Bloomington Residents Invited to Join October Hands-On Sustainability Challenge

The City of Bloomington Economic and Sustainable Development Department is launching a new event series in October focused on promoting environmental vitality. Dubbed “Sustainability Spooktacular,” the series welcomes residents to participate in volunteer events, workshops and community-building gatherings while challenging them to make more climate-friendly choices using the Zero In Bloomington initiative, a tool to help groups and individuals reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Bloomington.

“This challenge is about encouraging people to contribute to a brighter future for both the planet and our city,” said Jolie Perry, Sustainability Program Coordinator. “Our vision for a more sustainable Bloomington is made possible by all of us working together, which includes people making lifestyle changes, residents volunteering their time, or our valuable local organizations who lead the charge. For anyone wondering how they can be more involved in local sustainability efforts, the Sustainability Spooktacular is for you.”

Participate In-Person
All Bloomington residents are welcome to join any of four in-person events hosted by the City, in partnership with local organizations. Participants will volunteer their time toward an environmental cause and learn about sustainable solutions. The events include:

• Weed Wrangle at the Rail Trail — 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3 at Unity of Bloomington, 4001 S. Rogers St. Led by Bloomington Parks and Recreation. Volunteers will remove invasive plants.
• Fall Orchard Work & Learn Day – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Bloomington Community Orchard, 2120 S. Highland Ave. Participants will tour the orchard and help cultivate the gardens.
• Using the Whole Plant Cooking Workshop – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, 1100 W. Allen St. Attendees will learn how to make recipes out of often-wasted parts of food ingredients.
• Near West Side Tree Planting – 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Fairview United Methodist, 600 W 6th St. Led by CanopyBloomington, volunteers will plant tree saplings throughout the neighborhood.
• Block Party at Butler Park – 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park, 812 W. 9th St. Immediately follows the Near West Side Tree Planting. The party will have food trucks and live music by Busman’s Holiday to celebrate a greener Near West Side Neighborhood! 
  

Attendees will also have the chance to win a gift basket prize at each event as thanks for their efforts. Event details and registration links are located on the City’s Zero in Bloomington webpage.

Participate Online
The Sustainability Spooktacular challenge continues online on the Zero in Bloomington platform, which participants can use to explore climate-friendly actions. Each action logged on the platform from Oct. 1 - 31 will count as an entry into a raffle pool for a final gift basket prize.

About Zero in Bloomington
Zero in Bloomington is an interactive website that includes a guide to help community members reduce their personal carbon footprint. There are more than 100 climate-friendly actions to choose from and a community forum that can be used to share insights with other users. Zero In Bloomington users will find tips and specific, local recommendations for each action.

The City of Bloomington launched Zero in Bloomington with service provider Community Climate Solutions to help residents track their greenhouse gas emissions and learn how to contribute to Bloomington’s 2021 Climate Action Plan. The plan strives to reduce emissions in Bloomington 25 percent below 2018 levels by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions across the city by 2050.

To participate in the Sustainability Spooktacular, create an account through Zero in Bloomington by Oct. 1 and register for the limited-capacity events.