In his encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis challenges all of us to reflect upon the impacts of our lifestyle choices and of public policy decisions on both the natural world and the social environment:
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
Come out and celebrate local green accomplishments of 2015 at the Green ProAction Café #3. It will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, August 27, at the beautifully renovated Thatcher Pavilion at Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve, 8030 Chicago Ave., in River Forest. We’ll hear about progress with pesticide-free lawn care, wildlife corridor expansion, availability of local food, the shared economy, environmental political action, and more. We'll share what's new and what's next, and have time to hear about your projects and ideas. Join us for food, music, and laughter as we celebrate together as a community.
The nation’s capital was the venue for Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s annual international conference and lobby days, held June 21-24. Nearly 900 people attended the conference portion of the event, participating in training sessions, workshops, presentations and social events on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 800 of them swarmed Capitol Hill where they attended over 500 scheduled meetings with members of Congress or their staffers. Volunteers from communities around Illinois teamed up to sit down for lively discussions in all the active Congressional offices representing the state.
Plan to attend one of these presentations and explore this important topic with your neighbors!
2 dates, 2 locations. Click below to register:
Green ProAction Café #3 is the third in a series of three gatherings intended to grow the number and diversity of residents engaged in dialogue and action focused on building a healthy, sustainable and resilient community. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, learn about creative initiatives and explore ways to be involved! Please come and bring a friend.
Join people who care about the environment, films, music, food, and having fun for a good cause. The One Earth Film Festival (OEFF) is planning a Fall 2015 fundraiser with live music and an auction, all kicked off by a short environmental film. The Fundraising Event Committee needs your support to make this a huge success and to raise essential funds for the 5th annual OEFF. Email Melanie Weiss at earthed@comcast.com.
Many towns across the country are converting their natural grass fields to artificial turf. Following this trend, Oak Park has four artificial turf fields. Two new artificial fields are being added to the middle schools this summer and an additional proposed artificial surface is up for consideration at Barrie Park. That could be seven fields total by the end of 2016. This doesn't include the many new artificial playground areas that have been added to Scoville Park and the elementary schools.
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An effort to encourage Oak Park area residents to plant more edible gardens got off to a promising start this spring. The idea gained traction through word-of-mouth promotion and flier distribution. Within a few days, more than 30 people had joined the email list of the Oak Park Area Edible Gardening Cooperative, and its new Twitter account had attracted 50-plus followers. The gardening cooperative grew out of ongoing discussions among three Oak Park gardeners and environmental activists — Estelle Carol, Julie Samuels and Cassandra West. They believe that experienced gardeners and gardeners-in-training can combine their collective power to improve health in four vital areas: land, people, food and community.
Edible landscaping integrates food plants within an ornamental or decorative setting. Many edible landscape gardeners have even turned their front yards into bountiful food producing spaces without losing any of the beauty that adds to their property. They simply substitute lettuces, berries, vegetables and fruit trees for unproductive, water-hogging plants.
Still in the early stage, the Oak Park Area Gardening Cooperative is a virtual community that will offer opportunities to share, collaborate, learn and enjoy the rewards that come from growing more edible plants.
Those who join the email list can expect to receive an announcement soon about a meet-and-greet event, and eventually, mini workshops, informal field trips and more.
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Seventy-five community residents gathered on May 4, in eight small groups at the Oak Park Main Library to develop ideas for action projects that promote a healthy, resilient community. Just a few examples of the creative ideas that came out of that lively dialogue include:
Create an open air festival with the Oak Park Art League in which artists would paint/draw/sculpt works that celebrate trees.
Develop "kick-ass" marketing to promote pesticide free lawn care.
Use personal stories to make natural lawn care accessible.
Start a “hot line” of master gardeners to answer questions.
Use humor and music to communicate messages.
Connections and synergy among the groups also began to emerge as the Learning Gardens, Wild Ones and GoGreen OPRF (natural lawn care) began to collaborate on putting together a “green block party package” to share with neighborhood groups.
Leadership for the small groups was provided by partnering organizations including West Cook Wild Ones, Sugar Beet Co-op, River Forest Sustainability Committee, Interfaith Green Network, The Learning Gardens, Mutual Aid Network, Our Village Life, GoGreen OPRF, Citizens Climate Lobby, and the Oak Park Environment and Energy Commission. Susan Lucci, a River Forest resident, served as the overall program facilitator.
The Green ProAction Café #2 was the second in a series of three gatherings intended to inspire environmental dialogue and action. The event was organized by Green Community Connections, and partially funded through a grant from OPRF Community Foundation. Green ProAction Café #3 will be held in August or early September and will be a celebration of sustainability-building accomplishments.
Additional Reflections on Green ProAction Café #2 by Moderator Susan M. Lucci
David Bernstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, searched the world over and found thousands of social entrepreneurs changing the world. He says, “(world changing) is not about a few extraordinary people saving the day for everyone else. At its deepest level, it is about revealing possibilities that are currently unseen and releasing the capacity within each person to reshape a part of the world . . . . by first hand engagement with the world — from asking a lot of questions and listening and observing with a deep caring to understand.” Listening is the skill that unlocks the golden ideas that lead to innovation. Right here in our own backyards, social entrepreneurs — our neighbors — are changing our world. How lucky are we?!
On Monday evening, eight community activists brought their projects to the table to be enlivened with ideas. They entrusted us with their passionate plans to design good food policy, create pesticide-free lawns and a time bank, to spread the good news about Oak Park’s Arboretum, to jumpstart a wildlife corridor, and to help us find our voices in the local and national policy conversations. More than 70 enthusiastic people leaned in to dream up what’s possible, to “give birth to our images . . . . to the future waiting to be born.” (Rainer Maria Rilke)
Margaret Wheatley believes, “We can change the world if we start listening to one other again. Conversation is the way we discover how to transform our world, together . . . . There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” In Oak Park/River Forest, we care about connecting, our children, community, the future, humor, good food, children, wildlife, nature, water and wondering what’s possible.
Community Somewhere there are people To whom we can speak with passion. Without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, Eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us Whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength To do the work that needs to be done, Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends, Someplace Where we can be free.
-- by Starhawk, Dreaming the Dark
