When it comes to rain barrels and compost bins, amazing things happen in threes. 3 million: The tons of CO2 that will be diverted from the atmosphere by installing a rain barrel 30: The percent of waste you will reduce from landfills by using a backyard compost bin 30: The number of dollars you will save on your new rain barrel or compost bin when you attend a Department of Environment Sustainable Backyard Workshop
Learn striking facts, installation tips and more at the next Lawndale Sustainable Backyard Workshop this Saturday, July 24.
Join C3 and the Department of Environment at the Douglass Park Library.
3353 W 13th
10am-12pm
For many, spring and summer are synonymous with farmer’s markets. The lovely weather, the fresh produce, and the leisurely shopping sure know how to attract a crowd. It’s a great way to get that small town feeling in a sprawling metropolis.
Farmer’s markets also offer something that grocery store chains simply cannot compete with: locally grown, sustainable foods. Green City Market, currently celebrating its 12th anniversary, is Chicago’s only authentic “green” farmer’s market. Its mission is to “provide a marketplace for purchasing sustainably grown food that educates, promotes and connects farmers and local producers directly to chefs, restaurateurs and the greater Chicago community.”
Chicago loves to call itself one of the greenest cities in the US, touting green rooftops, farmers markets, miles of parks and bike lanes and a recycling program that can’t be beat. Wait…scratch that last part. The fact of the matter is while Chicago is making great “green” strides, our recycling program leaves a lot to be desired. On Monday, June 7, Alderman Tom Allen of the 38th Ward introduced an order to the Chicago City Council that would demand that the city fulfill its promise to provide blue cart recycling to all its citizens.
I was clicking through the channels one lazy weekend and stopped on CLTV’s program, Home Plus, a Chicago based show. The host, Rochelle Vayo Adkinson was interviewing the Manager of The ReUse People’s Chicago area, Ken Ortiz. The ReUse People provide environmentally sound demolition, or as they prefer to say, deconstruction, and salvage what they can. Check out this clip to learn more about it. If you or someone you know is looking to do construction that requires demolition, consider looking into The ReUse People.
Holland is known for many things, like clogs, windmills, great cheese and bikes. Bikes? Yes, bikes!
This video shows why Holland is sometimes referred to as the biking capital of the world. Take a look at rush hour in Utrecht, Holland. Looks different than Chicago rush hour, doesn’t it?
So, okay, you might laugh at this, but there was a period of time when my husband, Kris, and I were pretty obsessed with X-Box 360. We logged hours playing Halo and virtually teaming up with friends of ours who lived just a few miles away. It was a cool gadget for us, because not only did we “game” on it, but we were able to stream Netflix through it and play DVDs. Then, one day, we got what’s referred to in the X-Box world as the “dreaded red ring.” Basically, the thing gave out on us. So, we were left with a hunk of machinery and a lot more free time.
With Mother’s Day rapidly approaching and in racking my brain as to what to get for my mother and my mother in law, I got to thinking about gift giving. Many people show love and appreciation with the act of giving a gift and many people feel loved and appreciated when given a gift, and I think it’s a special ritual when the gift is given with intent. Instead of going out and buying something simply to have something to give, why not put a little extra thought into the meaning behind the gift. Where it came from, who made it and how your recipient is going to feel knowing you got them something special, with thought and care.
The City of Chicago created the Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) after deep investigation and serious consideration about how it would do its part in addressing climate change. There are five main strategies that they outlined:
I’m so excited to have stumbled upon City Farm’s Green Boxes!
The Resource Center is selling Green Boxes through their City Farm program. City Farm’s Green Box provides an easy, portable way to grow fresh salad greens, spinach, chard, herbs, and other shallow-rooted vegetables on a terrace, backyard, roof or other limited space. The Green Box is constructed of recycled and re-purposed materials from the Chicago area and constructed by volunteers. It comes with 100% sustainable City Farm compost, and City Farm lettuce seeds. It will provide a full garden-to-table experience in as little as a 2×3 space.
A recent late spring morning a property owner sat with his wife and some people from the community in Rogers Park. Jay Johnson saw an opportunity to help change a community by building an urban farm in a parking lot. Knowing that it will be a long term effort, Jay and his wife Cindy wanted to get something going quickly, so with an idea from Pamela Richart, they decide to launch a community garden that could be up and running by mid May. So, with the help of Milton Dixon, Pam, Jay and Cindy put together a plan to get a community garden with ~12 individual plots going.
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When it comes to rain barrels and compost bins, amazing things happen in threes.
Themocracy