Kruzan speaks at SPEA

Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan returned to his old stomping grounds Thursday to discuss a partnership between IU and the city that could bolster Bloomington's future. Kruzan addressed a new class at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs that will work with the city to promote sustainability, a method of dealing with resources and issues in the present without compromising the future.\n"It's very encouraging," said Kruzan, who was an adjunct professor at SPEA for 12 years. "It puts some reality to what's been conceptual for months. We've been trying to get a commission on sustainability created to make it part of our economic development strategy and now we're having a partnership between the University and the city and making it real."\nThe three-credit undergraduate class, "The Sustainable City," is taught by Paul Schneller, who introduced Kruzan and said his students will work hand-in-hand with the city to develop plans and ideas to make Bloomington more sustainable.\nFirst, Schneller said the class will break up into teams and research sustainability indicators on 12 topics, ranging from transportation to housing to energy and land uses. Those reports will then be turned over to the city for consideration.\nSchneller said the fact that the mayor was willing to come and talk to the students showed a positive first step in the project.\n"I think the fact that the mayor was here and willing to give a speech was the most important part," Schneller said. "His heart is there, his energy is there and that's what is important. When you have someone with vision and leadership like that, then I think the words are less important than the actions that are eventually taken. And I expect him to be an active participant in moving sustainability forward in this community."\nKruzan spoke about the importance of sustainability for a city in terms of topics like resource use, job rates, poverty, homelessness, crime, volunteerism, public service and environmental concerns. \nKruzan said the first objective to making it work is getting over the negative and partisan connotations people wrongly associate with it. He said the issue should not be whether a program is pro-business or pro-environment, but it should benefit both.\n"Keeping Bloomington and the community an attractive place to live and to work is good business," he said.\nSenior Mike Herdrich is in the class and attended Kruzan's lecture. Herdrich said he thinks the course can make a difference in Bloomington, especially given the support the city government showed. In addition to Kruzan, a number of city councilmen sat in the audience, choosing to attend the class on their free time.\n"I think (we) can accomplish better use and better efficiency of our resources and hopefully a longer-lasting, more sustainable Bloomington," Herdrich said. "I definitely think we can (make a difference), just because of the interaction with all the councilman here today. It seems like everyone is very involved in what's going on."\nKruzan said the program will help students find jobs while at the same time providing a better future for all walks of Bloomington residents. \n"If it works, it's a win-win," Kruzan said. "Students are finding academic and professional opportunities. And all of us, students or not, benefit from living in a better community."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Gavin \nLesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.