Reports
Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/28718
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Item 2019 Resilience Cohort Results Summary(2020-05-04) Webster, Andrea; Lnage, JoeIn 2019, Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) launched the Resilience Cohort, a program that guided 14 Indiana cities, towns, and counties through the process of conducting community-wide greenhouse gas inventories. The Cohort was supported by staff at ERI and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability through strategy consulting, webinar training, and technical assistance. Some Cohort participants participated in Sustain IU’s Indiana Sustainability Development Program (ISDP) and hosted an IU student extern for 10 weeks during the Cohort program to help with the inventory process. For many participants, this was the first GHG inventory conducted in their community, providing a fundamental benchmark for local governments committed to reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency city- or county-wide. Participants conducted their inventories using one of the two accepted methodologies: the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) and the US Community Protocol for Accounting and Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions (US Community Protocol). Additionally, seven communities conducted local-government operations inventories alongside their community-wide inventories to provide a more detailed look at government-specific emissions.Item The Hoosier Life Survey: How Do Rural Hoosiers View Climate Change? Insights Toward Engagement and Policy Design(2022-07-06) Burhans, Molly; Houser, Matthew; Sandweiss, Eric; Gazley, Beth; Browning, Elizabeth; Reynolds, Heather; Shanahan, JamesThe Hoosier Life Survey (HLS) is the nation’s most comprehensive statewide public-opinion survey of environmental change to date. The HLS addresses how environmental changes—particularly extreme weather events—are perceived, how they affect people in their homes and towns, what Hoosiers are doing about it, and what they expect for the future. This report aims to offer key introductory insight into how rural Hoosiers perceive climate change—their beliefs about the phenomenon and their concern about its’ impact on their lives and community. Through outlining rural Hoosiers’ perceptions of this critical topic, our aim is to provide critical fodder for the design of future engagement efforts and ultimately toward crafting more effective policy.Item The Hoosier Life Survey: Examining the impact of 2020 on Hoosiers: COVID, Black Lives Matter, and Climate Change in Indiana(2021-06-30) Houser, Matthew; Sandweiss, Eric; Gazley, Beth; Browning, Elizabeth; Reynolds, Heather; Shanahan, JamesThe Hoosier Life Survey (HLS) is the nation’s most comprehensive statewide public-opinion survey of environmental change to date. The HLS addresses how environmental changes—particularly extreme weather events—are perceived, how they affect people in their homes and towns, what Hoosiers are doing about it, and what they expect for the future. In this report, our central aim is to document how Hoosiers’ attitudes have changed after living through the pandemic year of 2020, including how their views on climate change have shifted. We do so by taking advantage of and building upon our recent work. The Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University fielded and completed a statewide general public survey between 2019 and early (pre-pandemic) 2020, called the Hoosier Life Survey.Item The Hoosier Life Survey: Politics and Climate Change at the Crossroads(2020-05-29) Houser, Matthew; Sandweiss, Eric; Gazley, Beth; Browning, Elizabeth; Reynolds, Heather; Shanahan, JamesThe Hoosier Life Survey (HLS) is the nation’s most comprehensive statewide public-opinion survey of environmental change to date. The HLS addresses how environmental changes—particularly extreme weather events—are perceived, how they affect people in their homes and towns, what Hoosiers are doing about it, and what they expect for the future. This report highlights the role of political affiliation in Hoosiers’ perceptions of, and preparation for, environmental change.Item The Hoosier Life Survey: Assessing Hoosier preparedness for environmental change, extreme weather, and other risks(2020-04-21) Houser, Matthew; Sandweiss, Eric; Gazley, Beth; Browning, Elizabeth; Reynolds, Heather; Shanahan, JamesThe Hoosier Life Survey (HLS) is the nation’s most comprehensive statewide public-opinion survey of environmental change to date. The HLS addresses how environmental changes—particularly extreme weather events—are perceived, how they affect people in their homes and towns, what Hoosiers are doing about it, and what they expect for the future. This research, sponsored by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI), was funded by IU’s Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge initiative. Between August and December 2019, ERI reached out to 10,000 adult (18+) Hoosiers across Indiana—from Chicago’s suburbs to Cincinnati’s metropolitan fringe, from the Grand Chain of the Wabash to the shore of northern Indiana’s historic Limberlost Swamp. In total, 2,739 Hoosiers—representing 90 of the state’s 92 counties—responded. Thanks to their participation, ERI can now offer scientists, public officials, and the general public new insight into how climate change affects Hoosiers in their everyday lives.Item Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Summary Report for 2022 Urban Green Infrastructure Resilience Cohort(2022-09-01) Flint, Aren; Mendolia, Joey; Hartman, Ava; Russell, Andrew; Olsen, Grace; Benko, Matthias; Handy, Rae; Thomas, JonathanFor the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) Resilience Cohort, Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) contracted Davey Resource Group, Inc. “DRG” to translate digital imagery showing detailed leaf-on conditions into different land cover classifications for nine Indiana communities. In addition to consultant and climate fellow participation, local government cohort participation included the City of Fishers, City of Fort Wayne, City of Huntington, Town of Merrillville, City of Terre Haute, Town of Zionsville, and joint participation from City of Lafayette, City of West Lafayette, and Tippecanoe County. This consultant-fellow-government cohort partnership has provided a resource for community planning and tools that illustrate current baseline land cover percentages, including an improved understanding of tree canopy and preferred plantable area. The project area includes the municipal boundaries of all patriating cities and towns and the unincorporated urbanized area of Greater Lafayette. This project area is approximately 383 square miles or 245,003 acres (Table 1). Cumulatively, the cohort’s 2021 existing tree canopy is at 24% cover. The analysis projects an attainable tree canopy of 49%; this is the sum of the existing tree canopy and plantable area (26%). Reaching the maximum tree canopy will be a challenge; however, preserving existing tree canopy, establishing realistic canopy goals, and harnessing the maximum amount of ecosystem benefits by planting, maintaining, and caring for trees (particularly large-growing trees) when appropriate are prudent and responsible endeavors.Item Model Solar Ordinance for Indiana Local Governments(2020-12-01) Greene, Jenna; Ross, Brian; Wyatt, JessiLocal governments in Indiana are seeing increasing interest from property owners in solar energy installations and are having to address a variety of solar land uses in their development regulations. This Model Ordinance is based on research and best practices identified through working with over 100 Midwestern communities over the last ten years as solar energy markets evolved and expanded. The model has been tailored to reflect Indiana-specific enabling statutes, ordinance practices, and community priorities currently seen in the state, with input from local planning, solar industry, and other experts.Item Indiana Renewable Energy Guide: A Guide for Local Governments(2020-12-01) Greene, Jeanne; Ross, Brian; Wyatt, JessiWind and solar energy are among the least expensive forms of electric generation in the country. Solar and wind resources are abundant throughout Indiana. Costs of both solar and wind energy systems are forecast to continue declining. Increased market activity in renewable energy development will therefore continue well into the future. This guide provides Indiana communities with a long-range perspective on utility- and community-scale solar and wind energy markets and development trends. Understanding the long-term context helps communities make informed decisions in evaluating renewable energy proposals and creating plans about how future development should happen.Item Mapping for Environmental Justice: An Analysis of State Level Tools(2021-07-01) Konisky, David; Gonzalez, Daniel; Leatherman, KellyAs part of an effort to evaluate how an environmental justice mapping tool may best serve Indiana, a team of researchers from Indiana University’s Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Environmental Resilience Institute analyzed environmental justice mapping tools employed elsewhere across the United States. This report summarizes the results of this analysis. Specifically, we evaluated 19 environmental justice mapping tools, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) national-level EJSCREEN and 18 state-level tools. In this report, we summarize existing practices with respect to mapping platforms, data, methodologies, and other dimensions.Item Climate Resilience and Water Resources(2023-03-13) Kravitz, Ben; Letsinger, Sally; Allen, Eva; Filippelli, GabrielWater sits at the nexus of every human activity, yet water resources are complicated, and water quantity and quality are not consistently distributed around the planet, causing water inequities. Because water needs are ubiquitous and pervasive, there are no one-size-fits-all answers. We need a whole-of-society approach to addressing water resilience. We convened a Convergence Accelerator Workshop over four days in October 2022 to bring sharper focus to existing research gaps in water resources. Activities included focused brainstorming and sharpening of ideas, resulting in high priority recommendations for the NSF Convergence Accelerator program of topics that could be addressed in 2–3-year research programs.Item Building Climate Resilience in Indiana with Business & Local Government Leaders(2022-07-28) Eskew, Kelly; Mincey, Sarah; Schaust, Danni; Flaherty, MattTo explore whether and how businesses and local governments can coordinate for climate resilience and the extent to which the “ERIT approach” may be useful in the private sector and to support public-private collaboration, ERI staff and faculty from IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Kelley School of Business engaged Indiana businesses and local governments in a one-day, virtual workshop during which participants provided critical feedback on these questions.