Another summer camp bus adventure

Last summer the Southeast Community Services Center summer camp, led by Tiffany Boyd and Sarah McAfee, invited me to present to their summer campers. I suggested we go on a field trip adventure instead, which we did. You can read about the trip to Indy Urban Acres here.

So this summer, when they asked me to return, I had a different destination in mind: Sydney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital. The sustainability-minded decisions made by the visionaries and builders of that hospital, located downtown Indianapolis, make it one of the most sustainable hospitals in the country. It is destined for LEED certification; here's a recent story in the IDS about it.

What I especially wanted to show the summer campers (elementary, middle and high school students) was the Sky Farm, on top of Eskenazi's roof. The Fountain Square based summer camp is often engaged in learning about locally grown food.

Plus, as is their custom, the summer camp took this trip on IndyGo, which required transfers. It was a snap to get from Fountain Square to Eskenazi, so we had plenty of time to chill at the Sky Farm, even turn some cartwheels and enjoy and handstand contest.

It was a great day to celebrate sustainability in Indianapolis, from riding IndyGo to marveling Eskenazi. Here are some photos of our field trip. Enjoy!

Waiting for the first bus, in Fountain Square.

Boarding the bus. Using IndyGo's web site, we were able to predict almost exactly when the bus would arrive.

Waiting downtown for the transfer; there was plenty of shade to enjoy...

... and games to play.

Eskenazi's Sky Farm provides food for staff and patients.

Here's most of the group, w/ me in the background!

On the roof.

The aforementioned cartwheels.

At the entrance to the hospital is The Commons, where people can enjoy being outside, including getting their feet wet.

The ride back to Fountain Square: still full of smiles.