Zero In Bloomington

Help chart a path to Bloomington’s zero carbon future by joining “Zero In Bloomington!”

The City of Bloomington’s Department of Economic and Sustainable Development has launched the “Zero In Bloomington” initiative to help individuals and groups track their progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions in support of Bloomington’s communitywide climate goal to reduce emissions 25% by 2030. 
 

Zero In Bloomington is an online platform that provides Bloomington residents with locally specific, customized recommendations to reduce emissions.

Create a profile to access instructions and community resources specific to each recommended action item. Want to know more about how to install solar panels in Bloomington? Check out the resources list. Wondering where others in your community go to compost? Check out the discussion post for that action! As an added engagement opportunity, team up with other households or groups and increase your team's collective impact by competing against other teams in the community committed to reducing emissions.

As you complete various action items, your dashboard will reflect your household/team's emissions reduction progress based on the site's point system for each action. You can also view an estimate of how much money you may save by completing each action. 

Why participate in Zero In Bloomington? 

The City of Bloomington has an established commitment to sustainability and climate action, as laid out in the 2021 Climate Action Plan. Partnerships advance Bloomington’s climate action goals through City sponsored programs that support energy conservation and efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction and more. Zero In Bloomington helps to support community-driven action to increase climate resiliency and meet climate goals outlined in Bloomington’s sustainability vision, while also helping to build momentum around achieving community climate action. In addition to helping achieve emissions reductions of 25% by 2030, through Zero In Bloomington you can help work towards the following community-based initiatives outlined in the Bloomington Climate Action Plan:

• Goal EB1: Increase Renewable Energy Use 
• Goal EB2: Increase Energy Efficiency Conservation 
• Goal EB4: Switch to Low-Carbon Devices 
• Goal TL1: Reduce Automobile Use  
• Goal TL2: Increase Electric Vehicle Adoption 
• Goal WM1: Reduce Waste Going to the Landfill 
• Goal WM2: Educate, Motive, + Empower the Public to Reduce Waste
• Goal FA3: Increased Use of Local Food Markets 
• Goal G3: Improving Tree Cover 
• Goal W1: Decrease Water Consumption 
• Goal G2: Increase Resilient Native Habitats
• Goal HS1: Educate, Motivate + Empower the Public for Climate Health and Safety 
• Goal HS2: Prepare for Climate Risks in Bloomington 
• Goal HS3: Respond to Climate Impacts in Bloomington 

How to register/participate: 
 

1. Start by creating a new account for your household, and selecting your district.*
   
    
2. Complete an energy profile for your household 

The energy profile will ask general questions about your household’s characteristics, including 

• Do you rent or own your home?
• How many people live in your household?
• What type of appliances do you use and how often?
• What are the fuel sources used for your appliances?
• What modes of transportation are used in your home?
• What are the food consumption and waste habits in your household?
• What is your monthly electricity consumption? 
   

By completing the energy profile, Zero In Bloomington will provide you with an overview of your household's emissions and how your energy usage compares to an average Bloomington household, as well as custom recommendations of high impact emissions reductions actions based on your household characteristics. 
 

3. Start completing actions! 

There are over 100 action items on the Zero In Bloomington site to choose from. Filter and choose actions items based on emissions impact, savings/year, difficulty, cost, and/or time required to see which actions you are able to start implementing. There are 7 categories of action types, including: 

• Be Energy Smart
• Clean Energy Home
• Shift Your Ride
• Eat Green & Waste Less
• Be Water Wise
• Community & Learning
• Resilience

4. Invite others to join you 

You can build a team of households to compete together against other teams and increase our community’s collective impact. Get your neighborhoods and community groups to register and host a challenge to expand collective climate action.

If you are have any questions regarding outreach or getting involved, please fill out this interest and inquiry form.  

*If you or somebody you know lives outside of Monroe County and would like to utilize the platform to track their own climate commitment performance, see instructions attached below for Non-Resident Registration.

Ready to get started? Visit zeroinbloomington.com to register your household.

Contact sustain@bloomington.in.gov with any questions about Zero In Bloomington.