Permaculture and Sustainability ANNOUNCEMENTS --Compiled by Chicagoland Urban Permaculture Group (CUP)
Best to verify all information, in case of changes.
** Home Hints
Sprouting: Winter Gardening - easy, nutritious, inexpensive
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/living/articles/sprouting.htm
Simplifying your life? Take the online survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=872961927600.
*** NEW
* Biomimetic Biofuel Potential
Mixed prairie plantings on degraded land, => 2-5-fold net energy return
and also are significantly carbon negative. 7 December 2006
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1207/5
* Latest in local green homebuilding http://greenbean.typepad.com/
* UN report: cattle greatest threat to climate, produce 18% of greenhouse
gases. http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2062484.ece
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Since climate change is here, and could be horrific:
1) See An Inconvenient Truth on global warming, starring Al Gore, with our planet's story.
Find showings in the area http://www.climatecrisis.net/findatheater/
Teachers get free copy < 11/18 http://www.participate.net/educators/ 50,000 copies available
Also If your school hasn't < 1/10 http://focusthenation.org/eblog/
2) Join a Global Warming Solutions Action Group for Chicago and Illinois.
http://actionnetwork.org/elpc/
3) Related free videos are:
* David Attenborough's Climate Chaos
Part 1: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/640x480/xmq0n
Part 2: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/640x480/xmy11
* Global Dimming
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1027879546389218797
OPPORTUNITIES for ecological living
* For Rent - share large 3 floor home - garden,
Eco-living intentional community possibilities.
Pulaski/Lawrence area. (773)283-0133 or 860-3296.
* Intentional Community forming in Woodlawn.
ChicagoHippyHouse@yahoo.com
Continuing Through January 6
Sustainable Architecture in Chicago
Museum of Contemporary Art,
http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=52
** Additional Selected Events COMING UP
Sunday, January 7, 10am-1? Stelle intro, (near Kankakee)
http://www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org/monthlyopen.html
Tuesday, January 9, 12:15pm-1pm Shanghai's Ecological Cities
New Urban Settlements, Gary Lawrence, Arup
John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery
ArchiCenter, 224 S. Michigan. Free
http://www.architecture.org/programs.html#sustainable
Wed, January 10, 7pm. Alliance for a Post Petroleum
Local Economy (APPLE). UU Church of Elgin
http://oilawareness.meetup.com/259/
Wed, January 10, 7pm. Chicago Peak Oil
Energy Awareness Oriole Park Library, 7454 W. Balmoral
http://oilawareness.meetup.com/277
Thursday, January 11, 6pm, Natural Builders Meetup
Funky Buddha Lounge, 728 W Grand, Chicago
http://naturalbuilding.meetup.com/4/?gj=sj3
Saturday, January 13, 9-11:45am Voluntary Simplicity Chicago
Also Northwest Suburbs (2nd Wednesday)
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/VSChicago/
Tuesday, January 17, 5:30 -7pm 21st Century Chicago Plan
Benefits of 3-8 Chicago Zoning Ordinance changes.
Garden for every home. Zero Energy House, Zoka Zola, 0/$15
AIA Chicago, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1049
http://www.aiachicago.org/events.asp
Wednesday, January 17, 5:30pm-9:00pm Chicago Green Drinks
7-8 pm discussion - Local sustainability organizations
Jefferson Tap & Grill 325 N. Jefferson Cost: $5/2
http://www.foresightdesign.org/events/ (312) 670-7812
Saturday, January 20, 10:00 a.m. - noon
Town Hall Meeting on Global Warming
Whitney Young High School, 211 S. Laflin, Chicago,
http://www.climatechicago.org/
Thursday, January 25, 7 pm Chicago New Urbanism &
Sustainable Development Meetup,
Starbucks, 828 N State. http://newurbanism.meetup.com/21
January 29 - February 2 Campus Climate Challenge
Put the heat on a new Congress. So far at NEIU, Truman College, UIC,
Get your local campus involved
FREE Inconvenient Truth DVD
http://www.climatechallenge.org/
Monday, February 5, 7pm Chicago Environment Meetup
Mystic Celt, 3443 N Southport
http://environment.meetup.com/251/
Wednesday, February 7, 7-9 pm Urban Permaculture: Food Growing
Learn how to apply permaculture to urban living, home or apartment. Food/fertilizer, indoors/out. With Bill Shores, a professional organic grower. Includes a demonstration of indoor salad greens production. http://sustainCUP.blogspot.com/
North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski; Chicago
** For MORE SUSTAINABILITY RELATED EVENTS see **
* Green Tech classes: www.cityofchicago.org/Environment/GreenTech
* Greening Calendar quarterly http://www.greennetchicago.org/
Find community gardens in your neighborhood
* Conscious Choice Calendar http://consciouschoice.com/
* Get involved in restoring our local natural capital (nature)
At North Park Village Nature Center. Wednesday/Sunday. 9 am -12
Sites on the Chicago River http://www.northbranchrestoration.org/
Other places in Northern Illinois http://tinyurl.com/ok8cx
** UPDATE ** City's New Recycling & Drop-Off Centers
During 2007, blue cart recycling will be coming to wards 1, 5, 8, 19, 37, Wards 46 & 47. In the meantime, deposit unsorted recyclables (including #3, #4, #5 & #7 plastics) in the boxes at 15 Chicago Drop-Off Centers. The Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento is one of the sites. http://tinyurl.com/cmeb4 And for electronic and hazardous wastes, the Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Center, 1150 N. North Branch St. on Goose Island, is open Tues 7am-noon; Thurs 2-7pm; & 1st Sat 8am-3pm. Info call 311, http://tinyurl.com/wg4y3
** CLOSING CONCERNs **
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2116873.ece
World faces hottest year ever, as El Niño combines with global warming
..."essential" that a global agreement on emissions is struck quickly.
...[expect] extreme weather ...for at least the first four months of 2007
...[perhaps] lasting up to 18 months,... 01 January 2007
Coming up next...
Bioregional BlessingsSaturday,
February 25, 2-4 pm
At North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago. Free.
Bioregionalism, often considered synonymous with permaculture, is gaining in influence. Driven by it's compelling vision, BioRegional spearheaded the development of the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), the UK's largest ecovillage and first zero carbon development. This project inspired China to contract with the BedZED engineers to design and build a number of eco-cities. Learn more about the bioregional vision, these projects, and other applications, plus similar ones in Illinois.
Find out about one of the more promising alternatives to corporate globalization -- bioregionalism. The presenter, Rael Bassan will talk about his experiences with the bioregional movement for over ten years, starting with Chicago's Wild Onion Alliance. Additional material discussed will include parts of Mike Carr's recent book
Bioregionalism And Civil Society: Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism (July 2005). It describes the values, strategies, and tools for building sustainable societies, developed by this continent's bioregional movement.
Info: 773-907-1465 or raelearth(no spam at)yahoo(dot)com.
Additional bioregional resources include: Toward a Bioregional State : A Series of Letters About Political Theory and Formal Institutional Design in the Era of Sustainability - by Mark D. Whitaker (May 2005).. He proposes that sustainability requires an overhaul of our democratic institutions -- suggesting the addition of over 60 different novel checks and balances.
Mark has also created:
Get to Sustainability through Bioregionalism? A Reading ListAnother definitional view... [Click there for more bioregional stuff]
Bioregionalism is a fancy name for living a rooted life. Sometimes called "living in place," bioregionalism means you are aware of the ecology, economy and culture of the place where you live, and are committed to making choices that enhance them.
Coming up next...
Natural Building FuturesWednesday, September 21, 7-9 p.m.,At North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago.
Free.
Join our five panelists in discussing our "Natural Building Futures". Find out about opportunities for building and decorating more ecologically, using materials that are nearby and easy to use. Help envision greater use of these techniques in Chicagoland and at the Nature Center. Consider how significant a contribution they can make to living sustainably.
Panelists are:
Chad Bliss, experienced in cob and strawbale construction, founder of the The Cob Connection.
Miguel Elliott http://yourmudhut.com/ a cofounder of
Urban Habitat Chicago, which is pushing alternative material building in Chicago. He has recently started ChiCobCo.
Dave Kozlowski, of Little Green Houses, who has incorporated natural and greener building materials in numerous remodeling projects and new construction.
Judy Speer, who has utilized many techniques at her gathering center in McHenry County, which is offering
an introductory workshop, Saturday, October 22, $55 (includes lunch). Register by 10/15
815-648-1372, smwaters@intergate.com
Jamie Topper, creator of the cob hands sculpture in the Nature Center's preserve.
Some additional details about potential at the Nature CenterThe Nature Center is considering using natural building techniques to create a structure at their nature study area in the next year or so. The nature study area is 12 acres at the SE corner of North Park Village, which is separate from the preserve, and has fewer restrictions on structures. A preliminary proposal will be developed for a future design charette at the Nature Center that primarily focuses on the preserve. This panel discussion will help those interested to explore the next steps.
The Nature Center's advisory committee initiated discussion of the project last month. They envision a secure (lockable) multi-functional structure, whose uses could include: tool and equipment storage, workshop presentations, nature observation and meditation. It could be build on the site of a demolished building in the north east leg of the nature study area, which has an intact cement floor. However, do not let this initial conceptualization limit your creativity.
For more information contact Rael Bassan at 773-907-1465 or raelrearth@yahoo.com
Our next event:
Sustainability StoriesWednesday,
August 31, 7-9 pm
Share recent sustainability experiences and news. Integrate the visions they generated. Explore new opportunities. Discuss their relevance and how they can be best developed. Consider how we can jumpstart a more sustainable future.
Three regional sustainabiity fairs provided major resources for inspiration:
1) The
1st Illinois Sustainable Living Fair and Earth Day Celebration was held at Bloomington/Normal, April 22-23, 2005.
They plan on repeating it in 2006.
http://www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org/ISLFair/index.html
2) The
16th Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, Custer, WI (worlds largest)
held June 17-19, 2005. www.the-mrea.org/energy_fair.php
3) The
4th Illinois Renewable Energy Fair, August 13-14, added Sustainable Living to their title this year, together with a Sustainable Living Tent, which housed the contributions of numerous participants. http://www.illinoisrenew.org/events/events.html
And
coming up in November...
A "Peak Oil" and Community Solutions planning meeting, inspired by the
2nd U.S. Conference on "Peak Oil" and Community Solutions
September 23 - 25, Yellow Springs, OH.
http://www.communitysolution.org/05conf1.html
At
North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago.
Turn left at the first "T" intersection.
Sponsored by Chicagoland Urban Permaculture (CUP)
Free and open to the public.
Information: Rael Bassan, 773-907-1465, raelearth@yahoo.com
Coming up in May...
Info: Rael 773-907-1465 raelearth at yahoo.com
Permaculture Principles; Urban Food ProductionWednesday, May 18, 7-9 pm
Explore the significance of permaculture and it's principles, and how they can be applied to urban living and food production. Whether you have limited indoor growing space or an extensive yard, producing more of of your own food may be increasingly valuable. Applying ecological insights can make the process more efficient and delightful. Featuring Bill Shores, a permaculture grower from Ohio.
North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago
Gardening with MushroomsSaturday, May 21, 11 am - 4 pm
Find out how to grow food as part of natures recycling program. Select two (logs or other processes) from several species and techniques to take home with you. Some are colorful and remain so for months. To register, $15 checks to Kenneth Otto, must be received by May 18. Please include your phone number. Follow up guidance will be available.
At North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago, 60646
Send checks there.
