Sustainable Bloomington

Ways to practice sustainability

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Adopt a Drain
Volunteer fifteen minutes, twice a month, for cleaner waterways and healthier communities. Storm drains flow directly to local lakes, rivers, and wetlands, acting as a conduit for trash and organic pollutants. Adopt a Drain asks residents to adopt a storm drain in their neighborhood and keep it clear of leaves, trash, and other debris to reduce water pollution.

Learn more at adopt-a-drain.org

Plant a Pollinator garden in Your Yard 
Animal pollinators are critical to our food supply. About 75% of food crops and 90% of wild flowering plants depend on animal pollinators. Wild pollinators have declined locally and globally. Prairie wildflower plantings attract pollinators and sequester carbon below ground. 

Learn more at mnnativeintelligence.com

Control buckthorn and/or garlic mustard 
Invasive species like buckthorn and garlic mustard take over natural communities unless we intervene. They outcompete our diverse native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, simplifying natural communities to few weedy species and making them more vulnerable to collapse. 

Learn more at the MN Department of Natural Resources website.

Plant a tree in your yard 
Trees exhale oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas that leads to climate change. Climate change stresses out trees, leading to slow growth, disease, or even death. If there were no trees we would suffocate. We can help the forest adapt to climate change by planting trees that survive in our new climate. 

Learn more at the MN Department of Natural Resources website.

Schedule a Home Energy Squad visit 
Home Energy Squad is a low-cost program ($50 for many Bloomington residents, or free depending on income qualification) that gets you started with some basic home energy upgrades and personalized information to help you take the next step. 

Learn more at homeenergysquad.net

Eat a vegetarian dinner once a week 
Switching from beef to other meats is good, but switching away from meat entirely is even better. Going vegetarian for 1 out of 21 meals per week is a small step, but many people find they want to go further. It’s also much healthier for you. 

Learn more at greeneatz.com.

Make your next vehicle a plug-in electric
Electric vehicle (EV) technology is now fully capable of replacing your “gasmobile”, especially if you live in a two-car household. The 2020 generation of EVs are cheaper to own, more fun to drive, and just overall better than the equivalent gasoline-fueled cars – with dramatically lower carbon emissions. 

Learn more at driveelectricmn.org

Manage your food waste responsibly
The most carbon-inefficient food of all is the food we throw away. Avoid purchasing more food than you can eat, and compost your food waste – this prevents it from decomposing into methane, an extremely strong greenhouse gas.

Learn more at the EPA website and sign up for organics drop-off in Bloomington

Unplug Vampire Appliances
Whether your electricity bill is unpredictable from month to month or it’s consistently higher than you would like, vampire power may be the culprit. Learn how to identify and manage vampire power in your home, and you may be surprised to find a reduction in power costs and help save the environment.

Learn more at paylesspower.com/blog/vampire-energy.