City of Bloomington, IN | Climate Action Dashboard
© 2025
Greenspaces like parks, gardens, and natural areas are vital for community health and wellbeing. They provide recreation opportunities, habitat for wildlife, places for social connection, and natural services like stormwater management.
As Bloomington continues to grow, we must preserve existing greenspaces and improve their connectivity and functionality so all residents have access to nature’s benefits. As part of this effort, the City has launched an Adopt-a-Greenspace program (described in the first dropdown below) to encourage responsible stewardship of these natural resources.
In addition to hosting programs like AAG, the City is also actively involved in extensive operations to help maintain local ecosystems. This includes the arduous but important task of vegetation management—the practice of controlling plant growth and types within a greenspace. This management is crucial in areas like forests, urban parks, and alongside roads and power lines, where the balance of plant life affects safety, ecological health, and usability. Check out this vegetation management dashboard the City’s Parks and Recreation Department has established to help track their efforts to combat invasive species that would otherwise harm Bloomington’s natural ecosystems.
Metrics
Number of volunteer leaders for the Adopt-A-Greenspace Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of greenspace locations served by the Adopt-A-Greenspace Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of volunteer hours facilitated by the Adopt-A-Greenspace Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of "weed wrangles" hosted by the Adopt-A-Greenspace Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of volunteers for the Adopt-A-Stream Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of volunteers for the Adopt-A-Drain Program
As of 1/1/2025
Adaptation & Resilience
Enhancing the connectivity and functionality of greenspaces facilitates natural adaptation processes and resilience against environmental stresses, such as heat waves or flooding, by creating ecosystems that can buffer against such events. These interconnected green areas can also contribute to the urban landscape's ability to recover more quickly from disturbances, promoting the long-term sustainability of the City's natural resources.
Preventative Public Health
Greenspaces that are well-connected and functional provide easily accessible areas for physical activity, which is essential for preventing chronic diseases and improving overall health. Moreover, these spaces offer a refuge from urban stress, contributing to mental well-being and serving as preventative care by reducing the incidence of stress-related health issues.
| Action | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Improve tree canopy and ground coverage throughout the City | |
 | Maintain the health of trees to improve urban greenspaces | |
 | Improve the connectivity and functionality of greenspaces within the City |
