Power a Clean Future Ohio Celebrates Clean Energy Champions, Recognizes Ohio Local Leadership

(COLUMBUS, OH) — On Friday, Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) and the Ohio Mayor’s Alliance hosted the first Clean Energy Champions Awards ceremony, celebrating Ohio leaders for their commitment to clean energy and climate action.

The event recognized PCFO Communities, mayors, and sustainability professionals throughout Ohio that have taken strides to reduce their carbon emissions while creating more equitable communities through clean energy adoption. This year’s winners were honored at a luncheon at The Athletic Club of Columbus.

Joe Flarida, Executive Director of Power a Clean Future Ohio said, “We are proud to partner with more than 40 local governments across the state to support them in taking meaningful action to deploy clean energy and clean transportation solutions for their communities. Our steadfast coalition of organizations and partners are accelerating a collective transition to clean energy for the sake of our environment, our children’s future, our economic well-being, and our competitiveness in a fast-growing and changing economic reality.”

Michael Jeans, founding President and CEO of Growth Opportunity Partners (Growth Opps) and GO Green Energy, Ohio’s first and only green bank, delivered the keynote address. He is pioneering green bank financing and is a leading national and international voice in developing innovative approaches to leverage financial tools to address environmental justice issues in our communities.

Award winners included:

  • Clean Energy Innovator Award: Athens, for the passage of a carbon fee, which finances a public solar fund to support local solar projects.

  • Environmental Innovator Award: Toledo, for the adoption of a first-in-the-nation 1% for the environment budget initiative and establishment of the Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission.

  • Energy Justice Champion Award: Dayton, for centering equity in the sustainability plan and relaunching a community choice aggregation program for 100% renewable energy that saves residents 30% on their utility bills.

  • Clean Energy Staff Champions:

    • Erin Beck, Assistant Director of Sustainability, City of Columbus

    • Meg Maloney, Sustainability Specialist, City of Dayton

    • Eric Zamft, Director of Planning, Cleveland Heights

  • The Clean Energy Community Award recognized PCFO communities that have implemented a 100% clean energy aggregation program: Athens, Athens County, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Silverton, Worthington

  • The Climate Action Community Award recognized 22 PCFO Communities that have committed to reduce emissions by at least 30% below 2010 levels by 2030

“Local leaders in cities across the state are advancing innovative solutions and we are proud to support our mayors to help ensure Ohio has every opportunity to take advantage of the emerging clean energy economy,” said Keary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance.

Power a Clean Future Ohio is dedicated to working with local communities to develop equitable clean energy solutions to benefit the well-being of residents, the environment, and the economy. Through the Technical Assistance Team and the Infrastructure Grant Assistance Program, communities are provided with the tools to help combat climate change and save residents money.

The Ohio Mayors Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of mayors in Ohio’s largest urban and suburban communities whose mission is to strengthen Ohio’s cities and metropolitan regions through collaboration, communication, improved advocacy, and stronger partnerships with policymakers.