Indiana University Indianapolis
IN-24: Innovation A

In 2018 and 2019, IUPUI Sustainability partnered with the City of Indianapolis to host the Indianapolis Sustainability Summit on the IUPUI campus. The events gathered sustainability professionals from the public, private and nonprofit sectors of Central Indiana for a day-long summit. The 2018 Summit was the first event of it's kind in Indianapolis, gathering 350 leaders from our community. It took place just as Thrive Indianapolis, our city's first sustainability and resilience action plan, was launched, building great momentum. The day centered on community and collaboration, as panels and workshops touched on elements of the plan and gathered public input. Mayor Joe Hogsett began a tradition of presenting the Sustainability Awards to one individual, business, institution and nonprofit advancing sustainability in Indianapolis. The Campus Kitchen at IUPUI was awarded in the institution category. The following year, the Thrive Indianapolis plan had just been released. The sustainability and resilience action plan outlined 16 goals and 59 actions that required implementation in order to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050. The action-oriented 2019 Summit called on our anchor institutions, businesses, and nonprofits to take action in their own capacity. We invited 40 leaders and technical experts, many faculty from IUPUI, to lead collaborative workshops and provide guidance to attendees. The event hosted an electric vehicle ride and drive, featuring cars from Tesla and Nissan.