As we inch closer to nice weather, we encourage you to consider biking as an alternative mode of transportation. Not only is it often the quickest way to get from point A to B in the city, it’s cheaper than CTA fare and is great exercise too. The City of Chicago’s Bicycling Ambassadors are encouraging you to do the same!
The City of Chicago’s Bicycling Ambassadors are a team of bicycle safety and education specialists who have been encouraging Chicagoans to ride their bikes more often and safely since 2001. Their goals are to increase the number of trips made by bicycle, reduce the number of bicycle related injuries and to help all users to share the road. Continue reading 'Invite a Bicylcing Ambassador to Your Next Event'»
Growing Home is giving away a free summer CSA Share to one lucky winner! Every person who joins their e-news mailing list before April 15, 2011 will be entered to win a FREE summer CSA share, valued at $590!
Sign up by clicking HERE, or by visiting their website.
Guest Post by Lynn Bement
Everybody knows what happens to those large piles of autumn leaves we build on our lawns: If we don’t put them in bags right away, they get smaller and smaller until, after not too many months, there isn’t much left. No mystery here. The same thing happens in the woods when the leaves fall from the trees. When living things die, they decompose. As a gardener, it didn’t take me long to appreciate and adopt nature’s lesson of turning waste into sweet-smelling, rich brown compost.
Over time, adding good-quality compost to your garden provides nutrients in a form that plants can use; enriches soil health and enhances the soil food web; builds soil structure; improves drainage; creates more water-holding ability in soil, which means less watering; and acts as a buffer to toxins. Not to mention, it’s free plant food. With very little effort, just about anything can contribute to a mineral- and microbe-rich compost: fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, and even dog hair. Time is the only other necessary ingredient.
Composting is easy, but with several options available, you will have to consider a few factors. You’ll want to pick a method based on your needs and the space available. But you don’t need to worry about filling the composter you choose. Because organic matter is constantly breaking down and changing in volume and you’re harvesting finished compost, you’ll most likely never fill the entire bin. Perhaps the most important decision is considering how much time you’re able to invest. Once you choose the method that’s right for you and create the right conditions, you can let nature do the hard work of breaking down your organic matter and turning it into vibrant compost. Continue reading '3 Ways to Make Compost'»
As many of you know, Earth Hour this year is Saturday, March 26 at 8:30 PM.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating.
We want to know how you’re participating this year. If you know of any Chicago Earth Hour events, let us know by sending us an email (chicagoregen@gmail.com) and we’ll be sure to get it on our Events Calendar!
The ReBuilding Exchange (Chicago’s first building material reuse center), a project of The Delta Institute, invites you to celebrate another great year and help them warm their new house at 2160 N. Ashland, which opened for business March 1! Through a partnership with The ReUse People of America, the ReBuilding Exchange works with customers to maximize reuse opportunities for material.
The event will feature live music with Black Bear Combo, DJ Naomi Walker, food from Sweet Miss Givings and Cafe 28 and refreshments from Bell’s Brewery, Half Acre, and Candid Wines. There will also be a silent auction with items made from reclaimed materials and other original artwork.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
2160 N. Ashland
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Get tickets online now until 3/11. Tickets are $32.50 ($40 at the door).http://www.rebuildingexchange.org/rebuild2011.html
Guest post by Shannon Downey, owner of Pivotal Production and producer of TEDxWindyCity. She is adjunct faculty at DePaul University and sits on the Board of Directors for Woman Made Gallery and the Firebelly Foundation.
As one of only eight certified B Corporations in Illinois, I often get asked what it is, what it means and why it matters. I love that! What a great opportunity to have a discussion about triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) business. These types of conversations have become much easier over the last few years as corporate responsibility has become a more popular topic. Transparency and authenticity are quickly becoming important tenants in the for-profit world.
Starting a triple bottom line business in an industry that is based in hidden costs, markups, kickbacks and extreme waste creation, I knew I wasn’t going to fit in. And as “green” became the prefix to everything, I realized I wanted to have someone take a look at my business and give it an honest assessment related to social and environmental responsibility. After much research, I found B Labs. This Pennsylvania based non-profit was the most thorough, transparent, and intensive assessment of for-profit businesses I had ever seen. To be honest, I was intimidated by their standards. The process took weeks but I felt supported by their team. What I loved most was that, even though I passed, they still offered me ways to improve. Continue reading 'B Corporations'»
In this recent Treehugger post, blogger Colleen Vanderlinden is asking, “Can You Trademark Urban Homesteading (TM)?”
That is exactly what The Dervaes family of Pasadena has done. Now, to correctly and legally use the term, it should read URBAN HOMESTEAD™ and URBAN HOMESTEADING™ as developed by the DERVAES INSTITUTE™.
Click HERE for the full article.
FamilyFarmed.org’s mission is to expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities. Each year, they put on The Family Farmed Expo, which has turned into the Midwest’s premier local food event. This three day event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 17 to 19, 2011 at the UIC Forum.
Thursday features the Financing Farm to Fork conference. A primary objective of the conference is to educate regional farmers and food processors about various financing strategies and then link them with individuals who represent a variety of financing options that may help them grow their businesses. Confirmed speakers include Gary Hirshberg, Founder and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, Will Allen, Farmer and CEO of Growing Power, Michael Bashaw, Midwest President Whole Foods Market, Open Table Founder Chuck Templeton, Financier Andy Whitman, University of Chicago’s Linda Darragh, President Jim Slama, Fresh Taste Director Karen Lehman, and many more.
Friday features the Midwest’s leading local food trade show, our Meet the Buyers reception, an innovative Food Policy Summit, and the scrumptious Localicious Party to cap the day.
Saturday features cooking demos from celebrity chefs, educational seminars and an interactive Kids Corner. Exhibitors offer a wide selection of local food, gifts and useful information to help you eat locally and healthy year-round.
Visit the Family Farmed Expo website to learn more, or to purchase your tickets, click HERE.
It may seem funny to be talking about holiday lights, especially since it was just Valentine’s Day, but the City of Chicago has recently published the results from the Holiday String Light Recycling program.
From December 13 through January 18, Chicagoans recycled more than 1,550 pounds of holiday string lights. Eleven sites participated, see the full results below.
Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento: 37 pounds
Chicago City Hall Lobby , 121 N. LaSalle St.: 122 pounds
City of Chicago Southeast Senior Center, 1767 E. 79th St.: 65 pounds
City of Chicago Southwest Senior Center, 6117 S. Kedize: 155 pounds
Edgebrook Ace Hardware, 5423 W Devon Ave.: 459 pounds
Logan Theater, 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave.: 57 pounds
North Community Bank, 5235 N. Western Ave.: 365 pounds
RecycleTech, 11235 S. Cottage Grove: 40 pounds
South Loop Whole Foods, 1101 S. Canal: 36 pounds
Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, 1414 N. Ashland: 72 pounds
Wright College Campus Center, 4300 N. Narrgansett: 145 pounds
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