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Environmental Sustainability Task Force, Hyde Park presented by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, its Sustainable Environment Task Force and website hydepark.org. Join the Task Force or contact the task force chair Vicki Suchovsky. HPKCC. Join the Conference, support our work. |
Visit
the Sustainable Environment Documents
and New Initiatives, Recommendations page and the Conference's Green
Hyde Park page, including more practical tips, issue discussions and links
to many environmental and sustainability websites.
Parks home. Parks/open
space website links. Gardens.
Hyde Park Garden Fair
Welcome to the webpage of the newest HPKCC Committee, Environmental Sustainability Task Force. New Chairperson: Vicki Suchovsky. The committee and conference thank Vijayarani Fedson for starting the committee and giving it vision and direction. Core members include Bill Morisette and David Nekimken. This website will have articles giving practical advice and calling attention to the issues and needs.
The Task Force meets last Friday of every month. 6 pm, Treasure Island lower level, 1526 E. 55th St. Next May 30 (not 23!).
Projects in motion:
1) Setting up teams under the low carbon diet/sustainable life "cafe" program. Bill Morisette.
2) Distributing to businesses for display a flyer with recommendations for "Recycle, Reuse, Avoid".
3) Reviewing the City of Chicago Sustainable City plan and agenda, and bringing it to the community in an educational and review forum in the fall that we hope will lead to ideas and actions for local implementation.
Under 1), the committee is considering hosting a new kind of citizen's education and support group called the World Cafe initiative (see http://www.worldcafe.org). Under the city's Chicago Conservation Corps (GreenCorps), volunteers from various neighborhoods are trained to hold "low carb(on) diet" "cafe's" (like tupperware parties) to sign neighbors as teams to commit to specific steps and point checkoffs for greening their lives , domiciles,and surroundings-based on the workbook Low Carbon Diet by David Gershon. The first teams, which will meet with a commitment to a certain number of hours a month, are already being recruited.
Our Task Force invites you to join us in developing action and information-sharing strategies that will help people in our neighborhood live in ways that are more sustainable and nourishing of the planet.
We have met several times, and have selected these strategies:
Help us refine and these and put these into practice.
April 21-25. University of Chicago Earth Week stressed programs that help people take practical steps toward green and sustainable lives, on campus and in the community. Events included Greening Your Office and Apartment, panels on "Sustainability and Institutional Change," "Diet and the Environment," "Issues in Urban Agriculture," and other events like Tap Water Challenge and Vermiculture (yes, worm composting). Keynotes April 22, Tuesday, 12:15 pm Cass Sunstein in Harper 140 and April 24, Thursday, 5 pm Jim Braun (Illinois Consumer Coalition and Slow Food International in Harper 140. All events free and open to the public. http://earthweek.uchicago.edu. Supporters included Civc Knowledge's (UC Division of Humanities, under Bart Scultz-rschultz.uchicago.edu) SustainPartners (for a Sustainable Chicago), ECO, UC Sustain, and more.
Join Lutheran School for a spring lecture series:
The Future of Creation:
Foundations for a Just and Sustainable World.
* Learn from leading scientists as they explain ecological systems and
ecological threats. Find out more about how human action contributes to
environmental degradation.
* Reflect on your responsibilities for the care of creation with help from
biblical scholars and theologians. Consider new interpretations of the ways
that our religious traditions guide us to respond to environmental crises.
* Act to improve environmental stewardship in your community. Use
strategies for community and parish-based action presented by community
organizers.
Tuesday evenings, 6:30-9:30 p.m., beginning February 5 Through April 29.
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (Rm. 350)
Chaired by David Rhoads (New Testament, LSTC)
and Gayle Woloschak (molecular biology, ZCRS/Northwestern
University)A complete schedule of lectures is attached and available at our website,
http://www.zygoncenter.org/future_creation.html.All lectures are free and open to the public, except when taken for course credit. Individual lectures are self-contained and
can be followed without attending all. The series may be taken for seminary
course credit through the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. No
pre-registration is required.Email Christina Heisser at zcrs@lstc.edu or call 773-256-0670 for more
information.
May 8, Thursday. Museum of Science and Industry opens Smart Home: Green + Wired. See article in Green page; visit www.msichicago.org
Expected soon: The City of Chicago Sustainable City plan
Report, findings, tasks from the December 14 2008 committee
meeting. By Vijayarani Fedson.
post-oil
planet
"the post-oil economy: after the techno fix"
http://www.countercurrents.org/goodchild221207.htm
fluorescent lighting problems
this one sums up non-health-related problems
http://www.newswithviews.com/Peterson/rosalind1.htm
" Federal regulations mandate recycling of fluorescent lighting, while
exempting households and other small users. Some states, however, are strict.
For example, California no longer allows anyone to throw CFLs in the trash,
while Massachusetts requires manufacturers to implement recycling programs and
meet certain targets.
As technology advances, however, mercury could become less of an issue, at least
as far as light bulbs are concerned.
Last month General Electric Co. said it was working on doubling the energy efficiency
of incandescent lights and eventually developing versions comparable with CFLs.
These bulbs, which the company hopes to begin marketing in 2010, will cost less
than fluorescent's but they won't last as long." Mercury in Energy-Saving
Bulbs Worries Scientists March 28, 2007 — By Lisa Von Ahn, Reuters. I
can't access the article from the link below, but I've got it copied in MS Word.
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12475
http://www.ebiologynews.com/2876.html
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200505/ea20050527.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/sep/26/publicvoices
http://www.scitalk.com/chat_main.cfm?PostID=791
Those suffering from lupus also cannot tolerate fluorescent lighting
In the UK these suggestions for cutting down on the amount of electric power
used have been advocated by environmental groups. Use lights only in rooms in
which are occupied. Office buildings should turn lights off at night. Computers
in offices - except for mainframes - should be turned off when the offices close.
Stand-by modes for tvs, vcr's, and other gadgets, should be abolished, instead
they should be turned off. In the UK, there are switches at every wall-plug,
which makes this easy to do. Stop using electric blankets, and many other electric
gadgets.
In addition I think that street lighting should be cut down, as was done in
Rome last fall and lighting for decorations forbidden, especially the profligate
lighting in this season. It's beautiful, but wasteful and unconscionable. Rationing,
with extremely high rates for high consumption should be introduced. This last
by itself, will cost nothing, and bring down power use considerably.
On this, we will as individuals, of course, do what we believe, based on information
which we are persuaded by.
As long as I chair it, I will recommend that this taskforce not endorse compact
fluorescent light bulbs.
Meeting on 14 Dec 2007
Decisions taken
We decided to approach 10-12 businesses, as a start, on 53, 55 and 57 Streets,
to ask if they would post our flyers, going in teams of two.
On Saturday, 19 January, if weather permits, we'll meet at the Café in
Borders at 1 pm and start the distribution.
If the weather is inclement, we'll meet on 26 January.
Between 1 January and 15 January, we'll find out what schools are doing on environmental
issues, especially in connection with climate change. The Env Dept of the city
offers programmes to schools. We'll go in pairs to the schools, set up meetings
with the Principal or Vice-Principal, and find out what they are doing.
At the end of January, 28- 31, a programme, Focus the Nation, is being sponsored
at the University level, with a teach-in, distribution of kits, etc. High schools
and Elementary schools are encouraged to participate.
Find out if local schools are going to be involved in this, what the U of C
is doing.
Hyde Park Academy - Morrisett
Kenwood High - Nekimken and Suchovsky
Lab - Fedson
We'll report on this at our Friday evening meeting on 25 January.
Morrisett will also find out in general what Chicago Public Schools are doing.
For February and March
Approach multi-family dwellings. Give presentations at their Board meetings.
Get a list of these buildings.
I hope to get the Co-op booked for the meeting on Friday, 25 January.
Since the Co-op Market has been cut down, we'll have to find another place to
meet after January. I'll see if we can get the Historical Society building.
Report for the January 2007 HPKCC board meeting.
During the first half of January, we'll be getting in touch with local schools to find out what sort of programs they have to raise awareness of environmental issues among their students, what specific actions they have instituted, and whether they will be participating in the Focus the Nation environmental awareness initiative, scheduled for the end of January, which is aimed at the University level, but which encourages school participation.
In the latter half of the month we plan to go in teams of two to twelve businesses on 53d, 55th, an 57th Streets, to ask if they'll post our flyers on a kind of permanent display.....
HPKCC Forms Environmental Task Force
by Rani Fedson
As a new committee of HPKCC, our goals are to educate the community about various environmental issues, to seek opportunities for community involvement and outreach on environmental issues, nd to foster and solicit commitments from the members of the community to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.
We meet on the last Friday of every month (except in December, when we will meet on the second Friday) in the Meeting Room in the basement of the Co-op.
We shall be asking businesses in Hyde Park to display a flyer [immediately following] on their premises to keep some of these issue in mind. we are discussing other possible projects.
If you have suggestions or tips on this subject, or on community involvements on this issue, please do send them along to the Conference.
Recommendations for green living:
USE
CONSERVE
AVOID
From Civic Knowledge Project: (HPKCC Committee is a partner)
Dear friends of Civic Knowledge
Project and our new network, Partnering
for Sustainable Chicago,
As you may know, we are
trying to create a formal network that connects
the many interested parties of environmental and social action
initiatives in Chicago. In addition to the listhost, we are currently
working on creating a website that will have an electronic calendar
where we can all post upcoming events, a blog where we can discuss
current issues and initiatives, useful website links and finally a
directory that we can use to learn about each other and the many groups
operating in Chicago.
If you or someone you know
would like to have your contact information
in our directory, simply fill out the attached form and email it back to
me or one of my colleagues, Clare Johnson at claremjohnson@gmail.com
or
Dave Aftandilian at daftandi@bsd.uchicago.edu.
Or, feel free to give us
a call at 773-834-3929 ex.5 (I must warn you, however, we will be out of
the office until January 7th).
We look forward to learning
more about you and working with you to make
a sustainable Chicago!
Sincerely,
Nalika Vasudevan
Civic Knowledge Project Intern and Partnering for Sustainable Chicago
Coordinator
Civic Knowledge Project to address sustainability in HP [and South Side]. Experimental Station, DuSable Museum are [initial] venues
Hyde Park Herald, January 2, 2008. By Georgia Geis
University of Chicago's Civic Knowledge Project (CKP) has launched a new environmental and social action initiative, Partnering for Sustainable Chicago, with an email mailing list and two winter courses. They are also working on a website that will feature a calendar of all relevant events, links to local organizations' websites and a blog to discuss local environmental issues.
"There is so much people can do in their own backyards -- plant trees or turn vacant lots into play areas," said Bart Schultz, director of CKP. "We want to make the expertise available and affordable.
Schultz said the event that spurred this program was the tremendous response to a September visit by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Maathai, who spoke to a captivated audience at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., was born in rural Kenya in 1j940 and went on to become the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in East and Central Africa. She was also the first woman to head an academic department at a university in Kenya, Veterinary Anatomy at University of Nairobi. In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, which aided in the restoration of forests throughout Africa while also paying rural women to plant trees in their villages. [Ed. The movement was also a major spur to both democracy and women's rights and empowerment, all being intimately linked in Wangari's worldview. Her action is now worldwide.]
"We have really been inspired by Maathai and her Green Belt Movement," said Schultz. Individuals and groups filled out surveys at the Maathai event to guide the CKP in establishing the initiative, including the courses offered through the Graham School of General Studies at the U. of C.
One of the two courses, which begins Jan. 12 and runs through Feb. 16. focuses on Maathai's book titled "Wangari Muta Maathai: Her Life and work." The class, taught by Lisa Biggs, will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays at the Dusable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Biggs, w ho is completing a Ph.D. in performance studies at Northwestern University, wil lead the class to study all facets of Maathai and translate her work into community organizing that can happen on the South Side.
The other course is essentially a series of workshops, "Chicago Dialogues on Urban Ecology and Local Infrastructures: Looking Downstream," led by Martha Boyd, the urban initiative facilitator for the Angelic Organics Learning Center based in Hyde Park. The discussion for this course will focus on water -- both uses and waste. This class will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on thursdays at the Experimental Station, 6100 S. Dorchester [Blackstone] Ave. The course begins Jan. 10 and runs through Feb. 14. Goth classes will feature guest speakers. The cost of a class is $255. Schultz said no one should be discouraged by th cost and that there are subsidies and financial aid available for those who cannot afford the tuition. The classes are meant to be discussion courses, so they will be limited to 20 to 25 people. "We can also accommodate groups, giving a group rate for schools and various clubs," said Schultz.
CKP was first established through the Division of Humanities in July 2003 to each out to the community and to offer programming, social initiatives such as the South Side Arts and Humanities [Network], research projects and community partnerships.
Schultz said that just as they discovered many art organizations when they started the South Side Arts and Humanities project, they have found many individuals and organizations on the South Side doing environmental advocacy. "There are a lot of groups that can benefit by sharing a calendar as well as having joint events. We think this is good use of our resources," said Schultz.
There will be more courses offered in the spring, including a class taught by David Aftandilian of the U. of C. Environmental Studies department about religion and the environment. To find out more, call Schultz at 834-3929 or email rschultz@uchicago.edu.
[Ed. New outreach is also being modeled on and collaborated with what is being done at other urban top-rank universities such as Columbia and University of Pennsylvania.] Top
Bill Morrisett wrote:
We had discussed visiting
high schools in the area. Below is an email
from Focus The Nation. This is the organization I had mentioned that is
initiating a global warming solutions teach-in on Jan. 30 and 31. See
http://www.focusthenation.org
for more information. See
http://www.focusthenation.org/actionmap/?type=state&stateprov=il
for a
list of organizing committees in Illinois. Focus The Nation has
suggested activities for both colleges and high schools. Note the
references to contests and scholarships.
Thirty days left to <http://www.focusthenation.org>Focus
the Nation ! Still
time to engage another 500 schools. Thousands of high schools in the
country have an Earth Club. It’s not too late to get them on board for
a
showing of <http://www.focusthenation.org/2percentsolution.php>The 2%
Solution, on-line
<http://www.focusthenation.org/chooseyourfuture.php>voting on global
warming solutions, and
<http://www.focusthenation.org/greendemocracy.php>critical engagement
with
political leaders. PLEASE, pass this e-mail along to every high school
teacher, student and principal that you know. Tell them to sign up. Don’t
take no for an answer. Time is short.
Between 1960 and 1964,
Americans moved from fatalistic acceptance of racial
segregation to a solid determination to end Jim Crow. Between now and the
end of 2008, we can move this country from a fatalistic acceptance of
business-as-usual global warming. We can end the paralyzing sense that our
children must accept from us an impoverished planet. We can embrace a
determination to act, and hold global warming to the manageable low end.
Focus the Nation is now
the biggest teach-in in history, with more than ten
thousand volunteers building events at over 1200 schools, faith and civic
organizations and businesses. In the next 30 days, help us bring hundreds
of more schools and other institutions to Focus the Nation. Together, we
can make 2008 the year that America woke up, the year that we faced up to
this civilizational challenge.
Working with three partners,
Focus is bringing resources to youth climate
leaders. First out of the gate is
<http://www.architecture2030.org/faceit/index.php>Face-It (sponsored by
<http://www.architecture2030.org/>Architecture 2030): $20,000 in prizes
for
a one-day design contest held on January 30th. Also-- watch for details
from us later this month about two other amazing opportunities:
*Project Slingshot. Three
$10,000 summer scholarships for college climate
leaders, designed to propel into action personal projects for innovative
global warming solutions. Sponsored by Clif
Bar's <http://www.clifbar.com/eat/eat.cfm?location=mojo>Mojo, there will
be grants for artists, outdoor enthusiasts and innovators.
*Poster Contest for High
School and Middle School students. What will your
community look like in the year 2050? What will people be doing, driving,
wearing? Where will their water, energy and food come from? Design the
future , and win an outdoor adventure trip. Sponsored by
<http://www.urbanrevision.com>Re:Vision.
Eban Goodstein, Project Director
Chungin Chung, Communications Director
*Re:Vision the world! <http://www.urbanrevision.com/>Share
your passion for
sustainable design. How can local businesses thrive, along with families,
neighborhoods and communities? How can we share our gifts and talents to
meet our everyday needs?
<http://www.urbanrevision.com/current-contest.php>Re:Store is looking
for
ideas to make transactions as good for the soul as they are for the wallet.
How can all trade be fair trade? How can we find healthier ways to make
exchanges in urban settings? More than just rethinking how we buy,
<http://www.urbanrevision.com/current-contest.php>Re:Store is about
rethinking what we’ve bought into about commerce. It’s time that
ideas were
the true currency.
<http://www.urbanrevision.com/current-contest.php>Re:Store is your chance
to make change. <http://www.urbanrevision.com/current-contest.php>Learn
More!
Focus News:
*Pre-Focus-- $20,000 Design Prize at “Face-it”!
<http://www.architecture2030.org/faceit/index.php>One-day competition
on 1/30.
*NCSE Global Warming: Science
and Solutions.
<http://ncseonline.org/2008conference/cms.cfm?id=1716>Washington DC,
January 16-18.
HS Teachers—need
lesson plans on global warming? Visit
<http://www.climatechangeeducation.org/ftn/>ClimateChangeEducation.org.
*Green Mountain Coffee
Roaster joins Focus as a Sponsor! We are glad to
welcome <http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/>Green Mountain, a pioneer
in
producing sustainable, fair trade coffee.
*National Campus Energy
Challenge. Join schools across the country and see
what <http://ncec08.org/intro.html>you can save in February!
* Forty Percent of Car
Trips are within two miles of your home: Take Clif
Bar’s Two-Mile Challenge and ride or walk instead!
<http://www.2milechallenge.com/ride>Check it out.
*Donate to Focus—Stop
Your Junk Mail! <http://www.41pounds.org/>Sign up
with 41 Pounds, and a portion of the income is donated directly to us here
at Focus the Nation.
*The President’s
Climate Commitment: Has your University or College
President <http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/>signed on?
New Books on Fighting Global Warming
On video: Jon Isham and
Eban Goodstein
<http://www.inspiredprotagonist.com/blog/eban_and_jon_global_warming_crusaders>talk
about their recent books on building the global warming solutions
movement-- <http://www.fightingforlove.com/>Fighting for Love in the
Century of Extinction, and
<http://www.ignitionthebook.com/>Ignition. Other recent books of note:
Gary Braasch’s <http://www.earthunderfire.com/>Earth Under Fire;
Laurie
David’s <http://www.scholastic.com/downtoearth/index.htm>Down to
Earth
Guide (for elementary school);
and <http://www.billmckibben.com/fightglobalwarmingnow/index.html>Fight
Global Warming Now from Step it Up.
Eban Goodstein
Project Director
Focus the Nation
info@focusthenation.org
www.focusthenation.org
503-342-6863
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