UNDATED – In advance of Earth Day, Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) is recognizing 13 Hoosier Resilience Heroes for contributions to their communities and the environment. The honorees include professionals, students, and volunteers dedicated to growing sustainable food, promoting environmental justice, preparing Indiana for the impacts of climate change, and more.
“From farms to suburbs, to urban neighborhoods, everywhere you look you find people working to make Indiana a healthier, more environmentally sustainable place to live,” said ERI Director Janet McCabe. “Our heroes are leading the charge against ongoing threats to our state, such as climate change and long-term social and environmental inequities. We applaud their efforts and are inspired by their contributions to our state.”
Individuals recognized as 2021 Hoosier Resilience Heroes include:
Angel-Hannah Akinleye, a senior at Riverside High School in Indianapolis, leads an initiative to promote Indiana high school journalism that focuses on climate change and other environmental challenges.
Ethan Bledsoe, a junior at West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School, has helped organize youth in West Lafayette to pass a climate resolution and developed a campaign to increase climate literacy in his community.
Phyllis Boyd, the executive director of Groundwork Indy, has created programming to help youth and adults connect with the natural world and advocated for inclusive green spaces.
Paula Brooks, a speaker, organizer, and activist, has devoted herself to educating residents, elected leaders, civil servants, and others on environmental justice issues in Indiana.
Liz Brownlee, a sustainable farmer, and conservationist is building a network of young farmers committed to making agriculture part of the solution to climate change.
Miranda Frausto, a student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, lobbied her hometown of Carmel to resolve to address climate change and helped it get started.
Gregg Keesling, the co-founder, and president of RecycleForce, whose company diverts millions of pounds of recyclable materials from landfills each year and helps ex-offenders transition to employment.
John Mundell, an environmental consultant in Indiana, has helped the Archdiocese of Indianapolis develop and implement a comprehensive sustainability program for their parishes and schools in central and southern Indiana.
Jamie Scott, a farmer in northeast Indiana, has practiced sustainable farming methods for decades and helps showcase their benefits to other farmers.
Kathy Sipple, a longtime environmental organizer in Northwest Indiana, ho spearheaded an effort to get local governments in the region to conduct the first regional-scale greenhouse gas inventory in the state.
Adam Thada, the director of ecological relationships at The Center at Donaldson, has contributed to the growth of clean energy and other sustainable initiatives in Marshall County.
Leslie Webb, the founder of Carmel Green Initiative, has fostered a network of residents, organizations, and elected officials in her community to work toward a sustainable future.
Alison Zajdel, a community leader and volunteer, who coordinated Richmond’s push to understand and address the city’s vulnerabilities to climate change
These honorees represent a small slice of the work being done to make Indiana communities healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient to environmental changes that affect Hoosiers’ health and livelihoods.
Read more about ERI’s 2021 Hoosier Resilience Heroes
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, and livelihood. Launched in May 2017, ERI is working to deliver tailored and actionable solutions to communities across the state of Indiana.
