environmental resilience institute

Example of a typical urban tree canopy, taken in Sacramento, Calif.

IU Environmental Resilience Institute awarded $5 million to expand urban tree canopy

Joanie Dugan

Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute was awarded a USDA grant to expand urban green infrastructure.

The survey used factors such as families below poverty level, households with broadband and the presence of a head of planning or zoning to create its index.

Rural Midwest communities have lowest capacity for addressing climate change

Ethan Sandweiss

Indiana ranks in the middle of the Rural Capacity Index with 56 percent of communities below the national median. Plains states such as the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas sit in the bottom 10. 

Nashville, Ind. is a popular destination for its lush forests and boutique stores. But despite its attractions, the small town has struggled to implement climate resilience projects.

Climate grants hardest to get for towns that need them most

Ethan Sandweiss

The federal government has provided $130 billion to local governments for climate resilience projects but getting and using those funds is beyond what many Indiana towns can manage.

Five years in, what’s the future of IU’s Grand Challenges?

Ethan Sandweiss

President Pamela Whitten made clear she thinks the Grand Challenges initiative has run its course. Still, directors of the three challenges see their work as far from over.

Infrastructure bill includes $47B to combat flooding, heat. What does it mean for Indiana?

Rebecca Thiele

About $47 billion in the federal infrastructure bill will go to make communities in the U.S. more resilient to things like flooding, drought, and extreme heat.