Residents Give Back with the Giving Tree

The Giving Tree program is a conduit for those who choose to trade an ornament, a suggestion and a small amount of money for a holiday season donation to someone in need.

Excerpt from Patch.com, Dec. 12, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"Two large wreaths adorn the walls of Citizens Bank in Willowbrook. Inside, an equally large Christmas tree stands near the door. The tree holds ornaments: bright red and blue delicate globes and flat circles decorated with white snowmen and penguins.

Organizations have requested the gifts listed on the thin ornaments for people in need." (read more)

A Green Hanukkah (Channuka)

Social justice and environmentalism are at the core of Judaism and Hanukkah reminds us to care for the earth.

Opinion--Excerpt from Patch.com, Dec. 4, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"The blue menorah smiles, pointed chin jutting downward and spreading slightly outward to support its weight. Long, slender teeth curve upward, with cavities atop that are filled with candles. The menorah, also known as a hanukkiyah, peers out the window at the snow that melts quickly when it touches the windowsill. The first night of Chanukah was Wednesday, Dec. 1." (read more)

On Black Friday, Shop Green at Salon Efthimia

When shopping for the holidays, consider your impact on the earth, and step into Salon Efthimia for some environmentally-friendly options.

Opinion--Excerpt from Patch.com, Nov. 26, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"On a cool, crisp afternoon I pull into a parking space next to the garage in the Burr Ridge Village Center. Two men place long strands of small bulbs onto tree branches nearby. Briskly, I follow the pale, concrete sidewalk through an area of grass that remains green, despite the growing cold.

When I reach Salon Efthimia, located at 820 Village Center Dr., I open the door and step into a space lined with shelves holding some of the more than 1,000 different products sold here that include turquoise, orange and blue bottles, tubes and boxes." (read more)

Coyotes in Your Backyard?

Coyotes are native to areas surrounding Burr Ridge. And without the presence of a natural predator, their numbers may be on the rise.

Excerpt from Patch.com, Nov. 23, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"A furry, brown coyote is taped sprinting down State Street in Chicago at 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 15. The animal disregards lane dividers on the city's empty and dimly lit streets, passing large stone pots filled with green foliage and creating a path out of instinct.

While coyotes may seem like a rare sight in Chicago, they are indigenous to the area, including land that borders Burr Ridge." (read more)

Coffee Roasters Give Former Offenders a Second Chance

Barbara's Bookstore in Burr Ridge is offering free coffee from Second Chance Coffee Company - a business that hires some of those who have been behind bars.

Excerpt from Patch.com, Nov. 13, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"In the back corner of Barbara's Bookstore sit two unassuming silver and black thermoses with two different types of complimentary coffee. One thermos is filled with Sumatra Mandheling Decaffeinated Organic Fair Trade coffee, which has a relatively light, colorful, smoky flavor. In the other is Java Pancoer Estate - it has a more bitter taste.

The brand is I Have A Bean coffee and it is roasted and sold by Second Chance Coffee Company - a Wheaton-based business that employs former offenders." (read more)

Reflections of a Retiring Science Teacher

After 30 years of teaching, Hinsdale South science teacher Susan Camasta will retire at the end of the school year.

Opinion--Excerpt from Patch.com, Nov. 6, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"On a cool, dry Thursday morning, I drive to Hinsdale South High School to interview science teacher Susan Camasta. Some bright red and yellow leaves cling to their branches while leaves that were recently adjacent have fallen to the ground below; the wind and the season are gradually emptying the trees, carrying their former occupants to earth.

After finding a parking space in the crowded lot and winding my way through the hallways at South, I find students emptying out of Camasta's classroom, and the instructor ready for a chat." (read more)

Vacant 2 Vegetables Turns Empty Space into Garden

St. Helena's temporarily loans land so nonprofit can grow food for a local pantry.

Excerpt from Patch.com, Oct. 30, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"A cool, blustery wind spreads the fresh smell of plants and rustles the large compost pile in the center of the garden. The mound of compost is a jumble of upended yellow and orange flowers, green stems and brown leaves. Mesh wiring surrounds the 5,000-square-foot garden. In addition to a scarecrow that protectively stood watch during the growing season, the door through the mesh has a latch to prevent deer from entering and consuming the garden's contents. The dirt awaits the turning of the seasons for planting next year.

Even though the growing season has ended, garden beds of varying heights still contain green leaves sprouting from the ground. Squashed grape tomatoes and split green peppers are scattered underfoot. These are all remnants of the nearly 2,000 pounds of vegetables picked during the past several months and donated to the People's Resource Center, a Wheaton-based food pantry." (read more)

Your Guide to Voting Green

With early voting underway and Election Day around the corner, where do our gubernatorial candidates stand on environmental issues?

Opinion--Excerpt from Patch.com, Oct. 24, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"Elections for multiple state offices and seats in Congress are approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and early voting is already occurring in DuPage and Cook counties. This is an opportune time to consider candidates' environmental positions.

A Pew Research Poll from this past summer found that only 57 percent of registered voters thought the environment was a 'very important' issue. Whether or not you believe that global warming is occurring, protecting our planet is a way to ensure that your children and grandchildren will have safe places in which to grow and live. What better means of focusing on conservation than by casting your votes for candidates who agree that this topic is important?" (read more)

End of Farmers Market Doesn't Mean End of Eating Healthy

This year's farmers market provided many healthy eating options. Find out where to get local produce and crafts during winter months.

Opinion--Excerpt from Patch.com, Oct. 10, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

"Living in a fast-paced society sometimes means grabbing food on the run and ignoring that what we consume can positively or negatively affect our moods and our health. Deciding whether to eat vegetables, fruits and lean protein as opposed to fast food can mean the difference between increased energy or moving at a slower pace. Unhealthy food choices can even mean developing health problems.

A simple way to begin looking more intently at our food choices is by visiting your local farmers market ..." (read more)

Park District Reintroduces Wetlands to Burr Ridge

The Burr Ridge Park District restores native habitat to the area.

Excerpt from Patch.com, Oct. 3, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman




"Residents and visitors to Burr Ridge may have noticed changes in recent years to Harvester Park: Out of the park's 37 acres, the Burr Ridge Park District has nearly restored a 17-acre area of wetlands, ridding the area of invasive species and rebuilding habitat for native animals and plants. ..." (read more)

VHS virus threatens the Great Lakes

Excerpt from a Great Lakes Boating magazine article (pages 30 to 31),
Sept./Oct. 2010 issue

By Jessica Tobacman

"Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) is a serious disease among fish in geographical areas including the Great Lakes basin ..." (read more, pages 30 to 31)

Profile: Climate science and policy expert Lyndon Valicenti

Aug. 20, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

As a consultant for the Chicago Department of the Environment, Lyndon Valicenti was thrilled to find out earlier this week that the department had landed a grant. It will provide incentives for residents, helping them to plant greenery in their front or back yards, including trees and native plants. Rain barrels can also become available through this program. “We’re really excited about that,” Valicenti said. The grant provides funding for two years, a time period that will likely begin this fall.

Valicenti manages projects for the Department of the Environment, and has worked there since March 2008. She is involved in three areas: in education and outreach to city residents; planning work for the city focused on the Natural Resources and Water Quality Division, including working to help the city with strategies to expand the tree canopies covering it from 17.2 percent to 20 percent by 2020; and policy work, including changes in ordinances and federal policies. She works on issues involving natural resources, urban forestry, urban agriculture, water conservation, storm water and waste water management, and water quality.

She is very pleased with her current position. “I adore it, and can’t imagine doing anything else.” Valicenti especially appreciates working at the city scale. She had previously been employed at the Global Roundtable on Climate Change at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where she had worked at the global level from May 2006 to August 2007. There, she dealt with an immense population, with the potential to make a large impact. The job was fulfilling, but also moved at a slower pace than she preferred. Valicenti’s current job allows her to have a more immediate impact while working with 30 to 50 residents. “They remind me why I’m doing this. It felt natural to come here.”

Her path always seemed headed in an environmental direction. She has spent much of her career on the science and policy of climate change. Although she has always been interested in the environment, a family trip to Alaska during a spring break solidified her enthusiasm. “It was eye-opening.” Later, Valicenti completed a summer marine biology program at the Shedd Aquarium, and studied marine biology in college at the University of California-Santa Barbara, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from one of the country’s top marine biology programs.

After she graduated in March 2004, Valicenti moved to Ithaca, N.Y., where she helped a friend with data analysis at Cornell University. That winter, she worked as a research technician in Antarctica for about six months. Graduate school at Columbia University followed, and she received her Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy in May 2006. Then she stayed in the area, working for her alma mater.

About three years ago, Valicenti moved away from New York City and the Earth Institute, and to an organic farm in France. She still keeps up her interest in growing healthy foods today by maintaining a plot in a local community garden, and being active in groups including the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council, and two younger organizations—Growing Pride, which is the Humboldt Park community garden association; and Advocates for Urban Agriculture, which represents all food growers in the city.

Valicenti describes herself as a pretty goal-oriented person. In five years, she hopes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have created, and decided that she was perfect for, a new Midwestern food planning position. It would involve Chicago’s food planning system, helping to connect local farmers with institutional buyers, such as hospitals and schools, and dealing with policy at the state and federal levels.

Her current aims are for the short-term. The grant comes first. “We’re currently getting the project off the ground. It’s the next big project for me. There’s a lot of work to do.” She will be the project manager for the grant, often dealing with logistics. Fortunately, she’s looking forward to it. “It’s all very fun.”

She “always knew” that she wanted to be active in the environmental field, and has moved in that direction for many years. She is looking forward to more work and play in that area.

"Carbon Nation" -- Ways to Heal the Planet

Photo credit: Carbon Nation

Aug. 18, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

The city of Chicago hosted a celebration on Aug. 10, 2010, that included a screening of the new movie, Carbon Nation, at Millennium Park.

Before the movie showing began, the stage at the front of the nearly full Jay Pritzker Pavilion was the setting for several live performances and speeches. One of the most memorable was an energetic, modern dance by the Happiness Club, a group of Chicago youth who sing, dance, rap and create original material with a message about taking responsibility for fixing environmental problems. There was also stand-up comedy, a video and a live song featuring Eric Petersen in full costume and makeup as the title character of Shrek the Musical on Broadway in Chicago, and speeches from the makers of Carbon Nation, including Director and Producer Peter Byck.

"We’ve made Carbon Nation to give a majority of people an entertaining, informed and pragmatic primer about why it’s incredibly smart to be a part of the new, low-carbon economy: it’s good business, it emboldens national and energy security and it improves health and the environment," Byck said.

Carbon Nation combines an approach detailing information about global warming and its effects with one describing potential responses to it. "Our film is a climate change solutions movie that doesn't even care if you believe in climate change," said Producer Chrisna van Zyl.

The film advocates increasing the amounts of wind power, geothermal energy and solar energy used, increasing fuel efficiency, using algae as an energy source, and improving the energy efficiency of buildings. It states how these responses are leading to more clean energy jobs.

Other solutions include helping to stop deforestation and sequestering carbon in forests, farms and pastures, all of which would help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Deforestation occurs in locations such as the Amazon partly because of the tremendous demand for meat around the world. The movie suggests that it would be helpful if omnivores avoided meat one night a week.

In Roscoe, Texas, at the same time that the town’s Dairy Queen closed, a wind farm developed. “[This] has turned out to be a blessing,” said Cliff Etheredge, a West Texas cotton farmer turned wind farm organizer. About 20% of the electricity used in the United States could come from wind energy, stated Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, a federal research lab.

Another option for energy is algae. It efficiently converts carbon dioxide into energy, taking it in and returning it to the atmosphere. Increasing the use of algae would be an inexpensive way to decrease emissions.

Making buildings more energy-efficient is another key approach to addressing global warming. This has the potential to decrease electricity use worldwide by 20%, partly because of the large dependence on coal, a dirty fuel, as an energy source.

A straightforward way to see the difference that green building can make is to compare the variation in temperature between a black roof, which is between 160 and 170 degrees, and a green roof, which is between 80 and 90 degrees. In addition, a green roof cools the ambient environment around a building, decreasing it by 1 degree. White roofs also reflect sunlight.

Retrofitting structures with environmentally-friendly home improvements will lead to thousands of contracts and billions of jobs, said Van Jones, a green jobs activist and founder of Green for All, a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Ridding homes of old refrigerators is an easy way to raise energy efficiency. Many workers are weatherizing homes in low-income communities. “It’s the people that nobody’s heard of that are going to solve the problem,” Jones said.

“We need a World War II level of mobilization,” Jones said. World War II involved producing more than 100,000 planes in several months.

The movie depicts Jones’ close relationship with his father, who passed away relatively recently. His father was a junior high school principal who inspired Jones in his current work by going beyond the expectations others had for him. He fixed up a building in one year, instead of in the five years that were allotted for a particular project.

“I’m doing this for him and myself. This is the most beautiful thing in the world, right here,” Jones said, pointing to workers weatherizing a home. “People want to turn this ship around.”

Building engineers

Jan. 15, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman

Does the United States need more engineers? Pres. Barack Obama is one of those who say yes, that the competitiveness of the country depends on it. This idea indicates that the 18th annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition is right on track, encouraging seventh and eighth grade students to pursue engineering as a career. The contest also helps them to consider how to have a positive impact on the environment and how to design affordable buildings, with a theme for the current contest called, “Providing an Affordable Living Space for People Who Have Lost Their Home[s] Due To a Disaster or Financial Emergency.”

In fact, the 1995 Future City contest was crucial to Denise Armbruster’s decision to become an engineer. “It boosted my interest in engineering. I was interested in environmental science, but didn’t know what to do at the time,” she said.

Armbruster competed as an eighth grader at Central School in Glencoe, Ill., at the regional and national levels. “I had a blast. It taught me that engineering wasn’t so difficult. It paved the way for me,” she said. Armbruster is now a civil engineer at MWH Global, Inc., based in Broomfield, Colo. Although she participated as a student many years ago, her increased enthusiasm for, and career in, engineering are results that the competition aims for today.

Future City involves inventing a city and constructing a model of it to-scale. The contest focuses somewhat on the environment, including strongly encouraging students to use recycled items to build the model. Students must also create a virtual model using the SimCity 4 Deluxe computer program; research and write a 700- to 1,000-word essay describing the design of the imagined city; outline the most important aspects of the town in a 300- to 500-word City Narrative; and complete an oral presentation about it.

Learning to protect the environment is one of the reasons that students must design spaces that meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for environmentally-friendly housing, created by the U.S. Green Building Council. This means that teams must address six major areas: the sustainability of building sites, including the proximity of alternative transportation and whether the site’s development protects habitat; improving water efficiency; optimizing energy usage; reusing building materials and other resources; the quality of the indoor environment, including whether materials emit low levels of harmful chemicals; and design innovation.

The Chicago regional competition will take place on Jan. 16, 2010, at the University of Illinois – Chicago, and national finals will occur during National Engineers WeekTM, Feb. 15-17, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the contest continues until 3:30 p.m. Each regional competition will have one winning team that will qualify for a trip to the national, final level, in mid-February. Organizers expect that 33,000 students from 1,100 middle schools in the United States will participate.

Although Future City originally included only five regions, it has grown to 40 different ones from across the nation. The Chicago Region has a special distinction, as the only district to participate each year. Although it technically includes all of Illinois, it historically involves mostly participants from this city, with occasional contestants from Rockford, Peoria and Springfield.

Participants connect the cities they create with the environments around them, and perhaps make the corresponding tie between the towns in which they live and their own, natural worlds; these links may, ultimately, help lead them to careers as engineers, which is the underlying purpose of Future City.

Armbruster is one former participant who demonstrates the success of the competition. She enjoyed being a part of the contest so much that, after attending college at the University of Iowa, she returned to first act as a mentor, and then as a judge for the contest, for six years and counting. “I get a kick out of it, as an engineer, to go back and get students interested. I love doing that, to see the connection and the link [to the present]. I can teach about engineering, how helpful it is to society. It’s very rewarding for me. It’s really neat to see the kids get involved with science.”

Armbruster notes that working on Future City as a student years ago offered the opportunity to develop valuable skills that have been useful to her as a professional. “It was great. It provided a lot of practice with presentations. It helped with writing skills, answering and asking questions and teambuilding skills.” Armbruster also learned a lot about the field of engineering. “It taught me a lot about urban design and the connection between engineering and the community, and the needs of it [the community],” she says.

“I would mention to other engineers to be a mentor to a team. It’s very rewarding,” Armbruster advises. She would also recommend participating in the event to current students. “I would tell kids to get involved. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding at the end. You learn a lot of good skills.”

Oil spilled in Michigan; moving forward

Aug. 13, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman


Enbridge Oil Spill Site, near Marshall, Mich., Aug. 8
Photo credit: Lighthawk for the Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter

This summer has seen two major oil spills in the United States. The first occurred on a tremendously large scale on April 20, sending around 206 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the federal government. The second was much smaller, taking place on July 25 in Michigan, when a ruptured, 30-inch pipeline dumped oil into the Kalamazoo River; the total amount of that spill may have been 819,000 gallons, or more than 1 million gallons, depending on the source of the estimate—the owner of the pipe or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), respectively.

Enbridge Inc., owns the ruptured pipe near Talmadge Creek, which feeds into the Kalamazoo River. Enbridge had been receiving notices since January describing the corrosion of the since-broken pipeline. However, the problem was a low enough priority for the company that it did not notice the pipe had burst until the following day.

For some of the areas the Michigan spill affects, the Calhoun County Public Health Department has issued voluntary evacuation notices for residents. This is because of the high levels in the air of benzene, a chemical that may cause short-term nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rates, sleepiness, dizziness or headaches, or long-term increases of the risk of cancer. Notices for evacuation are for temporary relocations, until the threat has passed.

The Michigan disaster has devastated the habitats of local ducks, frogs, geese, herons, muskrats and swans, perhaps for years into the future, with oil sinking into 30 miles of marshes. The oil has also coated turtles, birds and muskrats with residue.

Although the response to the spill was relatively fast, oil remains on the riverbank, re-contaminating the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek, where the spill started, said Anne Woiwode, state director of the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter.

The EPA is now in charge of containment and clean-up efforts. Before accepting a cleanup plan from Enbridge, the agency had rejected several other proposals by the company. “A lot of work has yet to be done,” Woiwode said.

Josh Ellis, water expert at the Metropolitan Planning Council in Chicago, noted that his two major concerns about the oil spill are the state of our infrastructure, i.e. the broken pipeline, and our continued demand for oil.

“We don’t maintain our infrastructure as well as we need to,” Ellis said. “Continued demand is increasing and the shift in our thinking and behavior at the cash register is not happening. We need to get serious about decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels.” That includes building alternatives, such as public transit and locally grown foods, which use less energy to transport items to their destinations. “Unfortunately, that’s happening only piecemeal.”

The likelihood of another oil spill is almost certain, Ellis stated. “There is going to be more and more risk associated with getting this resource. … We have already found and consumed the oil that is easy and safe to get.”

Despite all of this grim news, individuals can take actions to help deal with the current situations of rising demand for oil, increasingly difficult-to-reach resources and deteriorating infrastructure.

Steps include looking into what produces a home’s electricity and where that source is located, Ellis advised. “Finding out would be a huge step,” he said. This process sounds relatively straightforward: The source of a home’s electricity is likely to be available simply from the web site of a local utility, such as ComEd.

The goal is to become a more knowledgeable consumer; to learn about the costs and results of consumption, and then to use that information to communicate with politicians. “People need to demand a higher level of discussion with their elected officials … to get more informed and act on it,” Ellis said.

Profile: Water Expert Josh Ellis

Aug. 11, 2010

By Jessica Tobacman



Josh Ellis has worked for the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) for about four years, and is currently a project manager and water expert there. He has always been interested in the environment. Ellis grew up participating in outdoor activities with his family, including long canoe trips, which helped him to be mindful of what he consumed. Every summer, he attended a camp where environmental consciousness was at the forefront.

In the spring of 2006, Ellis earned joint Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Middle Eastern Studies, with an environmental focus, from the University of Chicago. Afterward, he chose to stay in Chicago. Ellis accepted a research assistant position with the Campaign for Sensible Growth, housed at MPC. The campaign eventually disbanded, and, when the work began to shift to MPC in late 2005, he followed, and became a full-time employee there in the fall of 2006.

Currently, Ellis primarily manages an array of projects related to sustainable resources management in Illinois, including developments in wastewater, storm water and drinking water. His responsibilities include working on legislative issues and enabling rainwater harvesting, which involves catching and storing fresh rainwater, which does not need to be treated for use. These efforts keep rain out of the storm system, helping to maintain a manageable amount of water within the system, and are used in states including New Mexico, Oregon and Texas. Ellis also helps with the public campaign on which MPC partners with Openlands, called, “What Our Water’s Worth.” The goal is to help increase the value that individuals place upon the easy receipt of clean, available drinking water; the ready handling of storm water; and the disposal of wastewater.

Ellis feels that he has succeeded in his work at MPC at times when the general public and the media begin to discuss his policy ideas, and to use the language that he does. The large amount of talk about the future of the Chicago River in the media has also led him to participate in roundtable discussions at MPC, and to speak at the University of Chicago and at a University of Chicago event at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

In addition to working for the council, Ellis also teaches English as a Second Language four nights every week at the Poder Learning Center in Pilsen on the city’s southwest side. The students are primarily Mexican, which somewhat reflects the makeup of the surrounding community, but there are also individuals from Bulgaria and China. “You see more immediate results there than at MPC,” Ellis said. Work at the council includes much more long-term efforts.

Ellis is satisfied with his current situation. “I’m happy with now, so I’m happy how I got here.”

His path began in Brentwood, N.H., in a town of about 2,000 people, approximately 20 minutes from the ocean. Growing up, Ellis travelled with his family regularly. His mother worked as a teacher, and her summers off allowed for a voyage each year. The family visited states including California, and countries including Canada and Switzerland. They were active, hiking and skiing, and Ellis played baseball and football. He also played the saxophone, and at one point, was a member of a ska band.

Ellis’ travels with his family led him to study Russian and to live in Ukraine for a month as a sophomore in high school. As an undergraduate, he attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., where he double-majored in English Literature and Comparative World Religions. His studies taught him to write, but little else related to his current endeavors, he noted. Immediately after graduating in 2000, Ellis spent two years in Japan working for a private firm that was similar to Kaplan. At first, he taught English in Sapporo, and then the company promoted him to the manager of a school in Otaru.

After Ellis returned to New Hampshire in November 2003, he took classes at the University of New Hampshire on subjects including the environment and society, and international relations. Then he began graduate school at the University of Chicago in September 2003.

Ellis tries to be mindful of his surroundings, to maintain an awareness of his behavior. He rides his bicycle by Lake Michigan each day, from his home in Hyde Park, to his job at MPC, to his work teaching ESL in Pilsen, and back home. “It’s an almost perfect mode of transportation,” he said. He plays pick-up basketball near his home, and tries to travel locally and beyond.

In five years, Ellis anticipates that he will still be living in Chicago. In 20 years, he hopes to be doing comparable work on new problems, working for a nonprofit or advocacy organization in a leadership position, or in an elected official position. His home base could still be in Chicago, in New Hampshire, or elsewhere. “I enjoy Chicago, but could see myself going to any number of places.”

ASIAN CARP FOUND A LEAP AWAY FROM LAKE MICHIGAN

Excerpt from a Great Lakes Boating Federation press release,
June 24, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Tobacman

"One Bighead Asian carp has been found in Lake Calumet, the first that has been discovered above the Electric Barrier System designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent any Asian carp from swimming into the Great Lakes." (read more)

SHUTTING THE LOCKS ON THE ASIAN CARP

Excerpt from a Great Lakes Boating Federation press release,
Dec. 2, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Tobacman

"As the struggle to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp continues, environmental agencies will add a pesticide to the mix." (read more)

ASIAN CARP ADVISORY

Excerpt from a Great Lakes Boating Federation press release,
Nov. 4, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Tobacman

"The Asian carp have worked their way up the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, moving closer and closer to entering the Great Lakes and to decimating their ecosystems." (read more)

ASIAN CARP: ONE RAINSTORM AWAY FROM THE GREAT LAKES

Excerpt from a Great Lakes Boating Federation press release,
Oct. 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Tobacman

"The Great Lakes Boating Federation urges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to quickly enact new measures to prevent Asian carp from advancing into the Great Lakes." (read more)

More information on the blog's content

In addition to green independence, this blog will focus on other environmental issues. These include invasive species, especially the difficulties with Asian carp on the Great Lakes. I've written extensively on this topic for Great Lakes Boating, and will be posting some press releases and, perhaps, articles, describing the evolution of the situation and the reasons for the concerns that the Asian carp could establish a self-sustaining population in the Great Lakes, and destroy the food web there.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment on the blog.

VeganMania Festival to celebrate vegan, green lifestyle

Lots of samples to introduce new foods, products too

As seen in A Fresh Squeeze, Sept. 29, 2009

By Jessica Tobacman

Chicago is about to experience a festival that celebrates all things vegan and will showcase how living a vegan lifestyle is about more than food.

The free, first Chicago VeganMania is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Wicker Park's Pulaski Park field house between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Free samples of vegan food, live music, an art show, speakers, vendors and a fashion exhibit are on the schedule of events. The first 100 people who show up will be awarded bags of food and body care samples donated by a wide array of companies, says John Beske, co-founder of the event with his wife Marla Rose.

Along with free admission, all attendees will receive free tickets for five samples among the vendors at the festival. There will be many tastes available, from vendors including The Chicago Diner, Delicious Cafe, Great Taste Cafe (formerly The Balanced Kitchen), and Chicago SoyDairy.

"We know diet is such a huge factor in the future of the planet," Rose says, "This deserves a place in sustainability. We want to show it [veganism] is eminently possible."

Rose and her husband also are co-founders of EarthSave Chicago, which educates individuals about healthy food choices. After organizing five conferences in five years for EarthSave Chicago, Beske and Rose decided to celebrate veganism. "We felt like it was time to dedicate an entire festival to the vegan options in town, including food, non-profits, clothing and cruelty-free" organizations, Rose says. Everyone involved in the event is a volunteer, she notes.

Chicago VeganMania will showcase at least four bands and different genres of music, including contemporary acoustic folk by Bryan Harrell, energetic funk rock by Darmata, electronica by Dreamlogicc, and teenage riot-girl rock by Circular Convention. SPUNN will perform spinning poi and dance, and Deserae will delight the audience with belly dancing.

"It should be a really good, fun mix of entertainment," Beske says.

The festival will also include a room with speakers, including Nathan Runkle of Mercy for Animals, who has done exposes of the food industry, Dr. Michael Greger of the Humane Society of the United States and Caryn Hartglass, executive director of EarthSave International, who created EarthSave TV and hosts its signature show, "Going Green with Caryn Hartglass."

There will also be an inspirational workshop on vegan food conducted by Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran of Plant Peace Daily. Chicago VeganMania will feature a children's room, too.

Every presenter at the festival is vegan. "We wanted to show veganism in a different light, to showcase the diversity of the community," says Rose.

A new local eco-friendly clothing line is launched

Wearing green is catching on in the Windy City

As seen in A Fresh Squeeze, Aug. 4, 2009

By Jessica Tobacman

A growing number of local environmentally friendly clothing designers are hitting the fashion scene in Chicago. And as green clothing becomes more mainstream, Chicago-area stores Connect Chicago and Pivot are leading the way, offering customers an array of eco-friendly lines.

Most recently, Connect Chicago , at 1330 N. Milwaukee Ave., launched artless, a house brand that is environmentally and socially responsible, says Jonathan Shaun, the store's co-owner. Connect Chicago will begin selling the artless collection to other retailers in February 2010 and will offer it online in the fall. The collection includes T-shirts, V-necks, polo shirts, long-sleeved shirts and fleece, zip, organic hoodies made from reclaimed materials, some of which are limited-run bolts of fabric from old Burberry and Armani clothing, Shaun says. If not resold, this surplus clothing would be dumped into landfills, he adds.

"Each piece is a very special and a rare piece," he observes. "There are no more than 12 of the same one. In the future, we're ramping up production to 1000."

Pivot, at 1101 W. Fulton Market, has carried environmentally sound clothing choices since it opened in September 2007, including dresses, tops, sweaters, pants, skirts and jackets, says Jessa Brinkmeyer, store owner. "I'm very excited to be part of the green community, and to raise the profile of eco-design and fashion in the city," she says.

The boutique sells clothes by several designers who make sustainable clothing and products with organic cotton that are chemical-free, Brinkmeyer says. Pivot sells clothing by local designers, including Lara Miller, Frei Designs, and Elise Bergman. "We're lucky to have a number of great eco-fashion designers and my goal is to support them as well as I can and to [support] customers learning about eco-fashion," Brinkmeyer says.

Connect Chicago's artless collection are priced from $36 for the T-shirts to $88 for the hoodies, Shaun says. The hoodies, in particular, are environmentally friendly partly because local retailer Wired makes the zipper pulls from reclaimed bicycle chains that would otherwise be thrown away, Shaun says.

The brand name, "artless," means purely unaffected by the outside world, Shaun explains. Many of the clothes are produced in solar- and wind-powered factories in Pennsylvania and India, Shaun says. Connect Chicago also carries organic cottons by the Portland-based Nau brand and Topo Ranch; it also sells Holden outerwear, another eco-friendly brand.

"Our manifesto is to be aesthetically pleasing, highly sustainable and performance-oriented," Shaun says.

Brinkmeyer has a similar vision for Pivot.

"I thought it was really important to highlight eco-fashion and show the more conscious side of the fashion industry," Brinkmeyer says. "Eco-fashion has a long way to go; people, in general, are not aware of the difference with buying organic." She compares the delayed awareness with the local and organic food movement, which took some time to grow in popularity. "Eco-fashion has been gaining more ground in the past four to five years," Brinkmeyer says.

Brinkmeyer's business is growing. She recently launched online commerce at her Web site, and she incorporated a vintage section into the store last winter. Brinkmeyer also holds events about once a month, often designed with educational and community-building components, she says.
The next one is scheduled for Aug. 19, with a vegan theme that includes food and will feature vegan clothes, including coats from the local business, Vaute Couture.

Connect Chicago hosts events as well, about once every six weeks, including fundraisers. A fashion show is in the planning stages for late August. The retailer also donates 3 percent of all online proceeds to the nonprofit organization, the Central Asia Institute, and, within the next month, will donate proceeds from artless sales, too, says Nate Lindsay, another Connect Chicago co-owner. The Central Asia Institute promotes and supports community-based education, especially for girls, according to the group's Web site.

[Update: Brinkmeyer's store has since closed in Chicago, but her clothes are still available online.]

Chicago banking goes green

Some promoting their own green practices and for lenders too

As seen in A Fresh Squeeze, July 7, 2009

By Jessica Tobacman

A handful of Chicago banks are making environmental friendliness part of their daily business. ShoreBank, a local lending institution with branches on the South and near West sides of the city, and in the northwest suburbs, is leading the way with a $35 million tax credit from the federal government’s economic stimulus package, says Joel Freehling, manager of ShoreBank’s Triple Bottom Line Innovations program. The New Markets Tax Credit will help ShoreBank focus on environmental and community development, to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy and green building. Its borrowers include nonprofit and faith-based organizations, individuals, and small business and real estate owners.

ShoreBank will achieve these goals by helping small businesses decrease carbon emissions by offering new services and products, and commercial building owners to make their properties more energy-efficient by including green design in remodeling efforts.

If individuals are interested in retrofitting their homes with environmentally friendly features or systems, they can benefit from ShoreBank’s green lending practices by applying for mortgage loans that cover these improvements. These types of loans are available to current or future homeowners, according to the bank.

Another newcomer expected to join the Chicago green banking scene soon is GreenChoice Bank, which received approval by federal regulators to open, with a target date slated for November. “We’re not even open yet, but people are demonstrating their desire to bank with us on a daily basis via e-mail and phone calls,” says Jon Levey, the bank’s chief lending officer and a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP)

“Our community is responding to the values-based option for banking we represent,” says Levey. Half of GreenChoice Bank’s management team has earned the LEED AP accreditation, which indicates expertise in green building. The bank aims to add a boost to the local economy by lending to individuals that, despite strong financial records, are currently unable to renew their bank loans because of the recession, says Levey.

GreenChoice Bank’s offices will be located in the Green Exchange, a building under construction on the North Side of Chicago that aims to house America’s largest green business community. The Green Exchange and GreenChoice Bank will apply for LEED Platinum status after construction is completed, Levey says. Platinum is the highest level in the internationally recognized LEED certification system. GreenChoice Bank plans to attain Platinum level by incorporating specific green materials in its construction and work environment, including energy-efficient lighting and reclaimed wood, Levey says.

Both ShoreBank and GreenChoice Bank abide by the philosophy, “People, planet, profit,” known as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). Coined in 1994 by John Elkington, the phrase means taking into account not only company profits, but also the impact on community and environment.

ShoreBank is investing in this idea through its financial services and educational initiatives, partly by encouraging customers to make green home improvements with competitive loans it’s offering, Freehling says. The bank’s educational programs for customers, including 1,200 non-profits, offer solutions to green problems, including where to find, and how to use, healthy cleaning products, Freehling notes.

“Sometimes you need a ladder to reach the low-hanging fruit,” Freehling says. “We try to show people how easy it is to reduce energy costs and consumption.”

Like ShoreBank, GreenChoice will offer consumers competitive options, like higher rates of interest on deposits. It will also work to limit paper usage by offering banking services electronically, an option that is also available through most other mainstream banks.

“Sustainable business practices have informed each aspect of the bank’s operations and we will be rewarding our clients for the sustainable greener choices that they make,” says GreenChoice’s Levey.

Roosevelt University goes "green" with new student center

As seen on GreenBeanChicago.com, Nov. 5, 2009

By Jessica Tobacman

Roosevelt University has begun plans for a new student center, incorporating a new eco-friendly edge into their design. The lobby of the university’s Auditorium Building currently houses a model that includes this structure and an artistic rendering of the institution’s new project. Located at 421 to 425 S. Wabash Ave., the Wabash Development Project is scheduled to be completed for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The new building is designed to serve three main functions: academics and administrative space, student life, and dorm areas. It will be used as an academic space primarily, with chemistry, biology and physics labs. The building will also house the Walter E. Heller College of Business, an advising center with dean and faculty offices. The new structure will also be used as a student union, bookstore, food court, gymnasium and workout area. This area will include meeting space for student groups and more conveniently located registration, financial aid, admissions, and Bursar’s offices. The building will feature a residence hall with 600 beds for undergraduate and graduate students.
The project includes plans to tear down the Herman Crown Center, which is located at 425 S. Wabash Ave., to make room for the new building. 300 of the 600 new beds for students will replace those that previously existed in the Herman Crown Center. Faculty and administrators have helped to design the Wabash Development Project, which will interconnect with the adjacent Auditorium Theatre in several places.

Energy efficiency is a goal for the new building. Charles R. Middleton, Ph.D., president of Roosevelt University, said that the university will apply for LEED® Silver Certification. To achieve this Silver standard, the Wabash Development Project must score a minimum of 50 out of a total of 100 points under the new LEED® Rating System. The project is graded in categories including sustainability of the building site, water and energy efficiency, materials and resources used in construction and operations, indoor air quality, location in the community, and awareness and education of those who will use the building. Roosevelt University’s plans to obtain the LEED® Silver level include installing low-flow plumbing fixtures, green terraces with outdoor rooftops and trees, energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning, and lights with motion sensors. Aiming for LEED® Silver level will help to maintain low operational costs and to reduce energy usage by 10 to 20 percent, Middleton said. The university has retained Jim Vallort of Environmental Systems Design as its independent Commissiong Agent. According to the LEED® for New Construction and Major Renovations 2009 Rating System, Vallort must review and oversee the completion of the commissioning process activities. Middleton also said that the building permit for the project will be applied for through the City of Chicago Green Permit Program.

Another innovative aspect of the new student center is that the outside of the building will be completely made of glass. This will greatly reduce electricity usage and allow in a large amount of light.
“This reflects the 21st century openness of society, and is a public expression of the values of the university and the transparency of the environment,” Middleton said.
On every two or three floors, the university will provide areas to relax, with tables and chairs and wireless access internet. The University president added that the new student center will be, essentially, a vertical campus.
“It will take the version of a campus in a smaller town or rural area, and stack it vertically.”
To limit the energy consumption of the building, the design incorporates high-performance glazing for the windows, and high-efficiency chillers and boilers for cooling and heating. The new building will also have a combined, efficient mechanical heating and air-conditioning system, designed to conserve space and energy as it ventilates and cools the building. It will also use highly efficient condensing boilers to decrease energy costs by using less gas. The finished building will contain laboratory exhaust systems that decrease energy usage when hoods are inactive.
“The systems have been selected based on proven technologies which have been in use for a number of years to ensure reliability,” said Robert Tazelaar, PE, LEED-AP, the mechanical engineer for the project, of WMA Consulting Engineers, Ltd. “However, the system design has been implemented in a manner which takes advantage of recent advancements in equipment design and efficiency. They have proven to be effective at maintaining comfort conditions in the past.”
Dave Eckmann, PE, SE, of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, is the structural engineer for the Wabash Development Project.
The City Council will vote in the next few months on whether to authorize the construction project, Middleton said. Roosevelt University already has the support of the Plan Commission, the Chicago Loop Alliance and multiple civic groups. Although Roosevelt University will preserve the historic façade of the Fine Arts Annex, it does not yet have the backing of the Landmark Commission, a private agency. The new University center will raise the residential capacity of the school by 300, to more than 700 out of Roosevelt’s 7,700 students.
“The project will help continue to support the growth of higher education in the city center and the South Loop,” the University President said. “It changes the dynamic of downtown and the neighborhood. It’s a win-win-win, especially for the students.”

Will County protects aquifer recharge zone

Excerpts from an article published in Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Winter 2007 issue

By Jessica Tobacman

"An intergovernmental agreement has resulted in the creation of 730-acre Prairie Bluff Preserve from land in Crest Hill, Illinois, that served as a buffer for nearby Stateville Prison.

After six years of negotiations led by State Rep. Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville, commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Will County unanimously approved the agreement.

...

Prairie Bluff includes about 40 percent of the groundwater recharge area for the Lockport preserve. Maintaining the area as open space, rather than developing it, will allow surface water to enter the ground and replenish the aquifer below.

Residents of Romeoville and Crest Hill depend entirely on groundwater for their drinking water supply, so protecting the recharge zone is a high priority." (read more)

Wet work

Excerpt from an article published in the Chicago Tribune's Sunday magazine, Oct. 7, 2007

By Jessica Tobacman

"IN SOME PLACES around the world, just dangling your hand in a river is a good way to catch a horrific disease. But how likely are you to get sick if you ply Chicago-area waters?" (read more)

Electric avenues

Excerpt from an article published in the Chicago Tribune's Sunday magazine, Feb. 11, 2007

By Jessica Tobacman

"ARE BUMPER STICKERS far off that say, "My other car is a toaster?" At last month's Detroit Auto Show, General Motors unveiled the Chevy Volt concept car, its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). It would be a totally electric car ..." (read more)

Filling the void

As seen in In These Times magazine, Nov. 20, 2006

By Jessica Tobacman

With the federal government failing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, many mayors are beginning to think globally and act locally.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is leading the local battle to stem global warming

With the Bush administration offering little more than empty rhetoric to combat global warming, mayors in cities across the country have begun to accept that responsibility. In particular, Salt Lake City is leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its successes stem from environmental efforts led by the city’s Democratic mayor, Rocky Anderson.

“What we have done to combat global warming has been received very well,” Anderson says. “Nobody disagrees with decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, saving money and cleaning up the air locally.”

Started in 2001, Salt Lake City’s Green program is “one of the most comprehensive municipal environmental programs in the nation,” according to the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a Toronto-based group that connects governments around the world working toward environmental sustainability. The Green program has combated deteriorating air quality, automobile dependence and sprawl by promoting transit- and pedestrian-oriented development with a growing regional light-rail system and a new Intermodal Transportation Hub that will connect different modes of transport.

One aspect of the Green program, the Local Climate Action Plan, has decreased the city’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 23,000 tons. The city purchased 1.5 million kilowatts of wind power and upgraded its traffic signals to a new type of light, light-emitting diodes or LEDs, that will save the city more than $50,000 each year. The city has also decreased the amount of energy demanded from coal-fired power plants—and saved taxpayers more than $33,000 a year—by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs at the City and County Building. In 2005, Salt Lake City had already achieved the Kyoto goal of reducing its global warming pollution by 7 percent by 2012—seven years early.

The success of local greening efforts is especially important because of what Anderson calls “a vacuum of leadership on the national level” in combating global warming. The U.S. government has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol or otherwise take a proactive stance on global warming.

By the time the Kyoto Protocol became legally binding on February 16, 2005, 141 nations had ratified it. Those nations emit about 55 percent of greenhouse gases and have pledged by 2012 to cut their emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below levels in 1990. U.S. output of carbon dioxide, a principle greenhouse gas, is the largest of any country at 24 percent. Had it had ratified the Kyoto Protocol, the United States would have been required to cut its emissions by 7 percent of 1990 levels.

“We’re at a major turning point,” Anderson says. “Now we need to move toward zero emissions. It’s absolutely possible. We have the ability. We need the will.”

“There have got to be major changes [so we can] catch up with the rest of the world economy,” Anderson continues. If more localities get “on-board with local communities and people see [what’s] accomplished, it will be very difficult for the federal government not to get on-board. We can solve the most urgent problem facing our world today.”

Anderson hasn’t been alone in this fight. More than 30 mayors across the country met in Sundance, Utah, from November 12-14 for the Sundance Summit, which aims to drive climate protection through local action. The summit is building on efforts begun in February 2005, when Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels drafted the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement includes provisions to reduce global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels before 2012 and calls on Congress to decrease greenhouse gas emissions using bipartisan legislation. By August 10, 279 mayors representing over 48.5 million Americans had endorsed the agreement, pledging to “strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking actions” locally.

One of those signatories, Patrick Henry Hays, mayor of North Little Rock, believes the issue of global warming crosses party lines. “Climate change is not about right or left, but what is important for this country,” Hays says. “Everybody loves their children.”

Introduction

This blog begins soon after Independence Day 2010 in the United States. This is an opportunity to celebrate not only freedom, but to work toward more energy independence. There are many ways to move forward on this journey, by taking steps back from dependence on oil and other fossil fuels: adding green remodeling to your home or apartment; purchasing eco-friendly clothing, locally-grown food or fuel-efficient vehicles; and increasing the number of environmentally-friendly practices in your life. These might include driving less, and taking public transportation and walking more; buying items locally; and simply, unplugging appliances when not in use. These ideas have been and continue to be explored in other forums; a goal of Greener Focus is to present the green possibilities available to individuals, and ways to make life greener.

We should also remind ourselves why we are doing all of this work: both to protect the environment for the future, for sons and daughters (not just our own); and because it's a beautiful world. Let's invest in it, and enjoy it.