A new project and a new volunteer!
The plastic number project is born. Karlyn and Hannah brainstorm questions which need answers:
the recycling plastic number project involves much more than they realized at first. We need to be able to identify the plastic numbers, including the following information: is it accepted by the city for recycling? if not, is it accepted by other recyclers? Is it reusable, dishwasher safe, microwavable, durable, will it easily melt, crack, etc? What are the toxicity issues? Stay tuned for more eco-questions!
More work was done, more progress made.
Here's a few photos. Our Beyond Today interns and volunteers went to Somme Prairie Woods to learn about prairie restoration. They are going to write an article about why it is done. A beautiful and fun day!
We'll be at the river this morning. As soon as the interns finish their first guitar lesson and I finish my coffee.
And, unfortunately, the CDPH feels they need to spray again.
See our website for the schedule and map of spray areas.
Anvil Cocktails for All
by Pete Leki
(click to hear the poem read by the author)
It's Summer in the City
And the crickets sing at night
The jets
roar in the wispy clouds
But things just don't seem right…
without
some…
Anvil whining down the block
Just as we sit down for dinner
Whoever got
that Anvil contract
Sure turned out a winner
We get Anvil on our salsa
All up in our posole
Anvil on our
pollo
Quesadillas, guacamole
Anvil on the kiddies
On Darwin, Zach and Ella
Anvil on the
popsicles
And on that homeless fella
Anvil sprayed on grannies
And on the pregnant ladies
On birds and dogs
and dragonflies
On daddies pushing babies
Anvil at the cafes
On your pesto and risotta
Anvil in your fine
Merlot
And in your mineral water
"Don't worry. It won't hurt you."
The Public Health guys say
"And if
you do get cancer
That will be years away
You can't blame it on the Anvil
Not with the toxic air
You're breathing
in this City
There's already poison there:
Lead, asbestos, ozone,
Diesel fumes and soot
Mercury and arsenic
Is
it so bad to put
A little bit on Anvil
Into the toxic bile?
At least we're doing
something
To try to stop West Nile.
We need to show we're active
Like going off to war
Even tho the
enemy
Is as toxic as the cure."
So bring it on, don't fear it.
Spray all over me,
I'm sure that it is
harmless
Like Raid and DDT.
-----------------------------------------
We've had a flurry of activity with the spray alert.
It now seems that our neighborhood won't be sprayed this week.
Today our interns will help us make signs and banners so we are ready if they try to spray the neighborhood this summer.
Yesterday the interns interviewed a local resident about their desire to do some green remodeling. We'll follow the progress and do our best to provide resources to help.
Later, we went to the eco-transportation fest organized by The Foresight Design Initiative
We loved the Twike! (see previous posting) We'll post the MP3 of the interview later today!
I found a video of a twike!
Could we get 10 of these and have them around the neighborhood as part of an experimental i-go (car-sharing) project?
An article about a pesticide and the battle over it's public health threat and process to ban it.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0608140133aug14,1,3213246.story?coll=chi-business-hed
I read a study saying that lice treatments were strongly correlated with autism. It was published earlier this year.
I just saw this job posted on
http://www.chicagoenvironment.org/
It would be so great to get someone local in this position to help us to make sure we are connected with these programs.
----------------------------------------------
Community Programming and Education Outreach interns
| Organization: | City of Chicago, Department of Environment [more info] |
|---|---|
| Duties and Responsibilities: |
Community Programming and Education Outreach interns are needed to
assist with the implementation (and in some cases the development) of a
variety of projects focused on informing and educating Chicago
residents, schools, environmental organizations, and other stakeholders
on environmental initiatives and activities related to making Chicago
the "greenest" city in the country. Activities will vary from project
to project, but support and assistance may include any or all of the
following: ·Designing layouts for educational material (posters, flyers, pamphlets, etc.) ·Creating illustrations for use in educational material ·Developing draft copy for use on posters, fact sheets, etc. ·Taking photographs ·Scheduling and coordinating public speaking requests ·Helping to deliver environmental education programs at off-site locations ·Serving as liaisons and ambassadors at community events ·Assisting CPEO staff on administrative tasks as needed |
| Qualifications: |
Must be a student in good academic standing enrolled in an accredited
college or university offering an associate, baccalaureate or graduate
degree program OR a student in good standing enrolled in an accredited
business or data processing/information technology school. In addition to an interest in environmental issues, prospective candidates should possess strong oral and written communication skills, proficiency in word processing, spread sheets and other basic computer programs, and strong analytical and organizational skills. Student Intern positions must be applied for on-line at www.cityofchicago.org/careerworks. An applicant must be an actual resident of the City of Chicago. Proof of residency will be required at the time of application via one of the following: a valid drivers license, state identification card, voters registration card, or a utility bill (gas, electric) displaying a City of Chicago residence. Official transcript or photocopy of official transcript, resume and original letter of enrollment verification from the school Registrar/Dean confirming current enrollment and grade level will be required at the time of application. Applications must be submitted by individual applicant; no second party applications will be accepted. All references to political sponsorship or recommendation must be omitted from any and all application materials submitted for city employment. In addition please fax or email a copy of your resume and a cover letter to Juri Jones-Moore at the City of Chicago, Department of Environment at (312) 744-6451 or jurijones@cityofchicago.org. The City of Chicago is an equal employment opportunity/Affirmative action employer. |
| Address: | 30 N. LaSalle, 25th Flr., Chicago, Ill. 60602 |
| Categories: | Conservation, Education, Environmental Action/Policy, Other |
| Type: | Paid Internship |
| Timeframe: | Year Round |
| Contact: |
Juri Jones-Moore
Assistant Commissioner  (312)744-6451
jurijones@cityofchicago.org |
The Green roof is done! Beautiful! Thank you to our volunteers and interns, Carla, Eva, Andrew, Stephanie, Nicole, and Raquel! Also thank you to Architect Cynthia (Cynthia #1 from the garden) who donated some of the materials and thank you to Maggie V for the dollhouse!
The purpose of this dollhouse is to demonstrate some green building materials and ideas. The dollhouse is repainted with no-VOC paint, it has bamboo and other recycled and environmental flooring materials, it has working solar panels and a working hydrogen fuel cell car! Also a bird feeder, permeable pavestones, a rain barrel, and the imaginary dollhouse people are subscribed to a local organic food coop. You can see their vegetables. Oh, yes there are bicycles and a push mower. It's been fun. We hope to finish the dollhouse webpage soon and look for grant money to help us to share this project with others who wish to help educate the public about green ideas for the home. Please let us know if you can help us get our next dollhouse for remodelling!
