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Governor's Green Award presented to Clay Township Regional Waste District
CTRWD has worked to become a leading environmental steward in the sewer business through the launch of several environmental programs and initiatives. These initiatives include the creation of a wildlife friendly habitat, an extensive outreach program for the prevention of fat, oil and grease (FOG), moving to a paperless system in its accounting and collections department, and purchasing high-efficient equipment well above national standards. Read more Posted Nov 2012
Green Features at City's New Water Plant
The new, 106th Street water plant has several environmental sustainability features. It is a registered LEED project (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the world’s leading green building standard. It has photo voltaic power for its exterior and parking lot lights. The office and laboratory areas are heated and cooled by Geothermal technology utilizing treated groundwater. This is the first water plant in Indiana to utilize geothermal heating and cooling from treated water. Way to go, Carmel! Read more Posted Oct 2012
City Urges Voluntary Water Conservation
Due to extreme drought conditions, facilities have been operating at levels never seen before. While the city is able to meet the current demand, no one can predict how long the drought will last and what our needs and the needs of the surrounding communities will be. Therefore, Carmel residents are being asked to conserve water voluntarily to protect the City's ability to meet current and future needs in Carmel and the region. Read more. Posted Aug 2012
Citywidy Trash and Recycling Program
Carmel gets green light to power down
The City of Carmel was awarded $633,000 under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant . The city will use these funds to switch about half of the city’s lights to LEDs. Estimated savings will be $70,000 a year in electricity costs and roughly 1.4 million lbs of CO 2 every year. Kudos to Mayor Brainard for this green initiative! xxx
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CARMEL'S GREEN INITIATIVES
The City of Carmel has implemented many different projects in an attempt to save taxpayer dollars and reduce its impact on the environment. Below is a brief list of these efforts.
- Hybrid/Bio-Fuel City Vehicles
- No Idle Policy for City Vehicles
- Installation of about 50 Roundabouts
- Commuter Bus Service to Downtown Indianapolis
- City Bicycles for Employees to Use
- Bike Path and Sidewalk Installation throughout the City
- Recycling in City Hall
- City Recycling Facilities
- Purchase of Environmentally Preferred Products
- Carmel Arbor Day Celebration
- Street Tree Planting
- Backyard Conservation Program
- Mixed Use/Compact Developments
- Stormwater Management Regulations
- Methane Gas Recovery for Heat at the Waste Water Treatment Facility
- Production of Class A Biosolids
The wastewater treatment process turns biosolids into an easy-to-handle fertilizer which can safely be used as a soil conditioner.
- Chamber of Commerce Green Award for Local Businesses
- Farmer's Market
- Wind Power Study
- Large Item Drop Off and Pick-up Service
- Prescription Drug Disposal Program
- Carmel Mayor endorses mass transit plan Mayor Brainard joins Indianpolis Mayor Greg Ballard, Hamilton County Commissioner Christine Altman and others in support of public transit plan.
- Carmel participates in Earth Hour to conserve energy resources. By taking part in this global 'lights out' event, Carmel acknowledges its commitment to actions that benefit the planet.
- Carmel Mayor endorses America Recycles Day
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
The City of Carmel has received many awards and much recognition for its efforts in improving the environment. Below is a list and a brief description of these honors.
- November 14, 2009 - The Hoosier Environmental Council recognized Mayor Jim Brainard for his environmental leadership. Read more at Indy Biz.
- October 7, 2009 - Mayor Jim Brainard is one of 16 mayors who were selected to be profiled by the USCM in a report on mayoral leadership, The Power of 86 Million Americans: 1,000 Mayors Committed to Climate Action. This report highlights specific actions mayors are taking around the country to meet the goals of the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Brainard was highlighted among mayors from other cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Miami. Read more at Indy Biz
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June 2009 - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard, co-chairs of the Mayors Climate Protection Task Force, convened mayors on June 13 for a session that focused largely on city efforts to deploy Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds effectively in support of local energy and climate protection initiatives. Read more
- Outstanding Laboratory Award from the Indiana Water Environment Association - The Outstanding Laboratory Award is awarded for outstanding achievement in the implementation of laboratory technique and administration. Candidates for the award are determined by the IWEA Laboratory Committee and are based upon a graded evaluation of the laboratory on set criteria. The city of Carmel has received this award 8 years in a row.
- IACT Green Community Designation - The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT) launched the Green Community Initiative to identify potential cost savings to communities facing budget shortfalls, promote economically competitive quality of life concepts and serve as role models as the country attempts to wean itself from foreign oil while better protecting the environment.
- Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in Pollution Prevention - This award recognizes Indiana's leaders who have implemented outstanding environmental strategies into their operations and decision-making processes. Carmel received this award for choosing an alternative wastewater disinfection process when it was time to upgrade the system. Instead of doubling the size of its chlorine tank, city officials chose a method involving ultraviolet light. The light kills bacteria in wastewater effluence before being discharged into the White River. The new method eliminates the use of potentially toxic chlorine and sulfur dioxide and has no detrimental environmental effects.
- 2008 Excellence for Community Trees Award Runner -Up - Carmel was named national runner-up in the Small City Category for its Urban Forestry Programs. The award, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Home Depot Foundation, honors mayors and their partnerships with nonprofits to enhance and strengthen communities through the use of trees. Carmel partnered with Citizens for Greenspace and as part of the award a grant in the amount of $25,000 was given to Citizens for Greenspace. The funds will be used to plant more street trees.
- 2008 Mayors' Climate Protection Award - Mayor James Brainard was honored with this award for his innovative practice of installing roundabouts, which have not only have safety, cost, and traffic flow benefits, but also environmental benefits. This award is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, to recognize and honor mayors for their outstanding practices to increase energy efficiency in their cities and to help curb global warming.
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Bicycle-Friendly Community (Bronze Level) - The Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign is an awards program that recognizes municipalities that actively support bicycling, provide safe accommodations for cycling, and encourage its residents to bike for transportation and recreation.
- Tree City USA® - The Tree City USA® program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. The program provides directions, assistance, attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs.
- Tree City USA Growth Award - This award recognizes environmental improvements and encourages higher levels of tree care. It is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Carmel has received this award 12 years in a row.
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