The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT) announced on September 30th which Indiana communities obtained designation as an IACT Green Community. The cities and towns of Cicero, Fishers, Union City and Whiting received their awards during the IACT Annual Awards Luncheon presented by Umbaugh, during the 2015 IACT Annual Conference & Exhibition in French Lick.
IACT launched the Green Communities Initiative in 2008 in conjunction with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., to identify potential cost savings to communities facing budget shortfalls, promote economically competitive quality of life concepts, and ultimately serve as role models for citizens while better protecting our environment. The initiative will expand educational opportunities for municipalities and create a consolidated clearinghouse of data and programs that can be accessed by municipalities.
“This is a fantastic program that allows cities and towns to showcase their hard work and commitment
to smart, efficient practices. The survey these communities complete is extremely comprehensive and gives a great deal of credibility to the Green Community designations.” said IACT Executive Director and CEO Matt Greller. Representatives from participating cities had to fill out a 51-question survey in the areas of purchasing, operations, measuring success, and sample projects. Each community met the minimum score required to be designated an IACT Green Community.
The Town of Cicero scored points for their efforts in areas such as energy conservation, recycling, and recent park improvements. The Town is adopting policies for the use of LED lighting in municipal buildings, increasing the recycling efforts with our offices and for residents and working to lower fuel consumption with municipal vehicles. The park improvements showcase how native plants and rain gardens can help with stormwater pollution. “The department heads are constantly looking for ways to refine processes, procedures and use of materials that will help cut costs” stated Paul Munoz, Director of Planning and Development for Cicero. “We are very excited to receive recognition for all of our hard work.”