City awards dollars to groups supporting ‘green’ initiatives

The city of Sioux Falls has awarded a total of $10,000 to three organizations helping promote sustainability.

The grants are designed to support efforts around waste minimization, natural resource protection and community vitality.

SoDak Compost will receive $6,234 as it works to strengthen the community’s connection to the problem of food waste, the potential of food scraps and the promise of compost. Grant dollars will support a pilot program to compost community food waste. The project will provide a drop-off for food scraps for participating residents, create compost from that material and provide compost to community members, while also providing education to residents on the value of food waste composting.

Read more about founder Deidre Appel, who moved to Sioux Falls from Brooklyn, New York, below:

After move from Brooklyn, new resident helps Sioux Falls go greener

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls will receive $2,766. The Habitat ReStore prevents more than 475 tons of material from being landfilled each year through reselling goods that otherwise would be discarded and recycling items that cannot be resold. Grant dollars will provide support to replace aging infrastructure for Habitat ReStore’s waste diversion program and increase waste diversion efforts.

IronFox Farm will receive $1,000. IronFox Farm is an urban farm that provides an educational gardening space where elementary students and other community members can learn about soil health, plants, pollinators and more. Grant dollars will be used to construct a rainwater collection system that will allow plants to be watered while addressing water conservation.

“Funding these three applicants allows the city of Sioux Falls to support efforts that increase waste diversion, resource conservation and food access, all of which are growing needs and important for a vibrant, sustainable community,” said the city’s sustainability coordinator, Holly Meier. “We’re happy to partner with these organizations to help strengthen the sustainability impact and community benefit they have in Sioux Falls.”