Sustainability Initiative Classes

Sustainable Columbus
Learn what the City is doing to make Columbus a greener community.

EarthShare Ohio
EarthShare Ohio is an opportunity, a system, and an answer for environmentally conscious employees and workplaces to support dozens of environmental groups at once through a charitable giving drive.

New Home Owner Green Guide(PDF, 17MB)
Whether buying your first house or tenth, GreenSpot's New Homeowner Green Guide is meant to help you make your home a little more sustainable. Check out ways to conserve and protect water, conserve energy, reduce waste, and green your transportation. By adopting sustainable practices you are saving money, improving our environment, and setting an example for your neighbors.

How to Start a Green Team at Work(PDF, 2MB)
This guide will walk you through how to start a green team at work. It covers how to talk with management, structure a green team, how to celebrate successes, and more!

GreenSpot Leave Behind Card(PDF, 1011KB)
Encourage your favorite restaurant, cafe, or bar to become a GreenSpot member! These cards can be printed off and left with the eating establishment.

Webinar-Common Trees of Columbus and the Wildlife Who Love Them
Check out this webinar and learn about common trees in our city. Listen to Jenny Adkins of MAD Scientist Associates and Michael Goldman of Sunny Frog, LLC talk about tress and their benefits.

Webinar-Connect the Dots Plant Diversity, Pollinators, and Pest Management
How does the abundance of flowering plants, including trees, translate into a decreased number of plant pests? How do pollinators themselves play a critical role in the reduced need for insecticides? Listen and watch to this webinar where Dr. Joe Boggs as he discusses the multi-layered connections between pollen and nectar and a parade of unsung insect heroes that keep pests in check.

Keep Columbus Beautiful
Get information about local litter cleanups, graffiti prevention and removal, recycling, and beautification projects.

Modcon Living Tool Library Program
Residents in designated service areas have free access to 200 types of hand and power tools for home repair, maintenance, landscaping, and painting.

RecyColumbus
Learn about the recycling programs offered to residents by the City of Columbus. Also, check out SWACO's Recycle Right program.

How to fit recyclables into the container
Ever wondered how to fit all the recycling into the recycle container? In this humorous video we share a few tips as well as a few laughs. In collaboration with the GreenSpot program and Columbus Refuse Collection. You can also purchase an additional cart by calling 614-645-3111.

City of Columbus Waste Wizard
Don't know how to recycle that item? The Waste Wizard offers assistance in finding locations to take that hard-to-recycle item.

Personal Emissions Calculator
Use this online calculator to gauge your personal greenhouse gas emissions, and get tips on how to reduce them.

Reduce Food Waste
Did you know that about 120,000 tons of food waste ends up in the landfill each year? You can help reduce this waste by managing leftovers, shopping smarter, and understanding expiration dates. For more tips on improving your food efficiency, check out GreenSpot member The Compost Exchange. More ideas from the Save More Than Food Campaign.

Home items that can be reused or repurposed(PDF, 1MB)
Check out ways to reuse yogurt tubs, take containers, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, tin cans, empty lipstick containers, old towels, and more!

Going plastic free in the kitchen and bathroom
Reducing the amount of plastic in your life is good for the planet and our community. Watch Sara Gallaugher from Full Circle Source and Dave Celebrezze of GreenSpot take a deep dive on ways to go plastic free in the kitchen and bathroom.

Composting
There are many resources around composting. Get a compost bin at a discount through the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District Community Backyards Program. Learn how to do a "compost in a bottle" kids activity with SWACO.

City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities
Get green tips and a list of watershed groups, as well as information on the City's Fats, Oils, and Grease program and Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan.

GreenSpot Backyards
Franklin Soil and Water, together with partners, continues to promote stormwater education with a focus on rainwater harvesting and infiltration. Keeping rain where it falls and using it as a resource keeps our watersheds healthy and safe. Check out if you qualify for a $50 rebate on a rain barrel, native plant, or native tree.

Columbus PUP
PUP stands for Pick Up Poop. All dog owners can "doo" the right thing and scoop poop when walking and in your own backyard. Our goal is clean water and PUPing is our law.

Ohio State University Extension Services
Find a list of plants that are native to the Columbus area, and a library of lawn and garden tips.

Citizen Guide to Stormwater Controls(PDF, 3MB)
Residential and commercial construction sites can help or harm our waterways. The GreenSpot Be a Water Hero pamphlet highlights a few good and bad examples and who to call if you see a bad example.

Water Sense
Learn what you can do to use water efficiently, calculate potential water savings, find WaterSense labeled products or test your WaterSense at this EPA site.

Audubon At Home
Audubon At Home is a program that strives to increase food and water sources for wildlife, shelter and nesting opportunities.

AEP Ohio
Energy audits, rebates, information for residents, www.aepohio.com/savings/
Incentive programs for businesses, www.aepohio.com/savings/business/

Columbia Gas of Ohio
Purchase low-cost, energy-saving products online and receive instant rebates.

EnergyStar
Get practical tips for conserving energy in your home or business.

Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives
Find tax incentives available to businesses and residents.

Homeowner Guide to Solar
Power from the sun can be fun and effective! But how many panels do you need and what are the financing options? To learn the answers to these questions and more check out Let's Go Solar. Also, GreenSpot member Ecohouse Solar offers free quotes.

Mid–Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Learn about local ride solutions, like carpooling, van-pooling, and biking.

Central Ohio Transit Authority
Get a list of services and schedules for the local bus system.

CoGo
Zipping along the streets of Columbus has never been easier! CoGo Bike Share boasts 41 stations and 365 bikes to help you get from point A to point B whenever you need them -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Bicycle Parking
Bike racks, bike parking shelters, and bike parking corrals provide a variety of options for parking your bike and are located throughout Columbus. If your business is located in Columbus and is interested in having a bike rack installed on public property near your business, please contact 614-645-3111 or 311@columbus.gov.

Electric Vehicles
EVs are a great way to get around without the pollution. Learn about Smart Columbus' efforts to promote electric vehicles. Drive Electric Ohio is another great resource for discounts on electric vehicles. Don't forget about charging stations and where to put them. Check out GreenSpot members ChargePointe and Clean Fuels Ohio for more information.

Smart Mobility Service Providers(PDF, 995KB)
There are plenty of options to get around town.

Ohio EPA - Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention
Information and resources to help businesses achieve compliance with the environmental regulations.