Latest news with #CleanCommunity
Chicago Tribune
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Community news: Mural walk, health fair, digital skill lessons
Valparaiso Creative Council will present its second annual Mural Walk from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 23, beginning at City Hall, 166 Lincolnway, Valparaiso. Rain date is Aug. 30. The walk will feature 10 murals, two art exhibit locations, live musicians, and creative activities led by local artists. Early birds will receive a complimentary backpack full of interactive event details as well as the official Mural Walk coloring book for 2025. Four new featured locations and artists are: Valpo Creates Center – Castulo 'Kuaze' Perez and Phil Seth, 256 Indiana Ave. Suite 5; Valpo Velvet – Mitchell 'Sure Did It' Schuring, 57 Monroe St.; Bun's Soapbox – Felipe Dos Santos, 55 Morgan Blvd.; and Orchestrated Events – Sophie Groenstein, 456 Campbell St., Unit B. For those who can't make it to the Mural Walk, Valparaiso Creative Council will offer group Mural Walk tours starting the first week of September. Tours are $5 per person. Teachers, parents or group leaders can schedule group tours at Tours are $5 per person, starting at Valpo Creates Center. Tours will include an interactive session where each student can contribute to a collaborative art piece; a free coloring book for each class, complete with an integrated art curriculum; a Mural Walk map with all 12 locations, including the current artist exhibit at Roots Cafe and Lower Lincoln; and a Mural Walk backpack full of useful items. For more information, visit The city of Beech Grove has been awarded Gold Level status by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM) Clean Community program. Beech Grove is the first municipality to achieve gold tier status since IDEM reintroduced the program in 2021. Hobart, Merrillville and New Chicago were awarded Bronze Level Status. The Clean Community Program (previously called the Clean Community Challenge) recognizes Indiana counties, cities and towns that work to achieve a better quality of life for all Hoosiers through sustainable environmental and wellness projects. More information can be found at Lake County Family Day Community Health and Resource Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Hanover Central High School, East Gym, 10120 W 133rd Ave., Cedar Lake. This free event brings together more than 40 community partners offering a wide range of resources to help families start the school year strong. Featured services include: basic health screenings; immunizations; children's vision and hearing screenings; bicycle helmet fittings and safety tips; and 600 backpacks filled with school supplies to be given away. For more information, visit As part of their HealthyU series, Northwest Health – Porter will offer 'Hearing Loss – and What You Can Do About It.' The free seminar will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 5 at Northwest Health – Porter, Community Room, 85 E. U.S. Highway 6, Valparaiso. Audiologist Allison Witte, AuD of Northwest Medical Group, will lead the discussion. Topics to be covered include: common signs and symptoms of hearing loss; health conditions linked to hearing loss; understanding tinnitus (ringing in the ears); current treatment options; and hearing aids. A Q&A session will be held following the presentation. Registration is encouraged at For more information, call 219-262-6446. Purdue University Extension – Crown Point will offer Digital Skills Lessons. Taught by Purdue University Extension Educator Linda Curley, classes will be held on Aug. 7, 14 and 21 at the Lake County Extension office, 2291 N. Main St., Crown Point. Sessions on Aug. 7 include: Zoom: Host Basics from 1 to 2 p.m.; Zoom: Participant Basics, 2 to 3 p.m.; and Zoom: Interactive Session – Virtual, 4 to 5 p.m. Aug. 14 classes include: Using a Smart Phone or Tablet from 1 to 2 p.m.; and Being Social Media Savvy, 2 to 3 p.m. Sessions on Aug. 21 include: Internet Safety, Ethics, and Identifying Credible Sources from 1 to 2 p.m.; and Saving, Recovering, and Sharing Data and Files from 2 to 3 p.m. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Register for any of the Digital Skills Lessons at or call 219-755-3240.
Indianapolis Star
28-07-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Beech Grove named Indiana's first gold level Clean Community in IDEM program
Indiana's Clean Community program handed out its first gold level status to Beech Grove since the state initiative began in 2021. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management awarded the city the highest status of the program July 25. The Clean Community program is an effort to make Indiana a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable place to live, according to IDEM. 'City leadership worked earnestly on behalf of their citizens to ensure a community dedicated to environmental stewardship,' IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods said in a statement. 'Being the first municipality to reach this milestone is a significant and well-deserved honor.' The Clean Community program includes three levels of achievement — bronze, silver and gold — which increase as municipalities complete more sustainability projects. Beech Grove has installed natural spaces in parking areas, conducted an inventory of its Brownfield sites, passed ordinances improving stormwater management, and hosted toxic substance disposal events. The city also runs a quarterly drive-up recycling effort with the next event coming up Sept. 6. 'We are honored to work alongside IDEM to become the first city in Indiana to earn gold status, as it reflects on our community's commitment to being thoughtful stewards of our environment for generations to come,' Beech Grover Mayor James Coffman said in a statement. IDEM's Clean Community program is voluntary, and so far 12 municipalities have signed up. Bloomington, Evansville and New Chicago along with four other cities are in the bronze tier, while Fishers, Zionsville, Richmond and Brown County are on the silver tier. For now, Beech Grove stands alone in gold tier. Bronze tier achievement requires a municipality to have a history of positive environmental compliance. The municipality must then create a Clean Team to prove there are dedicated resources toward sustainability. To move into the silver tier, a municipality must meet all bronze level requirements and also implement between four and eight projects. They also must measure and report on performance metrics. To achieve the top gold tier, a municipality must meet all bronze and silver requirements as well as implementing four to eight new projects along with monitoring requirements. The program is aimed at helping communities become more sustainable and resilient by providing a pathway for continuous improvement, according to IDEM. The recognition doesn't come with a trophy or monetary prize, but participation earns cities recognition when applying for competitive grants and assistance programs. The Clean Community program is open to all of Indiana's towns, cities and counties. IDEM hosts annual meetings for participating locations. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
