Honda Corporation has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Environmental Resilience Institute to fund climate action planning in Indiana communities.
The grant will partially cover program costs related to work being conducted this year in partnership with 10 local governments and one regional coalition to identify actions, policies, and programs to promote energy efficiency and eliminate locally produced, heat-trapping gases.
“As the impacts of climate change become ever more pronounced in Indiana and around the world in the form of heat waves, flooding, and other natural disasters, communities are stepping up and making plans to become more resilient,” said ERI Managing Director Sarah Mincey. “We are grateful for Honda’s support of our work with Indiana communities, which is accelerating the transition to climate-friendly practices throughout the state and developing a homegrown workforce that is adept in sustainability and the environment.”
The grant was awarded as part of Honda’s mission to support communities through collaborations with organizations driving sustainable change.
ERI’s Resilience Cohort program, part of the McKinney Midwest Climate Project, leads participating Indiana local governments through the process of planning and implementing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. ERI provides support through one-on-one guidance, training webinars, and access to sustainability staff and interns, including McKinney Climate Fellows.
More than 30 governments, representing nearly half of the state’s population, have created greenhouse gas inventories in partnership with ERI to benchmark locally produced greenhouse gases, a first step toward managing and reducing emissions. Local governments representing 25% of all Hoosiers have either adopted or are finalizing climate action plans that provide a roadmap to meeting carbon reduction goals. In total, the plans have identified 34 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to eliminate by 2050, the equivalent to removing 7.4 million cars from US roadways for one year.
Philanthropic support from private foundations, individuals, and businesses plays a critical role in enabling ERI to help prepare Indiana for the effects of climate change. To learn more about supporting ERI, contact Abby Henkel.
