Carmel, IN – 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 (www.usmayors.org). Brainard was highlighted among mayors from other cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and Miami.

June 2009 - Mayor Brainard has formed a Trash Advisory Committee to look into the feasibility of city-provided trash and recycle trash service for Carmel residents.  To determine if this is reasonable and cost-efficient, City of Carmel Utilities put together a Trash Survey to investigate the current costs and details related to curbside trash and recycling service.  Although the mayor's office and committee have compiled preliminary survey results, the survey will remain available at City of Carmel Residential Trash Survey.

CarmelFest Pitches in for Energy Independence

Indiana has one of the highest per capita trash in the country.  Recycling avoids the landfill as well as saves energy and resources.  Recycling aluminum saves a whopping 95 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite ore, according to the Aluminum Association.

I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the CarmelFest Committee and the Carmel Arts & Design District for providing recycling trash bins to patrons of CarmelFest and Rock the District.

Most of us purchase drinks in convenient disposable plastic bottles and aluminum cans at these outdoor events. In the past, this presented a dilemma for the recycling enthusiast: either lug around the empties to recycle at home or conveniently, but unhappily, throw them out at the event.