“Green” investing brings peace of mind for environmentally conscious Bert Gilbert. Instead of using his money to back companies he sees as polluters and exploiters, he owns stock in firms that use wind and solar energy ...
When you build a new home, you have the opportunity to be green from the ground up. And it starts when you select the land...
By now, most people have heard the term green jobs, but an abundance of examples in Indiana still are hard to find — perhaps because energy consumption and everyday lifestyles are just beginning to transition to green her...
The growing season is over for most of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up fresh greens, root vegetables, eggs or other locally grown food. We can go to winter farmers markets, which are sprouting up throughout I...
Renee Sweany from Green Piece Indy newsletter is getting married in May at the Indianapolis City Market in a gown made by her mother from fabric from her grandmother’s wedding dress. She and her fiancé are looking forwa...
| Indianapolis Going Green |
| Magazine Articles - Utilities |
| Wednesday, 30 May 2007 06:04 |
You can already see hints of the tint in Indy. The skyline will soon sprout more green roofs designed to slow storm water runoff and reduce the effects of heat islands. Residential and commercial districts will boast new or renovated energy-efficient structures built with aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly materials. More paving will be done with special, pervious materials that allow storm water to seep slowly into the ground rather than gush off impervious pavement. The intrinsic value of green spaces, from parks to cemeteries, has registered in the public consciousness. There seem to be serious discussions about mass transit and urban sprawl. A recent Indianapolis conference on green roofs drew more participants than any other locale, according to Jennifer Sprout of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, who sponsored the seminar with the city. Could Indianapolis be turning green? 
Chicago City Hall’s green roof, completed in 2001, saves at least $5,000 a year on utility bills. (Photo courtesy of Michigan State University)
The impetus for this heightened awareness, concern and action comes from ordinary people, who seem light years ahead of many politicians, civic leaders and corporate executives when it comes to implementing green practices. More than 1,000 of the believers heard Peterson make his remarks recently at Congregation Beth-El Zedek in Indianapolis, before former Vice President Al Gore, the guest speaker, took the podium. Gore reminded the audience that the Chinese symbol for crisis also could be interpreted as opportunity. "Global warming is the most serious challenge our civilization has ever confronted. It also is our greatest opportunity," Gore said. Changing our ways and insisting governments and businesses do the same is a "moral and ethical imperative." As in his Oscar-winning movie An Inconvenient Truth, Gore used graphs, charts, photographs and animated images to illustrate the changes we’ll see as the climate warms. Indeed, Gore said, the map of the world may have to be redrawn because of climate-warming changes to the topography of planet Earth. Gore’s message is a powerful motivator for people everywhere to meet the challenges of climate warming. People like Dave Forsell, president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc., and his board of directors who want to do their part in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis. For the past few months, KIB has been raising money to buy a vacant, two-story, red brick building in Fountain Square and turn it into the not-for-profit’s green headquarters. Built in the 1960s, the building will allow KIB to consolidate people, plants and equipment from three different locations under one roof, just a few minutes from downtown Indianapolis. 
Architect’s concept of proposed headquarters for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc., at 1029 Fletcher Ave. in Fountain Square. (Rendering courtest of Ratio Architects)
"I do see a cultural shift taking place and a lot more interest in LEED buildings and sustainable practices. It’s on the mainstream’s radar screen," he said. KIB’s use of green building techniques will give the estimated $1 million budget about a 2-percent bump up, he said, adding quickly that the additional costs would be recovered with energy and water savings within three years. "And that savings continues year after year," Forsell said. The goal is to help KIB develop as a resource for others interested in environmentally friendly construction materials and practices. Water and energy efficiency is also an integral part of the renovation of a two-story building on the southeast corner of Rural Avenue and 10th Street on Indianapolis’ eastside. So is a green roof that will have public access, said Joe Bowling, a volunteer with the Englewood Community Development Corp., which is part of Englewood Christian Church. {sidebar id=5} Bowling is on a mission to make the building as efficient as possible, with plans that include a green roof that will have hanging gardens visible from the street. In the rear of the building, an atrium will be built that will have a stairway to the roof, providing public access. Coupled with the adjacent pocket park, the building may be the greenest intersection in town when the work is completed this fall. When you talk about green living, Forsell said, "you see the usual suspects, the handful who are already interested. But at Gore’s talk, there were 1,000 people who paid money to hear about environmental quality and sustainable cities. I walked away from there overwhelmed by the evidence. And, maybe, that’s his intention, to overwhelm us with the evidence of climate changes to spur us into taking action."
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Green Greeting (Jan/Feb 2010) 
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Wouldn’t it be great if there were jobs in Indiana where you did something that you enjoyed, got paid pretty decently, and were healing
the planet, all at the same time? That type of job exists — and, no,
I don’t mean working as a senior executive at the Indianapolis Zoo!
Emerging in the background of Indiana’s tough economic climate are green jobs — opportunities to design, build and sell the next generation of sustainable products, from electrical vehicles to wind turbines to zero emission buildings. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Indiana already has about 17,000 of those clean energy jobs.
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For a start, patronize your local winter markets. Produce shipped 2,000 miles from the field to your crisper is prized for travel, but not taste. At the market, you’ll find sweet potatoes; regular potatoes in various colors, such as white, red or blue; turnips; brussels sprouts; parsnips; carrots; mushrooms, salad greens and more.
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