A very special thanks to Advocates for Urban Agriculture for posting this information on their Google Site. AUA’s mission is to advance policy and practice for urban agriculture that provides as many people as possible with opportunities to grow significant quantities of healthy food in their neighborhoods. They want supportive city policies for all dimensions of the local food system and economy.
Background:
Throughout 2010 the City of Chicago Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning (DZP) worked to develop an ordinance proposing changes to Chicago’s zoning laws, part of the Chicago Municipal Code. The changes were to update the laws to accommodate urban agriculture and community gardening. DZP sought out and received input from members of the Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) steering committee. The proposed zoning ordinance has been introduced to the Council and will soon be heard by the Zoning committee. The date and time (Jan 27 at 10AM) are on the committee calendar via the Chicago City Clerk’s website.
Since the ordinance was introduced and details made their way through the urban agriculture and community gardening community across the city, many questions and concerns have been raised about the proposed zoning changes. In an effort to help answer some of these questions and clarify concerns, AUA prepared this collection of responses to frequently asked questions. This is not intended as AUA’s formal response to the ordinance. They encourage readers to draw their own conclusions, contribute more questions and insights, and offer suggestions about the zoning code and other city policy via the Advocates for Urban Agriculture Google group list serv.
Click HERE for the full report.
Thanks to Heidi Massey for passing along this press release!!
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Clean Energy Trust is evaluating more than 70 business plans submitted for the inaugural Clean Energy Challenge business competition. The Challenge, which will award $130,000 in prize money plus business support services, seeks the best clean energy business ideas in Illinois with the potential to bring new clean energy technology to the marketplace.
… Submissions for the $100,000 early-stage business prize, and the $30,000 concept-stage prize, encompassed numerous areas of clean energy technology, including energy management systems, wind and solar energy innovations, automotive technologies, battery advancements, biomass and clean energy financing.
”The volume of high-quality business plans exceeded our highest expectations,” said Amy Francetic, Clean Energy Trust executive director. “This response shows the depth of talent working in Illinois and the number of great clean energy companies that are poised to emerge in the marketplace.”
Continue reading 'Clean Energy Challenge Receives More Than 70 Entries from Illinois Entrepreneurs'»
2010 has been a fantastic year for ChicagoREgen.com and we are looking forward to the new year. We hope the same is true for all of our readers and contributors. May your holiday and new year be happy and safe. We’ll see you back here in 2011!
Cheers!
Congratulations to Julia Leis, Program Associate for Fresh Taste and author of our Weekly Digests, who will be moving to Southeast Asia to work on sustainable agriculture projects.
Fresh Taste is therefore looking for a new Program Associate. This is a great opportunity for someone with strong organizational skills who wants to help build the local food movement in the Chicago region.
To learn more about Fresh Taste, please visit: http://freshtaste.typepad.com/my_weblog/about-fresh-taste.html
Please take a look at the job description below and if you are interested, or know of a qualified candidate, please send a resume, cover letter and names of references to
resumes@cct.org. Deadline is Jan. 7, 2011.
Continue reading 'Fresh Taste Program Associate'»
What is permaculture? What are the principles that guide its application? How could the principles of permaculture be applied to my yard, block or community?
This three part series, led by certified permaculturist Milton Dixon, will address these and other questions to help us understand the ecological and biological principles behind permaculture. The workshops also will introduce us to a core set of design principles so that we can begin to build an increasingly self-sufficient Chicago while reducing our reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that are fundamentally and systematically destroying our planet’s ecosystems.
Continue reading 'Introduction to Permaculture with Milton Dixon'»
The Illinois State Senate Energy Committee announced that it will hold a hearing on renewable energy and related topics tomorrow, Thursday, October 28, 10:00 AM at the James R Thompson Center, Room 16-503, 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago. A copy of the agenda is posted here. This hearing is a major opportunity for you to encourage the Senate members that a strong solar and wind policy will lead to growing businesses, more jobs and less pollution in Illinois.
We know we’re a bit behind the curve, but we wanted to let you all know about the Illinois Solar and Wind Rebate Program!
The Solar and Wind Energy Rebate Program is now open and IL DCEO is accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2011.
The guidelines and application form are available online. All applications must be complete and follow these new guidelines. Furthermore, all applications must be submitted under this new form for Fiscal Year 2011.
There are a few changes to the program that they would like to make us aware of:
- The biggest change to the program is that there is now a limit on the rebate amount allowed on a per watt basis for solar PV and wind energy projects. Rebates will also be limited to no more than $2.70/watt for solar photovoltaic systems and $2.40/watt for wind energy systems purchased by residential and business entities, and $4.50/watt for solar photovoltaic systems and $4.00/watt for wind energy systems purchased by public sector and non-profit entities. Otherwise, the rebate is still based on 30% of total cost for homeowners and businesses and 50% for governmental and non-profit entities, with a maximum rebate of $50,000.
- Estimated total labor hours by installer or subcontractors must be provided in application. They will also need the actual labor hours for this project provided in the completion letter.
- The spec sheet for the solar panels or wind turbine being purchased must be provided with application.
If you have any questions with regards to the new guidelines and application form, please contact Wayne Hartel at wayne.hartel@illinios.gov.
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