The Village of Oak Park has unanimously passed an ordinance requiring stores over 5000 square feet to charge 10¢ a single-use bag. The new rule goes into effect on January 1, 2018, and will apply to both paper and plastic bags. The new 10¢ fee will be evenly split between the retailer and the Village, with the Village’s share earmarked for “environmental sustainability initiatives” which have yet to be named.
We've seen the images of seagulls caught in plastic bags, microscopic plastic beads in plankton, and the Great Norther Pacific garbage patch. Plastic is so ubiquitous that cleaning up our enormous mess sometimes seems hopeless. But three opportunities are available for those with a heart to make a difference.
Summer is upon us and with it the annual block party season. Block parties are a special part of celebrating community and our wonderful outdoor spaces. It’s also a great way of recognizing and celebrating the many sustainability initiatives and resources in our community – whether it’s native or edible gardens, backyard or curbside composting (offered through the villages of Oak Park and River Forest), solar panels or learning about the awesome trees on your block. By shining a light on these important community assets, we encourage one another and help to build a more resilient future for our children.
The One Earth Film Festival's film, "The TrueCost," inspired us to look for ways to act, and we found Fashion Revolution Week (April 18-24), a week of activism designed to build awareness about the true costs of fashion, including social injustice and environmental degradation.
Will you join us? Two easy steps:
1. Take a picture of the tag of your favorite clothing.
2. Tweet or post it to the fashion brand or store's social media account with the hashtag:
#WhoMadeMyClothes
PlanItGreen is launching a campaign to make a big reduction in the amount of material we send to the landfill. The PlanItGreen sustainability plan outlines a goal to divert 50 percent of Oak Park and River Forest “waste” away from landfills by 2015 and into compost and recycling, where it becomes a resource.
It was through Green Community Connections that I first learned of the ReBuilding Exchange. I don’t remember who told me about it, or when I first came across this organization. All I remember is falling in love with its mission, and feeling grateful that there are people so dedicated and committed to making the world a better place.
Radio personality Mike Nowak will guide a tour showing how Chicago deals with its waste from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18. See a working recycling and sorting facility; food compost and waste sites; huge former garbage landfills; illegal toxic waste dumps; and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's waste water treatment plant on the south side. The tour will begin at the Chicago Cultural Center where attendees will meet inside the north end of the building at 9:30 a.m. for check in. Cost is $30. Please bring PayPal receipt and a brown bag lunch. Register and pay at www.setaskforce.blogspot.com or call 773-646-0436. The tour is sponsored by Southeast Environmental Task Force and Chicago Recycling Coalition.
Unload those items cluttering up your basement, garage, or attic. Drop off old electronics, scrap metal, batteries, prescription medications, apparel, and miscellaneous items at District 90's Green4Good Recycling Extravaganza from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at River Forest United Methodist Church, 7970 Lake Street, in River Forest. Drive through the parking lot, entering from Lake Street for easy access.
Do you two-step with your trash? Rhumba with your recycling? Conga with your compost? We guess you don't. But students at Columbia College Chicago created their own original trash-inspired moves for a One Earth Film Festival screening of Trash Dance on Sunday, March 9. The result was anything but disposable. Their dancing reflected the grace, dedication and pride of the workers who haul our garbage every day.
