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.
One Earth Collective (formerly Green Community Connections) and West Cook Wild Ones are holding the annual Native Tree & Shrub Sale now through Friday, Sept. 10.
A couple dozen trees and shrubs are available. According to West Cook Wild Ones Board Member Carolyn Cullen, this year’s best-selling plants so far are Wild Black Currant, New Jersey Tea, Kalm St. John's Wort and Wahoo. These versatile and attractive plants are compact enough to fit in any suburban or urban landscape and offer attractive blooms and seasonal color that will add year-round beauty to your yard. We also love them because they provide food and shelter to pollinators and other beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife.
The first-ever Virtual Movie Club Night kicked off on July 15 with a discussion of the documentary “The Ants and the Grasshopper,” directed by Raj Patel and Zac Piper. Exclusively for One Earth Collective Members (membership starts at $25 annually), the Virtual Movie Club will meet regularly to analyze environmental films, provide like-minded community, and promote change. New members are welcome to join at any time.
Keeping food waste out of landfills via composting is a perfect example of how the circular economy can work. Following is a list of Chicagoland composting resources recommended by Jonathan Pereira of Plant Chicago. For those outside of Illinois, search for similar resources in your area to get involved.
The art show “Third Coast Disrupted: Artists + Scientists on Climate” was scheduled to close on Friday, Oct. 30, but will reopen Monday, Jan. 11, and continue through Friday, Feb. 19, at Columbia College Chicago’s Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104 S. Wabash.
After seeing the show recently, one of its artworks continues to haunt me.
Remember back in March, right after the COVID shutdown, and how empty the streets were of cars? It was a biker’s dream; many people took to the empty roads on two wheels. Fast forward to August, and the auto traffic has come roaring back. . . but biking is still a hot topic this summer.
Here are some tools and resources for you to have fun/get around/support equity/save the earth on your bike during August, September and beyond.
Third Coast Disrupted: Artists + Scientists on Climate is an exhibition of new artworks culminating a yearlong conversation between artists and scientists centered on climate change impacts and solutions in the Chicago region.
Through science-inspired sculpture, painting, collage and more, the artworks examine local impact—happening here and now—ranging from extreme heat to flooding to habitat loss and more. They also shine light on local solutions underway, like “cool roofs,” nature-based approaches to slowing stormwater, and backyard habitat restoration. Some imagine future possibilities.
Up to 40% of food in the US is wasted, while 40 million Americans lack consistent access to adequate and nutritious food.
To increase awareness of the causes and fixes for this complex problem, the Interfaith Green Network sponsored Food Waste Workshop on November 7. Speakers giving information about the scope of the problem and examples of local and national programs working to find solutions included: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, Bright Beat (sustainability practices for big events), and Rush Oak Park Hospital’s Food Surplus Project.
In late 1989, hundreds of headless walrus washed ashore on the coastline of Alaska’s Seward Peninsula, the westernmost part of the North American mainland.
Was it the result of subsistence hunting by Native Alaskans who traditionally used the meat, hides, blubber, bones, and ivory tusks without leaving so much waste behind? Was it the consequence of poaching for ivory tusks alone? Or could Russian villagers on the opposite side of the Bering Strait have been responsible?
Jonathan Moeller returns to teach the Young Filmmakers Workshops in River Forest for grades 6 to 8 on Sunday, Dec. 1, and for grades 3 to 5 on Sunday, Dec. 8. Both workshops will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the River Forest Depot, 401 Thatcher Ave. Register here: https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/workshops
Q: Why do you think it's important for kids to learn how to make films?
A: Film and video is a medium that will not disappear anytime soon. Video, especially through the web and social media, has become a cornerstone for how we communicate as a society.
