Calendar
Trash and/or Recycling Route Changes
On March 5, 2012 citizens may notice a change in their trash pick up day and/or a change in recycling collection week. For example, your…
The Great American Cleanup Expo will take place on Saturday, February 4 at City Hall. Whether you're new to the event or a veteran organizer,…
News
Our newest program, Sustainability In Action, is off to a good start. Aimed at helping schools reduce waste, energy, and water consumption through recycling, composting,…
On America Recycles Day, 2TRG collected more than 25,000 pounds of e-waste during our One Stop Drop event at Whole Foods. We also collected 150…
Future Blooms
The idea for Future Blooms came from the Cincinnati Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP), a dynamic community development program that targets neighborhoods on the verge of decline. Various city and community partners work together to eliminate blight and reduce crime improving the overall quality of life in these communities. Through our involvement with the NEP, we found that abandoned buildings and vacant lots provide the most potential for positive change. Rather than paint expensive murals or plant gardens, the Future Blooms cost-effective design restores identity to abandoned buildings and lots as well as encourages economic development.
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Future Blooms is structured to be a high impact, strategically placed program aimed at improving the appearance of the community, with an ultimate goal of tipping that community back to being healthy and viable. This goal is accomplished by painting doors, windows, awnings, and flower boxes on the doors and windows of abandoned buildings and by stabilizing, seeding, fencing, and maintaining vacant, blighted lots. The vacant lot program is modeled after the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's successful Philadelphia Green Program.
After 18 months of operation, KCB measured the impact of the abandoned building enhancement portion of this program. A Blight Index© was conducted in the target area before program staff painted their first building, and crime statistics were gathered for the specific police reporting areas. After one year, we have seen a 25% drop in blight in the area. Crime has decreased by 18% with Green Street seeing the most dramatic drop (click here for video testimonials from police and residents). Another indicator that has huge implications is the amount of litter picked up through the Sheriff's Inmate Work Detail. Over those 18 months, the crews collected 28% less litter.
Our documented results are impressive, but the team is the most excited about the incredible response from the community. People will slow down if they are driving past us just to yell “Thank You!” out the window. These people do not own the property, yet they see that we are making a real difference in the community. Gina Lorubbio, one of our former interns, had this to say:
“When you walk down a street where we’ve completed multiple buildings, it’s easy to realize how vibrant this city once was, and it helps everyone imagine how it could be a thriving neighborhood once again.”
Due to the continuing success of Future Blooms, the City of Cincinnati as well as the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee have committed funding to grow this program. Corporations have also stepped up providing volunteer hours, dollars, and supplies for vacant lots and buildings to keep Cincinnati Beautiful.
To date, we have enhanced over 420 buildings and 110 vacant lots.
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- Pepsi Refresh Video Submission
- Right of Entry Building Form
- Right of Entry Lot Form
Click below to Donate $300 and Sponsor an Aesthetic Building Enhancement
Click below to Donate Square Feet for a Building Enhancement (each square foot is $2.50)