Release: City's Office of Sustainability Celebrates Major Climate Action Wins Upon Completion of Bloomberg's American Cities Climate Challenge
This prestigious partnership provided resources to selected cities' mayors to help them reach bold goals for reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions.
INDIANAPOLIS – For the past three years, the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, along with the Department of Metropolitan Development and community partners, has been advancing impactful local climate action as a selected participant in Bloomberg Philanthropies' American Cities Climate Challenge—a three year-long policy accelerator that provided resources and support to the mayors of U.S. cities to assist with achieving citywide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
“The hazardous effects of climate change are already affecting urban areas across the country, and Indianapolis is not immune,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Thanks in large part to the expertise and guidance provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies in the Challenge, Indy was able to enact much needed measures which will benefit our entire community and respect the right of every Hoosier to live in a clean and healthy environment.”
Launched in 2018, the Challenge granted Indianapolis $2.5 million in resources to make improvements on energy efficiency of buildings, implement programs to encourage public transportation use and expand pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Specifically, the City accomplished:
Passing a Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance aimed at increasing transparency in energy use and lowering building sector emissions;
Passing a Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance to encourage density, mobility, and housing options near newly constructed bus rapid transit routes;
And establishing a clear climate action plan implementation process for reporting on progress and problem solving across departments.
As a result of the Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance , passed by City-County Council in July of 2021, the Office of Sustainability launched Thriving Buildings in March of this year to empower facilities managers and building owners across the county to maximize the efficiency of their energy and water use. Buildings in Indianapolis account for 66% of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, and this program has the potential to reduce those emissions by 27%, save $16 million in utility bills each year, save $77 in public health costs due to improved air quality, and create 1,400 jobs. Already 35 organizations have pledged to benchmark their properties, with more than 100 buildings enrolled—including Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis Public Schools, and the Indianapolis Public Library. Building owners can learn more and participate at indy.gov.
The City-County Council passed the Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance in August of 2021, amending parts of Indy Rezone, an overhaul of the city’s zoning ordinances. The TOD overlay improves current language referring to dwelling and mixed-use property development in order to promote connection and accessibility between neighborhoods and commercial areas along Bus Rapid Transit lines. Benefits include high-density housing near transit, improved public spaces, safer streets for walking and biking, and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
“The achievements from the cities in the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge is an incredible example of how cities are able to be innovators and leaders in the fight against climate change — piloting projects, transforming solutions, and developing new approaches to community partnerships to drive a more equitable economic recovery and sustainable future,” said Antha Williams, who leads the environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “But the work is not done. While the climate continues to change at an accelerating pace, the solutions the City of Indianapolis implemented as part of the Climate Challenge will serve as a guidepost for other cities looking to lead a new generation of environmental progress across America.”
The passage of both of these policies accomplished action items outlined in Thrive Indianapolis, the city’s first ever sustainability and resilience action plan adopted in 2019. Progress updates on the 57 additional action items as well as annual reports outlining the path to carbon neutrality by 2050 are available at ThriveIndianapolis.com.
Indianapolis was one of only 25 cities chosen to participate in the Challenge, a first-of-its-kind program. Other peer cities included Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Denver. Building on the Climate Challenge's success, the 25 cities continue to turbocharge efforts to reduce emissions, improve air and water quality, and create good jobs. The Climate Challenge is projected to reduce 74 million metric tons of carbon emissions through 2030.
Additional updates on the City’s sustainability and climate action efforts can be found by following the Office of Sustainability on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube or by visiting sustain.indy.gov.
About the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability
The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, also known as SustainIndy, uses best practices in sustainability to enhance the quality of life for all residents in Indianapolis and Marion County. Housed within the Department of Public Works, the Office of Sustainability promotes an environmentally sustainable city through different programs and initiatives that help improve issues such as air quality and stormwater management, as well as energy efficiency and environmental planning. For more information, visit sustain.indy.gov.
About Thrive Indianapolis
Thrive Indianapolis, adopted in February 2019, is the first sustainability and resiliency action plan in our city's history. It contains 16 key objectives and 59 ambitious but achievable actions that stakeholders will strive to accomplish by 2025. It is a road map to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that all of Indianapolis is prepared for and resilient to climate change. For more information, visit thriveindianapolis.com.
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