Indianapolis — Lt. Governor Becky Skillman announced 46 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants have been awarded to 37 Indiana cities, towns and counties for energy efficiency upgrades to public facilities.

A total of $3.35 million was awarded for upgrades including LED traffic light conversion, building lighting upgrades and non-lighting building retrofits. The communities were selected for the grants through a competitive bid process.

“These communities have stepped up and are leading by example by making sure public buildings and facilities are not wasting taxpayer dollars through inefficiency,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “Grants such as these help Hoosier counties, cities and towns to be good stewards of public facilities by reducing energy consumption.”

The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and administered in Indiana by the Indiana Office of Energy Development. Cities and towns with fewer than 35,000 in population, and counties with populations of 200,000 or fewer were eligible to apply.

Details can be found here.

Washington, D.C. — Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has announced a partnership with Google as an official content provider for Google Map’s brand-new biking directions functionality. The release of this long-awaited feature allows Google Maps users to type in their destination and receive directions for the best bicycling route. Previously, Google was able to provide walking, driving or transit directions. Now, RTC is providing its extensive trail-map data to Google Maps for the seamless integration of safe, accessible and fun bicycling routes into daily travel.

Since 2000, RTC has made its extensive trails database of more than 1,600 rail-trails and connecting corridors free to the public through its trail-finder Web site, TrailLink.com. In 2007, RTC’s launched its Mapping Initiative and expanded its library of information to include exclusive and free trail maps. Today, as one of Google’s national content partners with trails data in all 50 states, RTC is helping millions more people find trails and enjoy the benefits of bicycling for active transportation and recreation.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to make RTC's extensive bike trail data available through Google Maps and Google Earth,” says Shannon Guymon, Product Manager for Google Maps. “Bikers all over the country now will be able to explore new trails or find specific directions in their local community with just a few clicks of their mouse.”

The inclusion of RTC’s trail information in Google Maps comes at a time when people are clamoring for biking opportunities. In the last year, RTC has seen an unprecedented surge in its TrailLink.com users. TrailLink.com is the most rob

The Indianapolis Business Journal and the Associated Press report that a reduction of meat inspectors could have a terrible impact on local producers who will not be able to get their product to market.

Here's a snip:

Indiana's plan to lay off some meat inspectors to save money and reduce the time inspectors spend with small, independent processors has the industry and farmers fearing it could hurt what has been a growing industry.

It's not clear how many of the state's 52 inspectors will be let go, but meatpackers say any layoffs will prevent them from growing to meet demand for locally raised meat. And, if state inspectors are scarce or unavailable, small meatpackers who can't afford to upgrade for federal inspections could cut back their operations or go under.

Their fears highlight a dilemma lawmakers in many states face as tax revenues decline and they struggle to balance budgets: How deeply do they cut programs that are essential to growing segments of their economies and could generate new tax revenues?

"We're one of the small businesses in Indiana that showed growth in a recession year," said Steve Beutler, past president of the Indiana Meat Packers and Processors Association. "Now we can't grow."

Read the full article.

Carmel, Ind. — Castalia Homes, LLC has certified the first LEED Platinum home by the U.S. Green Building Council in Indiana. The Zionsville home is in the Stonegate subdivision, 6639 W Deerfield Dr. It has the highest certification available through the building council with a Platinum level certification. The home also scored a Gold level rating under National Association of Home Builder green rating system.

Castalia Homes contracts a third party rater to test the home under the Energy Star standards as well as LEED standards. Since Castalia Homes uses a third party it can truly say that its homes are green.

The rating system, called LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design), is simple and under the U.S. Green Building Council. Buildings or spaces are assessed on six criteria: site, water, energy, materials, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design. If they accumulate a minimum of credits, they're deemed 'certified'; if they get more, they achieve 'silver,' 'gold' or 'platinum' status, which is the cream of the green crop.

Castalia Homes has the most certified LEED for homes projects in the State of Indiana.

About LEED® for Homes

LEED® for Homes is a third-party certification system for high-performance green homes. Developed and administered by USGBC, LEED for Homes awards points to projects in seven categories of environmental performance: Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy & Atmosphere, Homeowner Awareness, and Innovation and Design. To date, more than 540 homes have been LEED-certified, and over 13,000 have been registered and are under development. For more information, visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org.