Hey, I'm Irish, Dave, and this is Courtney Hello welcome to Experience Michiana this week, it's all about sustainability.

Yeah.

And you know, sustainability is something that I studied in college, too.

So this is kind of a near and dear thing to my heart.

And we have Krista Bailey with us this week who's going to be showing us around some of the areas across Michiana that really focus on sustainable future.

So things like a flower farm and a water exhibit, as well as Have seen the huge solar farm.

I know that's an initiative between like Indiana Power and Notre Dame.

So, yeah, I'm excited to find out about it is.

And she's going to be telling us all about it.

So check it out and how you can be sustainable in Michiana.

So today I'm in Elkhart County.

I know kind of looks like anywhere, but it's a really special spot on how we can experience sustainability in Michiana with a lot of beauty and a lot of great stewardship of land.

I'm at Single Tree Farm and they grow flowers.

So let's go check it out and find out what they do.

Hey, Kate.

Hey, Krista.

Thanks for meeting me out here.

Yeah, gorgeous day at the flower farm.

Look at this.

It's beautiful.

So this is if I was going to come and experience your farm.

Yeah.

This is where like a group tour might start, right?

So where we start.

Yeah.

And what do what do we usually show off besides all the glorious colors and scenery?

We like to sew up a lot of different aspects of the farm.

So the color is the most obvious.

But I love kind of digging under the color a little bit.

And we really like to show people how we grow things.

So we farm a little differently.

We use a lot of slower techniques to grow our flowers.

And what does that mean?

A slower technique?

Yeah.

So when we started, this field was all grass and weeds.

And instead of just spraying it, we used some plastic that you can see there to cover it.

And the plastic burnt off the weeds from us.

So we left it on a long time and then we lifted it up, added like three inches of compost on top, and then planted into that.

So we do things that sometimes take a little longer, but give us healthier and richer soil.

So when you come for a tour, we like to talk about how we farm and how we grow, not just what we grow.

So you're not putting chemicals on the soil to get rid of the stuff you don't want that you then want to grow the good things in, which sounds very smart.

And I appreciate that.

So what are we seeing here?

So this is kind of our summer field.

You're seeing some things that we planted in spring on the way out and a lot of stuff for midsummer.

That's just coming up.

So our snapdragons are a feature right now.

They're super bright.

We were just globe thistle over here, some zinnias We try to grow a mix of things that you recognize, classic flowers that you might have in your own garden.

But we supplement a lot with things that you haven't seen since you were in your grandmother's garden when you were little or more heirloom things.

So lots of scents, lots of different textures and colors, things that kind of make you stop and wonder, what is that?

How did that get in my boquet So a really interactive book, experience like memory, flowers, sensory things, favorite things.

Yeah.

So what else would you show on a tour?

We don't want to give it all away, but a little sneak peek.

Well, so after we talk a little bit about how we grow, we like to have a section for people to just enjoy the field and enjoy the flowers.

So people will actually come through and spend some time picking whatever looks beautiful to them.

So they walk through and harvest their own.

We kind of suggest you want this much greenery, maybe this many bigger focal flowers.

And here's where the funky stuff is.

So get some of that.

So they walk through and pick and then we enjoy some tea and cookies together.

Yeah.

And then I do a little book demonstration.

So we showed to remember is how to make their own like European style hand tied bouquet.

Wow.

So after doing that, here, they can take that knowledge home and make their own.

So this is a wonderful experience for folks, but it's also your business that people invest in.

So how does that work?

I mean, it's great to come out and see these gorgeous flowers, but you've got to make a living at it, too.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So we kind of have five income streams right now.

The tours, the farmer's market in downtown Goshen.

We do direct orders for people.

So birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and events.

And also our CSA program, which stands for community supported agriculture.

OK, so that's a way that people can kind of invest in our farm.

So they buy like a share of our farm in winter and then they get bouquets weekly or biweekly throughout the growing season.

Wow.

So they'll get to experience this by investing They don't actually have to come here even to pick up flowers and life goes on.

Yeah.

So grab a boquet and go.

Now you're the co-owner, and so who's the other owner, can they give us any other unique insights on how things work here?

Definitely.

My co owner is my spouse, Scott, and he is a great farmer.

So he's actually over here and can talk a little bit more about some of our sustainability practices.

Hey, Scott.

Hi.

Thanks for joining us out in the flower field.

So, Kate was, just telling me about your CSA and that that's one of many income streams that you have.

But how does that work?

I mean, you have like a couple people that give you money and expect flowers and then hopefully you deliver.

I mean, clearly you're going to deliver.

Exactly.

Yeah.

On scale.

And so it becomes a really important part of our business in that customers pay up front anywhere from Christmas time up until about Mother's Day, and they're buying a share in the farm that in return, they expect a harvest of what we can produce over the year , that that gives us money throughout the throughout the off season or the slow season for us to pay bills and buy seeds and pay for labor, putting in all the crops.

And it's what I love about it really is it's relationship based.

So we get to know these customers who many of them have been members for multiple years and every week or every other week, they show up at our farmers market stand to pick up their bouquet.

They're often very happy to be there and last and you know, we know each other's names.

They pick up their book, say see you next week.

And we can tell that we're sharing a little bit of joy with them.

They're supporting our business.

It feels like a community over time.

And we get to know each other and support each other in that way.

So they're investing in their small local farm that is bringing them some more prosperous community, but also a little joy every week or every other week.

So what other things do you guys do to kind of bring some revenue in to keep this lovely operation going?

So we sell we have our CSA drop at the Goshen Farmer's Market, and you can find us there on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, along with the other market vendors.

There's a bunch of great produce, crafts, other firefighters there.

And we're always there.

We're selling some to wholesale accounts mostly for us.

OK. We do a lot of direct sales to people wanting to do events.

So weddings and funerals continue as there's always an opportunity for flowers at a celebration.

And so we try to be available.

We try to prioritize those events and make our harvest available.

But it's really our CSA is the bread and butter of the farm.

So like, we want to make sure we have the blooms for that.

But you got a lot of ways that people can experience your farm and see lots of beautiful flowers, support some good stewardship of the land.

Thank you for that.

And support local farms, whether it's through the CSA or coming out for a tour.

Right.

Or Classer workshop or whatever, or supporting you for like having a party.

And I need a good book.

Yeah.

So cool.

Well, thank you so much for sharing the flowers with me this morning.

It's really been a gorgeous experience.

Best of luck.

I hope lots of folks get to experience this little nugget of sustainability here in Michiana.

So.

All right.

So in Michiana, we've got water, lots of water.

So what?

Why are we experiencing sustainability by looking closely at our water resources?

Well, to find out more about how water contribute to our sustainable Michiana lifestyle.

I'm here talking with Lynn Crighton.

She's with the Watershed Foundation in North Webster on one of many beautiful lakes in the region to find out more about the role that they play in fostering prosperous local economies, supporting a clean and healthy environment.

And, of course, lots of fun stuff for us to do and to really build local culture around.

So tell me about that.

What what is what is the role of water in this community?

Well, we're here in North Webster on Webster Lake, and we call this area the land of lakes.

Kasia Scott County has over a hundred lakes and has been well known for a long time, has a great place to come and enjoy our water resources.

We have an amazing history here with historic hotels, historic dance halls and even the historic dirt.

Dixie Stearne Wheeler, the oldest operating Stearne Wheeler built in Indiana.

Wow.

That's amazing And that was an original driver of the economy here.

And really.

Yes.

And so it's brought people to the area for tourism and for relaxation and enjoyment.

For many, many generations.

Wow.

And we've got all kinds of stuff built up around here.

Small businesses, great places to eat and lots of fun water sports.

I can see a lot of boats out here, but I also see plants Aren't these in the way of the fun we want to have?

Well, one of the things that we really focus on at the Watershed Foundation is how we can help keep our lakes clean and healthy for today and the future.

And one of the ways to do that is to be sure we maintain a more natural environment in our lakes and to keep them really clean and healthy.

And plants like these lily pads help us do that.

So we don't want to pull these out.

Exactly.

And we also want to put stuff near the lakes, beautiful flowers and plants to deter geese and support our local wildlife.

And I can hear the birds in the background.

So I think we're doing pretty well on that on that part, though.

So folks can learn a lot more about this at the Smithsonian Waterways exhibit.

There we go.

Very lucky to be the first site in Indiana to host this amazing World-Class display.

The first one.

The first one.

OK, so we've got stuff to see at the exhibit To learn more about sustainability and practice in the past and present in future.

That's right.

All right.

Well, let's go.

OK, show me the way.

Oh, wow.

So here's the exhibit.

This is the Smithsonian exhibit here.

Yes.

About water.

It's about water.

So what are we going to learn about water in this exhibit?

This exhibit takes the big picture about the importance of water in our lives and on our planet.

So this exhibits looking at the sources of water how we use water and the importance of keeping it clean and healthy That's kind of a big deal because we're mostly water Absolutely.

And the planet is weirdly named Earth, but it's mostly water.

So let's take a look at the kind of things you might experience here, learning about water.

OK. Oh, that's beautiful.

This part talks about spirituality.

So water plays a big role in a lot of religious ceremonie all over the world.

It's just pretty interesting.

Yeah.

And how it really shapes our communities, including where they're built and what we do in our communities.

So we've got swimming, surfing, rafting, kayaking, pond tuning.

Is that a word?

It is.

OK, we've got that here, too.

And all kinds of stuff about watershed's.

Now, what's a watershed?

How would you make someone explain Watershed's, the land area that drains to a particular body of water?

OK, and so we're in a pretty special spot here.

Yes, we are.

Yeah.

So we're in the Tippecanoe River watershed, which drains to the Wabash, the Ohio, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Wow.

So we are connected literally to a global water system right here, watersheds of many sizes.

So everyone lives in a watershed just two miles from here as we go north in northern Indiana The water doesn't go to the Gulf of Mexico.

It drains to the Great Lakes.

Yeah.

So I come from another watershed.

I crossed a watershed border.

That's fun.

So, OK, so here we've got a lot of things to interact with here, too, and to experience with the exhibit.

I love this little reminder.

See, like I said, 60 percent water.

That's important We are water.

And you're right, there are things that for all ages to do and learn, there are things that kids can touch and interact with, books and features that are to be to be utilized.

This is an incredible exhibit.

I'm so happy that it's here.

And it's one of many stops in Indiana.

That's right.

But it's not just about sort of the global picture of water that you heard.

I see something special over in the corner here, so it's really neat.

Here we can learn what a watershed is in over here.

We can learn about our watershed in our community.

So what should we know about in terms of the the culture of living on the water and how we care for it and how we can best utilize it?

Well, what's really important is that we know we have a lot of water.

And I think people really they like the water, they value the water, but they don't really understand that we need to take care of it in order for it to be clean and healthy for today and for the future, and that there's things that we can all do to help make a difference.

And we actually have information about that, too.

Oh, great.

Let's find out what we can do.

Beautiful pictures here.

So over here, we talk about how water is important for all of us to protect.

And there's this really easy ways to do that, like planting native plants, picking up your dog waste, maintaining a septic system, and even not feeding those cute ducks and geese and swans and not good for them.

And it's not good for the water.

Yeah.

They do kind of make a mess, don't they?

Yeah.

Yeah.

So fun to see.

But there's that.

All right.

And so what should I be skinning here?

Why would I want to be skinning this?

Because I'm intrigued.

All right.

So Indiana has a really amazing campaign called Clear Choices, Clean Water, so we can all make clear choices for clean water.

And you go to the website Skåne there.

Go to Indiana.

Dikla choice is clean water dot org and you make a pledge to do these simple actions.

And so our whole community that you care and that we can all help make a difference.

So I'm going to go here.

Oh, yeah.

And I can see, oh, easy things that I can do.

I didn't even know that that was a good thing.

All right.

Awesome.

Well, we certainly have a lot of sustainability going on here in North Webster with water being such a great driver of th local economy, obviously.

But like you said, it's so plentiful.

Sometimes we take it for granted, but we shouldn't.

We really need to treasure this resource to preserve our own health being water creature and the health of our planet.

So, absolutely.

And to continue to have fun on the water.

Right.

To get out.

And I don't know, maybe we can go paddleboarding when we get out of here.

Yes.

Hi, I'm Krista Bailey with IU South Bend Center for a Sustainable Future.

Here to explain to you how you are experiencing sustainability, Michiana, even when you're just driving down the road, cutting through the area or coming and going from place to place, and that is a solar farm that has just sprouted up here in Michiana.

So we're here to learn more about that, what that offers to our area.

So we're talking with.

She's from A.P.

American Electric Power, talking to us about the solar farm.

And this is a partnership project.

So we've got Paul Kemp here from the University of Notre Dame to help fill us in on what all is going on here.

So let's take a look at this field It's quite a sight to see.

So, Shane, this is a lot of stuff going on here, I mean, this is an investment.

Why why the move to solar right here right now?

Well, more of our Indiana Michigan power customers, you know, they're talking to us and they want more of their energy sources to come from renewable energies such as solar and wind farms.

So we're listening to that.

And, you know, we are making our investments, adjusting to what their needs are.

So behind us there are these fifty seven thousand solar panels, 57000.

So if you do the math that these panels can fit on to about 30 football fields.

And if you're just driving by here on Cleveland and bittersweet, you may not notice that that's how large it is.

But all of this sits on two hundred and ten acres.

And so it took Arkan's hour.

It took the company eight months to from start to finish to construct this solar farm out here.

Even during the COVID 19 pandemic.

So we had more than 100 hundred workers out here.

They messed up.

They got to work so we can have this renewable energy in our community.

So all together, the workers put in seventy five thousand man hours to create this from start to finish.

So that is a big investment.

And so this is all in response to what consumers want.

So as saying, OK, we know where we're getting most of our energy from, but we really want it from renewables.

So it's just in response to that.

So is this something that you anticipate getting a good payback on, on all those hours of putting, you know, time and materials into this?

So the same of solar farm.

It's a very visible commitment to our customers and our community.

You know, the Indiana Michigan power is dedicated to diversifying its energy mix in this solar farm is an example of that.

It's highly visible.

Like I said, it's right here at the intersection of Cleveland and bittersweet.

And the Indiana toll road is right there.

So it's a highly visible project for everyone to see.

And then in return, it could also have economic development benefits for our area.

As we you know, new businesses would like to come in and set up shop in this area.

They are looking for those renewable energy outlets to have to connect to so they can power their business clean so that the payback isn't so much of who we're saving a ton of money because of.

But you're looking at this is it is an investment in investments that are coming in the future.

And I know it's been a good partnership developer as well.

So having that clean energy, it's obviously great for the ai and the soil and the water and all the good environmental impacts.

But you also see this as a seed for economic prosperity coming in the future.

And then Indian and Michigan power, we do have plan to add more renewable energy assets to our portfolio.

We are committed to adding about sixteen hundred megawatts of clean energy, whether that be wind or solar, to our portfolio by 2030.

And along with our parent company, a American Electric Power, we want to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

That's fantastic.

This is such great news.

Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us And really just the view of of seeing this in person right next to it is pretty special.

But I know driving by, hopefully this catches people's attention.

I do want to chat a little bit with Paul, because I know this isn't something that AEP did all on its own.

It was definitely a partnership driven initiative, which is really important to developing sustainable initi matter what they are.

So, yeah, so part of our reason why Indiana Michigan Power wanted to partner with the University of Notre Dame is because, you know, not just the solar farm is visible, but we also want to take this project and, you know, maximize the educational benefits that come out of this.

And then Paul can talk more about that.

But that's a big reason why we wanted to partner with the university on a project like this.

Well, Paul, this is quite an undertaking.

What are you hoping that the university will gain from this partnership and having such a big solar field?

Yeah, I think there's a couple of things.

The main one was for us to look for a carbon offset.

This is one facet of a multifaceted plan.

We have to reduce our carbon emissions, much like Iron Man, A-P. We seek to get to carbon neutrality in the near future as well, and have been working on that for a long time.

So this was a complementary piece to a diversified portfolio of projects.

We're obviously doing a hydro project downtown in South Bend.

We've done a fair amount of geothermal on campus, solar and lots of other opportunities as well.

So but this also brought us it was an interesting way we got there.

I mean, I am being an inquisitive sort of company, and we're one of their 20 largest customers.

They were interested in finding out what were our plans for sustainability.

And then they went away and came back because our goals were we're trying to reduce our carbon emissions.

On campus, we didn't want to buy solar credits or wind credits that were three states away.

We want to do something in our community.

And to date, everything we've done has been on campus, our own reductions.

They came back with this idea of we have some property.

And the other piece for us was visibility.

We wanted that community visibility.

So much of what we do gets buried in the ground or in a small place downtown.

This certainly has some visibility and especially with the toll road.

So they were very creative in finding this piece of property, which, by the way, is also part of what was originally the St. Joseph farm.

And that's part of the name here, which was a property that Father Saan bought, I don't know, 150 years ago, 200 years ago.

This was farmland that fed the students of Notre Dame.

So we've kind of come full circle back to have this property do positive things for the community, for Notre Dame.

And obviously, we have a huge interest in the economic development of South Bend and St. Joe County in the region.

And so this is a great thing.

People ask, you know, we're taking a 40 percent share of this, the output from this.

And mainly we're trying to be we're like the anchor tenant at the mall.

I never wanted somebody with with name recognition of size to come in and take a good piece, but not so much that there wasn't a lot left for other people, whether it's in Indiana or there are other customers in Michigan as well.

So we're very supportive because economic development, the region certainly helps university as well.

And then the added educational benefit.

So this is an opportunity for our students that are interested in sustainability to tour, to come out here.

We'll actually get some of the dashboard data back that whether the students can use for education or researchers, if they want to study solar energy in this region, can do that as well.

So it it brings us a lot of different opportunitie because solar can work in Indiana.

I hear a lot of folks saying, oh, it's so cloudy here, we can't possibly have solar here.

But here we have seven thousand panels that are literally feeding campus still from this ground.

Right.

But feeding power so that we can run our lives.

I'm that the technology is constantly improving.

I would say if you went back five or 10 years ago, wind was a preferred choice over solar, but the efficiency of the panels have increased.

Obviously, this application with the articulating panels that rotate from east to west to maximize what they capture from the sun adds to the output of this facility.

So it will reduce.

I think it's 13000 tons of CO2 per year on an annual basis.

And that helps us with our carbon footprint in Dayanim as well with theirs.

Absolutely.

So these they're articulating panels you set.

So they actually turn they follow the sun.

So if you're driving by at different times a day, it's going to look a little bit different.

And that's why.

Correct.

And at night, they reset and go all the way back over and face east as you see them.

Now, they're pointing west because it's late in the day, but in the morning, they'll be faced back the other way.

And we've stood out here for a while today.

And every so often you'll hear groups of them out.

The little gear drive comes along and they tilts a couple of inches and they just keep trying to optimize their connection with the sun.

Fantastic.

So as we're looking towards the future, we've got a big amount of space in solar panels.

It's one more step towards carbon neutrality.

It made sense economically for the university and for AP to invest in this.

Obviously, it's a better investment is keeping all those emissions out of the air and offering ways for people to to learn and engage and see that this is happening and possible here in Michiana, which is fantastic.

What's something that you're hoping will grow out of this experiment?

You mentioned some some research and engagement.

I know it's kind of fenced off, but couldn't just come walk around.

We don't want to mess with the panels.

Yeah, but no, I mean, I just think this helps advance the technology.

And like any developing technology, it takes people doing it and using it for it to become more mainstream and more used and more efficient because there's more research that goes into it.

So I think you just hope the efficiency of solar gets better and better as time goes by.

The life of the panels gets longer.

Much like any technology.

And we've got to find clean energy technology for the future.

This is one example.

There are many.

And again, I'm very supportive, a diversified approach.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket and say a solar is the only answer right now.

It's one of the best answers.

Yeah, wonderful.

Well, it's great to see it up close and personal and understand what we've been seeing from the road and how sustainability really is happening here in Michigan and visible and not invisible ways.

So thank you so much.

Also, I'm saying you should point out that this is very pollinator friendly.

They've planted these special grasses in here that will kind of environmentally bring the space back.

And I noticed today, especially as the corn is grown up, you really don't see the site until you're upon it, right when you're out here in Cleveland.

So unlike a wind turbine that's sticking up and make some noise, these other than the little noise that no one would hear if you're not standing next to them.

They're very environmentally friendly.

Yeah, very low impact And in fact, adding to the environment by having I was wondering, I didn't recognize these grasses, but lots of birds.

We were noticing today you can hear them and their perching on the panels.

And so it's it's kind of brought.

A site back to a nice environmental approach, fantastic, improving our environment in multiple ways sounds great.

Well, thanks for showing us some of the insights on what is going on here off the toll road.

And here, bittersweet in Cleveland.

So get out, take a drive around and take a look at how sustainability is happening here in Michiana.

So thank you so much to Chris.

It's cool to see so many sustainable things happening around Michigan.

It is.

I love that kind of stuff.

So do I.

That's really cool.

And we have more cool things coming up next week on Experience Michiana.

And of course, if you have some things that you want us to check out, we'd love to get that experience, too.

So be sure to hashtag us with #experience Michiana on Facebook or you can like or comment on our page two.