Sustainable Community Solutions

I was fortunate to connect yesterday with an interesting couple from Bloomington, Indiana who made a stop in Northfield. Andy Davis and Melissa Henige are in the midst of a cross-country bike tour from their hometown to San Francisco. Their trip is being documented on their website, Changing Gears: Shifting Into Sustainability. They describe their project as “the story of two people from Bloomington, Indiana who want to make their town a more sustainable place. It’s a TV show, a movie, and a blog about biking from Indiana to California to learn about that transition to sustainability.”

Biking buddy (and ArTech board chair) Joe Pahr of the Northfield Bicycle Club alerted me to these intrepid travelers yesterday after he bumped into them at Blue Monday and talked about ArTech’s photovoltaic project, on which I have been a consultant and equipment provider. I invited Andy and Melissa over for a cold beverage last night, and they ended up pitching their tent in my back yard and spending the night.

Last night and this morning we talked at length about sustainable community development, their hopes for Bloomington, sustainability efforts here in Northfield, and innaresting folks they have met en route. A couple of the businesses they mentioned to me which I haven’t heard of, and sounded particularly intriguing, were Timbergreen Forestry, a holistic sustainable forestry/milling/wood products/flooring operation near Spring Green, WI, and an innovative and highly productive and profitable Indiana family farm operation, Moody Meats.
This morning they’re off to connect with Griff Wigley of Locally Grown Northfield at his Blue Monday corner office, film an interview with Joe at ArTech, and then head north on their bikes for Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington (MN), “the shop behind America’s bicycle shops.” I just may have to sneak out for a bike ride with them…