Green Living: Host a Green Block Party

With Spring finally "sprung," and the last day of school soon approaching -- neighbors' minds and hearts turn to that annual homage to communal grilling, sidewalk chalk, water fights, and big-and-little-people tricycle races. The Block Party is a sacred thing in many places across the country -- not least in Oak Park and River Forest. Here, block party fun is serious business. And to some local citizens, greening their block parties is seriously cool and important business.  The great news is that the villages of Oak Park and River Forest are both supporting GREEN BLOCK PARTIES this year! Why? Read on for the why's, who's, what's, and how's of green block parties.

Our Green Block Party Guide will give you everything you need to know in order to host your own Green Block Party! Click here for the complete article.

Community Profile: Justin Vrany, a Chicago restauranteur who takes zero-waste literally

Justin Vrany knows about the power of publicity, and the strength of the “green” movement. He opened his Chicago restaurant, Sandwich Me In, two years ago with a commitment to zero waste and to sourcing local, organic food. Despite a loyal customer base and favorable reaction to his delicious offerings, business was so slow that he found himself unable to pay employees and running the restaurant single-handedly for nearly six months last year. Then NationSwell produced a short documentary about the restaurant  recently (click "continue reading" below to see video). The documentary shows how Sandwich Me In is truly a zero waste restaurant. It has been widely viewed—over 130,000 views within the first several weeks—and has also sparked a series of articles in prestigious on-line and print publications (CBS News, the Huffington Post, Chicago Tonight and others).

And with the publicity have come customers! Now the restaurant is thriving and Justin is finding the time to start other initiatives, such as a local composting program where customers can bring their own compostables to the restaurant, and live music at the restaurant most evenings. He’s also been approached by other restaurants wanting to know how he does it, and is considering starting a consulting business to teach other restaurants how to incorporate zero waste principles.

Many of us use the term “zero waste” to mean reducing our landfill waste, but at Vrany’s restaurant zero really means zero. While most restaurants discard dozens of gallons of waste per day, or even per hour, in its two years of existence, Sandwich Me In has recycled or composted all but eight gallons of its waste—which is itself largely plastic-lined coffee cups and the like brought into the restaurant by its customers (photo at right). And even these eight gallons have been taken by a local artist to turn into a sculpture! Vrany tried to cancel garbage pickup, but the city wouldn’t let him, insisting that the restaurant pay at least the minimum $40 a month for trash pickup it doesn’t use.

Sandwich Me In is a proud member of the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition, and its commitment to sustainability doesn’t end with eliminating waste. Vrany refuses to buy overly processed or transported foods for the restaurant. Instead, nearly all of the food served by the restaurant is made in-house from scratch, using organic meats, dairy and produce from local farmers. (This year, Alex Poltorak’s The Urban Canopy will grow fresh produce for the restaurant in a dedicated Englewood plot so that food picked that day will be on the menu.) The restaurant also uses 100% renewable energy and is committed to water-conserving techniques. The restaurant’s furnishings and equipment are nearly all reused or refurbished—Vrany even ingeniously used the pallets from an appliance delivery to build out the restaurant’s behind-the-counter area!

Vrany began working in the restaurant industry at a young age, for powerhouses such as The Ritz and Nick’s Fish Market. He later attended the business and culinary arts program at Kendall College, where he learned about sustainability. Vrany credits a French teacher’s Food Politics course for changing his life, opening his eyes to what the U.S. is doing to its food and the planet. Vrany says that one of the many inspirational quotes painted on the restaurant’s walls sums up the way in which he lives his life: “Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want” (Anna Lappé, Small Planet Institute).

Justin Vrany, Sandwich Me In, 3037 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, (773) 348-3037

River Forest Electronics Recycling - Sat., May 24th

The Village will be hosting another Electronics Recycling Event this Saturday, May 24^th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in the west Thatcher parking lot located on the west side of the 400 block of Thatcher Avenue across from the Metra train station.

The State of Illinois has mandated that certain electronics may no longer be disposed of in landfills. The following items can be recycled on Saturday:

Televisions, Computer monitors, Printers and scanners, Computers (including tablet computers), Keyboards and other computer components (mice, speakers, etc), Facsimile machines, VCRs and DVD players, Portable digital music players, CD Players and stereo components, Video game consoles, Small scale servers, Digital converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers, Cell Phones, Cordless Phones

To assist residents in the disposal of their electronic devices, the Village of River Forest has partnered with Vintage Tech Recyclers to offer free electronics waste recycling events. Residents will be able to drop off their electronic devices to Vintage Tech representatives to be recycled in an environmentally safe manner.

The next electronics recycling event in River Forest will take place on Saturday, August 30.

Green Living: Break Your Bag Habit

If you've driven down the Eisenhower Expressway recently, you know where I'm going with this. After the snow melted, six months of buried trash was suddenly exposed all along the highway. And it's the bags, fluttering in the wind, skittering across the lanes that grab attention and demonstrate their own polluting wastefulness.

Hopefully the city will send out work crews soon. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to break your bag habit. Reason #1 is to help a good cause. We  are happy to announce that the River Forest Whole Foods has chosen Green Community Connections as the recipient community group for their "One Dime at a Time," bring-your-own-bag program. Every time you shop there now through June 30, bring your own grocery bags and let the cashier know you'd like Whole Foods to donate 10 cents for each of your bags to Green Community Connections.  It's all about building new habits

Eliminating single-use plastic bags from our lives is all about building new habits. Some people keep a stash of reusable bags in their cars. Others throw a few in their purse, coat pocket or bike bag. And for small trips, many people find it's easy to refuse a bag and carry a few items in their hands. On Saturday mornings, I write my grocery list, tuck it into the bag of bags I keep in my pantry, and hang them on my front door knob, where I'm sure I won't forget them.

Some of the misinformation promoted by the plastic industry claims that single use plastic bags are necessary because reusable bags are germy. I don't know about yours, but my grandparents did just fine without plastic bags. However, if you are hyper vigilant about germs, why not use washable cloth bags? Check out Etsy.com. Find a seamstress in your family or at the Oak Park Women's Exchange. If you enjoy estate sale or yard sale shopping, you can find a pretty old table cloth or sturdy sheets, instead of sewing new fabric. This past summer, I sewed myself a coordinated set of cloth produce bags from a vintage table cloth...I get compliments on them all the time.

Using humor to encourage conservation

Still, changing habits is challenging – even if it’s something we really want to do! Two of our One Earth Film Fest team members recently participated in the DC Environmental Film Festival and attended a session titled, “Can Comedy Encourage Conservation? “  Check out this quirky, fun short film about what it might take to motivate people to bring their own bag to the store as an example of the humorous films that were shared.

This video, produced in DC, supports a 2-cent tax on bags. Many other cities across the country have banned or taxed plastic bags. This spring, Chicago's city council is debating a full-out ban on bags. If you live within city limits, get involved in that effort. Contact your alderman to let him or her know you support the measure. Find Facebook pages,  such as Bring Your Bag Chicago, to get the latest updates.  Perhaps you may be moved to create a similar campaign in Oak Park, River Forest or in your town? Look for or start online petitions on sites like Change.org. Band with friends and attend a city council meeting or talk to community leaders.

REFUSE, reduce, reuse and recyle

We all know the environmental impact of single use plastic items, which are made from petroleum--a big strike right there. Even when waste haulers recycle plastic bags, as does Waste Management, Oak Park's residential waste hauler, the bags are only recycled once...turned mainly into plastic lumber used in decks and building trim, according to Earth911. Sure, the plastic will stay out of the landfill for 10, 20, 30 years or more, but since most plastic lumber is mixed with other materials, it can't be recycled again.

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since recycling is the last resort in an earth-friendly life, let's not settle so easily. Refuse those plastic bags, and start a new habit today!

Visit GCC's website for more information about waste reduction and recycling: http://www.greencommunityconnections.org/resources/waste-reduce-reuse-recycle/

Submitted by Laurie Casey

Community Profile: Julie Moller, Bag Monster & Founder of Recycling Extravaganza

When Julie Moller showed up as the "bag monster" last year at the One Earth Film Festival, we knew we had connected with someone special. As facilitator for the film Bag It at the River Forest Public Library, she came in a handmade costume consisting of hundreds of plastic bags.  Needless to say, she attracted a lot of attention. And, she still gets  use out of that costume.

"I've worn that costume to the science fair at my daughter's school, a girls scouts event, and on Earth Day. My kids are used to it," she laughs. But her commitment to waste reduction doesn't stop there. As founder of River Forest's Recycling Extravaganza--this year's runs on May 3 from 8 am to 1 pm at River Forest United Methodist Church, 7970 Lake Street, River Forest -- she mobilizes hundreds of people to divert carloads of stuff from the landfill and get these materials into the hands of people who can reuse them.  We talked to Julie about the event and what motivates her.

GCC: How did this get started?

JM: I had attended a similar event at Cantigny Park in Wheaton several years ago. So I contacted the person who organized it, Kay McKeen. She runs the organization, School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education (SCARCE). She filled me in on what she does, and I looked at what we could do here in the Village. I got a committee together through River Forest District 90's Green for Good team, found a venue and then started connecting to recycling entities that would take the stuff. We found recyclers or re-users for corks, eyeglasses, old bedding for pet shelters, cooking grease, batteries and dozens of other items. We also accept fluorescent tubes, electronics and prescription drugs for proper disposal.  See poster for details.

GCC: How does the Recycling Extravaganza work?

JM: It's  a drive-up and drop-off system. People don't get out of their cars. We take down their zip code and record what they drop off. And we empty their trunk, back seat, or in some cases, U-Haul! Typically, about 60 percent of cars come from River Forest, but we get people from the surrounding suburbs and even a few from Chicago.

GCC: How did it go that first year?

JM: At our first event in 2012, I was expecting maybe 50 or 100 cars. But we got 575 cars! Last year, I thought, we can't do better than that...well, we got 750 cars!  We filled every container and had to turn away 20 cars.

GCC: The lesson there is to come early. And, it sounds like a lot of work. Tell us about your volunteer structure.

JM: The first year, core Green for Good members stayed all day. Last year, we formalized the jobs, so that people had separate tasks. We had about 65 volunteers. This year, we have almost 90 volunteers, including the people working the trucks. We're still looking for more volunteers for this year.  Sign up now!

GCC:  Why trash?

JM: I've been interested in trash since I was a kid. It drives me nuts when there's a recycling bin, and I see an aluminum can in the trash bin next to it. Or, I'll pick up a piece of litter someone tossed, and calmly tell them, "I think you dropped something."  I hand it to them. They are kind of shocked! But I want to educate people. With a little bit of effort, you can give these things to others who can use them.

Interview by Laurie Casey

Community Profile: Mindy Agnew, Sustainable Communities Advocate

Interview by Laurie Casey

In January, Oak Park, IL's Percy Julian Middle School successfully launched a "zero waste" lunch program for its sixth graders. For several weeks, school administrators, custodians, community members and students helped more than 300 sixth graders decide where to place their lunch discards among three bins (recycle, compost, landfill). A small group of sixth grade volunteers are now answering any lingering questions from their classmates about what goes where. The Julian implementation team is awaiting the results of an audit to find out how much waste the program is diverting from the landfill, and they expect the school will have lower waste hauling bills.

"This effort is a powerful example of sustainable community development in action," says Oak Park resident Mindy Agnew, a key parent volunteer who helped plan the roll-out. "The district, the custodians, the parents...we wouldn't be able to do this without their help. And what better audience than the best change agents I've come across, our students?"

Agnew, chairperson of Lincoln Elementary School's green committee and a member of an Oak Park parent collaborative called the Zero Waste Schools Group, is a passionate sustainability champion.

"The path to zero waste is not difficult. It's a different way of taking out the trash. It's that simple," says Agnew. "Waste is a big issue and a good one to start on. But there are so many sustainability topics: renewable energy, energy efficiency, toxins, to name a few."

In 2013 Agnew quit her full-time job as a senior vice president at Citi to pursue a career in sustainable community development. She is now earning a Master's degree in sustainable management at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She is embarking on a variety of sustainability projects, including helping the city of Chicago write a new composting ordinance.

She sees the path to zero waste as a process that takes time. Ideas need to percolate within a community before they take hold. Agnew looks at the school setting as an effective starting place.

Agnew has been involved in District 97's zero waste efforts since 2008, when the Zero Waste Schools Group, with the help of Seven Generations Ahead, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote the development of ecologically sustainable and healthy communities, received grant funding to implement sustainability measures in District 97 schools. According to Agnew, the schools used the grant money to install energy- and water-efficient dishwashers, purchase reusable lunchroom trays and silverware or add hand dryers in bathrooms.

"The grants required that we implement some sort of composting program in the school. So I was inspired to become a Master Composter. It's my favorite title! I'm crazy for worms!" says Agnew, who has brought her expertise on worm bins to science teachers and scout troops in Oak Park and beyond.

Here are the steps Agnew took to waste less in her life:

1. Implement a simple source separation process in your home. Use a three bin system: compost, recycle, landfill. "Don't buy new bins; use containers you have or reusable bags. A lot of packaging can be recycled. If it's soiled paper, it can be composted, as long as it's not plastic or foil lined," says Agnew.

2. If you have a yard, begin backyard composting. It's simple, and dramatically reduces the amount of landfill trash your family produces.

3. Join Oak Park's curbside CompostAble program (http://www.oak-park.us/village-services/refuse-recycling/compostable-program). "One of the fantastic benefits is that it makes you more aware of packaging when you are at the grocery store. We save money on groceries because we're cooking smaller meals and buying more in bulk," says Agnew. If you live outside of Oak Park, encourage your town to investigate a curbside pick up program.

4. Start growing your own food. Agnew began with simple with containers of herbs. "Each year we added something. We grew peppers, green beans, cucumbers. Grow it, eat what you use. What's left over, compost," says Agnew.

5. Take it outside and get involved in the community. Want to do more? Each District 97 school has a green committee and a liaison to the Zero Waste Schools Group. Ask around to find those contacts.  And if you are in River Forest District 90, each school has a Green4Good committee.  Green4Good will present the 3rd annual Recycling Extravaganza on May 3, 2014 in River Forest.  To volunteer for the recycling extravaganza or find out more about Green4Good please contact Julie Moller at julie@4moller.com.  Or, volunteer with Seven Generations Ahead (www.sevengenerationsahead.org), a key partner in local zero waste efforts.

For more information, visit these pages: Green Community Connection's Waste Page.  Seven Generations Ahead Zero Waste Page.  EPA's Municipal Waste Page.