Ahead of Earth Day, which is Thursday, 13 Hoosier “Resilience Heroes” are being recognized by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute as the first of its Earth Week events.
From high school students to farmers and company presidents, the 13 people have contributed to their communities and the environment in ways the institute wants to honor in its third year of naming heroes from across Indiana.
“It’s our way of lifting up people across the state who help with the environment and climate change,” said Abby Henkel, development manager at the Environmental Resilience Institute, which was established in 2017 and strives to help Hoosiers with the environmental changes.
The Environmental Resilience Institute is part of the Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge at Indiana University. Since it was formed, the institute has worked in partnership with people outside the university setting to develop teacher workshops, help local governments with environmental work and participate in citizen scientist projects, according to Jonathan Hines, communications manager for the institute.
The staff hope to continue that work into the future and will be preparing to move beyond the Grand Challenge grant that has funded the institute for the past five years. On Wednesday, the institute will begin a public campaign to raise awareness and funds for the institute so it can continue its work, Henkel explained. The $40 million grant has supported the institute, its staff and research projects since its inception.
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