Saturday, May 14, 2011

Play Locally-Green Scene

 photo ChiILMama.com    Sagezilla enjoys Working Bikes pedal powered electronics

Green Festival, the nation's largest green living event, returns to Chicago to celebrate 10 years, 1 million attendees this Saturday and Sunday.    It's a weekend of 10 year celebrations with CircEsteem also excited to be presenting Circus Shows for the 10th year!

Check out some of ChiIL Mama's photo filled past coverage HERE.   We'll be there Sunday to give you the scoop on the big one-oh.   We got the spiral earrings Sagezilla and I always wear here at the Green Fest years ago from Coco Loco.

Kick Off:
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon will be cutting the green ribbon at 11 am to kick-off Green Festival.

Where: McCormick Place (Lakeside), 2301 S. Lakeshore Dr.

When: Saturday 10am - 7pm, Sunday 11 am - 6 pm

Details:There are so many new and exciting activities to be on the lookout for at Green Festival. Here are just a few:

Scan the QR Code with your smart phone or iPad's free QR Code Reader app to download and browse the Green Festival Event Guide. These codes will also be posted on site around the box office. This year, Green Festival printed 3,000 fewer Event Guides and provided opportunities to view the Event Guide online.

Truck Farm Chicago is showcasing their mini-farm on wheels, interacting with youth and answering questions about growing food.

Organic Cooking Demonstrations feature local chefs engaging with community members and making everything from cheese to raw brownies.

The Green Products Showcase in the lobby features the newest and coolest green products to be on the lookout for in the Green Festival Marketplace.

Saturday Highlights
Saturday
11:00am – Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon – Green Ribbon-Cutting
11:00am – Michele Kaufman – The 2011 Smart Home – Green Living Stage
11:30am – Naomi Davis – Blacks In Green: The Chicago Story – Sustainable Home & Garden Pavilion
12:00pm – Ananda Bliss Tribe – Opening Musical Performance – Main Stage
12:30pm – Colin Beavan, No Impact Man – How to Live: Help the World by Becoming Yourself – Main Stage
1:30pm – Stephanie Davies (Urban Worm Girl) – Composting Inside and Out – Sustainable Home & Garden Pavilion
2:00pm – John Viera (Ford) – Ford’s Environmental Sustainability Efforts: A Holistic Approach – Green Living Stage
2:00pm – John Perkins – 2012 Prophecy: Radical Global Change – Main Stage
2:00pm– Dennis Salazar (Salazar Packaging) and Frank Locantore (Green America’s Better Paper Project) – How to Green Your Business: Step by Step From Paper Use to Packaging
2:30pm– Nancy Jones, Ervin Lopez (Chicago Fair Trade) – Celebrate Chicago: America’s Largest Fair Trade City – Fair Trade Pavilion
3:00pm – Jon Hind – Monkey Bar Demonstration – Yoga and Movement Pavilion
3:30pm – Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. – Green Mojo: How the Green Movement Can Get It Back, and Keep It In the Future – Main Stage
4:30pm – Kevin Danaher (Global Exchange) – Building the Local Green Economy –GreenBuildingand Renewable Energy Pavilion
4:30pm – Bianca Alexander (Conscious Living TV), Michael Alexander (Conscious Living TV), Mimi Clayton (Mimi’s Organic Exchange), Dennis Jose (ArtLab) – Make Your Art Green With The Art Lab 123 – Sustainable Home & Garden Pavilion
5:00pm – Jeffrey Smith – Don’t Put That In Your Mouth – Main Stage

Sunday
12:00pm – Amy Goodman – Democracy Now! – Main Stage
12:30pm – Suzanne Carlson (Chicago Public Schools), Eric Heineman (Office of Governor Pat Quinn), Doug Widener (U.S. Green Building Council – Chicago Chapter) – What Comes Next: Pushing Forward Green Efforts In Illinois’ Existing Schools – Community Action Pavilion
1:00pm – Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge – The Fabulous Beekman Boys – Main Stage
2:00pm – L. Hunter Lovins – Climate Capitalism: The Business Case for Protecting the Climate – Main Stage
3:00pm – Dr. Sharif Abdullah – 12 Global Solutions: A Visionary Blueprint For Our Turbulent Times – Main Stage
3:30pm – Alexis Baden-Meyer (Organic Consumers Association), Cassie Green (Green Grocer Chicago) – Millions Against Monsanto: Anti-GMO Strategy Session – Community Action Pavilion
3:30pm – Greg Fisher, Richard McGiniss (Mindful Metropolis) – Urban Beekeeping –Sustainable Home & Garden Pavilion

Ford electric and hybrid vehicles will be ready for test drives in front of the Concourse on Saturday and Sunday.

For more info, check out their web site and get the green scene scoop on Twitter and Facebook.

Green Festival
Twitter: @GreenFestival

Du-Jay, Sagezilla and Dug-lookin' smart    photo ChiILMama.com



Kidical Mass is back

Fixed start locations/times
2nd Saturday every month,
next ride TODAY-May 14th, 2011
Palmer Square, 3064 W Palmer Blvd
Gather in center of park at 10:30 AM for 11:00 AM departure

This ride will end at Haas Park, just east of California on Fullerton, if you wish to meet up with the group after the ride.

Proposed route from Palmer:  north on Kedzie, east on Logan, south on Sacramento, east on Altgeld, north on Mozart, east on Logan again, south on Fairfield, east on Altgeld, southwest in alley to the park
contact: Karen Furlong 773 235-4630


Ride Guidelines

Please wear helmets and ride safely.
Rides are typically 4 miles at a 5-6 mph pace on quiet residential streets, roughly 1 hour with stops.
Rides are suitable for children who can ride their own bike for at least three miles; we have had children do this on training wheels just fine.
Younger children are welcome on trail-a-bikes, child trailers and child seats of their parent's bike.
Festive dress and decorations encouraged.
It is expected that all kids bring a parent or guardian.



Floating start locations/times


April 2nd, Clarendon Park, gather 11:00 AM, ride 11:30-12:30.  Please see calendar for details.

Our friends over at the blog, Chicargobike, are often there and happy to answer questions about how to get a number of littles around via bike in an urban environment.   They're parents to 3 young boys and their good ideas aren't theoretical, but spring from real life experience.   They own a tandem, a Dutch box bike, and enough recycled and salvaged bikes to share.    The
ir blog even gives directions on how to build your own box bike!   



They get around town by bike an impressive amount, and just spearheaded a bike Friday "bike train" at our school.    The train meets about 50 minutes before school and caravans along side streets, picking families up along the way.    They hope to make the bike train a weekly event in the warm months and encourage a growing number of families to ride.   The ride culminated with coffee for the sleepy grown ups and muffins for all.



10-2pm Saturday and Sunday
*bring your own trays and flats back--reduce-reuse-recycle

This annual sale of organic annuals does tend to get crowded, but it's a great opportunity to support The Chicago Park District and it doesn't get any more organic, locally grown and sustainable than DIY veggies.    Even if you just have porch pots or a city roof garden, it's great to grow your own.   

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