February Newsletter
Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! This is our monthly pre-meeting general newsletter. We hope to see you at our Town Hall on Saturday and next monthly meeting February 9th at 6:30pm. For the monthly meeting, we have updates on several coalition and campaigns (Clean and Affordable Buildings, Democratize ComEd & franchise, Rein in gas utility overspending, Water for All, Urban Forestry Board), plus information on stewardship and green space - including about the Vedgewater Community Garden, a new Chicago Climate Infrastructure Fund, and more! We look forward to seeing you soon! Our monthly meetings take place at 6:30 PM every second Thursday of the month, and they are all posted on Upcoming Events. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7639616511 Meeting ID: 763 961 6511 +13126266799,,7639616511#
Our Upcoming Events
Sun, Feb 26 - Seed Swap 1-3pm, Broadway Armory (Save the Date)
Sat, Mar 18 - Community Air Research Experience (CARE) Field Trip, 6018N (Save the Date)
Tree Planting: Sat 4/8 9am-1pm
Last Saturday of the month: Litter Free Edgewater Clean Up
Community Connections
The Rogers Park Business Alliance (RPBA), Edgewater Chamber of Commerce (ECC) and Loyola University Chicago (LUC) are proud to announce the release of the Elevate Devon Corridor Plan — a pivotal multi-year strategic plan focused on improving Devon Avenue between Sheridan Road and Ravenswood Avenue.
Learn how your community can plan for climate action
Each of northeastern Illinois' 7 counties and 284 municipalities has a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but not everyone knows where to begin. During our upcoming webinar, CMAP Talks: Planning for climate action at the local level, learn what your community can do and what resources already exist. Register - Join us on Wednesday, February 15, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. for a discussion of the tips, tricks, and challenges to climate action planning, including data and resources you can use in your community and lessons learned from ongoing initiatives throughout the region.
Healthy soil, healthy community!
We support learning how to be a soil advocate and create resilient social ecologies in the 21st century. So check out the upcoming The Soil Keepers: Soil Science and Training Program, led by instructor and founder of Social Ecologies, Nance Klehm! This program is designed to train soil advocates to amend soil in their yard, neighborhood, or community-led project. The program includes two sessions: The Soil Keepers: Introduction to Soil Science in February, which will be held online over two weeks on Tuesday evenings, and Unit I: The Body of Soi in March, which will be held in-person in Chicago over four weeks on Saturdays. Early bird tickets are available now, but space is limited, so don't wait! Head to their Eventbrite page to get your tickets today. And don't forget to check out the recommended pre-reading, The Soil Keepers: Interviews With Practitioners on the Ground Beneath Our Feet. It's a perfect primer for students, practitioners, community members, or anyone interested in grounding their climate actions in the health of the soil! #SoilScience #SoilAdvocates #TheSoilKeepers" Meet the instructor: Nance Klehm, the Founder of Social Ecologies, has grounded her life in the practice of digging in the dirt. Her work demonstrates her lifelong commitment to redefining the way human populations coexist with plant and animal systems on this planet. Based in Chicago, she consults on soil restoration, remediation, and community-focused regenerative soils and water systems around the world.
Are you a non-profit or private company that owns or leases land or property? Funding is available for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Systems, Electric Vehicles (EV) and EV Charging Infrastructure (as well as purchasing vehicles), and Green Infrastructure (GI). The City of Chicago Climate Infrastructure Fund is accepting grant applications to support neighborhood projects that mitigate the effects of climate change and accelerate the city’s equitable transition to the green economy. Individual grants from approximately $50,000 to $250,000 are available through the fund to support capital investments in energy efficiency projects, electric vehicles, and green infrastructure. Applications must be submitted via the Chicago Department of Planning and Development universal application by February 24, 2023.
In Case You Missed It
CARE Updates/Events - Upcoming public orientation sessions on select Wednesdays from 4-5 PM. These are open to EEC, community partners in person or via Zoom, Mentor Mapping (Feb 8), Career Panel (Feb 15), Air Pollution Basics (Mar 22), Air Pollution Monitoring (Mar 29), PurpleAir Sensors (Apr 12), and Review and Summer Preparation (Apr 19). If a specific topic is of interest, let us know and we’ll send details to join.
Meet Ethan, EEC's new intern here!