Let's Grow Local 2025

On October 28, volunteers, partners and neighbors came together to grow a greener Cincinnati. Altogether we planted 150 new trees throughout the West End and completed community projects to enhance public spaces. 

Led by MadTree, Ohio’s only B Corp certified brewery, alongside 1% for the Planet partners Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Cincinnati Parks, and Groundwork Ohio River Valley, this event continues a six-year legacy of collaboration. Since 2019, these organizations and their partners have planted over 6,000 trees citywide, including 673 through the Let’s Grow Local initiative alone. Together, they’re improving air quality, cooling neighborhoods and strengthening community pride, one tree at a time. 

“We started with a simple goal: to give back to the community in a hands-on way,” said Rhiannon Hoeweler, VP of Experience & Impact at MadTree. “Now it’s become a movement that unites businesses, nonprofits and residents around a common purpose: growing a healthier and more connected Cincinnati.” 

Cincinnati Parks and MadTree have partnered with Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Arbor Day Foundation, Seven Hills Neighborhood House, City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati ToolBank, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, CityLink, Duke Energy Foundation and corporate supporters Grote Enterprises, LLC, MANE, Prus Construction, Sysco, and Payload for this special day of service. Volunteers planted trees, cleaned and beautified parks, removed invasive species and cared for existing gardens and tree wells, leaving a visible, lasting difference in this neighborhood. 

“We’re proud to keep investing in the future of the West End,” said Jennifer Hafner Spieser, President + CEO of Cincinnati Parks Foundation. We’ve already seen how renewed green spaces, like our work in Ezzard Charles Park, can inspire activity and connection. By adding more trees through Let’s Grow Local, we’re building that momentum and advancing the goals of the Green Cincinnati Plan. 

Trees have countless physical and mental health benefits, which is why Let’s Grow Local focuses on increasing tree canopy in Climate Safe Neighborhoods with less than 40% tree canopy coverage. According to the U.S. Forest Service, urban tree canopy can reduce neighborhood temperatures by up to 10°F and can significantly improve air quality and mental well-being. Thanks to a partnership with the City of Cincinnati, new air quality monitors installed in the West End will help measure environmental impact over time, including pre-and-post planting data to better understand how increased tree canopy coverages improve local air quality. 

The 2024 event in Avondale marked the largest single-day tree planting in Cincinnati history, with 200 volunteers planting more than 200 trees. This year, Let’s Grow Local brings the same energy and impact to the West End, ensuring the benefits of trees and green spaces reach every corner of the city. 

“We’re thrilled to work with our amazing partners to keep this momentum going into the West End in 2025,” said Parks Director Jason Barron. “One of the many great things about trees is that they last. The ones we are planting now will grow alongside the West End community for generations, providing shade, beauty, and a healthier environment for everyone to enjoy.” 

In celebration of this event, MadTree has also crafted a Let’s Grow Local, Vienna-Style Lager, brewed entirely with hyper-local ingredients. The malt comes from South Fork Malthouse, made with Kentucky-grown barley and craft malted in Cynthiana, Kentucky, while sunflower seeds from Gorman Heritage Farm, roasted in-house by the MadTree team, add a distinctive local nutty aromatic flavor & character. The beer is available at the MadTree Taproom, and 1% of all proceeds support tree planting and greening projects across the city. 

To learn more about Let’s Grow Local and its impact on Cincinnati, click here.