Submitted by Lindsey Berry
The City of Carmel and Carmel-based not-for-profit Helping Ninjas will present a virtual community townhall to engage and educate youth and community members about sustainability and a collaborative effort to help sustain Carmel.
The “Climate Townhall: Youth Edition” is a series of virtual discussions about the planet, people and the power that youth have in creating positive impact, and serves as an opportunity for Carmel youth to participate in conversations and generate an interest and feedback on environmental topics, including nature conservation, climate and healthy communities.
Maki
“The City of Carmel has always valued the contributions the youth of our community give both today and into the future,” said Sue Maki, Carmel Utilities Manager of Environmental Initiatives and Education. “To bring them into the conversations surrounding the environment that they will inherit only makes sense and will definitely lead to better outcomes.”
In 2017, Carmel was the first city in Indiana to pass a climate resolution. Carmel’s youth helped to achieve the climate resolution through Carmel’s Promise Project. The Promise Project is a youth-led program for ages 8 to 18 who promote advocacy to create a healthy and clean community and sustainable future and to make sustainability a part of city code. It was organized by the Carmel Green Initiative, a coalition of citizens who support the City of Carmel’s commitment to reducing the impact on the environment and meeting the climate challenge.
Carmel strives to provide a setting which sustains environmental initiatives and promotes ecological inspiration by gathering resources and solutions from city departments. The “Climate Townhall: Youth Edition” is a stem of Carmel’s virtual Town Hall Climate Workshops – a virtual gathering and communal dialogue for both adult and youth community members. Any Carmel community member who is interested in environmental stewardship, community resilience, energy efficiency, social prosperity, community empowerment, sustainability, and/or cost effectiveness is invited to participate in this process. No background knowledge is required.
Carmel’s Climate Action Plan public engagement workshop series shares sustainability progress, the results of the greenhouse gas inventories, and gather feedback from the community on how to proceed with the Climate Action Plan.
The city’s online social media campaign: #SustainCarmel supports and promotes clean and green living. Carmel community members can join via Facebook and Instagram, posting and sharing photos of how they and/or others are helping to sustain Carmel and create a sustainable environment.
“Creating awareness amongst youth how to help and creating opportunities to do so, and keeping our youth connected, engaged and educated on global issues, such as the health of our planet and communities – is extremely important,” said Helping Ninjas CEO Lindsey Fella Berry, a movement to inspire youth to help the world. “Knowledge is power. The more you can learn about something, the more you are better apt to be able to help.”
Helping Ninjas provides opportunities for youth and families to get involved in their local and global communities and encourages youth advocacy, awareness and education to through outreach programs, projects and initiatives.
All Hamilton County youth and families are invited to participate in the following community initiatives:
#StandUp4OurPlanet
A celebration of green businesses, organizations and individuals promoting sustainability, nature and wildlife conservation and sustainable living.
#NatureIsArt
Celebrating the natural beauty in nature through artistic expression. An opportunity for youth to express and showcase artwork inspired by nature. Drawings, paintings, photos and video shared to inspire and educate.
#KidsCompost
Bringing awareness to the importance of soil health, water, soil and air conservation, renewable energy, gardens, wildlife, food water and compost.
#1000TreesForCarmel
The City of Carmel is looking for volunteers to help plant trees in the Hamilton County Parks within Carmel. The “1,000 Trees for Carmel Campaign” event will occur throughout the fall on each Saturday during October. For more information and to register to volunteer, contact Carmel City Councilor Miles Nelson, West District, at mnelson@carmel.in.gov.
To learn more information including dates and times of future Carmel’s Climate Town Halls and Climate Town Hall: Youth Edition series, visit carmel.in.gov/living/going-green or helpingninjas.com/sustaincarmel, or visit @cityofcarmelIN and @helpingninjas on social media.
To learn more about the City of Carmel’s sustainability goals, Carmel Green Initiative and The Promise Project, visit carmelgreen.org.
About the City of Carmel Climate Action Plan
The City of Carmel Climate Action Plan is a result of the completed greenhouse gas inventories that measured Carmel’s environmental impact from a variety of sectors (i.e. energy use, transportation, etc.). A Climate Action Plan is a written document that uses the results of the greenhouse inventories as a guide for determining the most effective emission reduction strategies.
About the City of Carmel Climate Resolution
In February of 2017, the City of Carmel City Council unanimously passed the Climate Resilience and Recovery Resolution. This resolution was a monumental step in Carmel’s climate action being the first city in Indiana to pass a youth-led climate resolution. The Carmel Promise Project met with city officials to discuss the importance of safeguarding the future of the next generation. The resolution lays out steps for Carmel to be climate leaders, such as conducting baseline greenhouse gas inventories and writing a plan to reduce emissions based on community input.