BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington’s Department of Economic and Sustainable Development has launched the “Zero In Bloomington” initiative (zeroinbloomington.com) to help individuals and groups track progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions in support of Bloomington’s communitywide climate goal to reach net zero by 2050.
Zero In Bloomington helps drive community-driven action to increase climate resiliency and meet climate goals outlined in Bloomington’s sustainability vision (https://bton.in/fIExl) while building momentum around achieving community climate action.
Zero in Bloomington is an online website that provides Bloomington residents with local, customized recommendations to reduce household carbon emissions. By creating a profile, the site suggests high-impact emissions reduction actions based on household characteristics, including insights about energy usage, compared to an average Bloomington household, and tracks individual progress on the site dashboard.
The 2020 City of Bloomington Community Climate Survey (https://bton.in/yivcW) indicated that over 80% of Bloomington residents surveyed reported concern about increasing climate change impacts in Bloomington. Zero In Bloomington provides residents with resources to support community-driven action to combat climate change and ways to support reducing emissions by 25% by 2030. Community participation in this initiative will make strides toward 14 of Bloomington’s goals outlined in the 2021 Climate Action Plan (https://bton.in/yivcW).
“The City is committed to addressing the climate emergency,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “This website is a tool that enables Bloomington residents to directly participate in our Climate Action Plan, which means working together to create a more resilient and sustainable future for Bloomington.”
Zero in Bloomington focuses on seven broad action categories: Be Water Wise, Clean Energy Home, Be Energy Smart, Shift Your Ride, Eat Green & Waste Less, Resilience, and Community & Learning. With over 100 action items across the seven categories, there are opportunities for all individuals and households to get involved with the challenge. Each action includes a list of steps and tips on how to best complete that action, along with a list of localized resources. The resources include rebates, tax credits, information, and programs that provide guidance about initiatives available to residents. In addition to making actions more achievable, these resources can also promote Bloomington-based programs and initiatives and build momentum for unifying the community through collective climate action.
Help achieve 100 tons of carbon emissions reduction by December 2023 by being one of the first 500 households to enroll in Zero In Bloomington. Get started by registering at https://bton.in/bbfIG.
For more information about the initiative, please visit bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/zeroin.
