Do you see an important connection with the role you played in the yard sign collection and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts?
The sign recycling signified a small way individuals could help make a difference. Before this project, I hadn't really considered the environmental impact of all these yard signs. It made me think about the ways we can all participate in helping the planet. I feel like recycling is best utilized when it is accessible and simple. Seeing how so many folks came together to make the sign recycling possible, it made me think that it is possible to continue making a difference in many small ways to help our environment. I would like others to know about this program because I hope awareness can continue to build for future election cycles. It would be great if folks just "knew" to recycle their yard signs after each election. Also, the biggest takeaway for me was how teamwork made the whole recycling program more manageable and transferable to other environmental ideas in our community.
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Do you see An important connection with the role you play at Maine East and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts?Shelby Riha is working hard to not only help her students understand the complex interplay between human and ecological systems, but also evaluate claims and evidence about the economic, environmental, and human health impacts of our actions. She said “I am lucky to have many opportunities on campus to acquaint students with the natural world. We are currently collaborating with the special education department and students to maintain a vegetable garden that supplies our salsa-making competition in the Fall. We learn about the storm water management and biodiversity benefits of native prairie plants in our butterfly garden outside the science wing and are working on getting a grant to put up an educational sign." Shelby and her class work in the oak savanna to measure carbon sequestration of the trees, make observations about species interactions, and learn about invasive species. They also have seasonal work days to remove European buckthorn, maintain a path, and complete an outdoor classroom space by the pond in the oak savanna.
The Maine East students work in groups to do service-learning projects each year so they are always looking for ways to collaborate with community partners on local ecological or environmental issues. Feel free to contact Shelby with ideas! They are also looking to start a Friends of the Maine East Nature Spaces digital newsletter. Send an email to be added to their list: sriha@maine207.org Sue McGovern: A Monarch Butterfly Farmer!
Do you see important connection with the role you play in our community and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts? “As a lover of the outdoors, I started raising monarch butterflies in our Park Ridge backyard in 1998 to show my young son what a joy it is to interact with nature. We planted milkweed and eagerly awaited the arrival of the females to deposit eggs upon the plants. We brought eggs inside to protect them from predators and watched caterpillars emerge a few days later. We fed the caterpillars milkweed leaves, cared for them until they turned into beautiful green and gold chrysalises, and released the magnificent monarchs when they emerged. We have shared our method of raising monarchs with the community and have seen people turn into monarch advocates after learning more about these graceful creatures and their dependence on milkweed.” Check Out Sue’s Blog: www.backyardbutterflies.com Check Out Sue’s Book available through Sunbury Press, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon Raising Monarchs: Caring for One of God’s Graceful Creatures Have you ever wondered how to raise monarch butterflies? Author and butterfly farmer Sue Fox McGovern takes you through all of the steps from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. All of this can be done in your own backyard. Meet Lauren Maloney, Denise Reeder, and Jenny Duerkop of the Lincoln Seed Library
Do you see important connections with the role you play in our community and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts? “Three years ago, with the decline of heirloom seeds being grown and in danger of being lost in our area, the Lincoln Seed Library was created! The Lincoln Seed Library shares our love of seeds with students, families and the community. We offer heirloom seeds (saved consistently for at least 50 years) for flowers, veggies and herbs; we "check them out" in the spring and hope our seed library members have a great growing season, then in the fall our members save seeds from their best plants and we "check them in." There is no charge, we just ask for a name and email address to register our members. Not many people save seeds anymore and we hope that the LSL will expose more people to the joy of Purple Carrots, Mini Chocolate Peppers, and Thomas Jefferson Blue Buttons. We are proud that our LSL sustainability footprint has grown to include worm bins for vermicomposting and we have community volunteers plant our heirloom seeds in early spring. With the help of our growing lights we are now able to offer seedlings as well as seeds in May and June during our member checkouts. Denise Reeder, Library Information Specialist, Jenny Duerkop, Seed Library Coordinator, and Lauren Maloney, volunteer, are all excited to share the Lincoln Seed Library with local students and everyone in the community!” For more information about the Lincoln Seed Library, please contact: dreeder@d64.org Erick Huck, Pak Ridge Park District
MLA, PLA, ASLA Facilities and Parks Planner ehuck@prparks.org Do you see important connection with the role you play in the Park District and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts? “Yes! My efforts with the Park Ridge Park District to establish native natural areas, restore a vibrant urban forest, and utilize native plant materials are part of a global effort to design a built environment that is inclusive of natural systems. The positive impacts of small design moves like utilizing native plants in our parks can:
At a global-scale, our myriad local impacts can promote positive change. By showing that sustainable buildings and landscapes are also aesthetically beautiful, I hope others in our community and throughout the Greater Chicagoland Area are inspired. Together, we can set an example and design a better environment for future generations.” Do you see an important connection with the role you play in our community and our future on this planet? Would you like others in our community to know more about your efforts?
“Yes! Preserving the environment requires starting small. Every contribution we make towards using less and recycling more helps our planet. Currently we are working on getting teachers and students to turn off computers at the end of the day -- this would save an estimated $15,000 a year -- and creating a green roof for Maine South. Stevenson High School has already started one and we hope to convince our school to go the same route. So far we have already made a recycling video and added three basket-net styled recycling bins to the cafeteria. Saving our planet cannot be done by just a few people. It requires an ongoing, global effort, but just a single community dedicating themselves a little bit each day will go farther than any of us can imagine. All it takes is being conscientious: reducing, reusing, recycling and picking up just one piece of garbage a day. Anyone can join the effort: high school students can join Environmental Club and adults can attend monthly Go Green Park Ridge meetings. We cannot delay helping our planet anymore; climate change is already upon us. The time is now!” |
Park Ridge:Take a look at what your neighbors are doing for Park Ridge sustainability! |