Mayor Greg Ballard spoke about Indianapolis's sustainable initiatives when he received the award.
Indianapolis received an honorable mention in the 2012 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards in the large cities category Wednesday.
The annual awards, which recognize cities for energy efficiency and innovative energy practices, placed Indianapolis near the top of their list along with cities like Charlotte, N.C. and Los Angeles.
Indianapolis Mayor, Greg Ballard talked about the city’s green initiatives when he accepted the award at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Orlando.
“The changes we are making to the City-County Building and City-owned buildings across the system – and the resulting savings – are a perfect example of how the city can become more sustainable while being economical,” Ballard said in a city press release.
A few of Indianapolis’s energy initiatives were highlighted during the ceremony:
- An $18 million Sustainable Facilities initiative has added energy efficiency and water conservation programs to 61 city facilities.
- The retrofitting of several city vehicles to utilize propane fuel, which releases 24 percent less carbon than unleaded fuel while maintaining 90 percent efficiency.
- The city has converted 230 of its 800 streets lights to use highly efficient LEDs.
“This honor demonstrates our progress when compared with other cities our size and fuels our continued efforts to make Indianapolis one of the most sustainable cities in the Midwest,” Ballard said.
USCM is an organization of cities of 30,000 or more. The organization has 1,210 members and focuses mainly on effective urban and suburban policies, helping mayors share ideas and making sure government policy meets the needs of urban areas.
For more information on sustainable projects in Indianapolis go to www.indy.gov/sustainindy
