Three Sustainability Events

I didn't realize until this past week that we had to go to three sustainability events, so I hammered three of them out quickly so I can scratch it off of my list. Fortunately, both SPEA and the Bloomington community offer ample opportunities to attend sustainability-themed events.

LEED Talk

November 9

I went to a talk about LEED Certification and saw a few other members of our class there. The two speakers talked about the general aspects of USGBC, LEED Certification, and becoming a LEED Green Associate. I learned that LEED considers site planning (which includes the building relationship to the other buildings around it), indoor environmental quality (which includes things like what cleaners are used), material use, energy, and water management.

I was surprised to find out that many buildings that get LEED certified are already existing buildings, and that LEED addresses the complete lifecycle of a building. The steps to LEED certification are 1) Register the project, 2) Track progress and document achievement, 3) Apply for certification. I was surprised to hear that only about 20% of registered projects get certified.

Another things that I wasn't aware of is that you can get multiple certifications for one building. For example, the LEED headquarters are in the Empire State Building which is Gold Certified (impressive!), but the headquarters themselves are Platinum Certified. Another thing I was pleased to learn is that the local chapter of LEED is going to be partnering with Habitat for Humanity.

The talk was informational and I am bummed that I can't take the class next semester. A member of SDA said that she might be writing a grant to purchase the study materials for the exam so there is a possibility that I would have the opportunity to study for the exam over the summer (if I haven't gotten a job yet). I think that being a LEED Green Associate would be a great boost for my resume and would hopefully come in handy in my future career.

Bloomington Handmade Market

November 12

This event and the next event are events that I would have liked to go to anyway, and it happened to work out that they incorporate many elements of sustainability. The Bloomington Handmade Market was located in the Bloomington Convention Center. The location alone was pretty cool as it is a renovated old building (I believe it used to be a car factory), and it is great that Bloomington has a space to host these type of events.

I went to the event since purchasing items made my local artisans prevents carbon emissions from shipped products and it supports the local community and economy. I also found, however, that there were more sustainable elements present. The majority of artists sold items that creatively recycled old materials. There was plenty of jewelry made out of watches that no longer functioned or the keys of old typewriters. Clothing was made of clothes picked up at a local Goodwill or thrift shop and then redesigned to make something new. Since "handmade" doesn't necessarily mean environmentally-friendly, I was pleased with all the recycling. I also saw several people I know there, so there was an added social element.

Cider Fest

November 12

After the Bloomington Handmade Market, I headed to Cider Fest. I had never been to the Community Orchard before so I was looking forward to walking around and checking it out. When I arrived, I was sad to hear that they were already out of cider and food, but at the same time I was happy about the unexpected turnout. Kids bobbed for apples and could get their faces painted. Local musicians set the mood. I walked around the orchard and was very impressed by the variety of fruits that will be growing there in the future. I got a demonstration of the cider press, and was actually surprised to find out that apple cider is purely the liquid from crushed apples, nothing else added. It makes me like apple cider even more. Before I had arrived it seems that there was a display of foods made with local ingredients. It was very cool to see the community come together in this way, and, of course, to see the orchard itself, one of Bloomington's finest examples of sustainability. I had a good time and I did end up getting a bit of cider after all!