Press Release

SOUTH BEND — Significant achievements in clean air and sustainability were honored on Wednesday, April 19, in Elkhart, at Michiana Area Council of Governments’ 2023 Partners for Clean Air awards luncheon.

“This year’s award winners represent the diverse ways that sustainability leaders in our region are improving how we move and power our economy, all leading to cleaner air,” MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald said.

Award winners include the City of Elkhart, Viewrail in Goshen, Clubhouse of St. Joseph County, and South Bend Community School Corporation.

The City of Elkhart was recognized for the River Greenway Trail and connecting local trails into the regional trail network, through improvements along four miles connecting the riverwalk to American Park, Studebaker Park, and the Elkhart Environmental Center, which connects to the regional Mapleheart Trail into Goshen. The city received $642,600 from the state of Indiana to construct about a mile of new trail and improve sidewalks and signage to improve safety, with the Community Foundation of Elkhart County contributing $100,000.

Viewrail in Goshen received an award for being the largest direct investment in solar by a manufacturer in the region, installing nearly 4,000 solar panels on six manufacturing buildings for a total of nearly 2 MW which went online in 2022. The project was sized to offset nearly 75% of their electricity on an annual basis, equivalent to the electricity used by about 200 Hoosier households.

Viewrail has also participated in Nipsco’s energy efficiency program, implementing a number of projects across their portfolio such as lighting and manufacturing heating custom projects.

Clubhouse of St. Joseph County was recognized for offsetting 80% of their annual electricity use with nearly 25 kW of solar panels as a participant in the City of South Bend’s Energy Assistance and Solar Savings Initiative. Energy efficiency projects included solar shades to reduce solar heat and insulating windows.

The Clubhouse is also recognized for their team-based approach led by their members to identify and implement environmentally-friendly practices in their daily operations through their Go Green campaign, from carpooling, composting, and recycling practices, to evaluating electric lawn equipment.

South Bend Community School Corporation and its department of transportation received an award for piloting the first electric school buses in the MACOG region. Funds were sourced from the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund Grant program and Indiana Michigan Power to provide $822,354 in private funding toward this all-electric school bus replacement project.

This project was made possible by MACOG’s Northern Indiana Green Fleet program with Drive Clean Indiana, which provided fleet analysis information to help South Bend Community School Corporation meet its sustainability goals. The schools’ commitment to reduce nitrogen oxides, particulate matter 2.5, carbon dioxide and other harmful diesel emissions is vital in improving air quality in the community it serves. Over 30,000 gallons of diesel will be displaced as a result of this project.