Sustainability Award winners announced

The Greencastle Sustainability Commission is recognizing Putnam County citizens, organizations and businesses for protecting the environment.

The Greencastle Commission on Sustainability will recognize Erin Basinger and the DNR for sponsoring the Bike with a Biologist Program, the Greencastle Community Garden, the PC RIP invasive removal organization and Mayra Leon Coss for outstanding efforts to improve the environment.

Awards will be made Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:15 p.m. before the City Council meeting.

Basinger has led Bike with a Biologist programs on People Pathways and the Vandalia Trail. Participants had an opportunity to learn about and ID invasive species during the bike ride. In addition, participants will view various wildlife habitats and their wildlife occupants while learning how to identify native plants.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife created a goal to reach out and tell its story to broad groups of people who may not be familiar with what the division does. From this the idea of doing educational programs along sections of multi-use trails was born.

Multi-use trails are found in practically every county across Indiana and are being used by a wide variety of people who enjoy recreating in the outdoors but who may not know much about the local wildlife and habitat types observed on the trails or Division of Fish and Wildlife and what it does. 

The goals of the Bike with a Biologist events are to help people become more aware and appreciative of the plants and animals they may see every day, help build a community of citizen scientists working together for conservation, and increase knowledge and appreciation for the Division of Fish and Wildlife and what it does.   

The Greencastle Community Garden started in the fall of 2018. The Community Garden is a Giving Garden, free for anyone to harvest.

Everyone is invited to stop by to help plant and maintain the garden during weekly work parties. Everyone is invited to pick, grow and share from the Giving Garden Network.

The Giving Garden is located on the north side of the 300 block of Franklin Street in Greencastle.

The Greencastle Community Garden is part of the Putnam County Community Garden Network, which includes the Ullem Campus Farm at DePauw University, the First Baptist Giving Garden, the Roachdale Community Garden and the garden at Tzouanakis Intermediate School.

PC RIP is a task force dedicated to education, advocacy and action for removing invasive plants. The group will help citizens identify invasive plants.

PC RIP encourages homeowners in Putnam County to consider removing invasive plants, such as burning bushes, from their property. Burning bushes, Japanese honeysuckle, garlic mustard and other invasive plants escape cultivation, invade woodlands and displace native plants and animals.

PC RIP recently organized as a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA). Volunteers are always welcome.

DePauw’s Mayra Leon Coss has been involved in sustainability initiatives on campus through the Sustainability Leadership Program and served as a summer campus farm intern and the farm project manager for multiple semesters.

A Bonner Scholar, she also is committed to social justice issues on campus and in the community. Most recently, Coss has worked for the Purdue Extension Office on food security initiatives and is very involved in the Giving Gardens project. Coss also participated in the Greencastle Sustainability Commission during her freshman year at DePauw.

The Greencastle Commission on Sustainability was established in 2009 to “enhance the socio-environmental-economic well-being of the community while taking precautions not to compromise the quality of life of future generations.”

The Commission on Sustainability meets at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Greencastle City Hall. All meetings are open to the public.