Sustainability and our environment
Together we can make a difference
In the news
What will a sustainable city look like?
How will the City accommodate new green technologies and building techniques to enhance our
quality of life? This video tour focuses on concrete examples of developers,
businesses and residents who embrace sustainability by using renewable materials, alternative transportation
and smart design in the South
Loop District.
- Watch "The Tour" video
- Tour a LEED Gold Certified facility
Quality Bicycle Products, one of the businesses featured in "The Tour" video,
offers eco-tours of its LEED Gold Certified distribution center. See how they harness the
sun's energy, save 45,000 gallons of water a year, and use landscaping to destroy
pollutants before they get into the ecosystem. Eco-tours take place at 3:30 p.m. on the
first Wednesday of every month and are free and open to the public. To schedule a
tour for
your group, please contact green@qbp.com or call 952-941-9778.
The City is creating an ever
more sustainable future
Environmental consciousness, energy conservation and sustainable objectives are nothing new in
Bloomington. Early efforts preserved one-third of the community as parks and open space. In so
doing, important, often fragile, rivers, bluffs, lakes, ponds and wetlands were protected from
development.
The City's history of good stewardship provides a foundation of leadership to sustainability.
Efforts today continue to move us toward an ever more sustainable future.
Protection of our natural resources
These ongoing City efforts preserve and protect our natural resources:
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Conducting
a rain garden demonstration project, working with residents on Thomas Avenue South to
install rainwater gardens.
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Constructing
permeable asphalt parking lots and rain gardens to allow infiltration of rainwater into
existing soils, reducing runoff by as much as 90 percent.
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Converting manicured turf to
swathes of natural prairie, a landscape similar to 150 years ago.
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Testing low-maintenance fescue
grass with the hope of using it to reduce maintenance activities and cost.
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Employing well-trained forestry professionals, planting new trees throughout the city for
more than 25 years, encouraging residents to plant trees via an annual tree sale -- and, as
a result, receiving a "Tree City" designation for the last 20
years.
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Developing a comprehensive storm water quality improvement program.
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Upgrading the storm water system to improve capacity and water quality.
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Completing a comprehensive water and wetlands study that resulted in a wetland buffering
program.
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Requiring retailers selling fertilizer to offer phosphorus-free products.
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Increasing street sweeping to reduce runoff into water bodies.
Long-term stewardship
Stewardship leads to increased service and energy efficiency. The City's efforts include:
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Replacing major facilities with more energy-efficient buildings.
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Using a bio diesel blend in 100 percent of our total diesel consumption.
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Purchasing vehicles that use E-85 and hybrid vehicles.
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Enacting a vehicle idling policy for all City vehicles to address two major concerns facing
the City - air pollution and vehicle fuel expense.
Planning initiatives and projects that support sustainability
The Mayor on sustainability
YOU can improve our
environment
You may think that you don't have the time or the resources to make much of a difference - but
one person truly can help. Take a look at the resources listed below for steps you can take to
improve the environment.
In your own home and yard
In your community
Earth Action Heroes!
Your neighbors, doing their part to improve the environment
Whether it’s saving energy or guarding our precious natural resources, these
individuals who make a difference in Bloomington have been featured in the Bloomington Briefing.
Tips for concerned citizens
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Energy
efficiency
There has never been a better time to reduce your energy costs through improvements in
energy efficiency. You may be eligible for grants or loans to complete the work.
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Greenwashing
Greenwashing is the act of falsely claiming that a product or service is "green." This
PDF offers advice about how you and your company can actually help care for the
environment.
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Avoiding mercury
Once used in manufacturing, agriculture and other industries, mercury is now
considered a dangerous pollutant. Learn more.
Links to other websites
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