GreenSpot eNewsletter – October 2026

Total Estimated Reading Time: ~ 7 minutes

Stay informed with your GreenSpot sustainability newsletter and feel free to share these linked resources with others! Each month ish, we highlight local environmental themes and actionable tips to protect our shared water resources in Central Ohio. Thank you for being a valued member of our Columbus community while protecting the Scioto and Olentangy watersheds.

Dear GreenSpot Community,

Last week we celebrated the GreenSpot and Sustainability Awards at the Mid-Ohio Farm on the Hilltop! Thank you to everyone who joined us to mark the occasion.

The journey began earlier this year when Columbus neighbors submitted nominations through our public form. From there, the GreenSpot Advisory Board had the inspiring, (and difficult!), task of voting on the final winners from an exceptional pool of applicants. It is deeply heartening to see so many dedicated individuals and community groups doing vital sustainability work in every corner of Columbus and Franklin County.

A special thank you to Trevor, Gloria, and the entire Mid-Ohio Farm team for hosting our celebration. Please enjoy the photos from the event, and we encourage you to learn more about the amazing initiatives happening right here in our community. Thank you for your continued dedication to making Columbus a sustainable home for all!

DJ Pastel

Thank you to DJ Pastel for always bringing the ambiance!

Party Ribbit

Ribbit! Naturewise Columbus!

Bettina Cooper was nominated for her work with her incredible team at Naturewise Columbus towards educating local children with the fun and vibrant magazine: “Ribbit!”. Bettina founded Naturewise Columbus to create Ribbit! Magazine as a free community resource for children across the city. She wanted to bring environmental education and STEM learning to life in a way that helps children connect with the world around them.

Ribbit! magazine has spent the last two years focusing on science, nature, and all things environmentalism. Their special lens? Ensuring a hyper local perspective with every topic being directly related to Columbus, Ohio. Check them out on Instagram @ribbitmagazine

Thousands of local classrooms are requesting copies of this important magazine for Columbus students. Please consider helping this amazing effortcontinue for years to come by checking out their growth plan. Thank you, Bettina and team, for the important work you are doing in Columbus!

Bettina

farm 2 Marley

Marley Nelson!

Marley was described her as a “GreenSpot Superwoman” in her nomination. After learning more about her efforts, we agree! Marley’s section deserves a list format, because of the sheer quantity of inspirational efforts she is accomplishing:

She has transformed over 200 square feet of her property from grass to native & pollinator plants.
She has installed six rain barrels (and counting) to capture rain water.
Since 2017, she has composted with the Compost Exchange.
All of her daily choices are sustainably mindful and reflect a true effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
She uses battery operated mowers & lawn tools, and borrows whatever she doesn’t have instead of buying new.
Her wardrobe is almost entirely secondhand and thrifted, accented with a few sustainably made pieces as well – she refuses any type of fast fashion.
She just completed the wool & 100 day dress challenge – where she wore the same dress for 100 days in a row to illustrate that sustainably made garments last.
Inside her home, she replaced all faucets with low flow, uses only LED bulbs, and cloth products instead of paper towels and napkins.
With whatever she can’t reduce or reuse, she also properly recycles.
Even the art in her home reflects this spirit, being entirely made by local artists, and many pieces featuring upcycled and natural remnants.
Seasonally on average, she grows over 100 pounds of food in her front yard.
To be mindful of waste, she cans and preserves much of it.
Anything fresh that she and her son won’t consume is donated to local food pantries, or to neighbors to encourage them with what is possible in our own backyards, especially with edible natives.
This year alone she planted multiple serviceberry bushes (and gave friends several to plant as well).
She also regularly supports local business especially when it comes to her yard, and buys in bulk to avoid excess plastic packaging.
Marley is a Master Rain gardener (Licking County ReWILD Tree Level completion) and built a rain garden in her yard.
She consistently champions (and participates in) resources and programs such as the Native Backyard Challenge, Community Backyard certificates, and others that encourages planting native and saving energy.
She is passionate about both continuous learning and teaching; she regularly shares her knowledge and skills gained from over 100 hours of courses in gardening, herbalism, permaculture, sustainability, and food production.
She has inspired friends to get their own rain barrel and begin native pollinator gardens.
She is responsible for multiple families in our community joining in the Community Backyards Rebate program.
She is also a major advocate of our amazing metro parks, our great State parks.
She and her son regularly walk over a mile round trip to school to reduce their transportation footprint.

All of this she does in addition to being a full time working solo parent.

What a truly inspiring legend! Thank you for your continued dedication to living by example and encouraging others to be more sustainable in and around their own homes. Columbus is lucky to have you, Marley!

Marley 2

FUU

First Universalist Unitarian Church in Clintonville!

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus was a stand out nomination for so many reasons! TL;DR: rooftop solar, native plantings, conservation, climate justice, and community stewardship = impressive efforts, sustained over years. What a team!

First UU’s greatly expanded rooftop solar energy system is expected to provide over 50% of the electricity used by the church, school, and community building while saving at least $7,500 per year. It is projected to pay for itself in roughly 15 years and continue producing on-site solar electricity for about 30 to 35 years.

“This is practical values-based action,” said Betsy Smalley, board co-chair at First UU Columbus. “It lowers long-term operating costs, makes our commitment visible, and we hope it encourages other congregations, nonprofits, and households to explore what they can do.”

The solar project also connects with Columbus’ broader climate goals. The City’s Climate Action Plan identifies buildings as the largest single source of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and calls for buildings to operate on clean power by 2050.

Solar is one part of First UU’s broader environmental commitment, which includes a rain garden, pollinator-friendly and native plantings, EcoJustice work, environmental education, community partnerships, composting, recycling and energy-efficiency efforts.

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus is a community committed to spiritual growth, justice, compassion and care for the Earth. The congregation is located at 93 W. Weisheimer Road in Columbus and welcomes people seeking community, meaning and action for a more just and sustainable world. Thank you, First UU team!

Check them out on Facebook

For more information, contact:

Brian Hagemann, Director of Administration
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus
614-267-4946 | brian@firstuucolumbus.org

FUU2

CORC

Central Ohio Reuse Coalition!

Central Ohio Reuse Coalition, aka CORC, is making important strides in connecting single use waste with pollution in our watersheds. By highlighting behavior change opportunities, CORC empowers us to understand that we don’t need to choose the disposable option. CORC has succeeded in creating a network of cafes powered by Okapi’s platform. In this network, you can buy your coffee in one shop and drop the cup off in another network shop, getting a clean cup with your next order.

The open-loop reuse network can succeed and provide a healthier, more sustainable model for take-out beverages than the current linear make-take-waste model of disposable cups.

Cups are managed like library books:Check out >> Use >> Return >> Check out again.
Customers join the program for $10, then use the Okapi app to check out containers.
Check out up to two cups at a time.
Return to a participating cafe within 2 weeks.
Forgot your cup? No problem; get another one!
Coffee shop (not you!) cleans the cup.

Central Ohio has over 90 independently owned coffee shops. After one year, CORC’s program has diverted over 2,000 disposable coffee cups from the landfill, has reduced litter that ends up in our rivers and streams, and has laid the foundations for a circular economy.

Single use containers have a huge negative impact on the environment. Did you know that Americans throw away an estimated 16 billion to 50 billionsingle-use coffee cups each year. In Columbus, an estimated 500,000 disposable coffee cups are thrown away each day. Every time you drink with a reusable cup you are keeping single use waste out of the environment. Thank you, Doug, Dan, and CORC, for helping reduce litter in our watershed! Check them out on Instagram @CentralOhioReuse.

CORC 2

Whether you are considering energy efficiency measures or exploring ways to clean up our watersheds locally, we are grateful for your efforts! Smart thermostats for space heating and LED lighting are great ways to be efficient. We offer smart thermostats at a discount and Community Energy Savers rewards for participating in peak shaving events. Information on these programs is available here:

City of Columbus Smart Thermostat Marketplace

Earn rewards with Community Energy Savings

Remember that every choice leads back to helping our local watersheds and ensuring a sustainable community for ourselves and our neighbors. Let’s keep making a collective impact together!