Upcoming Chicagoland Sustainable Food Events

Urban Food Symposium

Friday, Sep 6, 2013, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Nature Museum Saturday, Sept 7, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Loyola University--Lake Shore Campus Mundelein Center and the Institute of Environmental Sustainability Click here to Register and

FOOD: A Path To Healthy & Sustainable Communities

Tuesday, September 10, 2013, 8:30AM – 4:30PM South Suburban College, Kindig Performing Arts Center - 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois 60473 Presented by the Midwest Latino Health Policy, Research and Training Center under a grant from the National REACH Coalition through the Centers for Disease Control.

Continue reading for details on each of these events.

Urban Food Symposium

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum invites you to attend an action-packed Urban Food Symposium on a critical conservation and sustainability issue – our food system. The Symposium begins Friday evening, September 6 at the Nature Museum with cocktails, appetizers and a keynote speech from Barton Seaver, best-selling author, chef and National Geographic Fellow. During your Museum visit, don't miss your last chance to walk through our exhibit, Food: The Nature of Eating, before it closes on September 8.

The Symposium continues the following day at Loyola University’s Lakeshore campus where thought leaders from Chicago, the Midwest and across the nation will gather to explore the topics of social, justice, environmental and nutritional issues of our national food system and how to find the appropriate balance between food production, access and responsible environmental stewardship.

Friday, Sep 6, 2013, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Nature Museum

Saturday, Sept 7, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Loyola University--Lake Shore Campus Mundelein Center and the Institute of Environmental Sustainability

Click here to Register

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FOOD: A Path To Healthy & Sustainable Communities

Tuesday, September 10, 2013, 8:30AM – 4:30PM South Suburban College, Kindig Performing Arts Center - 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois 60473

Midwest Latino Health Policy, Research and Training Center (UIC) is presenting this workshop under a grant from the National REACH Coalition through the Centers for Disease Control. Join national and local healthy food activitists in roundtables and networking opportunities.

Featured Panels

Morning	Afternoon
Community as a Catalyst for Change: Mobilizing for access, affordability, and consumption of healthy food	Community as a Consumer: Increasing healthy food choices and sustaining communities

Tuesday, September 10, 2013, 8:30AM – 4:30PM

South Suburban College, Kindig Performing Arts Center - 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois 60473 Directions: http://www.ssc.edu/en_US/Getting_to_SSC/Main_Campus/directions.asp Parking: Use Lot D, west side of Main Building for main entrance to Kindig Performing Arts Center Map: http://www.ssc.edu/en_US/Getting_to_SSC/Main_Campus/map.asp

Click Here For More Information

The Sugar Beet Edible Garden Tour

Sugar Beet Edible Garden Tour: Saturday, July 27th at 10am

Spend the day learning about back yard agriculture! At the peak of growing season you will get an insider's peek into the edible gardens of our neighbors in Oak Park. You are invited into beautiful private gardens to learn more about urban agriculture and get inspired to grow your own food!

Buy your tickets online or tickets will also be available the day of the event at all three of our sponsors (GHE, Greenline Wheels, and Buzz Café).  Participants can pick up their maps beginning at 9:30am at all three of those locations.

Co-op Members $10 General $12 Kids 12 and under are FREE

Master gardeners will be on-hand to answer questions and teach visitors about organic gardening, raised beds, successive planting and more. Cycling from garden to garden is encouraged. Refreshments will be available at each stop to help make this a day of learning, fun and enjoyment!

Please start the tour by checking in and getting your map at the following locations: Green Home Experts — 811 S Blvd, Oak Park, IL GreenLine Wheels — 105 S Marion St, Oak Park, IL Buzz Cafe — 905 S Lombard Ave, Oak Park, IL

Join The Sugar Beet Co-op for a Day on the Farm!

Spend Saturday, June 8th from 10am-2pm exploring the 5-acre organic vegetable farm that is also home to chickens, turkeys, pigs and goats. After a guided hayride tour by farmer Nick Choate-Batchelder, we will feast on a delicious farm picnic catered by Crème Crafted Parties & Events. Midnight Sun Farm 32400 N. Harris Rd., Grayslake, Illinois 60030

Midnight Sun Farm is just an hour away from Oak Park and is excited to host The Sugar Beet Co-op and friends for a farm tour and catered picnic lunch.

We will start the day by exploring the 5-acre organic vegetable farm that is also home to chickens, turkeys, pigs and goats. After a guided hayride tour by farmer Nick Choate-Batchelder, we will feast on a delicious farm picnic catered by Crème Crafted Parties & Events.

After lunch, guests are welcome to walk the fields, participate in a farm chore or visit one of the other area farms that are part of the Prairie Crossing Conservation Community.

Space is limited so purchase your tickets in advance. $40 per person includes tour and lunch $20 per child under 12 years old Free for kids under 3 $5 discount on each ticket for Sugar Beet Co-op members! Purchase Your Tickets Online

Join Sugar Beet Co-op and receive $10 gift card!

As part of the Sugar Beet's May MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION, now through May 31, 2013, Green Home Experts will offer a $10 gift card for the next 20 new members who join! What is The Sugar Beet Co-op?

• A FULL SERVICE GROCERY STORE The Sugar Beet Co-op will make local, sustainably grown foods more accessible to our community. Sourcing from the vendors that already serve our community at The Oak Park Farmers' Market, we will provide a farmers' market experience all year round and every day. A wide variety of products (from diapers to craft beer!) will be available at the store as well.

• A COMMUNITY CENTER THAT CELEBRATES GOOD FOOD The Sugar Beet Co-op will be a community gathering place for people to learn about our local food system and our farmers, take cooking classes and share recipes and kitchen tips, and learn skills that help us make good food more affordable for all. We are planning to have a café onsite as well as a deli and prepared foods counter.
• A HUB FOR LEARNING AND SHARING Unlike other food co-ops, The Sugar Beet Co-op is building a nonprofit organization that will work in tandem with the grocery store. We are already organizing educational events and are collaborating with local organizations to inspire people to make better food choices for our health and our planet's health.

Why YOU should join The Sugar Beet Co-op!

• Your lifetime, family membership contribution of $250 will help us build the equity we need to help us secure banks loans and other funding. (note* there are reduced-rate memberships for seniors, students and those who receive LINK benefits)
• Members will help guide the development of the co-op. Your input is important as we strive to create a grocery store and community center that serves everyone.
• Although the co-op will be open to all, our members can receive discounts on groceries, classes and may be eligible to receive dividends when the co-op turns a profit.
• Your membership contribution is safe with us! Your membership will be refunded in the unforeseen event that the grocery store isn't launched.
• We are having a lot of fun creating a unique community of food lovers that are building something meaningful together!

Please take a moment to check out the Membership Details on our website. You may join on the site through paypal and there are many subscription plans to make this financially accessible to all.

Once you have joined, we will email your $10 Gift Certificate to Green Home Experts and follow-up with you to thank you!

Green Home Experts is your one-stop shop for everything you need to create a healthy home. From green lifestyle goods to sustainable building materials and eco-gardening, we offer green alternatives to just about anything you use in and around your home. To learn more visit their website: http://www.ghexperts.com/

2012 Oak Park/River Forest Sustainability Report Card

PlanItGreen has just released the 2012 Community Sustainability Report Card for Oak Park and River Forest.  The Community Sustainability Report Card provides a snapshot in time of progress against sustainability goals that were created over a ten-month community engagementprocess in 2010-2011. Over time, the sustainability report card will illuminate trends, highlight successes and shortcomings, and ultimately help support decisions on future policies, strategies, and resource allocation needed to achieve the 10-year plan’sgoals by 2020.

The report card provides grades on implementation progress within each of nine topic areas that are part of the Environmental Sustainability Plan for Oak Park and River Forest, and provides comparisons between baseline data on community resource and 2012 data. Grades are shown as a; Thumbs Up:  Exceeded Goals, Thumbs Sideways:  Met Goals and Thumbs Down:  Did not meet goals.

A quick overview of the results shows that:

• 3 of the topic areas exceeded goals:  Energy, Education and Waste
• 4 of the topic areas met goals:  Community Development, Water, Food and Green Economy
• 2 of the topic areas did not meet goals:  Transportation and Open Space / Ecosystems

Review the complete report  here: planitgreen2012sustainabilityreportcard-final 

To schedule a presentation on the report card and an overview of 2013 priority implementation strategies, contact act@sevengenerationsahead.org.

Pledge to Act - Group Gathering on May 20th (New date!)

We have already heard many great stories about people taking actions inspired by the One Earth Film Festival and we know that many of you are working every day to live more lightly on the Earth!  You are invited to attend a gathering together with others who are also working to reduce their “footprint.”  Join us on Monday, May 20, 2013, 6:30-8:30pm, Oak Park Main Library, 2nd floor Veteran's Room.This will be a highly practical, active and interactive gathering so come prepared to have fun and participate!

We will start at 6:30 with refreshments and conversation, followed by a time for sharing our accomplishments, our challenges, our plans for next steps and resources that will help support us in this important work.  Come for the whole time or as much as you can.

Following are the topic areas that we will be focusing on.

• Conserving water
• Reducing waste
• Taking alternative transportation
• Conserving energy
• Eating (& growing) sustainable food
• Restoring habitats & natural spaces (added by write-in request!)

Why are Pledge Groups Important?

We know that we are stronger together.  When we join together to share ideas, resources and experiences, we learn from one another and inspire and encourage one another.  As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

NEXT STEPS:

1. Please let us know if you can make it to the gathering on May 20^th, 6:30-8:30pm, at the Oak Park Main Library.  Please RSVP for the gathering at:  link

2. If you know of others who may be interested in working with others to lower their footprint on the earth, please share the invitation with them and direct them to this web page to sign up.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment

before starting to improve the world. -- Anne Frank

OP Conservatory Upcoming Workshops

Another great round of workshops is here! Remember that some events require prior registration so be sure to visit www.oakparkconservatory.org or continue to our events calendar to sign up!

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Interested in more? Click here to see what else is on the GCC Calendar! 

Oak Park Farmers' Market is Coming!

The Market is open every Saturday beginning May 18th, through the last Saturday in October. Market hours are 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. Enjoy live bluegrass music and meet your local farmers. The Oak Park Farmers' Market is located at 460 Lake St., just one block west of Ridgeland Avenue.  The Market is an Oak Park tradition, a Saturday gastronomic event, a concert site, a social event and a great place to pick up super-fresh produce, traditional and unusual plants, fresh cheeses, honey, flowers, vinegars, herbs, and much more.

The Oak Park Farmers' Market also features unique items for sale at the commissioners' table, including items you can't find anywhere else, such as reasonably priced T-shirts, one-of-a-kind items and bags, all offering a beautiful, functional way to support the market.

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If you are a resident of Oak Park and are interested in volunteering as a commission member, please download, print and complete the application form and submit it to the Oak Park Farmers' Market Booth on any Saturday during the season, drop off at Village Hall or mail to Office of the Village Clerk, 123 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302.

Interested in serving on the Farmers' Market Commission? Apply online or download a volunteer application.

2nd One Earth Film Festival reaches nearly 2,000 viewers

In its second year, the One Earth Film Festival nearly quadrupled its inaugural year attendance numbers, filling venues with viewers who came from as far away as Aurora and Grayslake to screenings throughout Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and Chicago, IL. The three-day festival, held March 1-3, also debuted its Young Filmmakers Contest, which showcased the environmental concerns of area school students.

Opening Night

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The festival kicked off with a Green Carpet Gala at Pleasant Home in Oak Park and a program that featured Lea Kichler, high school winner of the first Young Filmmakers Contest, and Gerould Wilhelm, a botanist and director of research at the Conservation Research Institute in Elmhurst.

Kichler’s film, “Let’s Talk About Water,” featured an off-camera interviewer asking kids (a few of them pictured at right) questions that tested their knowledge of water. The eight-minute film ended with a simple question: “What will you do to save water?”

As if designed to complement Kichler’s film, Wilhelm’s witty, thoughtful talk was peppered with deep insights about water and conservation. "Let us learn to treat water as a resource, not a waste product,” he said. “We must regard water as a blessing, not a bane."

Popular Films and Programming Pack the House

On Saturday morning, a sold-out crowd at Lake Street Theater watched “Chasing Ice,” the riveting documentary that captures visual evidence of climate change using time-lapse photography to show rapidly melting glaciers.

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The Sunday afternoon screening of two food-related films, “Ingredients” and “Food Patriots,” co-hosted by the Sugar Beet Co-op at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, took on a family-style atmosphere.  Friends of Sugar Beet served up a variety of soups and breads before families, church members and others settled in to view the films.

“Food Patriots” filmmaker Jeff Spitz facilitated a post-film discussion that “explored how community-based projects like a food co-op or community gardens can serve to educate and inspire people to make better food choices,” Cheryl Munoz, co-founder of Sugar Beet, said.

The Organizers

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One Earth Film Festival, hosted by a sustainability organization called Green Community Connections, screened 40 films in more than 25 venues around Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and in Chicago’s Austin community. The festival uses the power of film to create opportunities for understanding climate change, sustainability and the power of human involvement.

Festival organizers this year paid particular attention to involving young people, offering separate programs on Saturday morning at Beye Elementary School in Oak Park for young children (3-6) and older children (7-11). In between, a program recognized the elementary and middle school Young Filmmakers Contest winners.

Organizers were hoping to double last year’s attendance of 500 but instead saw a final tally of 1,910.  A fourth of those attended pre-fest screenings leading up to the weekend.  The huge attendance increase over last year both surprised and thrilled the all-volunteer team of organizers who planned every aspect of the festival.

“It was really incredible to witness the impact this festival has on our community,” said Katie Morris, who helped coordinate the Young Filmmakers Contest and screenings at several venues. “It was amazing to see how many people came out to offer their talents, skills and knowledge as volunteers, facilitators, technicians and resource people. It was an incredible group effort, everyone working tirelessly to bring the community together over sustainability and change.”

Breaking Ground

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Moving beyond its suburban boundaries, the festival this year held a screening in the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side. “Soul Food Junkies,” a documentary that exposes the health advantages and disadvantages of a uniquely American cuisine, drew an enthusiastic, wide-ranging crowd. Following the screening, Chef Marwin Brown whipped up some healthier versions of soul food for the audience to sample.

Many who attended said they the festival opened their eyes to issues they don’t see much in the news: water shortages, petrochemicals in the environment and the work of young environmental activists—all topics that the films addressed.

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One goal of the festival was to engage audiences in thoughtful dialogue about environmental issues, ranging from the rise in genetically modified foods to climate change to water use and conservation. Short facilitated discussions followed each screening.

This year, too, organizers offered fest-goers a chance to join a Pledge Group to demonstrate a commitment to taking “concrete action” toward reducing their footprint over the next three to six months.  The festival team plans to follow up with electronic outreaches to those who signed pledge cards.

One Earth Film Festival closed out Sunday evening at Unity Temple in Oak Park with a showing of “Call of Life,” the first feature documentary to investigate the growing threat to Earth’s life-support systems from the unprecedented loss of biodiversity.

by Cassandra West, New Media Access

Photos courtesy of Eileen Molony (#1,2,3,5); Gloria Araya (#4)

OP Conservatory Upcoming Workshops

Workshop: Let's Make Worm Compost

Saturday, September 14 from 9AM – 11AM

Everyone can compost food scraps with the help of a worm compost bin. Clean, odorless indoor composting can take care of all your kitchen scraps year round. And if you do not have a garden for the compost, your houseplants will love it. We will discuss the science of composting with worms, the dos and don’ts and create a small bin stocked with worms to take home. Location: Oak Park Conservatory Sign Up Here

Toddler Exploration Time

Saturday, September 20 from 10:30AM – 11:15AM -- FREE

The program is offered once a month on the third Fridayof each month from September through November and January through May.

The special interactive time for you and your toddler will open up the natural world as you explore together the wonders of nature at the Conservatory. Interact during guided activities, facilitated by FOPCON docents and highlighting a different topic each month. Come ready to have fun and learn about nature with your toddler. Space is limited to 15 children and their caregivers for each event. The topic for September is Plants Are Toys.

Fall Bulb Planting

Saturday, September 28 from 9AM – 3PM

There is nothing more joyful than daffodils, tulips and hyacinths blooming in spring. Now is the time to plant those bulbs in your garden and anticipate the return of beautiful flowers after many so grey months of winter. We will gain knowledge of the best bulbs for our region, best planting methods and how to care for them to insure years of bloom. Each participant will plant a container of bulbs to force for indoor spring blooms. Location: Oak Park Conservatory. Sign Up Here

Fall Bulb Sale

Saturday, September 28 from 9AM – 3PM

It’s time again for the annual Fall Bulb Sale at the Oak Park Conservatory. Purchase premium bulbs in unusual varieties not found at the big box stores. Choose from tulip, narcissus, hyacinths, muscari, and other varieties chosen for beauty, fragrance, and ability to survive our winters. You will enjoy these trouble-free bulbs each spring for years to come. All proceeds support conservatory programming. The Oak Park Conservatory is located at 615 Garfield St, Oak Park, IL, 708-725-7200. To view the Bulb Sale catalogue, visit our website at www.oakparkconservaory.org.