IU Environmental Resilience Institute

Last week, ERI partners celebrated the contributions of McKinney Climate Fellows to Indiana's sustainability and resilience. The event included a moment of silence in honor of Bob McKinney, whose family foundation helped launch the fellows program. Read about the event: https://lnkd.in/g9u6j_Mz Indiana University Research McKinney Family Foundation

🌏 Hey friends, we're doing a special drive at the IU Environmental Resilience Institute this month for donations to our McKinney Climate Fellows scholarship fund, because we have a special incentive: if we raise at least $800, the Indiana University Foundation will pitch in an extra $300! We're at $250 right now -- will you help us meet our goal by the end of October? Thank you! #students #scholarships #climate

In August, ERI Executive Director Gabriel Filippelli led IU's delegation at the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center annual gathering in East Lansing, Mich representing Indiana University Research. While there, Nicole Spanier, a biology PhD candidate and MW CASC Graduate Fellow, presented her research supporting trees' ability to adapt to drought. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gFcd_sA7 #climatesolutions

The proof is in the data: Bike lane infrastructure encourages more people to bike!🚲 A recent article from StreetsBlog USA cites studies in Bloomington, Ind. and Washington D.C. that support the impact of bike lanes on ridership levels. In Bloomington, the construction of protected bike lanes on 7th St. has led to a 100% increase in bike trips compared to roughly 20-30% increases in trips on similar roads with either no bike infrastructure at all or with pre-existing bike lanes. In D.C., after high-level bike infrastructure was built, bike usage rose by 726% and developed a 99.99% incident free rating, showing that building bike infrastructure is associated with positive outcomes for both people and the planet. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxX9sgCn #sustainablecities #resilientinfrastructure

In 2016, Bloomingfoods Co-op Market introduced its register roundup program, Positive Change, as a community-driven fundraising campaign that offers shoppers the opportunity to round their purchase to the nearest dollar, or donate more if they wish. This year, the Environmental Resilience Institute is a Positive Change candidate. If you're a Bloomingfoods member, please consider supporting our work by voting here: https://lnkd.in/g6aDvnbN

This summer, McKinney Climate Fellow and O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs MPA-MSES candidate Genevieve Zilmer supported the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus' climate action planning for the Chicago area. Read more about her contribution: https://lnkd.in/giBYUeqy #climatereadyworkforce

Tire manufacturing company Bridgestone Americas is coming in hot with goals of reaching carbon neutrality and producing tires made with 100% renewable materials by 2050. ♻️ As one of the major manufacturers for Indianapolis 500 tires, the company is accelerating the arrival of sustainable racing with a line of tires made from the waste and byproducts of palm oil processing. Bridgestone Americas says "Getting people down the road matters. But what really matters is getting generations down one." #GreenSportsDay #sustainablebusiness #IndyCar #sustainableracing

Indianapolis residents have the opportunity to get the "dirt" on their soil by getting it tested for contaminants through a program at Indiana University Indianapolis's Center for Urban Health. ERI Executive Director Gabriel Filippelli has been busy digging up information about residential soil across Indianapolis. While many westside residents are aware of lead contamination in their soil, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines make it difficult to qualify for lead screenings. Luckily, Filipelli's lab is testing soil from around Indianapolis for free. Learn more about how to get your soil tested: https://lnkd.in/gdUe7SKt #environmentalhealth Indiana University Research

South Bend is charging toward exhaust-free roadways with the help of ERI. 🚗 This summer, McKinney Climate Fellow Joshua Lemrow helped the City of South Bend engage community members on where to install EV charging infrastructure. With transportation making up 29% of the city's emissions, working with residents to encourage EV adoption is critical to reaching the city's climate action goals. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqPYvP5S #emissionsreductions #EVinfrastructure #sustainablecities

This week, the Environmental Resilience Institute is mourning the loss of and celebrating the life of Bob McKinney, a great champion of climate and resilience efforts in Indiana. Since 2010, Bob and his five children have been leading the McKinney Family Foundation and supporting sustainability programs throughout the state. An IU alum and former trustee, Bob saw the potential for Indiana University to be a leader in climate action, and his foundation was instrumental in some of IU’s first sustainability programs. In 2021, ERI partnered with the McKinney Family Foundation to create the McKinney Midwest Climate Project, an Indiana-focused initiative to empower partners from all sectors to adopt high-impact climate solutions and to train the next generation of climate leaders. To date, more than 100 Indiana communities, businesses, and nonprofits have made progress on their sustainability goals through the efforts of more than 230 IU students. Many of those students, known as McKinney Climate Fellows, have embarked on sustainability careers in Indiana and elsewhere. At a reception honoring Bob and his family in 2022, Bob said the McKinney Midwest Climate Project is “a call to action. Climate change threatens our very existence here in Indiana and throughout the world. We must act now with courage.” As Indiana adapts to our changing climate, we take inspiration from Bob’s vision of an environmentally sustainable future for every Hoosier and heed his call to action.