Sugar Beet Food Co-op’s first birthday party, dubbed “Kale Yeah,” will take place the weekend of July 30-31, with tastings, raffles, giveaways, games, and more from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., at 812 W. Madison St., in Oak Park.
Recently, we talked with General Manager, Chris Roland, to get a reading on the downs and ups of this small grocery store’s first year selling local, sustainable food.
I attended the June 1 town hall meeting on development in the village, and I agree with your observation [Madison Street plan draws supporters, detractors, News,June 8] that the bulk of the discussion was about the effect of the Madison Street plan on traffic patterns.
Looking at the big picture, it appears that this proposed development is similar to the pattern established by the other "mixed use" projects at Lake and Forest, Lake and Harlem, Harlem and South Blvd., and the Tasty Dog site — retail space on the ground floor, some parking, topped with multiple floors of high-end or luxury residential space.
The PlanItGreen Sustainability Plan for Oak Park and River Forest – was created through compiling baseline data and holding many community forums, led by Seven Generations Ahead in collaboration with the Delta Institute. The planning was funded primarily by the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation’s Communityworks Endowment Fund. Communityworks has three priority areas, including Environmental Sustainability. PlanItGreen was established as a 10 year plan in this area, beginning in 2011. Thus, we are half-way through the Plan.
FoodChoices
The big news this month is the commitment made by CCL staff and 1,000 assembled volunteers at the International Conference: to have a Carbon Fee & Dividend bill introduced in Congress in 2017, and to secure its passage. This is a new chapter for CCL, so come to the meeting to hear a report on the conference and the beginnings of a new legislative strategy. Our guest speaker this month on the national conference call will be Matthew Anderson, director of the National Audubon Society's Climate Initiative. In 2014, Audubon released a report, Birds and Climate Change, which found that 314 bird species — nearly half of all North American birds — are severely threatened by global warming.
Summer is upon us and with it the annual block party season. Block parties are a special part of celebrating community and our wonderful outdoor spaces. It’s also a great way of recognizing and celebrating the many sustainability initiatives and resources in our community – whether it’s native or edible gardens, backyard or curbside composting (offered through the villages of Oak Park and River Forest), solar panels or learning about the awesome trees on your block. By shining a light on these important community assets, we encourage one another and help to build a more resilient future for our children.
Join us for refreshments, conversation and to learn how residents are getting beautiful lawns that are healthy for pets, children and all living things. Lawn care seems to be an ongoing challenge -- whether it's a battle with creeping charlie or the challenge of reaching agreement with your spouse about who and how lawn care is done -- you'll hear stories and tips from professionals and residents on their experiences and recommendations.
As I left church a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a huge base of a tree trunk on the parkway of our church property. I felt a mix of surprise, anger and sadness. Clearly it was a very large tree that I hadn’t really paid much attention to. In the coming weeks, I started seeing more signs of other trees that had been cut down. These images of previously large, beautiful trees that had stood for years, now shaved off at the ground haunted me, and I wanted to know more.
Active Transportation Letter invites support for plans to narrow and improve Madison street: After years of outreach, public meetings and planning, Oak Park is moving forward with plans to narrow Madison and make it a more pleasant and safe street that is also more inviting for new development. The project has been approved, but a few residents are speaking out against the project and trying to persuade the village board to reverse course. It’s important for the village board to hear from us.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the official planning agency for the 7 counties that make up the Chicagoland region, is looking for your perspective on what the region should look like in 2050 as it draws up a new plan to succeed the GO TO 2040 plan. The federal government requires every urbanized area of 50,000 or more inhabitants to create a regional plan.
