Earth Week 2026

Milwaukee ECO Newsletter

Message from the Mayor 

Today is Earth Day! It is a time to be grateful for life on our planet, the outdoors, and all that nature has to offer. We also reflect on our actions that impact the world we live in and, then, make changes so that my children, and all children, can inherit a sustainable environment.

Milwaukee is our home, and we are one neighborhood on our bigger home, Earth. Last week's extreme storms are another reminder that using too much fossil fuel is changing the atmosphere in unnatural and dangerous ways. That’s why I signed our Climate and Equity Plan into law and we are making it happen. That plan includes 10 Big Ideas for action that will improve our homes, neighborhoods, and City now and for the long-term.  

Sustaining, enhancing and promoting Milwaukee’s natural environmental assets is one of the six major objectives of my Administration. In this newsletter, you’ll read about progress we’re making on environmental stewardship and how you can get involved through programs from the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO).  We are making our streets safer with protected bike lanes and traffic calming improvements through our Department of Public Works and Vision Zero initiatives. As the weather improves, I encourage all of us to drive a little less and walk or bike a little more for your health and our environment.

This Earth Day is part of the Year of Housing in Milwaukee. We need to build new, energy-efficient housing while improving our existing housing stock. I recently had a chance to talk to Environmental Sustainability Director Erick Shambarger about some home energy saving tips and funding for larger improvements. We are also offering affordable solar energy through the Grow Solar initiative. Neighbors can work together and with city staff through our Eco-Neighborhood Initiative.

Milwaukee is coastal City with beautiful beaches and rivers. We are embarking on the biggest river clean-up in Milwaukee’s history. That clean-up will make Milwaukee’s rivers safer for boating, kayaking, and fishing. These local efforts support my broader efforts to protect the Great Lakes as a Board Member of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and member of the Swimmable Cities Collaborative.

We must also have better collaboration and shared purpose from the State and Federal governments. I’m speaking out this Earth Day against the reckless actions that the Trump Administration has taken that endanger our planet, our health, and our economy. The administration has withheld important funding for environmental improvements and eliminated environmental protections while making energy more expensive. I’m calling on the federal government to honor its contractual commitments to fund environmental improvements in Milwaukee. I recently traveled to Washington, DC to advocate for continued funding of lead pipe replacements. Federal officials and the community should also remember that more energy efficient cars, homes, power plants, and appliances lead to lower energy costs for everyone and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Milwaukee is leading by example locally, but our actions need to be replicated all across the country.

So, this year, let’s celebrate Earth Day. Let’s keep up the good work locally, and demand better globally.

Sincerely,

Mayor Cavalier Johnson

Green Jobs Update

ECO’s solar projects are putting Milwaukee residents to work while expanding renewable energy infrastructure, connecting them to hands-on roles in installation, electrical work, and system maintenance. Through the Green Jobs Accelerator, these projects prioritize local hiring and provide paid, entry-level opportunities that build real-world experience on active City and regional solar sites. By leveraging Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) and the City’s Residents Preference Program, contractors are integrating unemployed and underemployed residents into high-demand trades while delivering critical renewable energy infrastructure. From rooftop installations on City facilities to large-scale solar expansions, these projects are reducing energy costs and emissions while ensuring that Milwaukee residents gain access to stable, skilled careers that extend well beyond a single project.

Alongside these efforts, ECO recently assisted the Department of Public Works - Forestry Services and the Milwaukee Community Service Corps in launching the second Arborist Pre-Apprenticeship cohort with 10 participants and planning the annual City Hall Career and Resource Fair, bringing together more than 40 City departments and offices, and community partners in education, workforce training, and support services.

Funding & Finance for Home Energy Savings & Solar Projects

Are you interested in energy saving home upgrades like a new heat pump, solar energy, or insulation? ECO and partnering organizations are helping homeowners save money through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) subsidies, Focus on Energy® rebates, and affordable loans. Here are some specifics:

• The IRA HOMES program provides rebates for whole-home energy improvements for homeowners of all income levels living in single-family and multifamily residences. Eligible upgrades include ENERGY STAR® appliances, heating/cooling equipment, air-cooling, insulation, and more. The rebates you receive depend on your household income and the energy savings achieved.
• The IRA HEAR program supports low- and moderate-income households installing heat pumps and other energy-efficient electric equipment. 
• ECO’s ME² program offers affordable loans in partnership with Summit Credit Union to qualifying homeowners for energy-saving upgrades like insulation, ENERGY STAR windows, and heating systems.
• Grow Solar’s Milwaukee-Wakesha buy group helps homeowners and businesses learn about solar and pool their buying power to secure significant discounts to make installing solar more affordable. It can be paired with an affordable loan through Summit Credit Union.
• Milwaukee home owners are eligible for one free energy-saving kit per year.

Check out our past webinar to learn how to qualify the IRA HOMES and HEAR programs.

Introducing the Milwaukee Healthy Homes Program

The City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) developed this program with funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help residents reduce water infiltration and other hazards in the home while improving indoor air quality. Specific improvement include radon mitigation, bathroom and kitchen ventilation, preventing water infiltration, and adding smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The Milwaukee Healthy Homes Program (MHHP) will coordinate and leverage existing home repair programs such as ARPA Lead Remediation and ARPA Energy Efficiency/ Weatherization Integration Program, Inflation Reduction Act programs, City of Milwaukee home repair programs. Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity leads the on-the-ground implementation of MHHP.

Qualifications:

• Owner must live at the home.
• Household income must be no greater than amounts in the following table, which is based on household size. This table is subject to change.
• Home must have homeowners’ insurance coverage
• Property taxes must be current
• Property cannot be at risk of foreclosure

Complete this form to request a MHHP application.

Electric Vehicle Charging Update



Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly common and are powered by an electric battery, rather than gasoline. EVs are cheaper to operate than gas-powered cars in the City, with no trips to the gas stations or oil changes required. Electricity is cheaper than gasoline. EVs have no exhaust tailpipe. This means less neighborhood pollution and greenhouse gasses that contribute to extreme storms and flooding. Moreover, abandoned gas stations have left lasting environmental damage to Milwaukee neighborhoods. Therefore, EVs can lead to healthier neighborhoods. 

The biggest obstacle to more people buying EVs is a lack of public charging stations, particularly for those residents who do not own a garage. ECO was a awarded a $15m federal grant to build a charging network. The City has received federal environmental approvals for the first 13 sites at Milwaukee Public Libraries and parks. We have requested the federal government release the construction funds for those chargers and are currently awaiting a response. Meanwhile, we are planning for the next batch of 20 sites, followed by a third batch of another 20 sites. We conducted a public outreach session on April 8th, with two more virtual events scheduled. See details in the events section or directly provide feedback using the link below! There, you will find a list of sites we are currently considering, answers to frequently asked questions, and a place for you to suggest locations!

Solar Projects Update



The City of Milwaukee continues to add renewable energy systems to power municipal operations. By harnessing the free power of the sun and turning it into electricity, the City is reducing the fossil fuel pollution that contributes to climate change, extreme storms, local air pollution. New solar systems include rooftop solar energy systems at the Police Third District Station located at 2333 N 49th Street, and the DPW Field Headquarters located at 3850 N 35th Street. Construction also continues on the large solar array the east College Avenue landfill. Milwaukee's solar progress with public energy dashboards for many facilities is located at Renewable Energy in City Operations

Upcoming Events

ECO Staff Spotlight: Mia Rudolph-Schulta

Mia coordinates ECO's community outreach and engagement through the ECO Neighborhoods Initiative, which supports teams of residents and stakeholders to plan for and implement effective climate action that aligns with the City of Milwaukee's Climate and Equity Plan goals in neighborhoods across the city. She also manages Healthy Homes & ECO Neighborhoods in partnership with the Sherman Park Community Association, a grant project aimed at increasing residents' awareness of and engagement with residential energy efficiency, environmental health, and other housing improvement programs and resources. Additionally, Mia supports outreach for Plastic-Free MKE's Lake Friendly Business Program. She is passionate about prioritizing health equity, and social and environmental justice in her work. Mia received her master's degree in Public Health, bachelor's degree in Women's and Gender Studies, and a certificate in LGBT Studies from UW-Milwaukee. She has been a co-chair of the Milwaukee Health Department's Built Environment Action Team since 2022 and a board member of Reflo since 2024.

Mia's sustainability story: Avoiding food waste and the high cost of groceries has led me to invest more time and energy into meal prepping at the beginning of each week. Putting more effort into planning by listing out my meals, the ingredients I already have, what I need to buy and portioning it all out in reusable containers has helped me save time, money and reduce my food and plastic waste. The added benefits are that I save on gas and produce less emissions by going to the store and cooking in bulk only once or twice per week. Thoughtful planning and cooking also helps me eat healthier!

Follow us on Social Media

ECO posts daily news, resources, and events on social media. Follow us on the below social media channels using the handle @ecocitymke:

City of Milwaukee

Department of Administration

Environmental Collaboration Office

200 E. Wells St., Room #603

Milwaukee, WI 53202

sustainability@milwaukee.gov

milwaukee.gov/eco