httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9sKpKSUdVw View highlights of the 2011 Oak Park Earth Fest which was held on May 21st this year. Earth Fest is a gathering of eco-friendly vendors, community groups, children's activities and live entertainment. The mission is to educate and inform people on how to live "greener" lives.
Barwin calls for more Corporate Environmental Leaders Like Walgreens
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzrcxJXafJk&feature=player_embedded Siting Walgreens as a model, Oak Park Village Manager Tom Barwin calls for more corporate leadership on environmental issues in his blog posted 4/20/2011, as he writes about the new green-certified Walgreen's drugstore at Madison Street and Oak Park Avenue.Walgreens has a geo-thermal heating and cooling system, and they have now installed a new electric car charging station. Gov. Pat Quinn and Oak Park Village President, David Pope toured the store Tuesday, and commended Walgreens on their environmental leadership. Click here to learn more about the store and what it means to the community.
Greenline Wheels offers "Eco-Happy" Transportation to Visitors & Residents
David is in a hurry to get to Cheney Mansion where he is a scheduled presenter at its Green Sunday event today. Despite this he readily answers questions about the store and the many products he sells (actually, mostly rents). The store where David works is Greenline Wheels, near the Green Line el stop at 105 S. Marion in Oak Park. Before he leaves he shows us a gigantic pedal-powered three-wheeler with two seats that can be used with a child or physically challenged person. Several electric bikes are available as well as a host of large and small bicycles for almost any member of the family – all for rent by the hour or day. Outside the shop sits what we came to see: a four-passenger NEV, or Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. There are 5 of these vehicles available to rent, 3 four-passenger and 2 six passenger. While not legal for streets with speed limits over 30 mph, they can be driven around town, rain or shine, and are ideal for sightseeing. In fact, the store provides maps of Oak Park/River Forest highlighting a number of routes around town that showcase the many interesting homes and neighborhoods that 
visitors come from miles to see, as well as some of our adjacent cemeteries. Guided tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright historic district are also available with advance notice. For riders, helmets, child seats and trailers are available, and other items that might come in handy for visitors, such as souvenir water bottles and tee shirts can be purchased. For more about Greenline Wheels check out their web site.
Origins of Oak Park's Earth Fest & Plans for 2011
In 2009 on a cold Saturday morning, several hundred Oak Parkers gathered for a 350.org rally. It was October 24th, half way to Earth Day. After a successful march and rally, I was chatting with Karen Rozmus and K.C. Poulos. Karen is Waste Coordinator at Public Works and K.C. is the Village’s Sustainability Manager. Their titles don’t even begin to describe all of the hard work they do to keep our village green! As we were talking, I remarked that I found it odd that a village with as many sustainability initiatives as Oak Park doesn’t have a village-wide celebration of Earth Day. If I’d kept my mouth shut, I’d have a lot more free time in April!
The saying, “If you want something done, ask a busy woman,” rang true at that moment. The three of us almost immediately began planning Earth Fest 2010, which was successfully help on April 24, 2010 at our Public Works building—the only LEED certified building of its kind in the U.S. This year, we decided to have the event in May so it could be held in conjunction with Oak Park ’s Public Works Day. We are also going to have Earth Fest outdoors this year, so let’s hope that Mother Nature will smile down on us with lots of sunshine.
We expect to have about 50 vendors this year, which is much larger than last year. Adoptable animals from the Animal Care League will be there. Learn about keeping chickens in your yard, edible landscapes and native landscaping too. Renewable energy and weatherization contractors, energy auditors and architects will be on hand to answer all of your home energy questions. Bring the kids to learn about recycling, play games and enjoy live music! Wonder Works Museum and others will be there to get us moving and feeling fit!
I hope you will join me at Earth Fest 2011. Be sure to ride your bike—we’ll have spring bike tune-ups! Or you can walk there and ask Rickshaw Rick for a ride home! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at Earth Fest—a celebration of sustainability!
Maria Onesto Moran
Green Home Experts823 S. Oak Park Ave.
Oak Park, IL 60304
708-660-1443
Marion Street Cheese Market Earns 3-Star Green Rating
Excerpt from the Earth Day Edition of the Marion Street Cheese Market "Cheese Mail - WineMail - Beer Mail" Newsletter, April 21, 2011."Marion Street Cheese Market is very excited to be able to officially announce that we are now a 3-Star Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association.
We are the first restaurant in Oak Park to be certified as a Green Restaurant and one of only three restaurants in Chicagoland to earn 3 stars. The only others are Uncommon Ground and Frontera Grill. We are in very good company.
Since we opened our doors in 2004, Marion Street Cheese Market has been strongly focused on sustainability and local food issues. We have always been an American artisan-centric cheese shop that has had a mission of supporting small, local independent cheesemakers, family farmers and food artisans.
When Mary Jo Schuler and I opened the expanded MSCM with a bistro and wine bar in July 2008, we had a primary mission of being a green and sustainably run business throughout our operation. That is not always an easy thing in the restaurant world. But we were committed to it and have relentlessly worked toward that goal ever since. From the original design of the our new location to the choice of purveyours that we use to purchase food, our focus has always been on local, sustainable and seasonal.
So it feels really great to be able to say that while we have been "green" from the very beginning, we can now actually say that we have been independently audited and accredited as officially "Green" by the Green Restaurant Association. To learn more about the GRA and to see which other Chicago restaurants have been accredited as "Green", please visit their website at: www.dinegreen.com"
According to the Dine Green web site Certified Green Restaurants® must fulfill the following criteria in order to be certified as a green restaurant:
- Accumulate a total of 100 Points (175 points for 3 stars)
- Meet Minimum Points in each Category
- Have a full-scale recycling program
- Be Free of Polystyrene Foam (aka Styrofoam)
- Yearly Education
Restaurants are evaluated in each of the following categories:
- Water Efficiency
- Waste Reduction & Recycling
- Sustainable Food
- Energy
- Disposables
- Chemical & Pollution Reduction
Points are earned in each category by meeting very specific criteria, for example, in the water efficiency category 3 points are awarded for having an Energy Star - rated dishwasher. Restaurants are also expected to improve annually in order to retain their star ratings.
Congratulations to Marion Street Cheese Market!
Imagination and Commitment to the Environment Reflected in Horigan Urban Forest Products
Submitted by Sue Crothers, River Forest
Horigan Urban Forest Products takes fallen trees in local Chicagland area and kilns them, so that one can purchase lumber for anything from floors to furniture. Many trees come down around town due to storms or construction and it's a great way for environmentally conscious people to use slow growing woods such as walnut or maple without having to feel guilty about cutting down a precious slow growth tree.
I have two items in my home which I purchased the wood from Bruce Horigan. I have a lovely walnut table from a locally felled tree (I would NEVER otherwise even consider walnut) And an even better item in my home is my bed. Made from an oak tree that came down on my property during one of our big storms. I had Bruce come and collect, cut and kiln it and then a carpenter made it into my bed. It is wonderful way to recycle. See below information from their web site and an invitation below to see their April Newsletter.
Excerpt from Horigan Urban Forest website: Horigan Urban Forest Products recycles the urban forest to the highest possible uses. We use the same trees that go to firewood or mulch, and turn them into usable hardwood lumber. We are committed to the environment by reducing the number of trees removed from the forest, the amount of fuel consumed for transportation, and the amount of carbon that is released into the atmosphere by sequestering it as hardwood lumber.
When trees need to be removed, we will mill and kiln dry them. This beautiful wood is produced without a single tree being removed for lumber. We work with many artists, cabinet makers, and builders who can use this lumber to create unique projects. By using Horigan Urban Forest Products you are guaranteed that the origin of the lumber is from the Chicago area urban forest. In many instances the address and history of the lumber is known.
Greetings Horigan Urban Forest Products Customers,
Attached is our April news letter. We have lots of great lumber in our warehouse plus quite a few events going on starting with the Historic Chicago Bungalow show this Saturday the 9th, at the Merchandise Mart. We will also be at the Green Metropolis Fair next weekend and at the Urban (wood) Encounter in Milwaukee next weekend. Details with links on our events section. We hope to see you there.
http://www.horiganufp.com/documents/Aprilpdf.pdf
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