Green Connections Bike Tour 2011 - Saturday, September 24th

Discovering Sustainable Oak Park & River Forest

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, Green Community Connections will sponsor a self-designed, informational tour of selected green initiatives in Oak Park and River Forest.  The tour will start at 1pm and culminate at 4:00 pm with a post-tour informal gathering.

PlanItGreen Sustainability Plan

The Villages of Oak Park and River Forest have long been recognized for their commitment to ecologically-friendly living, and are currently implementing a joint sustainability plan, known as PlanItGreen.

Examples of low carbon living

The GCC bike tour will offer 15 residential and community sites from which participants can choose – including high-efficiency homes, community and school gardens, composting, homes with geothermal heating and cooling systems, urban chicken farming, and more. “We’ve got so much knowledge and so many great examples of green, low-carbon living right here in our community. We can learn a lot from our neighbors about everything from sustainable landscaping to alternative energy,” says Melanie Weiss, who is a member of the Green Connections Bike Tour planning committee.

Benefit from your neighbors' experience

Each site will feature a tour and/or demonstration to introduce visitors to the initiative(s) at that site and describe how it fosters sustainability in the community.  There will also be opportunities for questions and answers so participants can benefit from the experience of their neighbors. “We’re hoping sustainability-minded individuals will join the ride with their neighbors, friends, families, or co-workers. We want people to participate and feel that they’re a part of something big – that they’ll see this as one great opportunity to get moving on the green initiatives they’ve been considering,” says Ana Garcia-Doyle, also a member of the bike tour planning committee.

Thank you to our sponsors and partners!

Other tour sponsors for the event include the Active Transportation Alliance, Greenline Wheels, the Interfaith Green Network, and Seven Generations Ahead, as well as a host of local business partners.  We encourage you to support our great sponsors and local business partners who are helping make this opportunity possible!

Click here to learn more and to register!