By Mari Walter-Bailey, McKinney Climate Fellow
Across Indiana, communities are facing the realities of more frequent flooding, heat waves, and other climate-related impacts. This summer, I had the privilege of being a McKinney Climate Fellow with the Environmental Resilience Institute in partnership with Groundswell. My work centered on advancing the planning of Community Resilience Hubs across the state—spaces designed not only to serve as refuges during power outages and emergencies, but also to strengthen and support communities in their daily lives.
Learning about resilience hubs directly from Groundswell staff, rather than from a webpage or textbook, was deeply meaningful. Their lived experience, combined with their commitment to community, grounded our cohort’s understanding of what it means to build resilience with, rather than for, communities. A central lesson I carried from the workshops was that renewable energy is not the mission itself, but rather a tool to achieve the vision of stronger, more connected communities. In an era when climate change can feel abstract or overly technical, this perspective was a vital reminder: resilience begins and ends with people.
Groundswell also demonstrated that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for resilience or sustainability. Their approach begins with listening before speaking and ensuring that solutions are led by and for the community. Guided by this philosophy, I helped identify potential community resilience hub locations and developed communication materials to articulate the initiative’s goals. These efforts culminated in fact sheets, case studies, and a presentation delivered to four libraries in Southern Indiana. In those conversations, we explored what resilience looks like in different communities, assessed available resources, and considered how our work could bolster their efforts.
The significance of this work is especially clear in historically disadvantaged and rural communities, where households often face disproportionate energy burdens and heightened climate-related risks. While working at Cook Elementary in Chicago during the 2018–2019 school year, I saw firsthand how the legacies of redlining policies, formally abolished in the 1960s, continue to shape access to resources. Burdens remain unevenly distributed and physical infrastructure lags, affecting education, transportation, job access, health outcomes, and many other aspects of daily life. Experiences like this have shown me that resilience is not an abstract concept.
For many, it is the difference between accessing critical support during a heat wave or being left without it. Though a resilience hub can benefit any neighborhood, equity and justice must remain at the forefront of climate adaptation efforts.
I am deeply grateful to have worked alongside such dedicated people this summer. The fellowship not only deepened my understanding of community development but also reminded me that resilience-building requires more than infrastructure; it requires cultivating trust, fostering collaboration, and ensuring those most affected by climate change are also those shaping the solutions. As I look ahead to continuing my graduate studies and career in public affairs and community development, I will carry forward what I have learned from Groundswell: Resilience comes from conversations with neighbors, identifying community strengths, and the collective courage to advocate for equity and safety.