Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Montrose Green Vegetable Garden
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| Photo from timeoutchicago.com |
Click here to check out the article from TimeOut Chicago by David Tamarkin on how the garden was started.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Turn off your Night Light
Chicago's city lights and skyline are iconic, but how are they affecting our everyday lives and the ecosystems around us?
According to UIC's office of sustainability, there are several disadvantages to the many city lights we see every night. Below are a few that caught our eye:
• Research shows our natural body clock and circadian rhythms (and potentially our health) are affected by lights at night .
• Night lighting increases air pollution.
• Lighting that reflects upward not only lightens the night sky but is wasted energy. The International Dark Sky Association estimates we waste 22,000 gigawatt hours a year, which at 10 cents per kilowatt hour amounts to $2.2 billion annually.
• Populated areas have lost the ability to see and experience the wonder of our starry sky.
Chicago's "Lights Out" programs serve as sustainable options for those looking to conserve energy and light. Within the "Lights Out" program, many tall buildings voluntarily turn off their office lights during migration, thereby minimizing collision danger as well as lessening the confusion factor to which birds and bats are prone. This is to say nothing of the energy savings and potential pollution that's avoided.
For more information on this topic, click here.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Millennium Park
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| Photo from www.luriegarden.org |
With a maze of a parking lot beneath its' grounds, Millennium Park is technically on the roof of a parking garage. The park is arguably most well-known for "Cloudgate", or as most people refer to it, The Bean. Still, the 24.5 acres of open space offer more than just a spectacular view of the skyline. Between Lurie Garden, Jay Pritzker Pavillion and Crowd Fountain (with the faces), its easy to spend a few hours strolling the grounds and enjoying your favorite city.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Business Spotlight: Green City Market
During these past few weeks we've interviewed many businesses and locals who are affiliated with Green City Market so we thought we would speak with Dana Benigno, Executive Director of Green City Market to see what it was all about.
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Name: Dana Benigno
Title: Executive Director of Green City Market
Favorite thing about Chicago?: Definitely the food!
Where in Chicago have you lived?: I've lived in Chicago for 22 years now ... I've lived in Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, River North, Old Town, and am currently located in Ukrainian Village. It's my favorite so far.
What's Green City Market's "green angle"?: Green City Market functions as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization promoting locally and sustainably grown food. Our uniqueness comes from the fact that we are the only market in the nation to require farmers to be certified by a nationally recognized 3rd party agency. This helps to maintain transparency between the shoppers and vendors in the market.
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Name: Dana Benigno
Title: Executive Director of Green City Market
Favorite thing about Chicago?: Definitely the food!
Where in Chicago have you lived?: I've lived in Chicago for 22 years now ... I've lived in Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, River North, Old Town, and am currently located in Ukrainian Village. It's my favorite so far.
What's Green City Market's "green angle"?: Green City Market functions as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization promoting locally and sustainably grown food. Our uniqueness comes from the fact that we are the only market in the nation to require farmers to be certified by a nationally recognized 3rd party agency. This helps to maintain transparency between the shoppers and vendors in the market.
Our typical shoppers vary from renown chefs to
locals in the city. Shoppers at our Wednesday market tend to be chefs picking
up their orders and looking for some fresh food to plate at their restaurants
whereas our Saturday market caters more to the community.
This is our 13th season and something new we are implementing this year is our composting option
for trash. We encourage our vendors to use compostable items and have
successfully reduced our trash amount from nearly eleven bins to two. Even
still, the two trash bins we do use come from shoppers bringing in outside
goods and needing to dispose of them.
Green
City Market also offers several different educational programs available to the
community as part of fulfilling their mission to promote a healthier society
and appreciation for local, fresh, sustainably raised produce and products. Click here for more
information on their various programs.Friday, August 3, 2012
View from the Roofdeck
By Meg Barron Goldberg
The look for our Lakeview Roofdeck is eclectic urban garden. We learned our lesson last summer that mixing flowers and the extremely windy/desert like conditions of our roofdeck in the heat of Chicago summer are a lethal combination. So this year we took a different approach and were on the hunt for greenery and hearty plants that were far more self sufficient and less needy..JPG) |
| Photo Courtesy of Meg Barron Goldberg |
The staff at Adams & Son Garden were extremely helpful and had a great selection. We nailed in trellis arbors to build a green fence between our deck and the EL tracks next to us. We chose honeysuckle, which is fast growing and easy to maintain, to grow up the arbors. In less than a month, it's doubled in size. For our planter boxes, we chose potato vines that love sun and grow quickly. They're already beginning to cascade over our deck rails. For our shrubs, we chose a combination of boxwoods and a burning bush. Both options are extremely hearty and do not require a lot of TLC to thrive.
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Attempting to make our roofdeck an extension of our living space, we chose teak wood furniture with thick, comfy cushions. We wanted an eclectic look, so we mixed various planter styles -- all in a similar color pallete. Lanterns, accessories and planters add warmth. To complete the space, we added an outdoor rug from World Market and indoor/outdoor pillow from Bethie B. Even with the heat this summer, the plants are doing well with watering only a few times a week. The extra space allows us to have a mini oasis right in the city and has already been the location for numerous cocktail get-togethers with friends this summer.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Celebrity Interview: Corri McFadden
Name: Corri McFadden
Q: What is your favorite thing about Chicago?
“Definitely the people--I've lived in Chicago for 10 years now and even after all of my traveling it's always nice to come back to Chicago. The people of Chicago have amazing camaraderie...people will still hold the door for you!"
Q: Why is Chicago Gateway Green an important part of Chicago?
“Chicago Gateway Green is an organization that does so much, yet it so under-appreciated! People just see a clean city and don't think about how it gets that way.”
Q: You're co-chairing this year's 21st annual Green Tie Ball. What ties do you have to the event? (no pun intended)
"I've been to lots of events in the city--it was how I found my way when I first moved here and going to the events allowed me to build my client base. Green Tie Ball was one of the first events I went to in Chicago. I still remember my dress and everything...it's very sentimental to me."
Q: Tell us about eDrop-Off.
"E-Drop off was founded in 2004 and specializes in the resale of high end and luxury items that we receive through various resources. There are nearly 40 people on staff and we go through over 300 pounds of clothing. What started with just a few eBay auctions has resulted in over 150,000 successful transactions and Titanium Power Seller status on eBay. Outside of designer consignment, we offer services such as nationwide and local pick-up, closet cleanouts, and retail overstock consignment. Our Lincoln Park store on Halsted offers a 'try before buy' option as well."
**Click here to experience eDrop-Off yourself.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Reduce your Electricity Bill with this Simple Gadget
Hard appliances such as your modem or TV use 7
to 14 watts per hour even when they are not in use! Of course, you can manually unplug these
appliances, but honestly, there’s just no way you’ll be able to remember to do
that every single time you leave the house!
So here’s
the solution: invest in a power strip so your appliances don’t waste energy
when you’re not using them. If hitting the switch doesn’t really appeal to you
either, try the new switch that automatically powers down products that are not
turned on or are in standby mode
Article Link
Article Link
New Species of Slug can Photosynthesize!
A new sea
slug found off North America’s east coast can make food out of sunlight, much
like a plant does. This is the first organism known to man who can feed on
light!
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