Our health often depends on living and working in a healthy community. A healthy community has clean air, clean water and clean soil. Children can live and play there without fear of exposure to toxic chemicals.

Across the country, children are facing serious medical problems as a result of living in unhealthy built environments because poorly designed neighborhoods and buildings, roads, and sidewalks that do not foster health, according to the American Public Health Association (APHA).

"Healthy communities for kids are on the verge of being engineered out of existence," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "We created these harmful built environments and we're equally empowered to change them."

IKE has worked in a variety of ways to reduce environmental threats in Indiana communities. Below are a few examples of our work, both past and present.

• Air Quality and Asthma:  IKE advocates for stronger clean air policies and regulations to protect children with asthma from pollution that can trigger a deadly asthma attack. We also participate in the Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition and Asthma Alliance of Indianapolis.
  
  
• Martindale-Brightwood: Collaboration for Environmental Justice: IKE is working with residents of the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood on the near northeast side of Indianapolis to identify environmental threats and develop action items to reduce them. This project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a program called Community Action for Remediation of the Environment (CARE).
  
  
• Antibiotics in Animal Feed: Scientists say the routine use of antibiotics in animal feed has contributed to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our environment. These bacteria, which are found in schools, hospitals and many other places, can be deadly to children and adults alike. Dr. Steve Jay, a member of IKE's Board, testified before Congress about this threat and what can be done about it.
  
  
• Mercury: Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that affects the developing brains and nervous systems of unborn and young children. IKE has pursued many projects, rules and legislation to reduce mercury in Indiana's environment. Click here to learn more.
  
  
• Sewage in Our Streams: More than 100 Indiana cities and towns have sewer systems that include both stormwater and sewage in the same pipe. These systems are designed to overflow during rainstorms into our waterways, sending raw sewage into streams where children might play. IKE advocated for legislation requiring cities and towns to develop long-term plans that meet federal Clean Water Act requirements. IKE also filed a Civil Rights Act complaint against the City of Indianapolis because of the disparate impacts of raw sewage overflows on minority communities. More information available here.
  
  
• Secret Shopper: How Safe is the Advice from Your Home Improvement Store?  IKE volunteers worked as "Secret Shoppers" at Indianapolis-area hardware stores to test advice they gave regarding lead paint and pesticides. What we found was alarming. Dangerous advice was common. Read more here.