| Local
Transition Initiatives and Related
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The
Built Environment
Land
Use
 Trillium
Horticultural Park -
An 80 Acre property on S. Rogers
North of Thompson Park owned by
Monroe County but in the city
limits of Bloomington.
Originally
planned for a youth prison, it's
now being revisioned for a multi-use
facility which could include
- a
year-round farmers market that
would be open 6 days / week;
- indoor
and outdoor roofed sales areas;
- commercial
produce seller's offices / cold
storage / freezers / warehouses;
- indoor
retail, short-term rental commercial
kitchens / business incubators;
 root
cellars; - indoor
space for community classrooms,
workshops and a farm school;
- 8
acres of community gardens;
- 5
acres for aquaculture;
- 5
acres of water catchment ponds;
- 10
acres of community orchards,
 20
acres of urban forest (and polyculture
forestry training school); - commercial
and mobile abattoir with integrated
constructed wetlands and composting
link;
- fields
for horticulture crops and nursery
of useful plants;
- soil
lab;
- agri/hort
tourism;
- composting
facility,
- and
ALSO a troubled youth horticultural
therapy facility with dorms,
gardens, offices, and classrooms
integrated with the Eco-Park.
- It's
100 foot elevation above the
surrounding landscape provides
potential for wind-power electrical
generation and a
 great
south-facing aspect for solar
photovoltaic and heating.
- a
possible new / alternate home
for Bloomington Hospital, likewise
integrated with nature's medicine
(i.e. REAL food and a healthy
environment)
A
larger group of participators
/ investors / designers / entrepreneurs
will create a lot more excitement
about the prospects for this site.
The adjacent Thompson Park could
become a valuable partner for
hosting events to further the
evolution and social potential
of both landscapes.
This
kind of land-use planning is clearly
becoming an emerging trend arising
as a community response to the
economic, social, environmental
and energy challenges being faced
by cultures all over the planet.
Bloomington is in a unique position
to model a coherent vision for
a relocalizing economic and social
transformation to a stable and
resilient community, able and
ready to face the future while
serving as an example to communities
throughout the Midwest and beyond.
Other
models for this kind of project,
some well-advanced, some in planning,
are the Intervale
Center in Burlington VT (5
stars!), the Western
North Carolina Farmers Market
in Asheville (4 stars), the Myrick
Hixon EcoPark in Lacrosse,
WI., the Transition
Putney – Green Village Eco-Park,
England (.pdf) , the Downtown
Houston Eco-Centric Park,
the Dunhill
Ecopark (England) (a very
impressive mixed-use enterprise
with a broad forward-looking social
and economic vision - 5 stars!),
Agricultural
Eco-Industrial Parks in China,
and an Eco-Industrial/
Agricultural Park in Crestone
Colorado.
This
project would strengthen Bloomington's
community food systems while preserving
a great agricultural resource.
By working with farmers to increase
market access and viability, and
promoting land use that protects
our water quality the programs
and services provided will build
a regenerative, relocalized and
independent food system that employs
the people of Bloomington and
adds value to local food and local
landscapes.
Prospective
partners for this project: Local
Growers Guild, Bloomingfoods,
Sycamore Land Trust, Center for
Sustainable Living, Bloomington
City Council, Monroe County Commissioners,
Sycamore Land Trust, and others.
 Sycamore
Land Trust (SLT)
is a non-profit southern Indiana
organization whose mission is
to preserve our disappearing landscape.
SLT protects scenic beauty for
the aesthetic enjoyment of present
and future generations and also
* saves healthy, beautiful habitat
for both humans and wildlife.
* creates outdoor learning experiences
for all ages through SLT’s
Environmental
Education Program.
* provides valuable ecological
services that improve air, water,
and soil quality.
* provides economic benefit by
helping attract families, businesses,
and visitors to southern Indiana.
 Heartwood
- a non-profit
group dedicated to protecting
the beautiful hardwood forests
of the American heartland. Today,
our efforts remain rooted in the
heart of the central hardwood
region, with an emphasis on our
“core states” of Indiana,
Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and
Missouri. Over time, Heartwood
has branched out to serve areas
of need throughout an 18-state
region, giving special attention
to the “at risk” national
forests in Michigan, Mississippi,
Pennsylvania, Arkansas, West Virginia,
and Virginia. PO Box 1424, Bton,
IN 47402 812-337-8898
 Permaculture
Activist magazine
- In print since 1985, and located
in Bloomington since 2006, our
purpose is to supply information
that enables people everywhere
to provide for their own &
their communities' needs for food,
energy, shelter, & a decent
life without exploitation or pollution
& from the smallest practical
area of land. PO Box 5516, Bloomington,
IN 47407 USA 812-335-0383
Transportation
 Bloomington
Bike Project: a
non-profit, volunteer run bike
shop with basically two different
programs...and some extra perks.
The first program is called "Earn-A-Bike".
This involves earning a bike for
free by volunteering 3 hours helping
out around the shop. This can
consist of cleaning, stripping
bikes, etc. This volunteer work
will help you get familiar with
the shop and with bicycles in
general. No prior experience is
necessary. After you are done
you can choose a bike from our
plethora of donated bicycles and
take as long or little time as
you want to build your OWN bicycle
FOR FREE! There are always volunteers
on hand to help you along the
way, but we don't do it for you.
Watch
the video for more info about
the project.
Bloomington
Pedal Power:
offers you the
most reliable and the friendliest
delivery service for the best
possible price, with an emphasis
on environmentally sustainable
business practices. What sets
us apart is that we make all deliveries,
regardless of size, distance,
or weather conditions, on our
bicycles. For many deliveries,
the bicycle is the most logical
and efficient method of transportation,
and certainly one of the least
damaging to the environment. No
matter what your delivery needs
may be, from legal documents or
architectural plans, to groceries
or large items, we’ve got
you covered.
 Bloomington
Transportation Options for People:
a non-profit organization
working to bring about a more
sustainable culture, better urban
form and enhanced quality-of-life
to people in the Bloomington area
by increasing use, funding and
development of alternatives to
auto transport.
Housing
- Bloomington
Cooperative Plots an
intentional community of individuals
and families who dedicate their
unique talents, gifts, and aspirations
toward a common Vision of Creativity,
Community, Sustainability, Education,
and Economic Freedom. We hope
to promote sustainable living
and community by eating, living,
gardening, creating, learning,
and teaching together.
- Bloomington
Cooperative Living is
a housing cooperative in Bloomington,
IN. We currently house about thirty
residents in three houses. Our
mission is to foster an economically,
ecologically, and socially sustainable
society by promoting the value
of cooperation and diversity.
 Council
of Neighborhood Associations CONA
supports the formation
of neighborhood associations,
provides advocacy for neighborhood
issues and concerns, and aspires
to make neighborhoods in Monroe
County safe, welcoming and desirable
places in which to live.
 Habitat
for Humanity of Monroe County's
mission is to eliminate
poverty housing by building simple,
decent, affordable homes in partnership
with qualifying families. Habitat
homeowners pay interest-free,
no-profit mortgages, which are
used to build more Habitat houses.
Because houses are principally
built with volunteer labor, mortgage
payments are affordable for low-income
partners. 213 E. Kirkwood
Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812.331.4069
 Indiana
Natural Builders:
is a design, consulting
and construction company in Bloomington,
Indiana specializing in natural
and green building. Our mission
is to build structures in harmony
with nature. We employ earth-friendly
techniques such as passive solar,
strawbale, cob-earth, cordwood,
and timber framing. We are experienced
in natural plasters and finishes
and radiant floor design and installation.
We
also conduct workshops that teach
natural building skills. Past
workshops have focused on cob
ovens and hot tubs. 6355
Stogsdill Road, Bloomington, Joe
Davis (812) 339-3017
Sustenance
Food
- Community
Supported Agriculture programs
 Center
for Community Empowerment CSA
envisions a world
in which all communities have
access to healthy, locally-grown,
organic food and herbal medicine
which are grown in ways that are
both environmentally and personally
sustainable.
Core
Farms CSA Andy
& Amy Hamilton, A CSA offering
organically grown vegetables,
fruit, eggs, and apple cider from
Heartland Family Farms, New Growth
Gardens, and Musgrave Orchard
812-339-5006 (orchard) or 812-876-3328
(home) corefarmscsa@musgraveorchard.com
 LIFE
Certified Organic Farm CSA
We believe in building
a farm that works along the three
pillars of sustainability: economics,
environment and community. We
must be economically viable in
order to ensure that we can interact
sustainably with our environment
and community for the long run.
"Plus" means that we
do more than maintain good practices,
we also work to heal what has
been damaged - from the soil,
to the diversity of wildlife around
the farm, to the relationships
between the farmer and community
members.
Lost
Pond Farm CSA,
Now in our thirteenth year of
selling our produce locally, Lost
Pond Farm is located on fifty-seven
mostly wooded acres in Washington
County. We grow more than fifty
kinds of flowers and a variety
of seasonal produce using no-till,
deep mulch beds to minimize soil
exposure, moisture loss and erosion.
We employ low-tech season extension
methods and use no synthetic pesticides,
herbicides or fertilizers. 812–929–2219
lost_pond@yahoo.com
 Maple
Valley Farm Meat Shares
- Larry and Tina
Howard, 3330 W. Maple Grove Road,
Bloomington, IN 47404
812-876-5023 Maple Valley
Farm is committed to providing
naturally produced food of the
highest quality to patrons who
are passionate about their health,
their environment and the quality
of their food.We are Grass-based
(all animals are raised on pasture;
ruminants, such as cows and sheep,
are fed no grain), use no hormones,
pesticides, herbicides, chemical
fertilizers or pharmaceutical
anthelmintics, use management
techniques that protect the environment
and improve the fertility of the
soil and the nutrition of our
pastures, and are constantly experimenting,
learning and attempting to improve.
Muddy
Fork Farm Bread CSA, Katie
Zukof & Eric Schedler, 4569
Earl Young Rd., Bloomington, IN
47408812-340-9400, muddyfork@gmail.com
- Our CSA offers artisan bread
made from locally-grown organic
flour, local honey and other wholesome,
organic ingredients.
Schacht
Farm Meat CSA, 1470
E. Schacht Road, Bloomington,
IN 47401 - We, Matt and Mandy
Corry, along with our son Abe,
raise free-range chickens for
eggs and meat, free-range turkeys,
pastured hogs and grassfed (and
finished) cattle in south-central
Indiana. Both the land and the
animals are managed naturally,
without the use of chemicals of
any kind. Animals are raised outdoors
in their natural environment where
they are free to express their
species-specific behaviors. We
believe this makes for happy animals
and ultimately, healthy customers.
812-824-6425 schachtfarm@yahoo.com
Spring
Hill Farm CSA, Scott
Folley, 4616 South SR135, Morgantown,
IN 46160 - We grow a full range
of root crops, salad greens, tomatoes,
squash, beans, corn, and provide
free-range poultry and eggs. We
believe our stewardship of the
soil produces the highest quality
product available for miles around.
812-597-5454 or 812-325-8898,
folleyclan@sbcglobal.net
 Stranger's
Hill Organics, 7480
N Howard Rd Bloomington, IN, 47404
Set in the rolling hills of South-central
Indiana, we're a small farm business
specializing in Certified Organic
produce. Operated by founders
Dale and Lee Jones for over 30
years, our farm and greenhouse
operation has been Certified Organic
since 1989, the oldest continually
Certified Organic farm in Indiana.
812-327-5773, csa@strangershillorganics.com
- Community
Gardens
Willie
Streeter Community Gardens
Butler
Park Community Gardens
Crestmont
Community Gardens
Banneker
Green Thumbs Garden
Bloomington
Community Orchard
- Food
Banks
 Hoosier
Hills Food Bank
collects, stores, and distributes
nutritious food products to non-profit
organizations, which provide free
feeding programs that serve both
ill and needy families and individuals
in Monroe, Martin, Owen, Orange,
Brown, and Lawrence Counties in
Central Indiana. Since opening
in 1982, over 30 million pounds
of food have been distributed
and since 1995, the Meal Share
Program has distributed over 925,000
healthy meals to members of the
community. In 2010 Hoosier Hills
Food Bank hit a milestone by distributing
over 3 million pounds of food.
 Mother
Hubbard's Cupboard is
a food pantry whose mission is:
To
provide healthful, wholesome
food to people in need, as well
as nutrition and gardening education
and to provide our services
in ways that build community
while enhancing the dignity,
respect, and self-care of all
involved.
We envision a community in which
everyone has equal access to
nutritious food, waste is minimized,
& all members are healthy,
self-sufficient, & empowered
to reach their full potential.
 Bloomingfoods:
a local food cooperative
Bloomingfoods promotes
healthy, high quality, sustainable
and environmentally sound products
at a fair price. Our commitment
to sustainable agriculture, artisanal
producers of local products and
delicious regional foods are a
few of the things that set us
apart. The purposes of the Co-op
are: to promote and encourage
interest in the local growing
of food crops and to provide for
the consumers of Southern Indiana
locally grown, nutritious and
non-chemically produced foodstuffs;
to educate the community to the
economic, social and other beneficial
values inherent in organizing
community services, and in offering
locally produced consumer goods
and foodstuffs; and to help provide
low cost food and consumer services
to the indigent members of the
Co-op and to the local community
as a whole whenever possible.
A further mission of the Co-op
is to foster a healthy and sustainable
future through the development
of community based cooperative
businesses.
-
 Bloomington
Community Farmers Market
The Bloomington
Community Farmers' Market is
located at 401 N. Morton St.
next to City Hall - Showers
Building. Locally grown porduce,
annual and perennial plants,
and a variety of prepared foods
are available. Purchase your
food directly from farmers and
ask them questions about their
products. Local entertainment
adds to the shopping as well
as socializing experience. Tantalizing
scents and the inviting atmosphere
may cause you to make the Market
a weekend tradition. Every Sat
May through October.
 Bloomington
Community Orchard
is an organization devoted to
growing fruit for the community
to share and enjoy. The publicly
owned orchard is maintained entirely
by volunteers and the harvest
is available to everyone in the
community. The orchard will contribute
to Bloomington’s food security,
inspire joyful community engagement,
and educate citizens while making
sustainability delicious. The
City of Bloomington has offered
support and a spacious site adjacent
to our largest and oldest community
garden, Winslow Woods Park, and
the YMCA. The
publicly owned Orchard operates
under the auspices of the Bloomington
Parks and Recreation Department.
A nine-member volunteer Board
of Directors approves major Orchard
decisions. Volunteers have organized
into teams (Communications, Education
and Outreach, Expansion, Finance,
Fundraising, Site Maintenance),
and each team has a board member
as the team leader.
 Bloomington
Garden Club On
September 27, 1938, six women
formed The Bloomington Garden
Club. These six charter members
had the following mission: to
promote the knowledge and love
of gardening; to aid in the protection
of native trees, plants, and birds;
and to encourage civic planting
and beautification.
-
Bloomington
Organic Gardeners Association
has emerged from
the Grow organic Educator Series
that the Center for Sustainable
Living presents in conjunction
with Bloomington Parks and Recreation,
Hilltop and Bloomingfoods. The
members of this group, who have
completed the Grow Organic Educators
Series, have put together a
series of activities and workshops
for themselves and interested
people in the community.
 Caldwell
Center for Culture and Ecology
Our mission
is to help others see and understand
their meaningful relationships
within the natural world. We are
working with kids and adults in
partnership with local schools,
Indiana University, Harmony Education
Center, and other local organizations
to 1) develop and disseminate
systems-based content, curricula
and programs, 2) train education
professionals and academics around
the content, curricula and programs,
and 3) serve as a resource and
coordination center for bioregional
interest groups aligned with the
Caldwell Center mission. In the
coming months, we will join together
youth and community leaders in
dialogues about the Caldwell Center
mission and how we can work together
to help build communities where
our children can thrive.
323 South
Walnut, Bloomington IN 47401
-
 Center
for Sustainable Living It
is the mission of the Center
to make available information,
services, projects and networking
opportunities for those interested
in exploring ecologically sustainable
ways of thinking, living and
interacting in our community.Bloomington
ECO Center, 323 S. Walnut St.,
Bloomington, Indiana 47401 email:
csloffice@gmail.com •
phone: (812)332-8796
 Community
Food Security Coalition: The
Community Food Security Coalition
(CFSC) is a North American coalition
of diverse people and organizations
working from the local to international
levels to build community food
security. We have a diverse membership
with almost 300 organizations
from social and economic justice,
anti-hunger, environmental, community
development, sustainable agriculture,
community gardening and other
fields. We are dedicated to building
strong, sustainable, local and
regional food systems that ensure
access to affordable, nutritious,
and culturally appropriate food
to all people at all times. We
seek to develop self-reliance
among all communities in obtaining
their food and to create a system
of growing, manufacturing, processing,
making available, and selling
food that is regionally based
and grounded in the principles
of justice, democracy, and sustainability.
 Food
Works for Middle Way House:
caters weddings,
private parties, receptions, seminars,
conferences, office parties, brunches
in Bloomington, Indiana and the
surrounding areas. We are not
your everyday catering business,
however. We are a full service
catering business owned and operated
by Middle Way House, an abused
women’s shelter in Bloomington,
Indiana.
Financial independence is central
to women’s safety. Without
it, many women will remain in,
or return to abusive relationships.
With this in mind, Food Works
was started as an economic development
program of the Middle Way House
in 2002.
 Hilltop
Garden & Nature Center
Nestled atop
a hill on five acres in the heart
of Bloomington, Hilltop’s
vibrant gardens offer an oasis
for the Indiana University and
Bloomington communities. Libby’s
Border is a four-season panorama
of perennials and bulbs. The Butterfly
Ranch is a colorful habitat inviting
our winged friends. The Shade
Garden cools the temperature in
a haven filled with foliage and
seasonal bloom. A spectacular
variety of gourds hang proudly
in the 160 foot Gourd Walk, flanked
by demonstration vegetable gardens,
and a gracious Events Pavilion
offers an elegant open air setting
for celebrations. The Youth Garden
Program continues to inspire tomorrow’s
gardeners, and a full schedule
of classes and workshops for adults
offers the latest thinking on
gardening topics.
 Local
Growers Guild The
Local Growers' Guild is a cooperative
of farmers, retailers and community
members dedicated to strenghthening
the local food economy in Southern
Indiana through education, direct
support and market connections.
We're committed to creating a
local foods system that provides
quality food to communities through
direct markets and retailers;
preserves the viability of family
farms; improves the quality of
life for growers; makes food issues
visible; and promotes practices
that preserve and protect the
Earth.
- Monroe
County 4-H 4-H
Is for any young person who currently
is in kindergarten through grade
12 (senior year). The Monroe County
4-H program allows for those students
in grades K through 2 to be involved
in our mini 4-H program; youth
in grades 3-12 are involved in
the "traditional" 4-H
program. For additional information
on how you might become involved,
please give the Purdue Extension
- Monroe County Office a call
at (812) 349-2575. We currently
are located at 3400 West Walnut
Street in Bloomington, Indiana.
- Monroe
County Cooperative Extension Service
 Monroe
County Master Gardener Association
The Master
Gardener Program is "helping
others grow" by providing
intensive education in horticultural
principles. Through the Master
Gardener training sessions you
will become knowledgeable about
a wide array of gardening subjects.
This knowledge will increase your
skills as well as enable you to
provide volunteer leadership and
service to the community in gardening
activities. In Indiana, the Master
Gardener Program is conducted
by the Purdue University Cooperative
Extension Service through participating
county offices. The instruction
is provided without charge by
local, county, and state specialists
in horticulture. There is a fee
for supplies which become your
personal reference collection.
 Slow
Food Bloomington The
main project of Slow Food is to
identify foods that are in danger
of being lost to the Fast Food
juggernaut — exceptional
regional foods produced by artisans
on a small scale that cannot compete
with mass production techniques
but which have a long and delicious
heritage worth preserving.
 South
Central Chapter of the Indiana
native Plant and Wildflower Society
Our mission
is to promote the appreciation,
preservation, conservation, utilization
and scientific study of the flora
native to Indiana and to educate
the public about the values, beauty,
diversity and environmental importance
of indigenous vegetation. We
come from all parts of the state,
and share a love of wildflowers
and an appreciation of the importance
of their habitats. We are a diverse
mix that includes naturalists,
gardeners, environmentalists,
botanists, artists, photographers,
etc
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