News Release
David Huhnke
Director of Communications and Marketing
City of Lafayette, Indiana(765) 807-1007
dhuhnke@lafayette.in.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 25, 2022
Greater Lafayette Climate Action Plan to Develop Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Plan and Tree Planting Plan with IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI)LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – April 25, 2022 – In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, the Greater
Lafayette Climate Action Plan (GLCAP) Committee will spend the year identifying actions,policies, and programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate changeand conduct a community-wide tree canopy assessment as part of Indiana University’s 2022
Resilience Cohort. The program, coordinated by IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute(ERI), will result in a climate action plan, as well as a tree canopy plan, both of which canserve as a roadmap for Greater Lafayette to meet its long-term climate and resilience goals.

To create a climate action plan, the cities of Lafayette, West Lafayette, and TippecanoeCounty, will be using the results of the community-wide greenhouse gas inventory conductedin 2021 to inform how best to achieve emissions targets, which can lead to wide-ranging

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benefits for the community such as improved local air quality and increased energy efficiency.
Greater Lafayette officials will engage local residents and key community stakeholders togather public input throughout the planning process. A FREE community event is being
planned, called the Greater Lafayette Green Expo, that will take place on Sunday, June 5,2022 at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds. We are asking for the public to offer suggestions
regarding information that can be provided at the expo regarding ‘all things green’. Pleaseshare those ideas with David Huhnke, expo organizer, at dhuhnke@lafayette.in.gov.

Climate action plans serve as a fundamental step for Hoosier cities, towns, and counties.
Committed to combating the environmental changes the state is already experiencing, suchas heavier rainfall in spring and winter, more flooding, more extreme heat, and more freezethaw events, which can wreak havoc on roads and bridges. As a member of the Resilience
Cohort, Greater Lafayette will gain access to a peer network, technical resources, and training
through ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a nonprofit that specializes in helping
local governments with climate resilience initiatives.

A critical component of any climate plan involves leveraging urban green infrastructure, suchas trees, to serve as a natural buffer against extreme weather being experienced more
frequently throughout the state. To this end, Greater Lafayette will receive technicalguidance, professional arboriculture coaching, and join a network of peers to maximize thebenefits of urban trees, which can help mitigate flooding, cool the air on hot summer days,and serve as habitat for wildlife. Data gathered by Greater Lafayette will be added to astatewide spatial inventory, called the Indiana Green City Mapper, designed to help
communities make resilience planning decisions.
“Enduring equitable access to the benefits of trees and green infrastructure is central to aninclusive, resilient future,” said ERI Implementation Manager Matt Flaherty. “We commend
these local governments for recognizing the ecosystem services trees can provide and forinvesting in the long-term resilience of their communities.” Additionally, Greater Lafayette willhost two McKinney Climate Fellows during the summer who will help facilitate the green
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infrastructure planning process and community outreach efforts for the Climate Action Plan
across Greater Lafayette. McKinney Climate Fellows are IU students who work with local
governments, nonprofits, and private businesses across Indiana to help them achieve theirenvironmental and sustainability goals.

Participants in climate action planning include La Porte, the Northwestern Indiana Regional
Planning Commission, South Bend, and Tippecanoe County. Urban green infrastructureplanning participants include Fort Wayne, Terre Haute, and Zionsville. Fishers, Huntington,and Merrillville will take part in both the tracks of the program.

ERI founded the Resilience Cohort in 2019 to match Indiana local governments with the tools,
training, and expertise needed to measure and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions.
Since then, dozens of Indiana communities have leveraged the program to advance theirclimate goals. Collectively, these communities have identified the equivalent of 34 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide for elimination – about the same as removing 7.4 million carsfrom US roadways for one year.

Both the Resilience Cohort and McKinney Climate Fellows are part of the McKinney Midwest
Climate Project. The McKinney Family Foundation, the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources, and BCA Environmental Consultants provide funding for the McKinney Midwest
Climate Project.

About the Environmental Resilience Institute
Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute brings together a broad, bipartisan
coalition of government, business, nonprofit and community leaders to help Indiana better
prepare for the challenges that environmental changes bring to our economy, health, andlivelihood. Launched in May 2017, ERI is working to deliver tailored and actionable solutions
to communities across the state of Indiana. For more information, go to www.eri.iu.edu .
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