Karl Schneider, Indianapolis Star
Indiana’s Clean Community program handed out its first gold level status to Beech Grove since the state initiative began in 2021.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management awarded the city the highest status of the program July 25. The Clean Community program is an effort to make Indiana a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable place to live, according to IDEM.
“City leadership worked earnestly on behalf of their citizens to ensure a community dedicated to environmental stewardship,” IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods said in a statement. “Being the first municipality to reach this milestone is a significant and well-deserved honor.”
The Clean Community program includes three levels of achievement — bronze, silver and gold — which increase as municipalities complete more sustainability projects.
Beech Grove has installed natural spaces in parking areas, conducted an inventory of its Brownfield sites, passed ordinances improving stormwater management, and hosted toxic substance disposal events.
The city also runs a quarterly drive-up recycling effort with the next event coming up Sept. 6.
“We are honored to work alongside IDEM to become the first city in Indiana to earn gold status, as it reflects on our community’s commitment to being thoughtful stewards of our environment for generations to come,” Beech Grover Mayor James Coffman said in a statement.
Indiana Clean Community program
IDEM’s Clean Community program is voluntary, and so far 12 municipalities have signed up.
Bloomington, Evansville and New Chicago along with four other cities are in the bronze tier, while Fishers, Zionsville, Richmond and Brown County are on the silver tier. For now, Beech Grove stands alone in gold tier.
Bronze tier achievement requires a municipality to have a history of positive environmental compliance. The municipality must then create a Clean Team to prove there are dedicated resources toward sustainability.
To move into the silver tier, a municipality must meet all bronze level requirements and also implement between four and eight projects. They also must measure and report on performance metrics.
To achieve the top gold tier, a municipality must meet all bronze and silver requirements as well as implementing four to eight new projects along with monitoring requirements.
The program is aimed at helping communities become more sustainable and resilient by providing a pathway for continuous improvement, according to IDEM. The recognition doesn’t come with a trophy or monetary prize, but participation earns cities recognition when applying for competitive grants and assistance programs.
The Clean Community program is open to all of Indiana’s towns, cities and counties. IDEM hosts annual meetings for participating locations.
SOURCE: IndyStar