Initiatives

In Line with our mission, THE KERAMIDA FOUNDATION supports civic and local development in Seven FIELDS.

IT IS OUR GOAL TO HELP states, municipalities, and communities BECOME WELL-funded, SUSTAINABLE, AND LIVABLE, THEREBY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THEIR PEOPLE AND THE QUALITY OF THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM.

Art

The Keramida Foundation’s largest art endeavor, The Alkis Keramidas Museum of Art, is located in Indianapolis, IN. The museum features the works of Alkis Keramidas (1905-1980), a Greek painter who worked both throughout Greece and Indiana. Keramidas is famous for his landscapes, allegorical works, and portraiture. The Keramida Museum is also proud to have a selection of works by local artists including Lynn Thomsen, Marco Querin, and Courtland Blade.

The Keramida Museum is open to the public and free to enter.

Education

We must continue to provide educational opportunities for our world’s youth to learn and practice sustainable development. Education, encompassing art, philosophy, history, literature, and music as well as the STEM fields, is the cornerstone of our future.

The Frank & Jane Project, developed in 2017 in partnership with St. Richard’s School, provides students with an opportunity to develop their interest in STEM fields by engaging them with the built environment. Civil engineering, architecture, city planning, and construction are growing fields that many students do not think of when considering their own futures. Frank & Jane is unique and sets a global precedent in its design-build format, allowing students to see their project through from conception to construction. The Keramida Foundation also supports existing educational endeavors that align with our mission.

 

Livable Cities

ECO Crossroads® is an initiative of The Keramida Foundation that focuses on creating livable cities. These improved urban spaces should not only be efficient, but provide those elements which create a high quality of life for all citizens. The Keramida Foundation is particularly focused on inclusivity, providing the sustainable practices needed to eliminate the particular threats to disenfranchised communities.

Additionally, the need for cities to adopt Climate Action Plans has become imperative to their resiliency, economic growth, and the continued happiness of their citizens.

Climate

The Keramida Foundation supports the development of Climate Action Plans and the expeditious implementation of investment-ready policies, programs, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Without substantive change in climate-focused activities, communities are more vulnerable to climate impacts. Conditions like sea-level rise and flooding of increased severity and frequency have advanced to the point where whole communities have had to relocate, and protracted droughts are putting people at risk of famine. Although the notion of “climate refugees” is a newer reality, experts predict that their numbers will continue to rise without immediate and drastic climate action intervention.

In support of one of its benefactors, KERAMIDA, Inc., The Keramida Foundation provides the first year’s subscription for the groundbreaking ClimateView software to those cities implementing a Climate Action Plan. ClimateView is a Swedish climate tech company that helps accelerate cities’, states’, and countries’ transition to zero-carbon economies through a science-based framework, process, and platform.

Healthy Living

At the heart of Sustainable Living is the protection of human health. Our ECO Crossroads® teams collaborate to deliver educational solutions which cultivate demand for products and services that are safe, healthy, and affordable. These initiatives are critical for protecting life on the planet, which is ultimately the goal of sustainable practices.

Field to Food

While the food crises in many of our communities has led to a welcome surge of interest in organic foods, urban farming, and learning gardens, there still exists a large gap in this movement between field and table. An increased understanding of the link between food and health has further increased the need to provide fresh, affordable produce to all of our communities.

If the planet is to accommodate a rising population, global food production must increase by 60% by 2050. Further, 80% of the world’s population is projected to be living in cities by then. The ECO Crossroads® Agritecture Innovation (AI) team delivers innovative methods to support the availability of healthy food supplies in urban areas by producing food locally, sustainably, and profitably (when possible) as the means of Food Security for the growing cities of the world. 

The Keramida Foundation also provides educational support in whole foods cooking, particularly with available but potentially unknown ingredients, in order to further shorten the gap between field and food.

Sustainable Development

The ECO Crossroads® Sustainable Industry (SI) team works alongside industrial, community, and municipal stakeholders to deliver industrial and sustainable development solutions which benefit the industry itself and those who live, work, and play in the nearby communities. KERAMIDA Inc.’s GreenStep™ model is specifically designed to facilitate the development of a sustainability strategy and plan for industrial facilities.