|
May 10 — Des Plaines River Clean-up
May is National River Clean-up week. Spend some time with
fellow Siera Club members cleaning up a section of the
DesPlaines River. The DesPlaines river has improved and is
cleaner than in past years, but we need to keep working on it.
MORE...
MAY.16-18
Chicago Green Festival
at Navy Pier: Volunteers Needed
More than 35,000 people are expected to attend this year’s
Chicago Green Fest,
a regional expo showcasing more than 350 diverse
local and national green businesses displaying and selling
eco-friendly, fair trade and sustainable products. More
than 150 visionary speakers are featured in panel
discussions, presentations and main stage speaking events.
Therefore it is the perfect venue to attract new Sierra
Club members and activists. Volunteer to staff our booth for
one or more three-hour shifts from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on
Saturday. May 17 and from
10:00 am to 8:00 pm on Sunday, May 18. Setup volunteers are also
needed on Friday.
MORE ...
 May.17
Endangered Species Day — Chicago Group Plans Biodiversity Blitz
& Global Warming
Lecture
May 16 is the third annual U.S. Endangered Species Day.
and Sierra Club is celebrating the diversity of Chicago’s
amazing wildlife on May 17. We’ll start with a biodiversity
blitz through Lincoln Park (by bike to be carbon neutral!),
followed by a lecture about the impacts of climate change on
wildlife and a tour of Lincoln Park Zoo’s endangered species
exhibits. Check this website for final lecture location
and time.
MORE ... |
MAY.24
Tour of the Chicago Center for Green Technology
Saturday at 1:30 pm, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd., Chicago
The Indiana Dunelands and Chicago Group of the Club have
teamed up to hold a joint tour of Chicago's Center for Green
Technology. The center is a place for learning about what we
can do to make our buildings more efficient and less resource
intensive. The 17 acre site is a reclaimed brownfield, uses
solar energy for heat, light, and electricity, and has a green
roof along with many other eco-friendly features meant to
minimize the building's environmental footprint and showcase
what can be done to make an urban renovation more sustainable.
Our guided tour will highlight many of the features of the
building and green techniques used in its renovation. The
center also includes a extensive library for your own green
tech research and offers several workshops each week on a
variety of green topics.
The center is accessible by public transportation and there
are bike racks at the center if you're inclined to ride. We
hope to see you there! Please pre-register by emailing Tony at
arfarf13@sbcglobal.net
or calling 773-728-6164.
MORE...
June is
Alternative
Transportation Month.
June is just around the corner and it is time to start
planning for Alternative Transportation Month. The
objective is to not use a car as much as possible during
the month of June. Members who participate receive points
in our Year of Living Responsibly Campaign and may win
$1000 towards a Sierra Club National Trip. Special
Prizes for everyone who gets to work or play every day
this month without a car or who carpools every time. More
details will follow next month, but see some of the
highlights below.
 JUN.7-13
Start Planning for June Bike to Work Week –
Join Team
Sierra Green
Reduce your carbon commuting footprint to almost zero by
biking to work, school, social events and for around-town
chores. Chicago Group is participating for the second year in
a row in the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s Bike to Work
Week Challenge in the second week of June. The object is to
get as many of our members as possible to bike to work from
June 7-13. For more details or to sign up for Team
Sierra, contact Take' Yamamoto
at 773-528-7812 or
ch-socials@illinois.sierraclub.org.
JUN.12 Clean Car
Educational Forum with Will Reynolds, Chapter Clean
Car Campaign Chair. Will gets down to the basics of clean
car standards and how you can choose a vehicle that meets
them. Information about alternative transportation will be
offered from using an iGo/Zipcar to bike commuting to
mastering public transportation. Location is the Illinois
Chapter Office at 70 E. Lake, Suite 1500. Forum begins at
7:00 pm.
JUN.23
Car-Free Monday. Chicago Group wants to lead Illinois
in making one day a year car-free. Monday is the week’s
heaviest commuting day, but we challenge everyone in the
state to find another way to get to where you’re going
from riding a bike or a horse to walking, running or
rollerblading. If you can, work at home. If you must use
an auto, please arrange a car pool. |
July 19 — From Farmers' Market to Picnic Table. Eating
locally, organically and simply will be the focus of this
outing. A professional chef will go to Chicago’s Green Market
with us, help us select food that we’ll take back to a kitchen
for a cooking demonstration. Then, we’ll picnic!
August 10 — Dog Days of Summer Celebration: Ravinia by Bike
or Public Transport. The concert program hasn't been
announced yet, but we know the evening will be wonderful and
relaxing. T h a t ’s because we’re having the event catered
with local, sustainably grown products along with organic
wines, beer and soft drinks. All you have to do is get
yourself to the park, which we’re asking you to do by taking a
Metra train right to the gates or by bike. A bike contingent
will be leaving Chicago and taking the North Shore path to and
from Ravinia.
Aug. 20 – Cubs Fundraiser. Ok, we
admit it. Watching the Cubs spank the Cincinnati Reds (now
managed by Dusty Baker) on a summer evening with 50 Sierra
Club buddies is mostly just for fun. But this modest
fundraiser will provide the money needed for Chicago Group’s
many conservation and environmental education programs.
Reserve your tickets now: This event sold out and had a long
wait list last year.
MORE...
September. 20 — Montrose Beach International Coastal
Clean-Up.
Join more than 100 other Sierrans and friends in cleaning
up Montrose Beach as a part of a worldwide coastal clean-up
day. There is an opportunity to work on a habitat restoration
project in the dunes natural area of the beach. There is great
potential for good bird watching during this period of fall
migration.
October 11 — Bike to the Botanic Gardens. Enjoy a long
(25-miles each way) green way within a number of Cook County
Forest Preserves. The bike trail parallels the North Branch of
the Chicago River for a good portion of the journey and you’ll
soon see
why this urban river is so important to migrating birds and
terrestrial wildlife.
October 22 — Air/Energy Issues Night. Members of
Chicago Group’s Air/Energy Committee will host an evening of
discussion, education and action about global warming and
energy issues over good food and drink.
November 8 — Greening Your Life: Home, Garden, Workplace.
This day-long event will feature a series of
presentations about great solutions — from Sierrans and green
tech professionals — that will help you maintain a
responsible, sustainable lifestyle. From your health to your
home to your garden and your office, this celebration will
give you concrete ways to improve your life.
December 6 — Holiday Service Outing and Party at the
Illinois Chapter Office.
We’ll start early in the day and do whatever’s needed at
the Chapter office from computer data entry to painting,
filing, and making phone calls to volunteers. By noon, we’ll
need some holiday cheer and lunch and drinks will be provided.
During this party, we will be awarding prizes to member volunteers who have been
active all year in living their lives more responsibly and
will finally draw the winning ticket for the fabulous $1,000
Sierra Club trip raffle prize. |