SUSTAINABILITY ACTION ITEMS
Below are the action items identified for each priority outlined in the Sustainability section of the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan.
| 1.1: Conduct a near Eastside environmental assessment of historical pollution and climate change risk to ensure that environmental sustainability projects will benefit neighbors who are most impacted.
Implementation Partner: NEAR |
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| 1.2: Advocate for and seek funds to provide low-cost weatherization on near Eastside homes through strategies such as LEED and energy star performance assessments, workshops or programming which teach at-home techniques determine existing weatherization performance, and neighbor assistance programs like Caulk the Town.
Implementation Partner: NEAR |
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| 1.3: Encourage more effective outreach by Indianapolis Power and Light in order to make businesses aware of free prescriptive and custom rebate programs to save energy. As a part of this process, ensure up-to-date materials advertising incentive programs are regularly distributed at business association meetings and available at key organizations and online.
Implementation Partner: Near Eastside Business Association |
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| 1.4: Engage local universities to participate in service learning and design competitions in order to drive new thinking and energy into making the near Eastside more resilient, then seek funding to implement promising solutions.
Implementation Partner: Ball State University – CAP IC |
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| 1.5: Explore more widespread renewable energy generation opportunities for non-residential community-serving properties so that benefits of clean energy and future savings may directly impact near Eastside neighbors.
Implementation Partner: Solar United Neighbors |
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| 1.6: Advocate for policies and legislation that make renewable energy generation more feasible for residential and commercial buildings including policies that allow for net metering, lower fixed charges by investor-owned utilities, and offset the initial cost of renewable energy generation equipment.
Implementation Partner: Solar Energy Taskforce |
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| 1.7: Increase accessibility of renewable energy generation opportunities to neighbors of all income levels by encouraging participation in the Solar United Neighbors’ Co-op and innovative financing programs to extend economic benefits of renewable energy to residents of multi-family housing.
Implementation Partner: John Boner Neighborhood Centers |
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| 1.8: Maximize the number of permeable surfaces as a mechanism for heat and pollution reduction, including strategies such as green rooftops, green walls, rain gardens, and tree lawns.
Implementation Partner: Solar Energy Taskforce |
| 2.1: Coordinate with multi-modal advocates to increase the number of protected bike lanes on the near Eastside.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 2.2: Support land uses and developments which maximize employment and housing density, thereby minimizing neighbors’ reliance on transportation and maximize walkability.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 2.3: Support Blue Line transit-oriented development overlay district as a model for future city-wide districts including the prioritization of welcoming outdoor public spaces, multimodal transportation options and pedestrian passages.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 2.4: Encourage businesses to adopt commuter incentives for employees using multi-modal or alternative transportation.
Implementation Partner: Near Eastside Business Association |
| 3.1: Pursue grants or incentive programs for homes and businesses to capture rainwater in rain barrels and cisterns in order to reduce flash flooding.
Implementation Partner: NEAR |
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| 3.2: Advocate for an increase in lead testing in residential backyards or community garden plots.
Implementation Partner: NEAR |
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| 3.3: Focus on litter abatement and increased neighborhood engagement related to beautification, tree planting, and the use of native plants.
Implementation Partner: NESCO |
| 4.1: Establish a near Eastside small-scale food producers’ coalition to bring together gardeners for resource and expertise sharing.
Implementation Partner: Healthy Harvest Market |
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| 4.2: Create a data-rich resource map, including contact information, type/size of operation, etc. of existing small-scale food producers and include on lead agency or Quality of Life plan website.
Implementation Partner: NEAR |
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| 4.3: Advocate for policies that allow innovative zoning to accommodate growing structures (like hoop houses) and methods.
Implementation Partner: NESCO |
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| 4.4: Create a youth sustainability club and provide engagement in various sustainability learning opportunities and competitions and seek funding for the club to hold quarterly field trips to local and municipal locations such as food production sites, renewable energy installers and recycling operations, etc. and to register in applicable competitions.
Implementation Partner: Paramount School of Excellence |
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| 4.5: Implement job training for clean energy careers and expand partnerships with sustainability-related businesses and organizations to offer green job opportunities. Prioritize training for those exiting homelessness or incarceration, those with disabilities, and low-income individuals.
Implementation Partner: Jefferson Electric |
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| 4.6: Recruit business leaders to serve as a pilot group to implement Thrive Indianapolis initiatives on the near Eastside.
Implementation Partner: Near Eastside Business Association |
| 5.1: Seek funding to employ a full-time resiliency director to more fully implement sustainability initiatives and to identify new sustainability solutions as they emerge and present them for adoption at Quality of Life summits.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 5.2: Highlight businesses and residents who integrate sustainability into their everyday lives through the Quality of Life Plan newsletter, other forms of communication, and through the creation of an annual near Eastside sustainability award which is given to an individual and/or group embodying environmentally sustainable actions or furthering environmentally sustainable projects.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 5.3: Identify and build on existing educational programming to include environmental sustainability topics such as recycling best practices and disaster preparedness.
Implementation Partner: John Boner Neighborhood Centers |
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| 5.4: Advocate for city-wide free or low-cost curbside recycling and composting programs and offer the near Eastside as a demonstration community for pilot models.
Implementation Partner: NESCO |
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| 5.5: Promote awareness of and develop financial assistance program for equitable resiliency initiatives, including weatherization, LEDs, and homeowner repair.
Implementation Partner: Englewood CDC |
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| 5.6: Develop opportunities for placemaking which supports the development of mixed use and diverse businesses on the near Eastside.
Implementation Partner: John Boner Neighborhood Centers |
Interested in getting involved in the Sustainability implementation?
There are many ways to get involved with the Quality of Life Plan for the Near Eastside. You can attend a monthly Community Action Team meeting or the quarterly Plan Summit.
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