Step It Up Bloomington!

The weather this morning was cold and rainy, but a few souls braved the elements to march through town to the Bloomington Farmers' Market for the StepItUp! rally. The gathering was moved indoors to the City Council building atrium and City Council Chambers because of a steady downpour.

Attendance was excellent - especially considering the cold and rain! An estimated 300 people sat or stood in the atrium to listen to the music and presentations, or interacted with the staff manning the information tables set up throughout City Hall. The tables were sponsored and staffed by city and local environmental groups, who were on hand to instruct, pass out literature, introduce attendees to local carbon-cutting alternatives, local food growers, and even hand out free gifts - including 400 compact fluorescent light bulbs!

There were at least eight State, City and County representatives on hand for the event, including U.S. Congressman Baron Hill (IN-9), Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, State Representative Matt Pierce, and County Commissioner Iris Kiesling, all of whom spoke at the rally. Mayor Kruzan issued a special proclamation today, to commemorate Step It Up. Entertainment included terrific performances by singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer, a cappella vocal group Kaia, and fusion band Para Luxe. The rally was emceed by Brad Wilhelm.

Author Scott Russell Sanders read a 'Letter To My Children' that was so moving many in the crowd could be seen drying tears from their eyes.

After the rally many attendees braved the rain and attended a tree planting ceremony next to the Monroe County Public Library.

Step It Up Bloomington! was presented in cooperation with the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability, the Environmental Commission, and the City of Bloomington Department of Parks & Recreation.

A special thank you to Stephanie Kimball and Vic Kelson for being literally everywhere at once during the planning of this event!

Thank you to the R367 Class for all of your hard work, and to everyone who set up and ran the terrific informational booths in the City Hall Chambers! Also, a big thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to get involved in the planning of Step It Up Bloomington. It truly took a village.

A huge round of e-applause to our speakers and performers: Representative Baron Hill, Mayor Mark Kruzan (and to the City Council for all of your support;) Singing/Songwriter Carrie Newcomer, Scott Russell Sanders, Kaia, Para Luxe... and to Brad Wilhelm our emcee, for keeping things rolling smoothly!

Many people came up to us during and after the rally asking 'what next?' It appears that 'Step It Up Bloomington' is now here to stay!

Let's do it again next year.