From Forest Preserves District of Cook County and University of Illinois Extension:

Learn more about what you can do at home!

The Forest Preserves District of Cook County and University of Illinois Extension staff are collaborating on this special event. The 60-minute event will provide an overview of the Conservation@Home program and provide attendees with information on natural lawn care and water management, among other sustainable landscaping practices.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

For more information about this event , please click here for the calendar event on the Forest Preserves District of Cook County’s website and to learn more about the Forest Preserves District of Cook County click here.

This class will introduce you to the fundamentals of kayaking in a comfortable setting and at a relaxed pace. You will learn about proper strokes and paddling techniques, and get the chance to practice these new skills on a beautiful, local waterway. REI’s expert guides will also teach the basics of water safety, trip planning and how to have an enjoyable time on the water. This is a great way to build a new skill set or improve upon what you already know about kayaking. Ages 14 & up. Presented by REI. Kayaks, paddles and all necessary safety equipment provided.

Young environmentalists, join us for 7 award-winning short films and discussion, where we'll get loud about our planet! We'll also settle in to contemplate and celebrate the power of creativity, art, and nature. Enjoy healthy snacks and activities.

Oak Park Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/young-filmmaker-voices-for-families-with-kids-age-7-to-12-tickets-858513816937?aff=oddtdtcreator

Austin Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/young-filmmaker-voices-for-families-with-kids-age-7-to-12-austin-tickets-872912804697

Maggie Burnette Stogner/2023/30 min/Water Justice, Conservation, Health

FILM DESCRIPTION: "Upstream, Downriver" takes viewers into the heart of the battle for water justice. Powerful stories with frontline community activists are interwoven with historical context about landmark regulations that significantly reduced water pollution in the U.S. but failed to serve disadvantaged communities that are hardest hit by today’s climate crisis. 

Giorgio Ghiotto/2023/30 min/Water Justice, Conservation, Health, People & Cultures

FILM DESCRIPTION: Vidal Merma, a Peruvian Indigenous journalist, risks his life daily to secure a future where his son, Erik, can savor the simple joy of drinking clean water. "Wings of Dust" is about a father's sacrifice, community resilience and the unwavering human spirit in the face of environmental injustice. This film won the 2023 Gold Medal Student Academy Award for Documentary and was also shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards for Documentary Short Film.

Two short films will precede the feature films: “The Island” by Mahmut Taş and “Submerged” by Neo Sky James. “Submerged” tied for the Animation Prize in the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest 2023.

VIEW & BREW Tickets at Epiphany Center for the Arts: Chicago Tickets

Doors open at 5 p.m. for food and drink available for purchase,
networking, and self-tours of this adaptive re-use space.
Film program starts at 6 p.m.

ADA-compliant accessible venue. Click here for more ADA details.

In Person Tickets at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church: Oak Park Tickets

Doors open at 5:15 p.m. for Action Fair and refreshments.
Film program starts at 6 p.m.

ADA-compliant accessible venue. Click here for more ADA details.

In Person Tickets at Park Ridge Community Church: Park Ridge Tickets

Doors open at 5 p.m. to meet action partners.
Film program starts at 6 p.m.

ADA-compliant accessible venue. Click here for more ADA details.

Free Online Event from Third Coast Disrupted: Artists + Scientists on Climate:

More frequent intense rainstorms and flooding are among the devastating and costly impacts of the Chicago region’s changing climate. Like other effects, they hit communities of color hardest. Learn of the health concerns, from a personal and public health perspective, and hear about the local public-private partnerships and government efforts that provide relief and increase resilience.

Elena Grossman, Program Director, BRACE-Illinois, and Third Coast Disrupted scientist

N. Masani Landfair, Third Coast Disrupted Artist

Daniella Pereira, Vice President of Community Conservation, Openlands

Debra Shore, Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Elena Grossman is the Program Director for the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects in Illinois (BRACE-Illinois) Project. BRACE-Illinois is a partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health to help prepare Illinois for the health effects from climate change.

N. Masani Landfair takes materials considered undesirable and redefines their worth and meaning. She uses traditional collage and assemblage to create abstract social commentary, dream landscapes, and the spaces she faces daily. She grew up in heavily industrial South Chicago, greatly influenced by her southern grandparents, who shaped her views of beauty and worth in the simple to complex dilapidations and sacred understandings of nature.

Daniella Pereira serves on Openlands' executive leadership team to strategize and implement innovative solutions to address challenges facing nature and urban communities. Along with Healthy Schools Campaign, she co-manages Space to Grow, an ambitious $50+ million, multiyear public/private partnership to retrofit Chicago schoolyards inclusively, with school and community, to create health equity in neighborhoods and increase climate change adaptation.

Debra Shore has served on the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 2006. She was re-elected to a second term in 2012 and a third term in 2018. She has been a strong advocate for cleaning up the Chicago waterways and for resource recovery, including the reuse of treated water and the generation of biogas.

Registration link coming soon. Visit colum.edu/thirdcoast

This program is presented in conjunction with Third Coast Disrupted: Artists: Artists + Scientists on Climate Taking place at Columbia College Chicago's Glass Curtain Gallery. The exhibition is the culmination of a yearlong conversation between artists and scientists centered on climate change impacts and solutions in the Chicago region. For more information about the exhibition and other programming go to colum.edu/thirdcoast to learn more about the artist and scientist collaboration visit ThirdCoastDisrupted.org.

FILM DESCRIPTION: Renowned photographer James Balog (prominently featured in “Chasing Ice”) uses his camera to reveal how environmental change is affecting the lives of everyday Americans. Following the four classical elements—air, earth, fire and water—to frame his journey, Balog explores wildfires, hurricanes, sea level rise, coal mining, and the changes in the air we breathe. He takes it further by examining the effects of the fifth element—the human element—to tell an urgent story while giving inspiration for a more balanced relationship between humanity and nature.

The event will include a short interactive discussion on the Church’s position on Creation Care, Climate Change, and Church-supported legislation on Climate Action.

Hosted by Ascension HOME Creation Care Team, Ascension Peace and Justice Committee, St. Edmund Green Team, Interfaith Green Network, One Earth Film Festival, Green Community Connections, Seven Generations Ahead.