‘Your Community’ Podcast Ep. 9: How Purdue Extension Is Empowering Indiana’s Citizen Planners

On the latest “Your Community” Podcast: Purdue Extension educator Daniel Walker details how the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the American Citizen Planner Indiana program empower local communities through environmental research and land-use education. Walker highlights recent successes, such as a collaborative project with the Indiana Department of Health to map and regulate aging septic systems to protect Great Lakes water quality. Walker also shares more about the American Citizen Planner course, a comprehensive three-month program designed to provide local board members and interested residents with the foundational tools needed for effective community planning. Through these initiatives, Purdue Extension fosters a network of informed “citizen planners” who work alongside professionals to build safer, more vibrant, and sustainable communities across the state.