Lean Mean Green Machine

Lean Mean Green Machine

We are thrilled to announce that One Earth Collective and Laurie Casey of COOP are both recipients of the Village of Oak Park’s 2023 Green Awards, recognizing outstanding efforts in sustainability and environmental stewardship in the community.

ELECTRIFYING OUR OLD OAK PARK HOME: GOING SOLAR

ELECTRIFYING OUR OLD OAK PARK HOME: GOING SOLAR

As bad news about climate change continues to frequent the headlines, it can feel hopeless. What could we, a single household, possibly do to make a meaningful contribution to such a huge, global problem? Should we recycle more? Stop eating meat? Stop using plastic bags?

We’re often told these kinds of actions help. But if we step back and look at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that these kinds of efficiency and lifestyle changes won’t be enough. Climate scientists and the UN have told us we need to get to net zero emissions by 2050. Is there anything more we could possibly be doing to ensure a more sustainable future for our kids?

Announcing. . . Our 2022 Lineup of Films

Announcing. . . Our 2022 Lineup of Films

It’s what you’ve been waiting for. . . our 2022 lineup of tide-turning films is here! All screenings are free (with a suggested $8 donation) and open to the public. Seventeen virtual events will screen during the week of March 4-13. If the Omicron surge cooperates, we will be adding up to 15 in-person events—they will be offered at the same times and days as the virtual events.

It's a Wrap: Counting the Difference in 2021

It's a Wrap: Counting the Difference in 2021

It’s time to look back and celebrate all the things we’ve accomplished together this year. Here’s 2021 by the numbers.

4,046 attendees at 26 film watch parties
At each of the virtual events during the main Fest Season in March and during Earth Week in April, we learned about the climate crisis, were presented with more than 250 action ideas, and pledged to take action.

The Not-So-Bad Year for Environmentalism

The Not-So-Bad Year for Environmentalism

As 2021 draws to a close, it seems appropriate to take a look back—to update some of the stories and follow up on some public policy issues I’ve covered for the eNews over the past year. Such a review calls, too, for a brief assessment and a look toward the future. The opinions expressed are mine, not those of One Earth Film Festival or its governing board.

The Not-So-Big Takeaways from the UN’s COP26 Negotiations

The Not-So-Big Takeaways from the UN’s COP26 Negotiations

In the October eNews, I previewed some of the anticipated themes of COP26, the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties, which concluded on November 13, in Glasgow, Scotland. Now comes my post-mortem.

Youth Fight Back: COP26 In Their Words

Youth Fight Back: COP26 In Their Words

Exhilarated. Optimistic. Stressed. Excited. Nervous. Every time the dozen of us youth met -- calling from Illinois, Maryland, and Texas--we would end our conversation with a one word description about how we felt. These were a few words that I remember being thrown out, and I also remember after hearing them, how aptly they served as a reflection for the climate movement as a whole.

Once More into the Breach

Once More into the Breach

For the next month the world will once again be focused on the treacherous global geopolitical terrain of climate change.

The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, beginning on October 31. The talks are scheduled to end on Friday, November 12, but if recent experience is any guide will be extended over the weekend as agreements are forged and contentious issues are resolved—or not, in which case they will be tabled for later consideration. Kicking the can down the road is standard operating procedure for these meetings, as one might expect for a 196-member international body that must operate by consensus.

Q&A with Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago

Q&A with Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago

As Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago, Angela Tovar has a big job: steering Mayor Lightfoot’s policy on environmental protection and climate change in addition to being a liaison between City Hall and community organizations in Chicago’s most polluted areas.

Q: What are some key points of that investment [to mitigate the effects of climate change]?

A: We’re focused on green infrastructure and flood-mitigation in vulnerable communities. And we will be planting 75,000 trees across the city over the next five years, for all the gifts trees provide, including heat mitigation. We’re supporting retrofitting for energy efficiency in low- to moderate-income housing and neighborhood-anchor institutions. And many other things—connecting residents with renewable-energy sources; finding better waste management solutions, including for organic waste; and exploring greener transportation options.

Chicago's Approach to Energy, Climate and Social Justice

Chicago's Approach to Energy, Climate and Social Justice

Between now and the end of this year the City of Chicago will be moving aggressively toward the conclusion of a three-year process of reevaluating the city’s relationship with its utility partner, Commonwealth Edison.

Other municipalities across the country may want to take note and look to Chicago as a model on the transition to clean, renewable energy.

The goal of the reevaluation is to re-engineer and modernize the City’s electricity delivery system to meet the demands of the 21st century. As part of a much broader agenda known as Resilient Chicago, launched in 2019, the City is reevaluating what's known as the Electric Utility Franchise Agreement (henceforth referred to as ‘the FA’), which has been in effect since 1992 and expired at the end of 2020. (It is still in force under a clause that allowed for a period of transition at expiration.)

What’s happening in Chicago, right now, is a very important, very big deal.