City Department of Economic and Sustainable Development Announces 2011 Sustainability Partnership Program Recipients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2011

For more information, please contact:
Jared Schlemmer, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3406, [mailto:schlemmj@bloomington.in.gov]
Jacqui Bauer, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Bloomington, 349.3837, [mailto:bauerj@bloomington.in.gov]

Bloomington, IN -- The City of Bloomington's Department of Economic and Sustainable Development announced the recipients of the new Sustainability Partnership (SuPar) Grant Program today. This new grant program is designed to help increase the sustainability of applicant organizations or enhance sustainability-related programs. The goals of the SuPar Grant Program are to build stronger collaborations among different segments of the community and to ensure that more and more partners are joining in community sustainability efforts.

Priority areas for this round of grants included green building and energy efficiency, multi-modal transportation, waste reduction and recycling, and local food and urban gardening.

Recipients for the first round of SuPar grants are:

• Project School, which received $3,800 to develop a new energy assessment program for their students. In cooperation with a local energy and green building expert, students will be trained in basic energy assessment techniques. Basic assessments will be conducted for eight local social service agencies.
• Middle Way House, which received $2,500 to expand their rooftop garden and work with local youth to tend and harvest the garden as well as market its products.
• The Cardboard Co-op, which received $4,000 to purchase a cardboard baler to serve five to ten downtown businesses and facilitate cardboard pickup by Pedal Power.
• WonderLab, which received $2,500 to install solar lights and accompanying educational displays in the WonderLab garden.
• Pinnacle School, which received $300 to fund new recycling bins and signage.
• Metro Printing Services, which received $1,900 to fund new LED lighting for their facility.

For more information on the Sustainability Partnership Grant Program, contact Jacqui Bauer, Sustainability Coordinator, at [mailto:bauerj@bloomington.in.gov] or 349-3837.