By Mona Li

A sizeable crowd of old and young “hippies” gathered on the fields of the Marion County Fairgrounds Saturday for Indiana’s 2010 Sustainable Living Fair. From an outsider’s point of view, what may have seemed esoteric—almost unrealistic—proved to be an informative and inspiring event.

The featured organizations not only provided clear explanations of their projects, but also demonstrated that their eco-conscious solutions can be easily replicated. The theme was that we can all reach a harmonious coexistence between humankind and the environment.

Here are a few of the progressive projects:

Keeping Hill: Building an eco-housing village

Susie Sawin-Johnson’s vision for Keeping Hill in Columbus, Ind., is “a small community for simple living, based on sustainability, where we will nurture and inspire each other, care for the land and strive to provide a model for living lightly on the earth.”

Working closely with EcoSource, a Columbus-based solar and wind power contractor, Sawin-Johnson has taken what started as an idea for a co-housing community ago and transformed it into a site ready for its first resident this fall.

The village will have eight homes and a Common House. The remaining acres will be community gardens and grounds co-owned by the residents.

If the values of Keeping Hill and green building spark your interest, please visit www.keepinghill.com and www.ecosource-inc.com.

Susie Sawin-Johnson explains Keeping Hill, an eco-village in Columbus, Ind. Photo by Lauren Binning

Indy Nut Growers Association: Grafting

Grafting is the method of transplanting the root or branch of one plant unto another, hardier, plant. The main benefit of grafting is creating rootstalks that are more disease-resistant than they would be otherwise. For example, grafters often use the rootstalk of the pecan tree—which is better suited to withstand variable climate conditions— for delicate hickory plants, Grafting is often done with non-woody and vegetable plants.

A member of the Indy Nut Growers Association demonstrates wood grafting. Wood grafting is a way of making delicate plants more sturdy. Photo by Lauren Binning

Purdue University’s Boiler Green Initiative: Green roofs

You may have spotted greenery perched on top of Purdue University’s Schleman Hall. As part of the Boiler Green Initiative, Purdue students installed the green roof to retain storm water, thus decreasing the amount of run-off.

West Lafayette, Ind., faces an enormous challenge when storm water drains into the sewage system. The water causes the sewage system to overflow and dump raw sewage into the Wabash River flowing across town.

Amber Scheid of the Boiler Green Initiative explained that green roofs not only retain storm water, but also insulate the buildings they are planted upon, effectively decreasing heating and cooling costs.

Read more about the Boiler Green Initiative at www.boilergreen.com

Amber Scheid explains the benefits of a green roof. Photo by Lauren Binning

A joining of hands to show solidarity for victims of the Gulf Coast’s oil spill and to protest against off-shore drilling. Photo by Lauren Binning

Similar Posts:

• September 1: IUPUI Sustainability and Green Fair
• November 10: Go DEEP Green with Colin Beavan — No Impact Man
• November 18: Indiana Town Hall Series — Urban Environmental Issues and Opportunities
• August 6-7: Indianapolis’s 1st Natural Living Fair
• October 21: Bob Berkebile and David Orr on design in a post-carbon economy