EPA details ways climate change could hit U.S. minorities the hardest
A new federal report says racial minorities in the United States can expect more deaths from extreme heat and property loss from flooding.
Environment
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Thousands of new city trees to go where data shows they’re needed most
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, which plants 3,000 to 4,000 trees in the city each year, is digging even deeper into data and working more closely with local government to make sure its tree-planting plans benefit all areas of the city in a more equitable way.
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IBJ Podcast: Climate change could scorch and soak Indiana while reshaping key industries, Purdue center says
Indiana isn’t seeing the intense heat waves and flash-flooding that other parts of the world are experiencing this summer, but models show our winters will dwindle, our summers will have many more days above 95ºF and rainfall will continue to increase.
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Cummins launches water-access program with $8M commitment
The new program, Cummins Water Works, will focus on improving access to safe water in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, India and South Africa.
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Environmental work almost completed on former stamping plant property
Officials said remediation efforts are in their final stages, with final certification expected in the next few weeks. Elanco Animal Health Inc. plans to build a $100 million headquarters on the site.
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Articles
Superfund site near Zionsville at center of $3M environmental legal fight
A trust overseeing cleanup of Superfund site north of Zionsville is suing an environmental remediation firm after tests showed contaminant levels in the target area were higher than expected. The company has filed its own suit against the trust.
Purdue-patented technology turns plastic into fuel
The technology could soon scale up to commercial-level production under a demonstration project planned by Hasler Ventures LLC.
Revamped EPA website shows increased climate change risks
The website was effectively suspended under President Donald Trump, who did not allow information on the site to be updated and who repeatedly disputed or downplayed the effects of climate change.
Q&A with Joel Markland about turning fields from brown to green
Markland leads the 15-person BCA Environmental Consultants LLC, which started in Elkhart in 1987 and now has offices in Indianapolis, South Bend, Louisville and Puerto Rico.
Governor signs controversial wetlands bill into law
The bill, which scales back protections on Indiana wetlands, had gained support from the Indiana Builders Association, but numerous environmental, conservation and civic groups opposed it.
Q&A with Joel Markland of BCA Environmental Consultants: Turning fields from brown to green
BCA Environmental Consultants LLC is one of many firms that helps local governments and businesses figure out how to clean up messes, commonly called “brownfields.”
State lawmakers amend environment bills as deadlines near
The proposed changes arrive as members of the General Assembly decide whether the state should adopt greener initiatives or scale back current policy protecting water, energy and other resources.
Q&A: Daniel Poynter on helping Indiana become carbon-neutral
Daniel Poynter, a former software developer and executive coach to social entrepreneurs, spent 11 months in 2019 using his savings to study climate full time.
Indianapolis law professor picked by Biden as EPA deputy
A veteran of the Obama administration, Janet McCabe is a professor of practice at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute.
Federal stimulus deal includes provisions to fight climate change
Congress has moved to phase out a class of potent planet-warming chemicals and provide billions of dollars for renewable energy and efforts to suck carbon from the atmosphere.
All my takeout has delivered a mountain of trash. So I asked experts how to minimize it.
The stream of paper, plastic, aluminum and glass that came through my door from roughly 30 takeout orders shocked and depressed me. I accumulated enough waste to fill two recycling containers—nearly 100 gallons of space—not to mention a torrent of guilt.
IPL to pay $1.5M fine to settle Petersburg pollution issues
The Indianapolis-based utility said it also will spend $5 million to mitigate what critics say has been harm to the environment caused by the plant’s excess emissions over the years.
Companies are seeking to reduce their environmental impacts and increase sustainability
Increasingly, as the planet warms, pressure is building from environmentalists, investors, consumers and the general public for corporate America to do something about it.
Tom Easterday: Subaru’s zero-landfill effort is example of what’s possible
In addition to helping eliminate risks to your operations, being a good environmental steward has many other benefits to businesses large and small. Having a successful environmental stewardship program can boost employee morale, enhance a company’s brand image, promote creativity and innovation among employees, increase community awareness of environmental stewardship and generate cost savings.
Q&A: Jeremy Lipinski on using solar power on the farm
Emergent Solar Energy opened in 2014 in the Purdue Research Park with the goal of helping local governments, schools, manufacturers and other companies make the switch to renewable energy. But it didn’t take long for agriculture to emerge as a key sector.
Trump signals he’s prepared to give farmers more federal aid
China’s economy is being rocked by the new virus that has infected more than 75,000 people and forced many businesses and factories to temporarily close.
Mitch Daniels: There’s plenty that’s fishy about fight against salmon
Ultimately, the worst damage of anti-science lies in its opportunity costs. Because they are not yet apparent to ordinary citizens, such costs do not generate an outcry commensurate with the harms they impose.
Plans forming for public-private river education center at Conner Prairie
Visit Hamilton County launched a feasibility study Thursday to determine the best way to align the county’s River Road Park, Carmel’s River Heritage Park and Conner Prairie as a river-centric district.
High water wreaks havoc on Great Lakes, swamping communities
Climate change is believed to influence water temperatures and precipitation, which wage a constant tug-of-war with lake levels. Increasingly, the highs are higher and the lows lower — and the variations happen faster.