uture. Louisvillesees the need to develop a transportation plan that looksat all t pes o modes o transportation, stud ing how allnetworks are connected and provide mobilit .

existinG e ortsIn 2008, Louisville Metro adopted a Complete Streets Pol-ic ensuring that Louisville Metros transportation s stemshall accommodate and balance a broad range o actors

within all transportation and development projects Thegoal o this polic is to develop a multi-modal network thatmanages the demand or travel and improves the e cien-c o the communit s transportation s stem as envisionedin Cornerstone 2020. To implement the Complete StreetsPolic and the vision o Cornerstone 2020, Louisville is de-veloping a transportation plan that looks at moving peoplerather than moving cars and studies how all networks areconnected and provide mobilit within Louisville.

This newl developed plan, called the Multi-modal Strate-gic Transportation Plan (MMSTP), unded in part through a

ederal grant, will serve as a unique and innovative ap-proach to identi uture s stem needs and communitvalues, and will provide a method to incorporate them into

uture transportation decisions and solutions. The MMSTPwill be a baseline stud and should be fe ible enough toevolve as communit goals are updated. The MMSTP alsowill help establish criteria to ensure interagenc coordina-tion in new project prioritization, availabilit o matching

unds, timeline adjustments, and project withdraws.

More than 60% o Kentuck s transportation undingcomes rom the state gasoline ta which can be used onl

or state highwa and road projects, not transit. There oreLouisville is challenged with unding availabilit or theprojects it can implement. However, through completiono these transportation and vision-planning e orts, andintegration with triple bottom line sustainabilit principles,Louisville is poised to implement a comprehensive andsustainable transportation ramework.

ProPosed initiativesThe cit will begin preparing the MMSTP in 2013, withan estimated completion date o 2014. Sustainabilitwill be a critical element o this e ort and the goals andper ormance measures that result rom the Plan will alignwith Sustain Louisville. The MMSTP will set speci c trans-portation targets and a ull set o sustainabilit metricsand per ormance timelines, through rigorous anal sis and

evaluation.The Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agen-c (KIPDA) has initiated a new Metropolitan TransportationPlan called Connecting Kentuckiana. The cit and KIPDAwill coordinate e orts on both plans to ensure resultingrecommendations o each e ort are consistent and strate-gic. Cit transportation planners will consistentl advocate

or s stem-wide sustainabilit goals, and will continue toresearch and plan multiple modes o transportation, coor-dinate land use plans and economic development goalsthat will acilitate the a ordable, e cient, accessible, sa eand health transport o people and goods. This includespromoting transit-oriented development as a wa o plan-ning or more livable, sustainable communities through theintegration o transit and development at the communit ,corridor and neighborhood levels. This coordinated pro-cess also will allow or planning o additional transit modessuch as light rail.




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Goals

9. Decrease transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2025

Initiativesi g m s g t p P p t p P p - p

3.2 P bl c T anspo tat on existinG e orts The availabilit and use o public transportation is linkedto Louisvilles sustainabilit initiatives in all social, eco-nomic and environmental aspects. The availabilit anduse o public transportation also is ine tricabl linked tothe regions development patterns. In act, Louisvillespublic transit s stem, TARC, seeks to e plore and imple-ment transportation opportunities that enhance the social,economic and environmental well-being o the Greater Louisville communit .

TARC is the onl transportation option or man memberso our communit including people with disabilities. Ac-cording to KIPDA, 10% o occupied housing in Je ersonCount is without a motor vehicle. Some census tract

areas have greater percentages o households without avehicle and have limited mobilit options. Economicall ,TARC is critical or getting people to work and school,which accounts or 70% o the 50,000 trips each weekda .Environmentall , when more people take TARC instead o driving cars, congestion is reduced, resulting in improvedair qualit and uel consumption savings.

TARC currentl has 224 buses and 89 paratransit vehiclesin its feet. Frequent service routes, which schedulebuses to arrive in 10- to 20-minute intervals, have demon-strated the popularit o convenient public transportation.TARC began requent service in Februar 2011 on twomajor routes, and ridership on those routes increased20%. Ridership on a third major route increased morethan 8% in September 2012, the rst ull montho improved requent service, compared to the samemonth in 2011. O course, initiatives that increase theavailabilit and convenience o transit are dependenton additional resources.

Improved in rastructure and transit acilities also help bol-ster ridership. TARC is working with Metro Public Works,the Louisville Metro Council and the Federal Transit Ad-ministration to provide miles o new or restored sidewalks,as well as benches and shelters at bus stops. This program

is making it sa er and easier to access public transportationespeciall or people with disabilities.

TARC has a number o public transportation programsto connect people to jobs and educational opportunit ,resulting in positive social, economic and environmentalbene ts. Nearl 14 million TARC trips have been providedunder TARC partnerships with Humana, Louisville MetroGovernment, the Universit o Louisville and UPS Metro-politan College and School to Work programs.Under these pre-paid programs, a liates o companiesor the universit ride are- ree with their compan or school I.D. cards. In addition, more than 30 companiestake advantage o emplo er ticket purchasing and/or pa roll deduction programs to encourage the use o public transportation.


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bicyclinGLouisville has 45 miles o on-street bike lanes and hasreceived national attention or its initiatives to promoteboth utilitarian and recreational bic cling. Bic cle Magazine

ranked Louisville as the 21st most bike- riendl cit out o the 50 cities surve ed. More walking and c cling, and con-sequentl less dependence on the car, is good or the en-vironment. One o the main contributing actors to climatechange is heav reliance on the car, even or short jour-ne s. Research shows that nearl hal o all car trips couldbe replaced b walking, c cling or public transport. Makingmore trips on oot or b c cling is a li est le change thatwould help reduce Louisvilles carbon ootprint. Gettingmore people walking and c cling requires behavioralchange, which also is dependent on making the cit s trans-

portation s stem more environmentall , economicall andsociall sustainable.

ProPosed initiatives TARC has established an ambitious goal o increasingpublic transportation availabilit and ridership b 25%b 2018. A 25% increase in ridership would equal 62,500boardings per weekda , compared to 50,000 currentl . Toincrease ridership, TARC will continue to e pand requentservice routes and is evaluating a eeder s stem concept

or potential implementation in Louisville. A eeder s stemwould connect requent-service buses to job centers andneighborhoods b developing s stems with vehicles suchas vans and ta is to connect riders in remote areas to major bus lines with high- requenc service.

Louisville Metro Government is evaluating options or a car sharing program, which is a rental model where cars arerented or short periods o time, o ten hourl . Car sharing isbene cial in man wa s, most notabl in that vehicle milestraveled per driver decrease almost 50% when car owners

switch to car sharing. In addition, car share programs helpincrease cit livabilit and can reduce harm ul air emissionsthrough reduced vehicle miles traveled.

Ride sharing is another option that is being evaluated asa wa to reduce single-occupanc vehicle trips. Mobile

device applications make coordinating ride sharing easier than ever. For e ample, Avegos ree iPhone or Androidapp enables private cars to become part o the transportnetwork b providing a marketplace or drivers to o er their unused seats to other people in real time. The appmatches private car routes with an one searching or a ridealong the same route and also provides ull automatedpa ment transaction management, driver/rider sa et

eatures, and commute reporting or more fe ible andveri able ride sharing.

TARC IS CoNTINUALLy MAKING SERvICE IMPRovE-MENTS AND WILL REPLACETHE ExISTING FARE boxESWITH A NEW AND MoDERN

FARE CoLLECTIoN SySTEMIN 2013. THE NEW FARECoLLECTIoN SySTEM WILLIMPRovE oPERATING EFFI-CIENCy AND DATA CoLLEC-

TIoN AboUT RIDERSHIP PATTERNS WHICH WILL LEAD TobETTER PLANNING AND MoRE EFFICIENT oPERATIoNS.To MAKE ITS RIDERS SCHEDULE EvEN MoRE CoNvE-NIENT, TARC joINED GooGLE TRANSIT FoR oNLINETRIP PLANNING AND PLANS To HAvE REAL-TIME bUSARRIvAL INFoRMATIoN AvAILAbLE oNLINE IN 2013.WITH CoNTINUED IMPRovEMENTS, TARC RIDERSHIPWILL CoNTINUE To GRoW, RESULTING IN LASTING So-CIAL, ECoNoMIC AND ENvIRoNMENTAL bENEFITS FoRTHE CoMMUNITy.




3.0 TrANSPOrTATiON

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Goals

10. Reduce vehicle miles traveled by 15% by 2025

InitiativesLaunch a bike share programInvestigate easibilit o car share and ride share programsIncrease TARC ridership b 25%Achieve Gold Level Bic cle Friendl Communit Status with the League o American Bic clists

Increase bic cle acilities b 40 lane miles within three miles o the Central Business DistrictIncrease bic cle ridership b 100% rom 2012 levels

Louisville Metro Government has completed a Bike Master Plan and a Pedestrian Master Plan, which call or e pand-ing the bic cle road and trail s stem to more than 550miles, and the pedestrian s stem to more than 600 miles.To encourage and enable more bic cling as a transpor-tation mode, Louisville is evaluating options or a bike

sharing program. Bike sharing is a popular wa to address rst/last mile predicaments o ten associated with the useo public transportation. Users have access to bikes rommultiple bike stations and then have the fe ibilit to returnthe bike to an station in the network. Bike share programst picall increase not onl bic cling, but also use o publictransportation, while simultaneousl reducing the amounto cars and resulting air emissions.

Other bic cling initiatives include achieving Gold LevelBic cle Friendl Communit Status with the League o American Bic clists, increasing bic cle acilities b 40 lanmiles within three miles o the Central Business District anincreasing bic cle ridership b 100% rom 2012 levels.

TICKET To RIDE TARC AND KIPDA ovERSEE A vANPooL SERvICE FoR AREA CoMMUTERS. TARCoWNS AND MAINTAINS THE vANS AND KIPDACooRDINATES THE RIDE SHARING AMoNGPARTICIPANTS. THIS WIDELy SUCCESSFUL PRoGRAMHAS MoRE THAN 625 PARTICIPANTS IN 80 vANPooLSAND FREQUENTLy HAS A WAITING LIST.


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4.1 Econo c de elop entexistinG e orts Louisville Metro Government received ederal undingthat has helped urther sustainabilit activities, and hasinitiated projects to assist us in assessing where we arenow and how we can continue to improve. The cit wasawarded $7 million b the U.S. Department o Energ

(DOE) under the American Recover and ReinvestmentAct o 2009 (ARRA) Energ E cienc & ConservationBlock Grant (EECBG), to create di erent projects or pro-grams that helped oster sustainable behaviors or prod-ucts or area businesses.

One o the programs is a $1.4 million revolving loan und,named the Go Green loan program, which o ers low-interest loans through the e isting Metropolitan BusinessDevelopment Corporation (METCO) program, to Louis-ville businesses that create new green products, servicesor processes. To date, the cit has made more than $1.6million in loans and uses repa ment mone rom theinitial loans to continue unding new projects as undsbecome available.

Other programs unded with stimulus mone include en-erg audits or non-pro t organizations, which identi edwhere improvements could be made in their acilities,and an energ e cienc improvement grant, also avail-able to onl non-pro ts, enabling them to implement theimprovements outlined in their audits.

In addition to the Go Green loan and the non-pro tenerg e cienc grants, the cit also has instituted our energ -e cienc technolog demonstration projects withstimulus unding, to increase energ e cienc and costsavings in cit -owned buildings. Louisville is tracking theresults o onsite renewable energ technolog on and atgovernment-owned buildings and acilities. As describedin Section 1.2, the projects include solar energ andgreen and cool roo s. Per ormance data rom these e -

orts will be shared in an e ort to identi e ective

practices and provide a model or the comunit that pro-motes environmental sustainabilit and environmentallbene cial initiatives.

brown ield redeveloPment As in most cities around the nation, where Louisvillesurban manu acturing and emplo ment center was oncebooming with jobs and commerce, man o these com-panies have shut down, or moved to suburban business

parks. This leaves underutilized properties, sometimescontaminated, that are e esores or the surroundingneighborhoods and which o ten lead to urther dete-rioration. The cit continues to mitigate these issues inneighborhoods through activel pursuing grants andbrown eld redevelopment opportunities b working withstate and ederal agencies, and private developers.

B promoting economic growth, job creation and com-munit vitalit , the cit hopes to attract new emplo ersto these underutilized areas. The west side o Louisvillehas almost one- th o the cit s unused land; however,much o this unused land contains abandoned or de-graded structures and is, or perceived to be, contami-nated. Louisville is using EPA brown eld communit -wideassessment grants as well as contaminant remediation

unds to help brown eld redevelopment become a toolor economic revitalization o socio-economicall dis-

advantaged areas that are disproportionatel e posedto environmental degradation, unemplo ment and loweducational attainment.

FoR LoUISvILLE To bE SUSTAINAbLE, IT ALSo MUST bE A PLACE WHERE bUSINESSES WANTTo bE EITHER To ExPAND oR To LoCATE NEW oPERATIoNS. by PRovIDING A SKILLEDAND READy WoRKFoRCE AND A WELCoMING ATMoSPHERE FoR INNovAToRS AND EN-

TREPRENEURS, LoUISvILLE WILL ATTRACT MoRE EMPLoyERS AND WoRKERS WHo WANT ToLIvE HERE, THEREby MAKING LoUISvILLE A vIbRANT CITy.




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Goals11. Provide opportunities or clean economy organizations and innovators and develop a qualifed work orce

to support it by 2015

InitiativesEstablish a Green Work orce Advisor TeamResearch best practices or green business incentive programs

Establish Green Districts to promote and leverage e isting green technolog e orts

ProPosed initiativesA skilled green work orce will be needed to implement theenerg e cienc , alternative energ and alternative ueland advanced technolog vehicle initiatives set orth in thisplan. In order to prepare or and take advantage o theseand other opportunities, a Green Work orce Advisor Teamwill be ormed to assess how to best support green jobtraining and placement in skilled pro essional and techni-cal positions or the 21st centur . The Advisor Team willidenti best practices in de ning and tracking green

job creation. Education and training in energ e ciencand alternative energ options such as solar, geothermal,biomass and advanced technolog vehicles and uels willbe promoted.

The Advisor Team will evaluate development o a Green youth Corps that would support clean technolog trainingthrough secondar and technical schools such as Je erson

Communit & Technical College. This youth Corps wouldconsist o training and job placement including energauditors, energ managers, retro tters, solar panel in-stallers, green roo installers and advanced vehicle andalternative uel technicians. Along these lines, the O ceo Sustainabilit will research and evaluate opportuni-ties to develop an incentive program or businesses thatpromotes reuse, reduces land ll-bound waste or makessustainable products.

Establishing a Green District learning model is a wa toleverage e isting clean-tech e orts in the communit tohelp attract research, development and technolog op-portunities. The Universit o Louisvilles Conn Center oRenewable Energ Research, the Ford CNG plant and

UPS Worldport are e amples o local green technologhotspots where the O ce o Sustainabilit could beginimmediatel .

4.2 Local Foo Econo

existinG e ortsThe Louisville Farm to Table program, launched in 2009,is helping build relationships between Kentuck armers,consumers and commercial bu ers. Louisville Farm toTables e orts have resulted in appro imatel $1.2 millionin armers sales and have raised awareness and interest inlocal ood. Farm to Table hosts workshops or armers and

ood bu ers, and has worked with the ood procuremento ces o large institutions such as JCPS, U o L and JewHospital/St. Mar s Hospital S stem to encourage local

ood purchasing.

Louisville Farm to Table also is working with processorsto develop and increase local ood-processing capacitto serve the institutional and consumer markets. The lacko resh-cut, minimall -processed and locall -raised ruit

LoUISvILLE bEGAN STUDyING THE IMPoRTANCE oF LoCAL FooD IN 2007 by RESEARCH-ING THE ECoNoMIC PoTENTIAL oF LoCALLy GRoWN FooD. THE STUDy CoNCLUDEDTHAT THE ECoNoMIC vITALITy oF oUR CITy CoULD bE ENHANCED by SUPPoRTINGLoCAL AGRICULTURAL MARKETS, AND MAKING bETTER CoNNECTIoNS bETWEEN CoN-SUMERS AND FARMERS. ACTIoNS TAKEN AS A RESULT oF THIS STUDy HAvE INCLUDEDSUPPoRT oF CoMMUNITy-SUPPoRTED AGRICULTURE (CSA), CoMMUNITy GARDENS ANDFARMERS MARKETS. A RobUST LoCAL FooD PRoGRAM IS A KEy CoMPoNENT To ENSUR-

ING THE HEALTH, WELLNESS AND PRoSPERITy oF LoUISvILLES CITIzENS.


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goals an in t at es

and vegetables in Louisville, as well as inadequate meat-processing capacit or locall -raised animals, are impedi-ments to the local ood econom .

The Local Food Initiatives Division o Louisville Metro Gov-ernment works with the Je erson Count E tension O ceto promote gardening and manage 10 gardens acrossLouisville. There are currentl more than 70 communitand market gardens throughout Louisville, managed either b the E tension O ce, neighborhood groups or privatecitizens. Plans are underwa to e tend the availabilit o communit gardens through the winter so that gardenersinterested in using cold rames or low tunnels can do so.E orts are being made to amend the Land DevelopmentCode to provide guidance or developing communit gar-dens or consumer and commercial agricultural activities.

Since 2009, Louisville armers markets have e pandedrom 21 to 27. These markets are primaril located in East

Louisville, with ewer markets in the West and Southwestareas o the communit . E orts were made to developtwo markets in West Louisville; however the markets wereunsuccess ul and closed due to low patronage. There isan interest in the communit to use vacant or abandonedproperties or communit gardens and this option is under review b cit government stakeholders.

Cit government is promoting economic development inthe local ood arena through the Louisville Agribusiness

Loan Program, which awards loans or value-addedprocessing o Kentuck -raised ood or businesses thatrelocate to the cit s Portland neighborhood. Starting in2013, the program will award at least ve loans with a

ma imum loan o $100,000 and is administered jointlthrough METCO and the Kentuck Agricultural FinanceCorporation.

In 2012, the Local Food Initiatives Division in partnershipwith Seed Capital, Ky and Karp Resources, conducted alocal ood demand stud or Louisville. The stud involvedsurve ing local ood demand among consumer and com-mercial bu ers, recording qualitative in ormation aboutbu ing habits and e periences with local ood, and investi-gating barriers to increased purchases. The ndings o thestud are being compiled and will provide in ormation or

armers on the local ood market potential or their prod-ucts, entrepreneurs interest in local ood, and guidance

or the Local Food Initiatives Division to improve the localood s stem.

ProPosed initiativesOnce the Land Development Code guidance or com-munit gardens has been issued, a step b -step guide willbe developed to engage and educate citizens on urbanagriculture practices and requirements. In addition, useo select vacant or abandoned properties as communitgardens is being considered.

Since 2009, L uis ille armersmarkets ha e e panded r m 21t 27

Goal12. Expand the local ood system by 20% by 2018

InitiativesIncorporate urban agriculture guidance in the 2013 Land Development Code amendment

Develop a step-b -step guide or citizen engagement in urban agriculture

Assess opportunities or communit and market gardens on vacant and abandoned properties

Support and e pand the Louisville Farm to Table Program




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5.0 COmmuNiTy

5.1 healt an Eq tThe health and wellness objective o Sustain Louisvilleincreases awareness about ever thing rom health oods stems, to ph sical activit , to mitigation o climatechange actors such as e cessive heat and fooding, tooutdoor recreation. E orts b Louisville Metros Depart-

ment o Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) continueto create a healthier communit b identi ing and solv-ing communit health problems, developing policies andplans that support communit health e orts, and evalu-ating the e ectiveness and accessibilit o communithealth services.

Advancing health, health equit and sustainable neigh-borhoods b linking people to the necessar services,and developing communit partnerships, will signi cantlenhance health outcomes in Louisville. Environmental

justice issues ranging rom transportation to ood access,health hazards and the air distribution o environmentalbene ts and burdens are a vital concern in Louisville.With respect to energ , areas o the cit with older hous-ing stock which is less energ e cient are requentlwhere low income persons live and the occupantsconsequentl spend a disproportionate amount o their income on utilit bills. Similarl , Louisvilles foodplainmaps when compared to povert maps have signi cantoverlap. (Energ e cienc and climate adaptation

strategies and goals are described in section1.0 Energ .)

Housing and transportation costs o ten arehigher in urban areas relative to suburban areas, due tothe cost o having to work around e isting in rastructure,which represent challenges or sustainable transporta-tion and development planning. Providing a ordableand accessible public tra

louisville draft sustainability report

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