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Unfortunately, the Lawndale Sustainable Backyards workshop was canceled on account of flooding at the Douglass Park Library. We are sincerely apologetic to all you that came out to the workshop to find the library closed. Please join us for our rescheduled workshop in September. Thursday, September 9 Please RSVP at www.cityofchicago.org/rainbarrel
Explore environmental service at this upcoming dunes restoration day, Saturday July 31. The Chicago Park District and the Ashe Park Advisory Council community members are an active and passionate bunch hosting a restoration day at the beautiful Rainbow Beach Dune Preservation site. Volunteers are needed to remove invasive plants and debris while preserving this unique natural habitat in the South Shore community. Saturday, July 31, 10am-12noon: Weed/Invasive species management Rainbow Beach is located at 3111 E. 77th St. By foot, walk east from South Shore Dr. on 77th St. By car, enter from 79th St., go past the water treatment plant, and park in the first parking lot. The nature area is at the southern end of the beach. Meet at the Rainbow Beach Fieldhouse. Tools and equipment will be provided, but please bring water and dress appropriately for the weather. Note that parking meters have been established in both the Rainbow Beach parking lots, but you can easily avoid this by walking, biking or taking public transit. However, if you need to come by car, the Chicago Park District will provide temporary parking permits for the duration of the workday, so don’t let the cost of parking deter you from participating! Contact Robbie Shymanski robbie_rnfr@hotmail.com for questions and to RSVP. Join C3 Leader Sharon Pincham for a very special event filled with fun games, prizes and loads of quality environmental education. Attend this workshop and become the lucky winner of a rain barrel, an I-GO care sharing gift certificate and many more. The incentives are endless so what are you waiting for? Share the Drop Water Conservation Workshop
Sunday, August 8 2010 at 2pm Roots and Rays Community Garden 1513-1519 W Cullerton Composting your kitchen scraps and yard trimmings is an easy, low maintenance way to reduce your household waste by up to 30%. Join C3 (Chicago Conservation Corps) Trainee and Roots and Rays Gardener Christine Ferriter to learn how to turn your grass clippings, young weeds, veggie scraps, fruit peels, coffee grounds, and egg shells into free nutrient-rich, chemical-free compost for your garden and houseplants. This workshop will include demonstrations on various types of composting from outdoor aerobic and anaerobic methods to indoor vermicomposting. There are many different types of composters on the market today, each with their own benefits; discover which method is right for you and your family or learn how to build your own backyard compost bin out of found materials. Don’t have a backyard? Don’t worry! Vermicomposting is a safe and clean indoor method for recycling everyday kitchen scraps into a rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner using red-wriggler worms. Setting up a worm bin in your kitchen is a great way to begin composting in an urban setting and can keep up to 200lbs a year of nutrient rich food waste out of landfills. This workshop will take you through the steps of how to set up and maintain your very own worm bin! Please join us for an afternoon of family activities, healthy snacks & raffle prizes! Raffle prizes include (1) Earth Machine Outdoor Composter, (1) Rain Barrel, and (6) Ready-to-go Worm Bins. Informational brochures and $30 City of Chicago rebate forms for purchased outdoor composters or rain barrels will also be available. Registration is not required but space and materials are limited, please RSVP to rootsandrays@gmail.com Interested in saving money, improving your health and helping the planet? Attend the Clean Air Counts Workshop and learn how to improve the air quality in your home by making your own green cleaners and taking other easy steps.
Scientists have found that the air within homes and other buildings is often more seriously polluted than outdoor air even in large, industrialized cities. Poor indoor air quality can cause a variety of health problems. Luckily, there is something you can do about it. Participants in the Clean Air Counts Workshop will learn about the common sources of air pollution in homes and what simple steps they can take to improve their indoor air quality. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to make their own healthier cleaners that they can take home and will be provided with recipes for several easy-to-make homemade cleaners. Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Location: Lincoln-Belmont Public Library, 1659 W. Melrose St. Cost: Free RSVP: mandy.kisala@gmail.com Please RSVP by Tuesday, August 10, 2010. Spaces Limited.
Learn striking facts, installation tips and more at the next Lawndale Sustainable Backyard Workshop on Saturday July 24. RSVP immediately to reserve your space and your rebate! Sunday, July 11, 9am-2pm href="http://chicagoconservationcorps.org/blog/wp-content/uploads2/2010/07/Bikes.jpg"> Join C3 trainee Kathleen and her project team on this bicycle ride through the 19th Ward (Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood) that will showcase various public and private green initiatives taking place throughout the community. Be sure to arrive early and get in on the pre-ride bike tune-up clinic will be held from 9am-10am and the tour begins at 10am. The tour will include LEED certified buildings, the Chicago Park District’s wetlands and woodlands, Saint Xavier University’s green housing, the Major Taylor Bike Trail, the aquaculture/hydroponics facilities at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, a green alley and more. At the end of the tour, Kathleen and her team will showcase their green and sustainable offerings to riders (e.g., low flow plumbing, CFLs, RecycleBank, the City of Chicago’s MeterSave Program, I-Go cars, and more). Register immediately! Only 35 spot are available.
Attention C3 leaders and trainees: Event Details Not a C3 volunteer? You are still eligible to participate. With your help, we can make a difference by nurturing our city, conserving our natural resources, and protecting the environment! And the fun doesn’t stop there. Juneway Terrace Park Beach Clean Up Today we celebrate the 2010 Summer Solstice as the official start of summer. As you are packing in all your outdoor activities into the three most beautiful months of Chicago’s seasonal transformation, be sure to take advantage of these three great opportunities to enjoy beauty of the season and make a positive impact on the environment.
Illinois Native Seed Bank Project For more information on volunteer opportunities and other ways to support this project, contact Emily Yates, Seed Bank Coordinator: eyates@chicagobotanic.org or David Sollenberger, Seed Conservation Specialist: dsollenberger@chicagobotanic.org
Sustainable Backyard Workshops Additional workshops are being hosted by C3 leaders citywide. For more information on these workshop, visit C3 event calendar under the “Explore Environmental Service” tab. Don’t delay! Applications must be postmarked no later than July 2, 2010. Please include the application and two printed photos (no polaroids or digital photos). Haven’t volunteered in a while? The Serve-a-thon is your chance to get back involved in the work that means so much to so many. The Serve-a-thon organizes hands-on improvement and beautification projects at 40 Chicago Public Schools that will touch the lives of over 25,000 CPS students. Not only doesn’t your involvement make a immediate impact, it will ensure that Chicago Cares can continue creating volunteer opportunities and supporting community work.
8:00am, Check-in and Rally: Check in by your last name at our NEW Serve-a-thon Plaza at Soldier Field (Stadium Green at the south end of the stadium). You’ll receive your project assignment and wake up with breakfast snacks and an energizing morning rally. If you ordered a boxed lunch or t-shirt, pick it up before boarding your bus. By 9 a.m. you’ll be on your way to making a meaningful difference at a Chicago school. Wear clothes you won’t mind getting dirty. Painting, planting and building is fun and meaningful, but can be messy! Lunchtime at your project site 3:30 – 5:30pm, Event Celebration: Join your team to celebrate the day’s accomplishments with a party at Serve-a-thon Plaza. Enjoy food, beverages and live music while you reflect on the difference you made in just one day. Can’t stay all day? Consider volunteering as a event Roadie instead! We have morning and afternoon shifts that might be right for you. Start a team, join a team, however you participate, make sure you get involved soon!
Register at www.chicagocares.org Friday, June 11 The 4th Annual Chicago Virtual Charter School Field Day Event will be a lot greener this year as students incorporate green games with track and field events. Yvonne will coordinate the addition of a Green Resource Center designed to educate students and their families on Recycling/Upcycling options, Vermicomposting, improving indoor/outdoor air quality by making green cleaning solutions and taking alternative transportation, energy efficiency and water conservation. Students will receive refillable water bottles. Families will take the $800 Savings Challenge. Following awards and raffle prizes, families will gather on the lawn of Illinois Institute of Technology for a picnic lunch and hear a green literacy reading of Seeds of Change by Author Jen Cullerton Johnson, from her book based on the life of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. (Four C3 leaders or trainees willing to make ten-minute presentations on the environment to students and families are still needed.) For volunteer opportunities, contact C3 trainee Yvonne: ywm@alumni.depaul.edu C3 Spring 2010 leadership training has ended and a new round of 35 trainees will head back to their neighborhoods and prepare to get their projects underway. A handful of C3 trainees will be implementing their first projects this month, less than a month after training has concluded. Show your support for C3 trainees and head on out to these exciting events. Saturday, June 5 You are warmly invited to this gala celebrating community gardening, organic produce, and local green space! Join in this truly urban-garden loft to enjoy fancy fresh seasonal cocktails, verdant summer treats and live music to benefit the growth of Roots and Rays! Roots and Rays is a small community garden in Pilsen made up of eight humble raised beds growing a variety of produce, herbs and flowers to engage the neighborhood with cooking workshops, gardening, and composting. This project aims to provide a much-needed green space for thriving community in an environmentally unsound area. So come don your fancy pants and your green thumbs !
Saturday, June 12 Saturday, June 12 ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
The Calumet Stewardship Initiative 10th Ward Green Summit continues into it’s third weekend of this month-long celebration. Join C3 leader Greg Bratton at this exciting workshop promoting healthy eating and backyard agriculture. Come for the information and stay for the delicious food. Saturday, May 22, 10am – 2pm Presented by Inter-Generational Growing Project For information is available at http://www.calumetstewardshipinitiative.org/Calumet_Stewardship_Initiative/Green_Summit_2010.html
May presents a lot of great opportunities for volunteerism, hands-on demonstrations and neighborhood actions that contribute to the preservation or your neighborhood’s environment. Tap into to the Chicago Conservation Corps network of dedicated, grassroots environmental leadership and find out how to turn your passion for the environmental into action. Saturday, May 8, 2010
Volunteer with C3 Leaders and Student Clubs at the following sites To find a site near your community, visit http://www.chicagoriver.org/events/chicago_river_day/sites/ ___________________________________________________________ Barrels, Bees and Blue Bins, Worm Bins and more Saturday, May 8, 2010
C3 Leader Qae-Dah Muhammad and the Chicago Department of Environment lead a compost bin and rain barrel installation workshop. Learn how detaching your downspout can reduce neighborhood flooding and create a great source of water for your garden. Workshop attendees will receive a $30 rebate towards a rain barrel and/or compost bin found a your local hardware store. ___________________________________________________________ In celebration of your favorite Queen Bee, be sure to bring your mom to this unique C3 project lead by Hazel Archer Ginsberg, Cyndi Schuman and Jason Greenberg. This event will include a panel of seasoned experts from Gingko Gardens, the University of Illinois at Chicago and several beekeepers that will lead experimental workstations on bee keeping, building your own Mason-Bee box, natural sting remedies and more! Composting demos, native seeds and local honey will also be available to treat your queen bee the many sweet indulgences that nature has to offer. Donations cheerfully appreciated. For event details & pre-registration, contact: hazel@shedrums.com or call NPNC 312-744-5472 ___________________________________________________________ Tuesday, May 11, 2010 Join a panel of experts on garbage, recycling and composting for an insightful discussion of household waste collection in Chicago and how you can make it work most effectively. Follow your garbage and your recyclables from your alley to the landfills and reprocessing plants. Discover how pigs played a role in city waste reduction and how worms can take their place in a compost bin. Learn how to reduce your garbage by shopping green. Free light refreshments and door prizes. To pre-register, email: mary_edsey@sbcglobal.net ___________________________________________________________ C3 Leader, Carla Riggs, will lead another Worms Ate My Lunch Vermicomposting Workshop on May 12th in the Edgewater community. Participants will learn the benefits of composting, learn the basics of maintaining a worm bin, and prepare a worm bin to take home and begin composting. The workshop is currently full but you may check in for updates by emailing greenlifechicago@gmail.com. Earth, Wine and Fire is a charity event intended to benefit the environment. It will occur on Friday April 23, 2010, the day after Earth Day, from 5-11PM (a movie screening of No Impact Man starts at 5:00; the party kicks off at 7:00). We expect it to be a fun party hosted by a small group of community folks who banded together to create an enlightened evening with a purpose. We intend to educate, incite action and enjoy. Buy your tickets in advance for a discount. $25 now; $35 on the day of the event. Includes: Entry, 3 tickets that can be used for drinks or the raffle, appetizers, music, entertainment and full access to all Nature Museum exhibits! Additional beverages available for purchase. Children 12 and under are free. Join the party! Buy your tickets at www.EarthWineAndFire.com! How will you contribute to Earth Day this year? ________________________________________________________ Attend C3 Leader, Morgan Conlon’s Rain Barrel Installation workshop ___________________________________________________________ Work as a volunteer steward at the Park District or Forest Preserve: Whistler Woods Restoration Day
Nature in the Neighborhood of Englewood
Openlands Clean Up Day __________________________________________________________ Take your recyclables to a neighborhood drop-off center __________________________________________________________ Earth Day may end in April but the philosophy lives on in May. Attend C3 Leader, Jason Greenberg’s Green Bike Tour of Logan Square and Humboldt Park Saturday, May 1st
__________________________________________________________ 18th Annual Chicago River Day Volunteer with C3 Leaders and Student Clubs at the following sites: C3 is now a member of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois. As a result, this issue will be dedicated to the very special work of C3’s Student Clubs. Not familiar with C3’s after school conservation program? We are please to introduce you to our network of 84 Chicago Public Schools and over 1500 8th-12th grade public school students who are leading environmental education projects in their schools and communities. Training the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
You Care. Do Something. We’ll Help. The Chicago Conservation Corps is heading into it’s ninth Environmental Leadership Training Session. Since 2006, C3 has trained over 250 Chicago residents on conservation issues. Upon completion of the 5-week training, Chicagoans, like you and me, continue on to implement community conservation projects that make a real impact on the livelihood of neighborhoods citywide. C3 staff not only provide training and support to volunteers throughout the process, the program is designed to offer resources, materials and guidance so that projects are successful and create a measurable environmental impact– it is a chance to make a real difference in your community. The first step is to register for and attend one of the following orientation sessions: Thursday, March 25 – 7pm – 8pm, South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60649 Monday, March 29 - 12pm – 1pm, City Hall 11th Floor, 121 N. Lasalle, Chicago, IL 60602 To apply for the C3 Leadership Training Series, you must be a City of Chicago resident and attend one orientation. The Spring 2010 training will be held at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd, Saturdays, April 10, 17, 24, and May 1 from 9:30am – 1:30pm. A mandatory field trip will take place on Saturday, May 8. A $75 fee covers course participation and project support. Financial assistance is available upon request.
 Gage Park C3 Club building a vermicompost bin The Chicago Conservation Corps is now recruiting CPS teachers to attend our Spring 2010 orientations in anticipation of the 2010-2011 school year. At the orientation, you will learn how to start and run an after-school environmental service club for 8th-12th grade CPS Students through the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3). Club projects include recycling, worm composting, water conservation, and anti-idling campaigns. Teachers involved receive a stipend, materials, project guides, training and other resources from the Chicago Department of Environment. Attend one of the orientations listed below to learn more. To reserve your seat now, please contact (312) 743-9283 or conservation@cityofchicago.org. Tuesday, April 13- 5pm-6pm Chicago Center for Green Technology 445 N. Sacramento Chicago, IL 60612 Wednesday, April 14- 4:30pm-5:30pm Vaughn High School 4355 N. Linder, Chicago, IL 60641 Thursday, April 15- 4:30pm-5:30pm Neil Elementary School 8555 S. Michigan, Chicago, IL 60620 To apply you must be a Chicago Public School teacher (8th – 12th grades) and attend an orientation. Three 2010 – 2011 workshops will be held on Tuesday evenings at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd, Chicago, IL 60612. For more information about the Chicago Conservation Corps Leadership Training Course, the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) Student Clubs, or to learn about other volunteer opportunities, visit www.chicagoconservationcorps.org. |
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