Bloomington named ‘Green Community of the Year’

Bloomington was named “Green Community of the Year” by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns for the first time ever this week.

The award recognizes communities that implement a variety of green initiatives while maintaining cost efficiency, said Laura Gibbons, communications director for IACT, which is a coalition of municipal officials and a member of the National League of Cities.

“Bloomington has always been progressive with its environmental education; it’s nice to have the verification,” said Adam Wason, assistant director of economic development for the City of Bloomington.

Gibbons said that with the new recognition, IACT hopes to provide educational opportunities for local governments by creating a clearinghouse of data and programs to help Indiana communities implement different green initiatives.

Wason said the city had to fill out a 51-question survey in the areas of purchasing, operations, measuring success and sample projects. The city met the minimum score required to be a Green Community and ranked the highest among other communities its size. 

“They are a leader in adopting green programs,” Gibbons said.

Bloomington City Council member Isabel Piedmont-Smith agreed and encouraged the city to apply for the award. She said Bloomington “has taken a lot of steps toward sustainability.”

Other communities that earned IACT green community designations were Carmel, South Bend, Lafayette and Greencastle, which won the smaller communities category.

Wason said several distinguishing green programs helped Bloomington earn the recognition. The city’s Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry program has been responsible for planting more than 18,000 trees in the urban forest and thousands more in the city’s parks, according to the city’s Web site.

Because of the Urban Forestry program, Bloomington was Indiana’s first “Tree City USA” in 1985, and in 2007 Bloomington was named a Tree City USA for the 23rd consecutive year by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Wason mentioned that Bloomington was also specially recognized for its unique EverGreen Village. The 12 homes were “green built,” or energy-efficient with less impact on the environment. The neighborhood earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Built by the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department, the homes were sold to low-income families. Because the homes are equipped with photovoltaic panels for solar energy, among other sustainable measures, the homeowners have lower utility bills.

Besides larger projects, Wason said the city also earned the distinction because of “minor adjustments” improving efficiency of City Hall, such as using energy-efficient light bulbs, improving the heating ventilation and air-conditioning system and encouraging city employees to turn off the lights.

He said the city saved approximately $13,000 by decreasing energy use by 15 to 20 percent in the first six months of 2008, compared with the first six months of 2007.
“It’s really exciting to see that the things you are doing are being recognized and can be adopted by other communities,” Wason said.