Update on Green Neighborhood projects
Julie Peterson Oct. 31, 2006
This Fall, we launched our Environmental Neighborhood Project with a series of dinner conversations to create a 3 year plan to become the most environmental neighborhood possible. We called them "Green Dinners" Over 70 people have attended these dinners including Alderman Schulter and many more wonderful residents and community leaders of many different stripes. We gathered all of your ideas and have grouped them to form working committees to bring your ideas to a reality.
Click on any of the committee links to see what they're working on. Now is the very beginning and the momentum is high. It's a great time to get involved. You don't have to be an expert or even commit to a certain level of involvement, just helping us to keep the momentum going by contributing to decentralizing and spreading out the labor and leadership into these new working groups will really help us to be successful as we move into November. We're hoping to have all the committees meeting every other week and then coming together for a monthly hootenanny to share their information with the group.
Remember, nothing will happen unless we do it! And let's have fun doing it too!
Getting involved: If anyone is wondering what is going on, the
answer is "lots!" Many of you are already in motion. Rinda West is
hosting a workshop and green dinner. Nancy Benjamin is organizing an organic
gardening workshop and the gardening committee first meeting. April is coordinating
the nonprofit application papers. Martha is organizing a solar panel workshop.
Amongst those interested in solar panels are Alison and Greg, Patrick and Lisa,
Lori and John (who will also host a dinner), Julie and Bobby, and Missy Kunze.
Many of you are looking for ways to work this environmental neighborhood project
into your schedule without going into overload. : ) Many of you are signed up
for committees, many of you have sent information to communicate to the group.
I'm working on the newsletter. In essence, if anyone is waiting to get involved,
no need to wait. Email if you need something to be scheduled in a way that works
for you. We aim to please!
Give me a ring or email to coordinate with others.. I'm here to
help you find out who else is working on your issue, put you in touch with resources
and opportunities, and to help enable your efforts and projects. The website
and emails are here to help the community to communicate amongst members as
we figure out how it's possible to be a wonderful Chicago community living in
harmony with the rate of resource renewal in nature.
And thanks again to those who have contributed funds to keep this effort going..
including Laurene von Klan and the Nature Museum, Rachel Collins, Ann Breen-Greco,
Pete Leki, Debbie Albano, Bobby Garro Sutton, April Jean-Baptiste, and Patrick
Jean-Baptiste. Others have offered to help once we get nonprofit status. We'll
let you know when that happens. We'll need to continue to seek financial support,
so please contact us if you can help us to apply for funding or have those types
of resources to share. We keep careful records which any of you can review.
And thanks to all of you for doing all this wonderful work, especially Kevin
and Pete who have been coordinating environmental and river issues for years.
Neighborhood Sharing project info: In order to help us to make use of half cans
of paint, left over tile, and other still useful items, we have a Neighborhood
Sharing Project. We'll have a secure page on the website to let each other know
what we have to share. We need people to start bringing materials to help this
project get started. Any extra bikes or bike parts should go to Kevin's, any
extra roofing material should go to Pete, I'll keep tile and associated materials,
and Jerry is taking paint. Email if you have stuff or want to volunteer to host
a resource sharing site.
Keep warm!
Julie Peterson