Recycle your Christmas tree

The City of Chicago has a free Christmas tree recycling program. They have several drop-off locations throughout the city, the closest to Pilsen being Sheridan Park near UIC. We borrow a generous friend's car, wrap our tree in a piece of thick plastic to contain most of the needles, and drop it off at the park (we bring the plastic home to reuse). This year the collections run from Jan. 1- Jan. 17. The trees are turned into mulch, which is distributed for free to tree recyclers.

Green roof at Chicago Botanic Garden

I spent all of today at the Chicago Botanic Garden for a research-related event. CBG just built a new LEED-certified building with a green roof! Here are a few photos.

Inside the new building

On the roof (above and below)

Native prickly pear cacti on the roof. I love these things. They have beautiful flowers in late spring but in the fall and winter they get all shriveled. Don't worry, it's part of their winter strategy.

Recycle your E-Waste at UIC!

UIC is having an electronic waste collection FREE and open to the public on Saturday, September 19. It will be in the parking lot near Halsted & Polk, just off 290 and 90/94.

They will take TVs, computers (all components), printers, phones, and more. The complete list of items is here. These things should definitely not go in the garbage, so if you've got them sitting around now is your chance.

If you have a small or medium-sized business with E-waste, you can bring it on Friday, Sept. 18. Just register in advance so they know what to expect- it's free! Schools can bring things too!

Request trees on Chicago 311

Did you know that you can request trees to be planted at your address? Go to Chicago 311 and search for trees, or scroll down to "Tree Planting" in the dropdown menu.

You can also report graffiti, missing or damaged street signs, request a lead inspection, and a whole slew of other things. Pothole in your alley? Complaint about a cab? Worried about your elderly neighbor during extreme weather? Chicago 311 has an impressive list of things to report or request.

I've requested that a tree be planted in front of our building. The neighborhood could really use some more trees. It will take you about 2 minutes to request a tree. What are you waiting for?

Sunday Parkways

At the Chicago Wilderness Congress I heard a presentation by one of the organizers of Sunday Parkways. Basically, they shut down about 4 miles of north/south streets for a few hours on a Sunday to give people the chance to walk, bike, skateboard, skip, or dance their way from neighborhood to neighborhood. I think this is a great way to encourage people to get some exercise, meet their neighbors, and explore the communities. The two pilot Sunday Parkways in October 2008 included the Logan Square, Humbolt Park, Garfield Park, Lawndale, and Little Village.

But what struck me most is this: the people on the near the lake have the lakefront trails. The people to the west have the forest preserve network. What about all of those people in between? The lack of greenspace in many parts of Chicago is painfully evident on this map (links to a pdf). Sunday Parkways essentially turns a boulevard into a public space, even if only for part of a day. Though it isn't exactly a forest preserve or lakefront trail, I think it's a step in the right direction.

oh. my. gosh.

Yesterday I attended the Chicago Wilderness Congress at the UIC Forum. I could probably write an insanely long post with all of my thoughts, but I don't think anyone would read it. So, instead, I'm just going to encourage you to learn more about the exciting things going on with all of the Chicago Wilderness partner organizations! I'm particularly excited about the Leave No Child Inside initiative.

Honestly, I've been learning so much this semester about awesome organizations in Chicago that I've been overwhelmed to try and post about them so you've been stuck with ump-teen views of my plants.

Smart Home at MSI

If you haven't been already, you should definitely go check out the Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry! We finally went to see it last weekend after months of intentions to see it. They showcase amazing innovations in eco-friendly technology. One of my favorites was the indoor composter.

My dream house (unfortunately not my current apartment) has a lot in common with the Smart Home, such as

• native/edible landscaping
• solar energy (passive & photovoltaic)
• radiant subfloor heating
• greywater toilet flushing
• rainwater collection system
  

Check out the exhibit website for much better photos, but here are a few that I took.

Swiss chard comes in such nice colors, and you can eat it too.
The rain barrel has a screen on top to keep mosquitos from breeding in it while letting water in from the downspout.

The Smart Home is to the left of this beautiful oak tree.

You can visit the Smart Home until early January 2009. According to our tour guide, it will be reopened later in 2009 to showcase another set of eco-friendly options.

Jardin Mariposa

In August while looking for a yard sale I discovered Jardin Mariposa. It's a nice little green space at 1835 S. Carpenter. On my way to the farmer's market today I stopped by to take some photos for the blog.

The entrance to the garden on Carpenter

Mural in the garden

Colorful stage

Looks like a variety of black eyed susans

Honeybee- probably from the local hive!

According to the Openlands calendar, there was a garden workday on September 6 and I think there will be another in October. I'm planning to go so I can meet some other Pilsen gardeners.

Roadshow rainout :-(

Well, this weekend wasn't exactly ideal weather for the Sustainable Living Roadshow. I biked over on Saturday morning to see what was going on and they were in the process of packing up. Still, there were a handful of us who braved the rain and stayed for a workshop about the University of Chicago's Civic Knowledge Project. They have a blog called Partnering for a Sustainable Chicago.

The workshop took place inside a cool geodesic dome tent.

Soggy, soggy field.

I met some students from UIC's Urban Planning & Policy program and learned how to request trees to be planted in your neighborhood, so it wasn't a total bust.

Sustainable Living Roadshow in Chicago THIS WEEKEND!

Wow! I just looked at Google Analytics and saw that I've gotten TONS of hits, and the vast majority of you are in Chicago. Sorry for the nonexistent blogging recently. Classes have started for me again at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

This Friday and Saturday UIC is hosting the Sustainable Living Roadshow! The UIC Office of Sustainability has information about the events here. It's totally FREE, so come check it out! 10 am - 7 pm Friday and Saturday.

With carnival-style games, live music, an alternative energy showcase, and a green marketplace it sounds like fun for kids and adults alike. They're also looking for volunteers in 2-hour timeslots (offer your time here). I also heard something about free compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) via UIC email... maybe you should go early?

So, if you're in Chicago this weekend... walk, bike, or CTA your way to the corner of Halsted and Harrison. It's right next to the UIC-Halsted Blue Line stop.

Boulevard Lakefront Tour

I just read about this on General Carlessness. The Boulevard Lakefront Tour has been going on for 20 years. They have different tour lengths highlighting the architecture and history of various Chicago neighborhoods. It sounds like fun!

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

A friend just sent me a link to this organization. Little Village is located west of Pilsen, so it's not far from where we live. It sounds like they're working on some great campaigns and have done some good events.