Local Groups

There are several ways to get involved!  One of which is to join one of the many groups and/or attend their events.  Below is a list of groups we know of in Chicago you can join.  If you’d like to share another group that isn’t on this list, please let us know by visiting our forum or contacting us!

Advocates for Urban Agriculture
Chicago Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) is a coalition of organizations and individuals open to anyone interested in learning about, networking and advocating for urban agriculture in the Chicago Area.

Active Transportation Alliance
The mission of Active Transportation Alliance is to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel.

Citizens’ Greener Evanston (CGE)
Citizens’ Greener Evanston (CGE) is a group of community members working together with the City of Evanston, IL to improve community control of our greenhouse gas emissions. They promote community awareness, advocate public policies, and make connections to support a regional sustainability agenda.

Transition Rogers Park
The mission of Transition Rogers Park is to confront climate change, peak oil and today’s economy, by bringing together the head, heart and hands of of Rogers Park’s friends and neighbors.

Chicago Conservation Corps. (C3)
The mission of the Chicago Conservation Corps is to recruit, train and support a network of volunteers who work together to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and schools through environmental service projects that protect our water, clean our air, restore our land and save energy.  C3 is an initiative of the Chicago Department of Environment, which – in collaboration with Partner Organizations – supports C3 Leaders by providing training, technical assistance, and resources.

Chicago Sustainable Development & New Urbanism Meetup Group
Meet other local people who are interested in Sustainable Development, New Urbanism and Living Green with this Chicago Meetup Group.  With over 400 members, they get together to discuss what we mean by “sustainable,” “energy-efficient,” “green,” etc. and then work toward making it happen here in Chicago!

Chicago Eco-Living Meeup
This group is for anyone who is concerned about the environment, supports the green movement and interested in an eco-friendly living.  Green Movement, Eco-Living, Permaculture, Sustainability, Environmentalism, Nature Preservation, Green Living, Conservation of Natural Resources, Holistic Living, Ecology, being Environmentally friendly, Alternative energy, Recycling, Bio-fuel & other Green Earth Technologies, Wildlife and Nature Conservation, Global Warming, Environmental Awareness, Conscious Living and more. If any of these topics is of your interests and you are looking to meet like-minded people then this group is for you.

Chicago Permaculture Meetup
Permaculture is an integrated holistic systems approach to living sustainably.
This Chicago Meetup Group hosts discussions, field trips, and workdays related to sustainability and the applications of permaculture.

Chicago Eat Local Chicago Meetup
Interested in learning what it means to eat local? Or why eating food from family farmers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana is not only good for your health but also good for the environment? Or do you just like to eat delicious food? This Meetup is for locavores, foodies, food lovers, vegetarians, meatatarians and everything in between.

Chicago Primitive Skills Meetup
Meet with locals who are interested in tracking, tool making, edible plants among other “Primitive Skills”.  Every month they provide a free Skills afternoon, focusing on basic methods for tracking, foraging, fire by friction, tool making. They are also bringing in some the best and the brightest instructors for a more advanced and in-depth learning in the arts.

Slow Food Chicago
Slow Food is an educational non-profit with the goal of creating a world in which everyone can enjoy food that is good, clean and fair. Slow Food represents a growing movement of 18,000 members nationally, including over 3,000 supporters in the Chicago area.

Purple Asparagus
Purple Asparagus is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded in 2005.  They are dedicated to bringing families back to the table by promoting and enjoying all the things associated with good eating.

Environmental Law and Policy Center
The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization. They develop and lead successful strategic environmental advocacy campaigns to improve environmental quality and protect our natural heritage.

Fresh Taste
Fresh Taste is a funder collaborative dedicated to encouraging diverse local agriculture and access to food that is healthy, green, fair and affordable in the Chicago region.  Their aim is to provide leadership that brings stakeholders interested in healthy food in Illinois together to stimulate deeper conversations and increased investments of time and money, leading ultimately to changes in the manner by which food is produced, distributed and consumed in Illinois.

NeighborSpace
NeighborSpace is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to acquire and support the community based management of small parks, gardens, natural areas, river edges, and scenic landscapes in the City of Chicago for preservation, conservation, and educational public open space purposes.

Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail
Formed in 2003, The Friends of the Bloomingdale Trial advocates for the conversion of the Bloomingdale rail embankment into an elevated, multi-use, linear park and trail. As its community stewards, they work to ensure the future greenway is safe, accessible and a vibrant part of every community it passes through and over.

Chicago Center for Green Technology
The Chicago Center for Green Technology is the first rehabilitated municipal building in the nation to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ™ (LEED) Platinum rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. Mayor Richard M. Daley dedicated the building in 2002 and it has since become a national model for sustainable design and technology. The Center serves as the most comprehensive green design and educational resource in the Midwest.

Chicago Clean Power Coalition
The Clean Power Coalition is a growing coalition of individuals and organizations committed to creating a sustainable and clean energy economy for Metropolitan Chicago. This will empower people to protect public health and the environment, while also strengthening regional economy through new job development. The coalition advocates the cleaning up or shutting down the coal-fired power plants in order to transition Chicago to a cleaner energy economy through energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy.

Want to tell us about a group?  Click here to tell us about it!