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Welcome! We came into existence on April 14, 2007. That is when over 100 hardy souls gathered on the steps of Monument Circle to call for Congress to Step It Up and reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
See what we did.
Following that event, the big question was, "What do we do next?" It took about 6 weeks, but the decision was made to focus on learning where candidates for the upcoming local election stood on matters of sustainability, stewardship and climate change. With Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson having recently signed the U.S.Conference of Mayors, Climate Protection Agreement , it seemed obvious to use that as a spring board for our our next effort. We call the effort, Citizens for a Sustainable Indianapolis (CSI) .
The result are in!
The purpose was to survey the individuals seeking the office of Indianapolis City County Councilor and Mayor. This survey is a non-partisan, educational effort; no candidate is being endorsed or opposed.
We are pleased to announce that many of those seeking to make decisions that will long influence you, or families and future generations have responded to the survey. Because it is so easy to use statistics to spin things the way you want, we are not going to quote a lot of numbers. If you're reading this, you believe the economics and the environment are intimitly tied together. You ignor one at the peril of the other. Now you can see how those seeking your vote would like to shape our shared future.
What You Can Do
Read how or if the candidates in your City County Distict responded to the survey. If you don't know what District you live in, follow the link
- Determine the City County District you live in. If you don't know, go to this website and enter your street address.
- Once you know the District you're in, go to the list of survey responses. There you will see if your candidate responded and what they said. Keep in mind that there are 12 people running for Al-Large seats on the City Council so be sure to see what they said.
What We Did
On August 14, 2007 the following materials were delivered and/or mailed to all the candidates
Survey Cover Letter (PDF)
Candidate Survey (PDF)
An Educational Support Page
The educational version of the Cover Letter and Survey contained supplemental and support information. A wide range of links is provided throughout to explain in detail what is only briefly mentioned in the print versions they received.
The Deadline for returning the survey was September 7, 2007.
Sharing the Survey Results
We have inform our Partner Groups and beginning our outreach to the media.
Using the Survey Results
From now up to Election Day on Tuesday November 6 th, candidates will be out seeking your vote. This is your opportunity to use the survey results. If your candidate(s) responded, seek any clarification you might need. If they did not respond, ask them one or two of the questions on the survey most important to you and your family.
Attend a Candidate Forum
In October and November, the League of Women Voters (one of our Partner Groups) will host a series of Candidate Forums around the city. Most candidates participate, so this is an ideal time to ask follow-up questions and evaluate answers in a side-by-side situation. We'll list those opportunities here.
Closing Comments
Mainstream American now believes that climate change is real, is serious and must be addressed. It was eye-opening to learn that some (but not all) our the candidates that responded are outside of mainstream America.
While our city faces numerous serious challenges, our elected officials must not ignore the challenges and opportunities, nor postpone facing up to this challenge.
This is the time for creative and informed leadership. The future may deal quite harshly with the unprepared.
Our Partner Groups
The following groups of organizations have partnered to make this effort possible:
• Campaign for Sustainable Economics
• Central Indiana Regional Council – Hoosier Environmental Council
• Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana
• Community Faith and Labor Coalition
• Earth Charter Indiana
• Ecology House of Indianapolis
• Holy Cross Catholic Parish
• Indianapolis Climate Action Network
• Indy Sustainable Food Alliance
• League of Women Voters of Indianapolis
• National Federation of the Blind of Indianapolis
• Sojourners Class, North United Methodist Church
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