Free Exploration Station for Kids at the Oak Park Conservatory

 

Every Saturday morning, September – May, from 10:00 a.m. to noon and school holidays.  It’s FREE!

Docents help children and others learn through interactive displays and games in the showrooms.

New topics every month.  Here are the topics for February - May 2012:

• February topic: “Chocolate” Chocolate grows on trees.  Look at the cacao tree in the Conservatory. Then learn now chocolate is extracted from the cacao pods and becomes the product we eat.
• March topic:  “Birds” Birds have many different kinds of feet and beaks.  Why?  Some birds can fly long distances.  Others can hardly fly at all.  Learn lots about birds.
• April topic:  “Sugar! Sugar! How Sweet It Is!” Sugar in the sugar bowl comes from sugar cane or sugar beets.  But what about honey, molasses, raisins or maple syrup?  Learn more about all kinds of sugar.
• May topic:  “Flowers & Pollinators” How important are bees and bats?  What is pollen?  How does pollen get transferred from one flower to the other?  Just how do bees see?  Learn more about all of this in May.

For more information about events and programs at the Oak Park Conservatory, click here.

"Leave No Child Inside" Mini-Conference

Submitted by Adrian Fisher

On February 8, 2012, the Triton College Sustainability Center, in conjunction with Chicago Wilderness, will present a free mini-conference for K-12 educators in Triton’s district. You are invited to hear about the educational and emotional intelligence benefits of outdoor education for all students. Program coordinators from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Brookfield Zoo, and other organizations will discuss the outstanding nature-centered outdoor education programs they offer to schools. This is a great networking opportunity.

Please join us for this worthwhile and inspiring afternoon program devoted to exploring the possibilities of place-based outdoor education programs for students in grades K-12.

 Free of charge, advance registration required

 Wednesday, February 8, 2012 3:30-5:30 pm Triton College, 2000 Fifth Ave, River Grove, IL 60171 B building, Room 204/210

 Open to K-12 teachers and administrators CEU credit: Yes

 Refreshments will be served

Click Here to Register

For more information, contact Adrian Fisher, Coordinator, Triton College Sustainability Center

Phone: 708-456-0300, ext. 3848 Email: afisher@triton.edu

Triton College is a member of the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), a consortium of community colleges leading sustainability initiatives throughout Illinois. The Leave No Child Inside initiative is funded in part by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and the Chicago Wilderness Corporate Council.

Water - Threats and Possibilities - Multi Media Presentation

Art Exhibition - Water: Caring as if Our Lives Depend on ItSpeaker’s Forum, Videos (flyer attached)

Topics: Water Quality and Contamination, Keystone XL Pipeline, Water Privatization Open Discussion and Networking time Refreshments and Entertainment

PROGRAM 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM Group Art Exhibit focusing on water 7:00 PM Videos followed by Open Discussion 8:30 PM Featuring Sketches by THE CAPOW! IMPROV PLAYERS 9:00 PM Video followed by Open Discussion WHEN: SATURDAY, January 21, 2012, 6:30 – 9:30 pm

WHERE: MULTI-KULTI ART SPACE, 1000 N. MILWAUKEE AVE., CHICAGO, IL, 4th FLOOR (Buzz “Cooperative Media Center” on the intercom to enter).   On street parking on Milwaukee and Augusta.

SUGGESTED DONATION: $5 (or what you can afford)

INFORMATION: call Cindy at 773 504 1580 or Beverley at 708 447-1547

Sponsored by CAPOW! (Citizens Act to Protect Our Water)

www.protectourpublicwater.net

When WE THE PEOPLE become involved and take action,

we can make the positive changes needed in OUR WORLD

Beekeeping for Beginners Nov 2nd, 7pm at the OP Main Library

Cheney Mansion Events

Walk-In Wednesdays at Cheney Mansion - FREE ADMISSION

Wednesdays through Nov 16, 11am-3pm 

Open House! Explore the mansion on a self-guided tour. Light refreshments. No admission fee, but please bring a non-perishable food item for donating to the Oak Park Food Pantry. Tours on the hour at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm.

Click here for more information.

Permaculture: Fundamentals & Principles - Wed, Oct 26th, 7p.m.

Submitted by Sue Crothers

Learn reasons for applying a permaculture way of thinking to how we live

The Thoughtful Living Series, a series of community discussions sponsored by the River Forest Parks Foundation & the River Forest Public Library, will resume on Wednesday, October 26th, at the River Forest Library, 735 Lathrop Ave in River Forest.  This month, the series will feature a presentation on Permaculture:  Fundamentals & Principles.

Learn the essence of, and reasons for, applying a permaculture way of thinking to how we live.

What permaculturists do:

• strive to grow food just about anywhere,
• repair environmentally damaged lands,
• design lovely and durable green buildings,
• produce power,
• run successful, people-oriented businesses
• and build authentic community.

They accomplish this by using the same fundamental design principles and by applying a fundamental permaculture ethic:  Care of people. Care of the earth. Sharing all surplus.

Presenter for the evening - Jody Luna

The presenter for the evening will be Jody Luna, a 2007 graduate of Midwest Permaculture’s Design Certificate course. She graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with a Master’s of Architecture in 2006. She runs an environmental design firm, Conscious Designs, and teaches at Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg, IL.

For more details and to share with others, see the Thoughtful Living flyer for October.

GreenTown Comes to Downtown Oak Park - October 12th

Submitted by Gary Cuneen On Wednesday, October 12, at Unity Temple in Oak Park, local and regional attendees will envision a future for their communities that includes healthy eating, bike and pedestrian-friendly communities, transit-oriented development, green infrastructure, water conservation, energy efficiency, green businesses, farm to school, residential food scrap composting, and much more.

Hosted by Pioneering Healthy Communities Oak Park, Cook County Department of Public Health's "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" and the Village of Oak Park.  This year's event will feature a keynote address by nationally known Host of "America's Walking"on PBS, Mark Fenton.  Mark is a dynamic speaker that energizes, entertains and educates his audiences.  Don't miss this local opportunity to hear him speak!

Hear from Dr. Damon Arnold, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, on the latest statewide initiatives to combat obesity, and discover how Mia Birk, CEO of Alta Planning and Author of Joyride, worked to change culture and transform Portland into a cycling mecca.

This one-day experience will also feature:- 15+ sessions on such topics as: - Healthy Eating in the Community - Healthy Eating at Home - Planning for a Physically Active Community - Sustainable Communities Planning and Metrics - Green Infrastructure and The Great Outdoors

The full agenda, including pre- and main conference sessions, is now available.

Register now and take advantage of special event pricing for Oak Park and River Forest Residents.

Bloom n Bulbs Events at the Oak Park Conservatory

Bring Spring color to life.  Select spring bulbs to plant this fall or to force indoors.  Click here to get all the details on three opportunities sponsored by the Garden Club of OPRF and the Park District of Oak Park / Oak Park Conservatory.

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!

Baby Oaks Looking for a Home!

Submitted by Julie Samuels We are in the process of finding homes for about 80 oak saplings currently living at the Oak Park Conservatory…and another, larger number living at the Morton Arboretum.   These "baby oaks" were grown from acorns gathered from Oak Park's oldest oak trees and are part of the Historic Oak Propagation Project. Consider planting a historic oak seedling together as a family so your children can connect with nature and participate in a project that will bring long-term benefits to future generations.

Please let me know if you can help us find homes for these babies – all cute as buttons!   Any ideas you may have to advertise, display posters or even adopt a baby tree of your own would help.  Or, best of all, if you know of people, friends -- neighbors, schools, churches…business associations!  -- anyone who would like to adopt one, please send them a HOPP Adoption Form and share a HOPP Poster and a HOPP two-sided flyer with them as well.

See also related posts:

Fall 2011 TreeKeepers Classes begin September 10th

Oaks for Oak Park!

Climate Change May Threaten Survival of some OP-RF Trees within 50 Years!