15F: Environmental Sustainability

Value to the Community

Environmental sustainability efforts are connected to a community's broader quality-of-life as well as its efforts to address social inequities. They are also connected to economic development efforts that keep Indy competitive, as a growing number of companies are factoring in GSE (governance, sustainability, environment) factors of a community in their investment decisions.

Value to the Hospitality Industry

While many groups have yet to indicate a willingness to pay a premium for environmental sustainability measures, many increasingly indicate a desire for them and competitor cities are increasingly adopting them. Similarly, more and more companies are factoring in a community's embrace of sustainability measures as part of their investment decisions. To remain economically competitive such investments are important.

Updates

• January 2025. Universal Recycling Delayed. The City of Indianapolis is now targeting 2028 for the rollout of universal curbside recycling in the city.
• February 2024. Eiteljorg Museum receives AES funding. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been making strides in becoming more environmentally sustainable with an 18% reduction in electricity consumption. In recognition of their efforts, AES Indiana presented additional funding to continue their efforts. A little under fifty thousand dollars for an energy efficiency study and a little over twenty thousand for infrastructure implementation.
• January 2024. State of the State Address- Trees. Governor Holcomb announced in the State of the State Address that he plans to plant the one millionth tree on Arbor Day.
• July 2023. Indy Airport Awarded FAA Grant. The Indianapolis Airport Authority will receive the nation’s largest allotment of Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program Funding, of about $22.58 million. The Airport will use this funding to implement energy efficient infrastructure and install solar panels at the Indianapolis International Airport. They hope this will bring the company closer to net zero emissions, lower operating costs, and maintain operational resiliency.
• July 2023. More Electric Hybrid Fleet. Indy Go, in partnership with Allison Transmission, plans to expand their fleet to include more electric hybrid vehicles thanks to a $19 million grant from the Federal transit Administration’s 2023 Low or No Emission and Grant for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program. These new vehicles will replace older one in the fleet and will be quieter, reduce emissions, improve air quality, and improve service reliability.
• March 2023. Indianapolis Planted its 30,000th Tree. Indy in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful were following the Thrive Plan laying out sustainability objectives back in 2019. In that plan the goal was to plan 30,000 trees by 2025 and achieved that goal two years early. There was specific note to ensuring to plant trees where they where most needed and in hopes to reduce flooding.
• October 2022. City takes first steps toward universal recycling goal of 2025. Taking its first steps toward achieving the goal of universal curbside recycling in the city, the City released a Request for Information seeking to identify potential partners.
• September 2021. Transit-Oriented Development ordinance passes council. Indianapolis adopted zoning reforms intended to promote greater densities and mixes of uses along high-frequency transit corridors.
• July 2021. Energy benchmarking ordinance passes City-County Council. Indianapolis adopted an ordinance to track and publicly report water and energy use for municipal and large commercial buildings, intended to lead to savings and reduced environmental impact.
• September 2020. Indianapolis Circular Economy Initiative launches. Focused on addressing Indy's recycling challenges, this initiative is formed by the City of Indianapolis and more than two dozen stakeholders.