Renew America Success Stories

Sustainable Urban/Rural Enterprise (SURE)

Description 

Sustainable Urban/Rural Enterprise (SURE) is a civic nonprofit corporation promoting the dual goals of economic development and environmental stewardship for the City of Richmond and Wayne County. 

In fulfilling its mission, SURE promotes enterprises that are consistent with its principles of sustainability -- that the only development-related activities that are pursued are those that can be perpetuated continuously by future generations, that economic and agricultural systems should be both adaptable and resilient, and that no development activity should deplete the natural resource base. 

These principles were synthesized from the U.N.-sponsored report, Our Common Future, which defines sustainability and spells out the very real environmental and economic consequences that will be imposed by a declining ecological resource base upon which all nations and communities depend. In beginning its application of the principles of sustainability, SURE is looking first at agriculture in the Richmond area. 

Indiana's two largest crops, corn and soybeans, account for 80% of the state's crop sales, and many Indiana grain farmers do not grow anything else. As a result, much of Indiana's produce must be imported. Indiana farmers could grow many of the additional crops consumed by Indiana residents, if the right incentives were provided. "We're trying to plug up the holes in the economic bucket and quit importing what we can grow here," said Lynn Johnstone, Wayne County SURE Director. 

In addition to promoting diversified agriculture, SURE is also working on initiatives to reduce soil erosion and chemical use, to maintain greenery and trees on farmland, and to study hydroponics in greenhouses. 

SURE principles are being applied to numerous economic enterprises in addition to agriculture. To help explore the application of these principles, SURE hosted an economic development conference in 1990 that brought together leaders in sustainable enterprise strategies from across the nation. Attendees discussed the implementation of SURE principles in each of eight areas, and efforts are underway to implement conference recommendations. 

Other SURE initiatives include recycling, recycled product manufacturing, and the development of neighborhood gardens. 

Program Highlights 

SURE Workshop 

• In 1990, SURE hosted a national workshop designed to identify sustainable enterprise principles that could be implemented in the following areas:
 
• Economic models.
• Waste water treatment
• Land use
• Energy competitiveness
• Enterprise zone incubators
• Agriculture
• Communications
• Quality of life
• SURE will serve as an information clearinghouse regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the workshop, and will make this information available to other communities.

• To help protect local agriculture, to reduce inefficient importation of produce that could be grown locally, and to keep dollars flowing through the local economy, SURE engages in the following initiatives:
 
• SURE works with local restaurants to encourage them to use local produce.
• SURE is putting together a survey to identify local produce needs and to match farmers with consumers. 
• SURE is encouraging increased diversity in Indiana's crops. Several new crops, including asparagus, bamboo, mushrooms, beeswax, flax seed, honey, maple sugar, oats, wheat, grapes, rye, apples, raspberries and strawberries have been identified as possible alternative crops.

• A Geographical Information System (GIS) is being used to expand the inventory of Indiana's natural resources to be used in land-use planning. Such resources include aquifers, forests, physical geology, soils, vegetation, wetlands and wildlife habitat.
• The construction of wetlands to purify sewage rather than building additional waste water treatment facilities is being considered.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: Sustainable Urban/Rural Enterprise (SURE) is a nonprofit organization. Co-sponsors of SURE are the City of Richmond, Wayne County Commissioners, Richmond Urban Enterprise Zone Association, Ball State University and Office of Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Budget: The latest figures are available by contacting the program. 

Community Served: The residents of the City of Richmond and Wayne County. 

Measures of Success:

The Richmond Farmers Market was moved to a more accessible location. Since its move, attendance is at its highest in 10 years.

A first-ever food show to encourage retailers to buy local produce was held.

Plans are underway to raise vegetables commercially in the winter in a greenhouse heated by steam from a power plant.

A project with Richmond, Wayne County and Ball State University has begun that will perform a computer analysis of three county farms to identify alternative crops to grow and sell locally.

Community initiatives, based on the SURE model, have begun in Sarasota, Florida; Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Hopi nation in northern Arizona; Austin, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.