Sustainability Now! | Sarah Beth Sammons & Bethany Pratt | Jefferson Co Soil & Water Conservation District | 5-25-26

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, gets his hands dirty with two representatives from the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District: Board Chair, Sarah Beth Sammons, and Environmental Educator, Bethany Pratt. Learn about the vital work being done to protect our natural resources here in Louisville and Mayor Greenberg’s proposal to gut it. Learn more at https://jeffcd.org and Find them on social media @jeffcoswcd Established in 1944, the Soil and Water Conservation District is a governmental agency that works to protect Jefferson County’s natural resources. This is done through a variety of means; technical assistance, financial assistance, and education. If you are reading this newsletter, you have likely participated in one or more of our programs. Unfortunately, the budget proposed by Mayor Greenberg for the next fiscal year plans to cut the District’s already tiny budget by over 54%. If Metro Council passes the budget without restoring funding to the Conservation District, its employees will be terminated, its programs will cease, and conservation work will be severely damaged in Jefferson County. The Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors is asking for your help to act in defense of conservation by demanding full funding of the Conservation District. You can help by filling out the Metro Council Budget Comment Form (https://louisvilleky.gov/government/2026-2027-louisville-metro-budget-comment-form) and contacting your Metro Council Representative (https://apps.lojic.org/metrocouncildistricts/). What is most important is that you tell Metro Council IN YOUR OWN WORDS how you have benefited from Soil & Water Conservation District programming. Metro Council is accepting online public comments through Friday, June 5, at 5:00 p.m. Metro Council is expected to continue hearings through May and June, with a final budget vote currently expected on June 25. As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com