State to Designate Evansville as an Indiana Clean Community
AUGUST 8, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) will honor the City of Evansville as the state’s newest Clean Community. IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess will present a Clean Community flag and sign to Mayor Stephanie Terry.
Who: Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess, and others.
IDEM staff, city officials, and community members who facilitated the city’s involvement in the program are expected to attend the event and discuss their participation.
What: Indiana Clean Community Presentation to the City of Evansville; including flag and sign.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 7, 1:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Sunrise Pump Station, 1200 Waterworks Rd., Evansville, Indiana 47713
About the Indiana Clean Community Program: (idem.IN.gov/partnerships/clean-community) Established by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in the early 2000s, the Clean Community Program (previously called the Clean Community Challenge) recognizes Indiana counties, cities and towns that take a proactive, positive approach towards ensuring a better quality of life for all Hoosiers and a healthy economy by working to address community and social issues through sustainable environmental and wellness projects.
About the City of Evansville: (vanderburghgov.org/city) The City of Evansville, Ind., was founded in 1812 on a scenic bend in the Ohio River. With a population of nearly 121,000 people in the city limits and more than 300,000 people in the metropolitan area, Evansville is the third-largest city in Indiana. Evansville is the social and economic hub for the region, which includes Southwest Indiana, Southeast Illinois, and Northwest Kentucky.
About IDEM: IDEM (idem.IN.gov) implements federal and state regulations regarding the environment. Through compliance assistance, incentive programs and educational outreach, the agency encourages and aids businesses and citizens to protect Hoosiers and the environment.
I applaud the promises Evansville made to IDEM to “achieve” this designation since they are all clearly needed. However, it should be noted that this designation is not because we are actually “clean,” just that we intend to make an effort to be. As usual for IDEM, the criteria for this award are minimalist, completely ignoring dirty streets and poor air quality Evansville and the region regularly fail.
Just last month, Indiana was found to be 49th out of 50 in quality of life. In the past, Hoosiers have notoriously had really high levels of infant mortality, toxic emissions and 100% of our streams and likes carry the dubious designation of Fish Consumption Advisories. Those FCAs warn women of child bearing age to limit their consumption of Indiana caught fish to one quarter pounder a month, lest they cause their yet to be born to have developmental disabilities due to mercury contamination.
Not long ago, Evansville was near the top of the list of “Obese” cities and just this past week the Indiana Lottery introduced “Rick, from Evansville” as a buffoon, snack eating competitor “going for the Gold” in the Hoosier Lottery as he cannonballs his entrance into a swim race.
Evansville does have new energy with its new administration and hopefully these serious problems that impact our health will be greatly improved and our quality of life will actually be something to celebrate instead of ridicule. But until our citizens finally recognize they shouldn’t throw their trash on our streets or in their neighbor’s yards and we are no longer forced to breathe fouled air, any claims of being “clean” are pre-mature.
Here are the criteria listed on IDEM’s website as to how a community becomes a “clean” city. L:eave it to IDEM to only require the completion of forms to satisfy their requirements:
Steps to Become a Clean Community:
Access and complete the application form.
Please note that the signature on the application must be that of the highest-ranking public official for the municipality (for example: mayor, county commissioner, etc.).
Attach the completed form to an email to: clean@idem.in.gov with “Application for Clean Community Program” in the subject line.
You will receive a confirmation of receipt of your application for processing.
As with all IDEM recognition programs, successful applicants must have a positive environmental compliance history. This will be determined through an IDEM environmental compliance history check process.
Upon successfully meeting the requirements of environmental compliance, you will be contacted by the Clean Community program manager to fill out a Clean Team & Project Information Sheet.
The sheet will identify your population, number of projects required based on that population, and the name of the projects that you are choosing from the list of Clean Community pre-approved projects. This project list will be provided to you by the Clean Community program manager
Once your projects are chosen, the Clean Community program manager will provide you with specific project descriptions that outline exactly what needs to be submitted to qualify for Clean Community program requirements.
Lastly, you will identify your Clean Team members, a group of people in the community who will help plan and implement your sustainability efforts. It is recommended that your Clean Team be comprised of people from multiple departments and areas of expertise, both within the municipality, businesses, or through citizen involvement.
Based upon the review of the items above, you will be issued either a Welcome or Denial Letter. A denial will provide an explanation of areas of improvement needed to qualify for entry into the program.
Work at your own pace to complete your municipality’s chosen projects.
A simple Annual Report is required that keeps the Clean Community program manager informed of your progress.
Attendance by at least one representative of your Clean Team at the Clean Community Annual Meeting is also required.
Questions or Interest in Joining? Please contact the Clean Community program manager.