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Environment 73 results
People living in intentional communities engage daily in cooperative living. Laura Lasuertmer, a founding member of Common Home Farm north of Bloomington, asked members of four other intentional communities about how the pandemic changed community life. Pictured above are (l-r) David Watters, Huck Watters, David Lasuertmer, and Alice Lasuertmer at Common Home Farm’s “Outdoor Church” in January. | Photo by Laura Lasuertmer

‘We Were Already in This Together’: Pandemic Times in Intentional Community
Laura Lasuertmer
People living in intentional communities engage daily in cooperative living. How were they affected by the pandemic? How did community life change and adapt? Laura Lasuertmer, a founding member of Common Home Farm in Bloomington, asked members of four other intentional communities how their networks of mutual support weathered the pandemic. | Click here to read Laura’s article.
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Each fall since 2016, Rachel Bahr’s English 11 class at Bloomington’s Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship have completed a class project called “Sense of Place” and shared their work with Limestone Post. This year’s students created videos portraying a variety of unique places: a horse stable, a family homestead, a limestone mill, Dunn Meadow, Community Kitchen, Rose Hill Cemetery, the B-Line Trail, Jackson Creek Middle School, and Monroe Lake. Pictured is a screenshot of Woolery Mill from Ambrose Lee’s video.

What the ‘Sense of Place’ Project by ASE Students Can Teach Us
Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship English 11
Students in Rachel Bahr’s English 11 class at Bloomington’s Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship share their annual “Sense of Place” project with Limestone Post! While their unique “places” are as varied as a horse stable, a limestone mill, Dunn Meadow, Community Kitchen, and Monroe Lake, their videos teach us what we share as a community. Click here to learn about the project and watch their videos!
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It wasn’t until Sean Chung volunteered for a local environmental group that he realized how destructive invasive plants were to the integrity of local ecosystems. In Monroe County, the invasion is held at bay by individuals, neighborhood associations, nonprofit organizations, local government, and even the U.S. Forest Service. The Park Ridge East neighborhood, for example, took advantage of a city grant program to install a native plant garden (pictured) to provide a habitat for butterflies and other pollinators. | Limestone Post

Keeping Invasive Plants at Bay to Prevent ‘Ecological Collapse’
Sean Chung
Before volunteering for a local environmental group, Sean Chung was unaware of the problems invasive plants were causing here in Monroe County and “every single community in the U.S.” For this article, he interviewed people working to “contain the invasion” and prevent the kind of “ecological collapse” that invasives can cause. Click here to read the article.
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Within a two-hour drive from Bloomington, you can take road trips to such diverse places as quintessential Hoosier small towns and atypical Hoosier landscapes (pictured above, the DePauw Nature Park). As writer Diane Walker says, these fun, unusual, and affordable destinations will nourish our mental and physical health with hiking, exploring, and exercising our curiosity — and help us to emerge from our ‘unprecedented isolation.’ | Limestone Post

Road Trips to Waterfalls, Small Towns, and Unusual Hoosier Locales
Diane Walker
All of us need a fun break, especially after 14 months of unprecedented isolation, and what’s a better getaway than a good road trip? Writer Diane Walker takes us to waterfalls, small towns, and several fun, affordable, and unusual sites on these “road trips of distinction” — all within a two-hour drive of Bloomington. Click here to join the ride!
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Research by Alex Jahn at Indiana University has focused on the rarely studied American robin. For Jahn, birds are sentinels because they can predict what is happening to our ecosystem. Jahn and other researchers around the world use technology such as satellite telemetry to understand how migration affects the lives of birds. With a reported 30 percent of bird species lost since the 1970s, writes Rebecca Hill, the information gathered is more important than ever. | Photo by Skyler Ewing

Keeping Track of Migrating Birds, the ‘Sentinels’ of Our Ecosystem
Rebecca Hill
In 1803, James Audubon tracked birds by tying thread around their legs. Researchers around the world now use technology such as satellite telemetry to understand how migration affects these “sentinels” of our ecosystem. With a reported 30 percent of bird species lost since the 1970s, writes Rebecca Hill, the information gathered is more important than ever. Click here to read the article.
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In the past 25 years, the housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and housing prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. The photos above depict examples of “missing middle housing,” courtesy of NeighborsUnited.info.

Invisible Neighbors: How To Include People Left Out of B-town’s Neighborhoods
Deborah Myerson
In the past 25 years, housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. Click here to read Deborah’s article.
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Abattoir Gallery Challenges Racist and Pandemic Conventions
Ian Carstens
Abattoir Gallery, at 4th and Rogers streets in Bloomington, will exhibit across mediums while maintaining a safe space for LGBTQ+, Black, and brown people, says its lead curator, Gnat Bowden. Writer Ian Carstens attended the soft opening and says Abattoir “is an open door to the streets of Bloomington to challenge its anti-Black, anti-LGTBQ+ realities.” Click here to read about Abattoir Gallery.
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ASE Students Complete Annual ‘Sense of Place’ Project Despite Pandemic
Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship English 11
The annual “Sense of Place” project by students at The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship shows “a sliver of each student’s identity,” writes student Richelle Elkes. But each student’s video, she adds, “gives the viewer a greater understanding of the young people in the community and how their values affect the community of Bloomington.” Click here to read about the project and watch their videos.
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‘Amphibious’ Park in Clarksville Anticipates Climate Change Impact
Beth Edwards
Water volume in the Ohio River is expected to increase by 30 percent over the next 50 years. But a 600-acre park being developed in southern Indiana will turn the inevitable flooding into an attraction, making it “the first climate-resilient park in the Midwest.” Click here to read the story by Beth Edwards of the Indiana Environmental Reporter.
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‘Paper Pavilions’ Exhibition Looks at Race, Nature, and Public Art
Ian Carstens
‘Paper Pavilions’ is a group exhibition of Midwestern artists, showing virtually and physically at the 411 Gallery in Columbus, Indiana. Curated by Sean Starowitz, the City of Bloomington’s assistant director for the arts, the exhibition allows artists to set the tone for the future of public art. Click here to read a review from writer and photographer Ian Carstens.
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Late last year, a group called Women in Nature Gaining Skills (WINGS) was formed to encourage women to participate in outdoor activities such as archery, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching. All openings were filled before the first event in January. A kayaking trip is schedule for July. This photo is from an event hosted by Monroe Lake. | Photo by Jill Vance

WINGS Offers Outdoor Adventures for Women by Women
Laurie D. Borman
Late last year, a group called Women in Nature Gaining Skills (WINGS) was formed to encourage women to participate in outdoor activities such as archery, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching. All openings were filled before the first event in January. Writer Laurie D. Borman interviewed the organizers to find out why WINGS has exceeded expectations. Click below to read the article.
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Thinking about planting a garden? Beth Edwards, a writer and producer for the Indiana Environmental Reporter, has written about the physical, mental health, economic, and environmental benefits of home gardening. People with no space for a garden can rent a plot through the community garden program run by in the City of Bloomington’s Department of Parks and Recreation (see the end of the article for more info). Pictured above, the Willie Streeter Community Gardens on South Highland Avenue. | Limestone Post

Hoosiers Take On Home Gardening
Beth Edwards
Home gardens not only create access to healthy food, they also offer physical, mental health, economic, and environmental benefits, writes Beth Edwards of the Indiana Environmental Reporter. No wonder home gardening has gained in popularity every year since the 2008 financial crisis. Sheltering at home has even more Hoosiers digging in. Click here to learn more.
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