View previous newsletters from the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability outlining sustainability + resilience news from around Central Indiana.
Updates on the city’s energy benchmarking and transparency compliance program, Thriving Buildings, are archived here. The intended audience is owners or facilities managers of large buildings (50,000 square feet or larger) within Indianapolis-Marion County.
Innovative ways to revitalize greenspace in Indianapolis were considered Monday by the City-County Council's Environmental Sustainability Committee. New funding options in the environmental realm could create opportunities for parks, urban canopy and other green projects.
Read MoreWHO chose Indianapolis as one of six pilot cities for the study on how climate change affects public health. Director of the Office of Sustainability for the City of Indianapolis Morgan Mickelson says a 2019 study of Indianapolis done by their office played a role in Indianapolis as a choice.
Read MoreThe World Health Organization worked with the city's Office of Sustainability and the county health department to put together a document detailing the hazards and risks Indy residents face, as well as what actions the city has taken to adapt to the changing climate. The report also lists specific additional actions the city can take to further its resiliency to the effects of climate change.
Read MoreThis morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett joined leadership from the City-County Council and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC) to announce the City of Indianapolis Neighborhood Grant Program. This initiative seeks to increase resident engagement, promote neighborhood action, and establish new and stronger relationships among neighbors and community-based organizations.
Read MoreA new report offers a snapshot of the Indianapolis climate and how it affects the people who live here. The world health organization chose Indianapolis as one of six pilot cities for this project.
Read MoreAs the nation today marks the 150th annual Arbor Day, the City of Indianapolis celebrates its recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA for the City’s commitment to effective urban forest management. This is the 34th consecutive year that the Urban Forestry team has achieved this designation.
Read MoreThe World Health Organization (“WHO”) in partnership with the City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability and the Marion County Public Health Department today announced the publication of a Health and Climate Change Urban Profile for the city of Indianapolis.
Read MoreThe Indianapolis Office of Sustainability today announced that new funding from the American Cities Climate Challenge Equity Capacity Building Fund will allow project staff to better integrate equity considerations into the future of the Thriving Buildings benchmarking program. The program will contract local consultant Engaging Solutions to seek paid feedback from community members who own buildings or businesses, and/or who may be interested in benchmarking their energy and water usage.
Read MoreCentral Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) announced it has received a $25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the Connected Communities Initiative, a collaboration with the City of Indianapolis. The funding will significantly expand and enhance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in Marion County, with a focus on improving access and opportunity for underappreciated communities.
Read MoreDepartment of Metropolitan Development (DMD) Director Scarlett Andrews outlined the City's first stages of affordable housing projects and programs with the City of Indianapolis’ American Rescue Plan Act and community development funding. DMD’s presentation rolled out $6,020,000 for multi-family housing developments, anti-displacement programming, and homelessness services.
Read MoreEmployIndy has publicly launched the Good Wages Initiative (GWI) in Marion County which certifies, celebrates, and showcases Marion County employers that have voluntarily committed to providing full-time employees both a wage of at least $18/hour and access to employer-sponsored health insurance benefits.
Read MoreINDIANAPOLIS – Today, the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability released its second annual report on metrics outlined in Thrive Indianapolis ("Thrive"), which is the first sustainability and resilience action plan in our city's history. Reporting on the previous year’s accomplishments, and published today on Earth Day, read the 2021 Thrive Annual Report here.
Read MoreIn honor of Earth Day this week, Bloomberg Cities takes a closer look at 9 solutions emerging from the American Cities Climate Challenge that can inspire city leaders everywhere.
A lot of cities have climate-action plans but don’t have systems in place to deliver on big promises. That’s what makes the data-driven delivery plan surrounding Indianapolis’ sustainability plan so important.
Read MoreThriving Buildings is the resulting initiative following the City-County Council's passage of the benchmarking and transparency ordinance last summer, bringing with it the potential to significantly reduce utility costs, create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the built environment, and improve overall air quality citywide.
Read MoreIndianapolis’ Office of Sustainability on Tuesday launched the first phase of its building utility tracking and transparency program, bolstered by a new $25,000 equity-oriented award. Called Thriving Buildings, the program’s initial phase includes voluntary participation by private building owners while mandating participation for some municipal buildings.
Read MoreThe Thriving Buildings program from Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability allows building owners and operators benchmarking capability through the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Buildings can track meter data to identify ways to reduce energy and water usage, compare with other structures, and provide their usage data to the city.
Read MoreInterest is on the rise, according to the Department of Public Works, which adopted late last month its first cohesive policy for handling the temporary, low-cost installations that are widely known as tactical urbanism.
Read MoreThe Indianapolis Office of Sustainability today announced that environmental reporting efforts this year will include the submission of a "science-based target" as an interim checkpoint for achieving citywide carbon neutrality by the year 2050.
Read MoreWork to prepare Central Indiana communities to be more resilient in the face of climate change is ongoing.
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